Page 48 - Eastern Europe

Hungarian Traditions in the Present
8 days
Budapest, Bugac, Puszta, Szeged, Pécs, Villany, Fertőd, Sopron, Pannonhalma
HUNGARY Downtown Providing Fascinating Travel Experiences
Day 1: Budapest
Arrival at Budapest airport and transfer to the hotel. Rest of the day free. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. [D]
Day 2: Budapest
Budapest, the historic royal capital of Hungary. Discover Budapest on a half day tour to see the Castle District with the Fisherman’s Bastione and Matthias Church, the Andrassy avenue with Opera house and the Heroe’ s square, which is a World Heritage site and also the imposing Parliament building. Another stop on the guided tour is the Citadela on the Gellért Hill, where the best panoramic view of Budapest can be seen. You will see the bridges on the river Danube, the Margit island and much more. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. [B/D]
Day 3: Budapest (Bugac, Puszta, Szeged)
This morning, explore the Hungarian horse keeping and horse-riding tradi- tions and the Hungarian Puszta (Steppe). A half day program with Hungarian cuisine lunch that includes:
ŸShowing and leading the Lipizzaner stud ŸProcession of the participants, greet-
ing the guests
ŸShow of the "Puszta Ötös" coach and five obstacle driving of coach and four
ŸSeveral field events of horse-herds ŸA display of horsemanship ŸTraining of a donkey
ŸAmusing contest with the guests including knocking down a bottle with of a whip
ŸInstruction on how to use a whip
ŸViewing of the stables
ŸA walk to see the Hungarian bullocks and Racka sheep
After lunch we continue to Szeged to enjoy a city tour of the 14th century. During the reign of Louis the Great, Szeged became the most important town of Southern Hungary, and as the Turkish armies got closer to Hungary so the strategic importance of Szeged grew. King Sigismund of Luxembourg had a wall built around the town. Szeged was raised to free royal town status in 1498. For almost 150 years the city was under Ottoman rule. Szeged is a city rich in history with an important role in the past and present of Hungary. On our tour we will see the main Square and Cathedral, Tisza river, the University, the Synagogue and a great deal more. After the two-hour city tour we return to Budapest for dinner and over-
night. [B/L/D]
Day 4: Budapest (Pécs, Villany)
Founded as Sopianae 2000 years ago by the Romans and known as Fünfkirchen by the Germans, today’s Pécs is a pleas- ant small University town (but still one of the largest in Hungary. In 2000, the Early Christian Necropolis of Pecs was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It was one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2010. Lunch in Pécs, explore the city, see the world-famous Zsolnai porcelain/ceramic manufactur- ers a tradition since the 18th century. From Pecs we explore the surrounding region with a first stop in Villany, part of the great Hungarian wine countryside with many wine cellars. Visit one of the vineyards and taste the locally produced wine. Archaeological findings demon- strate that viticulture has an ancient history in the region, with wine being made here since Roman times. A small wine Museum, housed in one of the villages traditional white washed wine cellars, tells the story of local viticulture. In 1895 the village had no less than 590 acres of vineyards. In present days Villany is one of biggest wine producing areas in Hungary. Back to Budapest for dinner and overnight. [B/L/T/D]
48 For prices and other details visit www.holidayswithdowntown.com