The Travellers' Club - Holidays for discerning travellers Halnaker Park Cottage, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0QH
Telephone 01243 773597

HUNGARY - Culture and Countryside in Western Hungary

8th May - 17th May 2010

with Anthony Earl

 To book this tour, click here

COST: £1198, including flights to Budapest; 3 nights with breakfast at the Hotel Erzebet, Budapest; 7 nights with breakfast at  3* hotels in Western Hungary & on the Tihany peninsula; 4 dinners & 1 lunch, transfers, internal travel by coach and train, entrance charges to museums.

EXTRAS: Single room supplement £245, additional meals, optional visits to thermal baths or concerts, insurance.

Since the end of Communism in 1991, great national effort has been dedicated to retrieving Hungary’s cultural, spiritual and emotional identity. Hungary, today, has a distinct consciousness of its own and a pride in its history and culture.  Up to 1922 it was over twice its present size, and its monuments and culture show the lasting effects of a Renaissance Kingdom,  Turkish  and Islamic domination, the Holy Roman and later the Austro-Hungarian Empires. The country had a very turbulent church history, and its cultural history includes great names in music, painting, science, medicine and literature. Budapest was the second capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and while the city may be known to travellers, the towns and villages, lakes and national parks of the country are equally fascinating. Our tour explores both the capital and the countryside.

Hotels, often upgraded from the Communist era, are good. Food and drink are distinctive and interesting, even superb. Cafés, with their delectable range of pastries and cakes, are much part of a daily routine. Town life is especially congenial, as many Hungarians, including young people, retain old-world courtesies and have a restrained and reassuring style. Inter-city and local transport is efficient and, notably for the over-65’s, cheap.

Our stay includes three initial nights in Budapest, (we could hardly omit it!) where concerts and operas can usually be found. The Leader will obtain information about programmes early in the New Year, and facilitate ticket purchases  for anyone interested.

Date Itinerary
Sat 8th May We shall fly to Ferihegy airport; and be transferred to the Hotel Erszebet, known to Travellers Club. Dinner in the hotel included, but an option will be for extra pastries in the nearby Central Kafehaz.
9 (advice can be given on church services for those interested).
Tour on foot and by metro and tram of major sights, including St. Stephen’s Basilica, the Fishermen’s Bastion, an the Matthias Templom. Lunch au choix in a rich variety of cafes or restaurants. We shall spend the afternoon at the Szepmuveszeti (Fine Arts) Museum, the major international gallery, but old hands may wish to be directed to the remains of  Roman Budapest, or to Museums dedicated to Franz Liszt or Kodaly, or to the Children’s Railway on the Buda Hills. Some may wish to try one of the many thermal baths. Suggestions can be given for restaurants for dinner.
10 We shall take public transport to Szentendre, the artists’ village in the suburbs, and from there see the Open Air Museum, before proceeding to Esztergom, shrine of Hungarian faith, dramatically situated on the Danube Bend and with a major gallery of medieval and Renaissance Christian art. (We might choose to see the stately home and gardens at Godollo instead). Lunch will be provided for us together, and we can make your own choice for an evening meal.
11 We  shall travel westwards by coach to view the Old Town of Gyor, and the great Abbey of Pannonhalma before arriving at our country hotel  (three star) for two nights. Dinner will be included.
12 Our coach will take us to Lake Fertod, and we shall visit two huge stately homes at Esterhazy( Hadyn’s main center of activity) and at Nagycenk. Dinner will be included at the hotel.
13 We shall drive, via the Orseg National Park, (lunch au choix) to Lake Balaton, where we stay on the much admired Tihany peninsula ( three star hotel). Dinner in the hotel will be included
14 We shall make a journey by public transport to the historic town of Veszprem. (The entire castle area, with its ensemble of Baroque buildings gives a real feeling of walking back in time -The Blue Guide). In the afternoon, we shall stop at Herend, famous for its porcelain, where the factory can be visited. Dinner will be at your own choice in Tihany.
15 We shall enjoy a day out by coach to Pecs, the major visitor centre of the south, a town for art lovers, also famous for its ceramics. Dinner will be at your choice.
16 We shall take   the ferry across the Lake to the historic town of Siofok and the country and farm museum of Szantodpuszta., where we can see the country’s largest collection of vernacular farm architecture.
(The Lake also offers opportunities for bird watching and we shall take local advice)
Dinner in the hotel will be included.
17 Your morning is free in the village; transfer by coach to Ferihegy airport.
 






Tour Leader

Anthony Earl was head of Languages at Eltham College before early retirement. He speaks Italian, French and German and has broad cultural interests in history, art & architecture. Anthony has planned & accompanied several tours for The Travellers’ Club. We shall have the advice, for part of our stay, of Mrs Emese Krisko, who is a bilingual professional travel guide.

 

BOOKING

Please return a booking form, with a deposit of £200 per person to PRESTIGE HOLIDAYS, 1 Fridays Court, Ringwood, Hants BH24 1JA (our ABTA [V2715] & ATOL [2509] and AITO bonded Travel Agents - Tel 01425 480600) as soon as possible and NOT LATER THAN 30 November 2009. You are advised to secure your own travel insurance. We reserve the right to cancel the tour if there are insufficient members, in which case your deposit will be refunded in full.