Category: News

Hungarian Song Day, Museum Garden 2013

Posted on by Budapest Guide

The occasion, Hungarian Song Day/Magyar Dal Napja will be on 8 September 2013, when visitors could meet the Hungarian music life’s all details in the whole country. However the main city of the event will be a Hungarian town, Békéscsaba, but of course there will be lots of programs in Budapest too, for example in the park of the famous Hungarian National Museum, the Museum Garden. The Museum Garden will join to the Hungarian Song Day for the first time, and this park will give place for the Lyrics stage. Of course not all the program will be about lyrics, because there will be children programs, gastronomy shows and concerts. The beautiful environment is perfect place for everyone and the programs will be funny for the young and the old too. Have fun!

Address: 1088, Budapest, 14-16 Museum Boulevard

Hungarian Song Day, Lyrics stage 2013

Festival of Folk Arts 2013

Festival of Folk Arts 2013

Posted on by Budapest Guide

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

Festival of Folk Arts
August 17th-20th
Caste of Buda

Budapest in August

Posted on by Budablogger

August is just around the corner and if you are coming to Budapest in August, you might be wondering what’s going on and what activities and programs you should not miss for the world.

If that is you, then keep on reading. As you pack your suitcase for your trip to Budapest, make sure to bring some sun lotion, shorts and some clothes in which you can enjoy temperatures getting close to and sometimes above 35 Celsius.

Events in August
There are quite a lot of things happening in Budapest in August, and here you can read about the most important events taking place.

Sziget Fesztival
The biggest and most important event taking place in Budapest in August is the Sziget Fesztival. This is arranged at Hajogyari sziget (island), a bit to the north of the Margaret Island. This festival is visited by almost 500,000 people and more than 400 bands, groups and artists make sure the festival turns into the party of the year in Hungary.

Sziget fesztival 2013: August 5th – August 11th

Hungarian National Day
Hungary has three national days, but the biggest of these is St. Stephens Day which is celebrated on August 20th. This is the only national day with no political interest, so normally this is a very peaceful day with cool programs and activities. The highlight of the day is at 21.00 when there is a beautiful firework show along the Danube. More than 1,000,000 people come to the Danube to watch this show, so if you want a good place to watch the show from, make sure to arrive around 20.00. If you want to watch the fireworks from the best places available, book a room in one of the top five star hotels along the Danube, for example Marriott.

Jewish Summer Festival
This festival which celebrates the Jewish culture, music and food is arranged every year and is a very important festival in the life of the citizens in Hungary. There are quite a lot of venues in use for this festival, but the main area is in the seventh district of Budapest, near the Synagogue in Dohany street.

Jewish Summer Festival 2013: August 25th – September 2nd

Handicraft Festival
The Handicraft festival, also known as the Festival of Folk Arts, is arranged in the Castle of Buda, or at least around it. At this festival you can see the finest of Hungarian handicrafts, so be prepared to see beautiful hand painted eggs, wood crafting and similar beauties. In addition you can listen to Hungarian folk music, see folklore performances and get a taste of some traditional Hungarian festival food at this festival.

Handicraft festival 2013: August 17th – August 20th

Other recommended August activities
The mentioned programs and festivals might have been the most important, but there are lots of other programs worth checking out while in Budapest. A river cruise on the Danube is always a winner, and an excursion to Szentendre or some wine tasting should be done if you are not familiar with the wonderful taste and diversity existing inside the wine production of Hungary. If you want even more tips, read our article about Budapest in July which contain lots of advises valid for August as well.

These were just some tips and advises to those coming to our beautiful city in August. If you have further advises, experiences or thoughts that you believe could be interesting for people coming to Budapest, write a comment and share your insight!

 

Forum added to the Budapest Guide

Forum added to the Budapest Guide

Posted on by Budapest Guide

We often receive emails with general questions about Budapest and lots of other things. To make this even better and easier we have added a forum to our Budapest Guide where everyone can share their knowledge and get the answers they are looking for (hopefully).

To get to the forum simply press the link in the right sidebar or click the Budapest Forum link. Once there you will need to register in order to answer and write posts. It is easy and cool and we would love to have you around here!

So, check out the Budapest forum!

Budapest forum screenshot
Budapest forum screenshot
New permanent tours to Balaton and Eger

New permanent tours to Balaton and Eger

Posted on by Budapest Guide

Those who follow us on Facebook might remember that we arranged a maiden wine trip to Eger a while back. The maiden trip is now history and the tour has now turned into a permanent tour available throughout the entire year. In addition we have also launched a permanent wine trip to Balaton.

These trips are not made for wine experts, but for people who want to see more of Hungary and taste delicious Hungarian wine while doing so. The wine trip to Eger is brilliant for those who want some time in a city of 60,000 people in the north-eastern part of Hungary, while the Balaton trip is the trip for those who want to spend some more time in the car, but who will in addition to lots of delicious wine, also travel across the Lake Balaton on a boat and visit the special city of Tihany.

These trips are available from four participants and they are always private tour. We have however already received emails from some groups of 2 and 3 persons who want the trip, but since they are too few they hope for some others to join in with them. If you would like such a trip, but need some more people, just send us an email, we will register it, and if we have others looking for partners for such a trip on the same dates as you, then we will pair it up and arrange the trip for you in that way. If you are traveling with four people or more, we can arrange the trip without the need of others joining in, so just send us an email, and we will arrange the trip for you!

Wine cellar in Eger

Read more about the wine trip to Eger if you want to go north east, and read more about the wine trip to Balaton if you want to go south!

Sziget Eye

Sziget Eye

Posted on by Budapest Guide

I am sure that almost everybody has heard about the most famous Hungarian festival, the Sziget. This festival, as we mentioned in one of our articles, is organized in every summer, exactly in August at the Óbudai Hajógyári Island.

Sziget Eye, or Budapest Eye
Sziget Eye or maybe Budapest Eye

Mostly the visitors are young people in this popular festival, because of the great concerts and programs, because there are more than the Hungarian artists here, lots of famous stars usually concert here too. But you don’t have to sit in your hotel room, because you couldn’t find your favorites on the concert list, because the Sziget visitors could try adventurous programs, fantastic culinary experiences and other interesting attractions.

The more than one week event’s one icon is the Sziget Eye, what is a big wheel at the festival’s territory. Tourists now can see and try this big wheel’s portable “big brother” at the heart of Budapest, the Erzsébet Sqare. The 65 meters tall big wheel equipped with air conditioned cabins, so people can admire the capital’s landscape without any problem still in the biggest heat.

If you want to try the Sziget Eye, or we could say Budapest Eye, don’t think about it too much, because the Sziget festival’s promotional big wheel is only available between 8 June and 22 August 2013. But still that, the wheel’s gates are opened every day, between Sunday and Thursday from 10 AM to midnight, and at Friday and Saturday between 10 AM and 2 AM.

Admire in the Budapest landscape from the Sziget Eye! Have fun!

Sziget Eye

Budapest flood pictures 2013

Budapest flood pictures 2013

Posted on by Budapest Guide

The flood has reached its top level and the water levels are now decreasing. Here you can see some pictures made during the last days giving you a little impression what it has looked like along the Danube the last days.

If you are coming to Budapest in the coming days, you might be interested in reading about the flood and its impact on tourism before continuing.

Budapest flood pictures 2013

Flood in Budapest

Posted on by Budapest Guide

You have probably heard the news that the Danube and other rivers in Europe are flooding at the moment. In what way might this influence your visit to Budapest?

For most tourists the fact that the Danube is flooding will not influence your stay very much. Life goes on as normal for most people, of course with some exceptions. The Danube is supposed to peak on Sunday/Monday, but already now the water levels are very high. Because of the high water levels the road on both the Pest and the Buda side next to the Danube is standing under water. This will require all drivers to choose other roads, which again will lead to increased traffic and lots of jams in areas and on roads near the Danube. If possible, use public transportation instead.

Most river cruises in Budapest are cancelled in the coming days, because boats will have problems traveling under the bridges because of the amount of water in the Danube.

Hotel guests at the Margaret Island are moved to other hotels, because the idyllic island in the middle of the Danube is very threatened by the flood.

The metro stop Batthyany ter is closed. The metro line is still running, but this stop on the Buda side is closed for passengers.

Except from these things life goes on as normal, and if you are in Hungary and Budapest on June 8th, why not join us on our amazing new wine trip to Eger?

Below you can find a picture from the flood from Pinterest.
Danube

Budapest in July

Posted on by Budablogger

Together with August July is one of the hottest months of the year in Budapest. An average day will give you 30 Celsius during daytime, but you will often experience warmer temperatures as well. You should therefore prepare with some bathing trunks packing your suitcase before arriving to Budapest in July.

What do I need bathing trunks for, you might wonder? Good question, after all swimming in the Danube is something you should not do. But, if you want to take a swim, here are some of the places where that can be done. However, do not forget the sun lotion!

Szechenyi Furdo
This is a thermal bath with three outdoor pools. However, since this is natural hot springs, the water is a bit to hot, at least for a warm July day. If you want to visit this thermal bath, do it on the day with the worst weather during your stay. After all, swimming in 37 Celsius is not to enjoyable if the temperature in the air is 37 Celsius as well.

Palatinus Furdo
If you want to enjoy life on a hot summer day in Budapest the Palatinus Furdo is probably the best option and best place. This bath is located at the Margaret Island and here you have lots of outdoor pools and water activities, much more enjoyable at a warm summer day than in the Szechenyi thermal bath.

Dagaly Furdo
The Dagaly bath is located not far from the Arpad bridge, on the Pest side. This is a beautiful outdoor complex with both thermal water and normal pools. This is not the place most tourists go, so if you want to mix up with the locals, this is the place to go for a cool outdoor venue with nice pools.

Dagaly Bath – a great place to be in the heat

July activities and festivals

The most important event in Budapest in July is the Formula 1 race. This is normally arranged at the last weekend in July at Hungaroring, just outside Budapest. Because of the Formula 1 all hotel prices are raised with 20 percent and the city is packed with people for a weekend. Or, the truth is that the invation starts for this weekend, and one week later (some days into August) the Sziget Festival takes place, and then invasion number two takes place.

Formula 1 Budapest 2014: July 25th-27th

During the summer there is a summer festival with different concerts taking place at the open-air stage on the Margaret Island and at the open air stage at Varosmajor (quite far outside the center). There will be quite a lot of programs worth checking out in July because of this festival, for example the Madame Butterfly Opera at July 28th at the Margaret Island.

If you visit the Vajdahunyad Castle in the City Park there will be a music festival there available from July 11th until the start of August.

On July 18th there will be a concert in the Dominician court in the Hilton hotel. The performance will be made by the 100 Member Gypsy Orchestra.

In 2013 visitors have a great chance to visit the giant ferris wheel in the center of Budapest. It will only be there until July 31st, and then it will be moved away and taken to the Sziget Festival before it leaves us forever. You should therefore use this opportunity and travel with the giant wheel while it is still here.

What to do in the July heat?

When it gets to warm in Budapest in July there are some things that might be useful to do.

  • Visit the St. Stephen’s Basilica. On the inside the temperatures are much better than on the outside.
  • Drink the Hungarian spritzer, a mixture of wine and bubble water.
  • Book a room in a hotel with air-condition
  • Sleep during the warmest hours and stay up later in the evening

These were just some thoughts on what to do in Budapest in July. Feel free to share further insights and thoughts as you write a comment! We wish you all some beautiful days and weeks in Budapest!

Report from Budapest Palinkafesztival 2013

Posted on by Budablogger

The Palinkafesztival (Palinka Festival) in Budapest opened yesterday (May 16th) and it will be open until Sunday evening (May 19th). The weather forecasts do not promise beautiful weather, but if you are in town, make sure to check out what’s going on. I was there yesterday at the Erzsebet square and I liked what I saw!

Often the biggest and most popular festivals in Budapest are arranged in the Castle area. However this time the Palinka festival is arranged in the middle of Budapest, at the Erzsebet square, in front of the five star hotels Le Meridien and Kempinski, and next to the popular club Akvarium. My first comment is that I really liked the venue and the fact that it is in central Budapest. At such a location it is hard to miss out on the festival, and it is really easy to get to and from the festival at any time. Much easier than when it is located in the Castle area.

Another bonus with the location is that the festival feels much more intimate and the visitors are gathered at the same place, without giving you the feeling that it is overcrowded. Of course the wine festival could never be arranged here, because the area is to small, but for a Palinka festival this square is ideal.

Some more thoughts on the Palinka festival 2013

Inside the area there are lots of stands where you can buy all sorts of Palinka, the Hungarian fruit spirit. If you are a big fan this is an ideal place to taste new brands and get new favorites, and if you have not clue what Palinka is about, then this is a great place to get some basic knowledge.

As you buy your entrance ticket you will get the chance to enter into the festival area. Inside the festival area all payments are made with this electronic card you buy. The price is 500 HUF for the card and then you need to fill this with money. Money is withdrawn from the card whenever you make a purchase, and whatever is left on the card will be returned to you as you give back your card and leave the festival area (you will also get the 500 HUF that you paid for the card itself back). This system is quite easy to use (they used it at the Beer festival in 2012 as well), it only gets complicated if it is crowded and hundreds of people want to fill up or return their cards at the same time. However there are 4 such stands in the area, so it shouldn’t really cause any problems, I think!

The price for the different Palinkas on the inside starts from about 300 HUF, but you will of course find much more expensive Palinkas as well. If you are not a big fan of Palinka you find a DiVino bar on the inside where you can taste and drink wine, you can buy soft drinks in the Moszkva ter stands and hot and cold food at other stands.

Every evening there will be concerts, and some of the artists performing are really great, so worth to take a look and listen when in the concert area. A great plus in the festival area is that they have lots of benches and chairs, making it very easy to sit down and enjoy good company, some food and of course, something to drink.

Conclusion: If you have the chance, visit the Erzsebet square in Budapest before Sunday evening and check out the Palinka festival… even if you don’t like Palinka!