Historic Budapest & The Blue Danube

Monday Day 1 – Airport check-in for your flight to Budapest with an ETA around midday, subject to your choice of departure airport. You will be met on arrival by our local representative, who will escort you by private coach to your city centre hotel to store your luggage. You will then be accompanied to a nearby restaurant for an included *2-course lunch. There will be free time afterwards to familiarise yourself with your surroundings before tonight’s included 3-course hotel dinner.
On the Pest side, you will drive along the main avenues, passing the Parliament building & Opera House before crossing to the historical hilly Buda side, stopping at the Castle.area. Here, visits are included to the Fisherman's Bastion & Matthias Church (includes entrance costs) before transferring to the Grand Market Hall, which is much more than a fresh food market as it has a unique atmosphere. The official tour ends here and you will be able to purchase lunch locally before a free afternoon. The hotel is just a couple of minutes’ walk from the Market Hall should you choose to return there. For those who pre-booked tonight’s optional dinner, you will be collected by coach at 7pm for the transfer to the charming Restaurant First Strudel House of Pest, where a 3-course dinner is included accompanied by a glass of wine or beer + tea / coffee. The coach will return you to the hotel mid-evening, or you may choose to walk and experience Budapest by night. Alternatively, dinner is at your leisure tonight.

Wednesday Day 3 – Breakfast included. Meeting your guide at the hotel, today’s included excursion is to the Lazar Horse Park Tour. Travelling by coach to Domonyvolgy, the venue for this attraction, a welcome Hungarian fruit brandy ‘palinka’ is included. At this attraction, the horse riding and cart driving world championship winning Lázár Brothers brought their dreams to life by uniting the atmosphere of a Hungarian village and high-quality Hungarian hospitality with the excitement of a high-quality European horse stable. You will be served a generous typical Hungarian lunch in the stable’s restaurant as well as enjoying a spectacular horse show, which brings to life the traditions of Hungarian horsemanship. A carriage ride is also included, an experience not to be missed!
NB – The lunch today is not suitable for vegans or vegetarians.
Departing after lunch, this afternoon’s included excursion is a guided visit to the Stunning Gödöllő Royal Palace, the largest baroque palace in Hungary and the 2nd largest in the world after Versailles. It is famous for its unique history and its architecture. From 1867 to 1916, it was a favourite resort for Emperor Francis Joseph I and Queen Elisabeth or Sissi, as she is known in Hungary. Coffee/tea & cake is included before returning to the hotel where this evening is at your leisure, as is dinner.

Thursday Day 4 – Breakfast included. Today includes a Premium Pest Tour.
Accompanied by your guide you will be transferred by coach to the Hungarian Houses of Parliament for an included guided tour (passports required). This building combines the architectural styles of Baroque, Gothic and Renaissance where you will see the Hungarian Coronation Jewels. We will then continue by coach to visit Heroes Square & Vajdahunyad Castle. This square is one of Budapest’s most symbolic spots. The monuments represent Seven chieftains of the Magyars and other important Hungarian leaders. The square is also popular for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The Castle is one of the romantic castles in Budapest, located in the City Park next to the boating lake / skating rink. The castle, despite all appearances, was built in 1896 and is in fact a fantasy pastiche showcasing the architectural evolution through centuries and styles in Hungary. We continue on to St Stephen’s Basilica, one of the most beautiful and significant churches in Hungary. At a height of 65m there is a terrace with stone balustrades around the main cupola. This is the highest lookout point in Pest and offers a 360-degree view of the whole city, accessible by stairs or lift.
There will be an hour’s free time in this area to buy lunch before transferring to the Jewish Quarter and the Dohany Street Synagogue, the largest in Europe seating 3000 people – local entrance charge. There will be a guided walking tour of this area which includes a glass of beer in the Szimpla Kert ‘ruin bar’. Since the founding of the first bar of its kind in 2002, Szimpla Kert, 'ruin' bars, as they are locally referred to, are called so as they were opened in the remnants of derelict buildings, factories and stores of the Old District. You will then be returned to the hotel around 5pm to freshen up for this evening’s pre-bookable optional Danube Buffet Dinner Cruise with live gypsy music. A return coach transfer is included at 6.15pm from the hotel to / from the boat, as is a brief night sightseeing coach tour after dinner, returning to the hotel no later than 10pm. For those not booking the dinner cruise, dinner is at your leisure tonight.

Friday Day 5 –Breakfast included. Checking out of the hotel there may be free time, subject to your choice of airport, before transferring to the airport for your return flight to London.

Simply Groups reserve the right to make minor changes to this itinerary due to circumstances beyond our control.

A valid passport is required for this holiday.
To enter the EU your passport must be no more than 10 years old from the issue date.
Passports must have a validity of 3 months from the day after your return to the UK.