Attention, Ladies and Gentlemen, music lovers near and far! A real celebrity will arrive to the capital of Hungary, to Budapest, on 9 November 2013, to fill the Budapest Sportarena’s stage with love emotion and music. This man is no other, but the Italian romantic hero, Andrea Bocelli.
Bocelli was born in 1958 in Italy. As most people surely know, the talented tenor is blind, caused by a hereditary disease. This tragedy didn’t ruin Bocelli’s plans to reach their desire. After several instruments he tried the God-given instrument in his throat, his voice and he found his own way. When he was young he could pay the singing master, because he played on piano in bars and he studied law studies in Pisa. Bocelli’s style originates from the master’s feeling about pop music and opera and the result is the mix of these two types. With this shake Bocelli became famous in classis and pop music circles either.
Bocelli’s last album released in the start of year 2013, January, the title is Passione and it is full with beautiful love songs. The Italian tenor worked together with famous stars like Jennifer Lopez or Nelly Furtado.
Hungary is very lucky, because Bocelli usually gives only a few concerts in a year and in 2013 Budapest will be one of the stations, so visitors could hear the old classics and the new miracles too in live on 9 November 2013 at the Papp László Sportarena. Have fun!
Coming to Budapest and wonder what are the most important attractions to see when in town? We have created a list telling you what are the top five Budapest attractions.
The attractions on this list are things to see, which means that we have not included activities and programs. These are buildings and landmarks that you simple need to see, because they are stunning and because if you do not see them, you can not return home claiming to have seen the most important sights in Budapest. So here we go, our top five Budapest attractions.
Top five Budapest attractions
St. Stephens Basilica
We have always been big fans of the St. Stephens Basilica. It has a beautiful exterior and interior. From the square outside the church it is possible to make magnificent pictures, from the dome you can enjoy the best view available on the Pest side, and inside you can enjoy the mixture of prayer, organ music and beautiful paintings, sculptures and much more!
St. Stephens Basilica is in our eyes the most beautiful church in all of Budapest! Majestic both on the inside and the outside.
Parliament
The Hungarian Parliament might be the most impressive of all buildings in Budapest. It is located by the Danube and it reminds quite a lot about the Parliament in London. As you watch the building from the outside you will be extremely impressed, but do not make the mistake to think that you have seen it once your bus or taxi has driven next to it during daytime. It is when the lights are turned on in the evening it turns into one of the most beautiful buildings Europe has to offer.
One of the nicest Parliament buildings in the world can be found in Budapest
Heroes Square
If you want an introduction to the history of Hungary, bring a guide book or a guide with you to the Heroes Square. The square is beautiful both during daytime and nighttime, but be aware of the fact that in the hottest months it is hard to be out on the square for more than 5-10 minutes. The monuments and the statues at the square are delightful, and the two wonderful museums at both sides of the square just gives a plus to it all.
The best place to get an introduction to the history of Hungary, the Heroes Square
Chain Bridge
If you buy a postcard from Budapest, it is very possible that the Chain Bridge is the landmark you will see on it. The bridge is first of all a favorite object to photograph when it is illuminated in the evening, and it is also the oldest bridge connecting Pest with Buda. Beautiful, and almost impossible to miss out on when in Budapest.
The Chain Bridge is one of the most beautiful attractions in Budapest
Castle Hill
The fifth and last attraction on our list of the Top five Budapest attractions is the Castle Hill. We realize that the Castle Hill in fact is a hill and not one attraction, so it is kind of tricky. However, as we write the Castle Hill as an attraction it includes the castle building itself, but also the Matthias Church and the Fishermens Bastion.
The Matthias Church is beautiful, and its location next to the Fishermens Bastion is perfect.
The best route to see these five attractions
If you decide to see all these five attraction on one and the same little trip on your own, then we recommend the following route.
Start your tour at the Heroes Square
Take the yellow metro or walk your way down the Andrassy avenue to the St. Stephens Basilica
Continue towards the Chain Bridge and walk across it
Walk on foot or use the funicular to get to the Castle Hill
Walk from the Castle towards the Trinity square (Szentharomsag ter)
Enjoy the view of the Matthias Church and the Fishermens Bastion
Walk to the top of one of the viewing points at the Fishermens Bastion and see the beautiful Parliament from there.
Enjoy your trip and if you have further thoughts and advices, just write a comment!
The end of summer is almost here, but there are still some lovely surprise besides the heat. We have some great news to those who plan to spend their time in Budapest in the coming period! The annual Festival of Folk Arts at the Buda Castle welcomes visitors until 20 August 2013 with great programs.
Everybody could find the perfect fun at the Festival of Folk Art, and those programs are all tied to the Hungarian culture. The visitors can taste the local specialties; we can call it “more than goulash soup program”. There are traditional dance, music and anything, what you want at the festival. Moreover there are loads of craftsmen, who do fantastic and special things, which are often made by their own hand. Of course you can buy these objects and later you can show them, the peculiarities of this Eastern European country at home. For a foreign family only the Buda Castle is a one day trip, but with the Festival of Folk Arts you won’t want to go home! The last day of the festival is no other, but the Hungarian National Day, 20th August, the day of the first Hungarian king, Saint Stephen I.
Do not miss the Festival of Folk Arts. Know more about the Hungarian countryside’s culture in the capital! Have fun!
Festival of Folk Arts
August 17th-20th
Caste of Buda
The extreme heat has left Budapest, but it is still warm and more than 30 degrees in the sun, so a visit to the beach is recommend. That is why you should consider to go to the beach on August 2nd if you are in town.
Budapest has no traditional beaches, but there are other kind of beaches in town which will be open for a longer time on Friday August 2nd in 2013. That means there will be special programs and opening times until 22.00, while the entrance fees remain the same.
If this sounds cool and you stay in Budapest, visit one of the following “beaches” which have joined in on this cool party!
Participants in beach-night (Strandok éjszakája) in Budapest
Aquaworld
Dagaly
There are loads of other beach complexes outside Budapest also participating, but these are the two located in Budapest. Be aware of the fact that Aquaworld is really cool, but really on the border of Budapest, so to get to this place you should prepare to pay a taxi driver quite a bit!
