Itinerary Overview

Day 1 – Welcome in Budapest, Dinner and visit Vaci Street
Arrive in Budapest independently. You will be met at the airport and receive a private transfer to your hotel in the heart of Budapest. Relax or take an optional tour in the city during the afternoon. In the evening, meet your fellow travelers and your tour director at the hotel for a walk to your restaurant on the Danube promenade with a view of the Hapsburg Citadel, Castle Hill and the Fishermen’s Bastion. After your welcome dinner, enjoy a short walk around the upscale shopping district of Vaci Street.

Day 2 – Panoramic Tour of Budapest, Dinner on a boat
After breakfast at the hotel, we will take a bus tour to see Pest and Buda, the vast Heroes’ Square with its impressive Millennial Monument, the prominent and historical Gundel restaurant, the magical Opera House on the famed Andrassy Avenue, and the ornate St. Steven Basilica, which is the city's largest church, and the Parliament. We will walk the cobblestones of the Castle District, visit Matthias Church, first erected in 1247, and enjoy stunning panoramas of the city and river. Dine on a private boat floating down the Danube River.

Day 3 – Excursion to the scenic Danube Bend
Today, we will visit three small but important settlements marking the route to the scenic bend of the River Danube. Esztergom was the first royal seat in the 11th century and is also the residence of the archbishop of Hungary. Fascinating sights include the Basilica, the Royal Palace, and the Christian Museum with the most important ecclesiastic art collection in the country. Visegrad is a medieval fortified citadel with marvelous views of the Danube Bend. In renaissance times, this was a royal summer residence. Sights include Solomon Tower, the Palace of King Mathias and the Citadel. Finally, we travel to the lively town of Szentendre. This colorful artist's settlement has preserved its medieval history with ancient buildings, cobblestone streets, numerous street vendors and musicians which help to lend a Mediterranean character to this small town. After our visit to the Margit Kovacs Ceramics Museum you will have free time to enjoy the town’s abundant art galleries, museums and boutiques. Upon return to Budapest a wonderful array of restaurants will be waiting to welcome you for dinner!  

Day 4 – Pannonhalma, Herend Porcelain Factory, Tihany Abbey, Lake Balaton
Today we will leave Budapest and travel to Heviz while stopping en route at several fascinating locations. The Baroque complex of the thousand year-old Benedictine Arch Abbey of Pannonhalma incorporates original Romanesque and Gothic structures. Highlights include the three-nave 13th-century basilica with Gothic vault, the Romanesque crypt, and the library hall with its wooden columns. The 360,000-volume collection holds many rare codices and prints.

A visit at the illustrious Herend Porcelain Factory and The Porcelanium, the factory’s visitor complex, offers an unforgettable experience. Enjoy a short film tracing the triumphant history of Herend Porcelain and a visit to the mini-manufactory. The adjacent Herend Porcelain Museum is a treasure trove of priceless porcelain masterpieces. You can see and purchase the present day selection at the Victoria Herend Shop. Our visit culminates with a lovely lunch served on Herend porcelain dishes in Apicius Restaurant.

From Herend, we continue to Tihany on the northern shores of Lake Balaton. Lake Balaton is the largest freshwater lake in Europe. Tihany Abbey, founded in 1055, has survived a turbulent past and still stands in its original form holding the crypt of the King Andrew I and a museum in the basement. The present church was built over the Benedictine abbey in the 18th century in Baroque style and is know for its many precious wood carvings. After our relaxing tour on the Tihany Peninsula we travel to Hévíz ['Hot Water'] for our accommodation and independent dinner at the hotel.

Day 5 – Sumeg, Tapolca, Heviz Thermal Lake
Our first stop today is Sumeg Castle, Hungary's best-preserved fortress. The fortress was presumably built before the mid-13th century and King Béla IV lived here for a while during the Mongolian invasion (1241-1242).

Tapolca has a superb landscape as basalt hills covered with vineyards encircle the small town. The 200-year-old watermill on the shore of the picturesque Malom [Mill] Lake is now a hotel. One of the oldest elementary school buildings in Central Europe contains the town's library and museum. After lunch, we will paddle around for a short time underground in the passageways of a cave. The silence makes this short boating trip a wonderfully relaxing experience.

After our return to Heviz, we will visit and enjoy the effects of its famous thermal water. Heviz boasts the second largest thermal lake in the world. The lake is covered with magnificent water-lilies and extends over an area of approximately 30 square-miles. The water temperature rarely drops below 30°C, even during winter, as the lake is replenished by an underground spring and is completely flushed out every couple of days. The thermal bath on the lake has been attracting visitors since medieval times for curative reasons.  By the end of the 19th century, Hévíz had become a grand resort, briefly favored by crown princes and magnates.

Day 6 – Keszthely, Siofok, Hogyesz
After breakfast and check out we will take a short bus ride to Keszthely and a visit to the beautiful Festetics [pronounced: Fesh-te-tich] Palace, built by the aristocratic family of Count Festetics. With 101 rooms surrounded by an English park, the Festetics Palace is the third largest palace in the country. Its Helikon Library contains a collection of 86 thousand books. In the museum, you will see the decorative arms and the trophy collection of the Austrian Duke of Windischgrätz. Our next stop is in Siofok by Lake Balaton. We will enjoy lunch and some free time here before continuing on to our evening’s accommodation and independent dinner, at the Apponyi family's nearly 300-year old baroque hunting mansion, located in the heart of a national park.

Day 7 – Pecs
Today, we will explore the historic city of Pecs on foot. Highlights include the Old Town, the Cathedral, the former Turkish Mosque, the 4th century Christian Basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After lunch, you will have plenty of free time to visit the Zsolnay museum of hand painted porcelain and many other interesting sites and intriguing museums.  At the end of the day, we will return to our accommodations and have an independent dinner at the mansion.     

Day 8 – Authentic Cooking and Horse Show in Lajosmizse,
Today, we will travel to the northeastern region of the country by way of Tanyacsarda (Country Inn) in the heart of the Hungarian Great Plains (Puszta). Enjoy an authentic, outdoors “puszta” cooking typical for the region, while listening to live gipsy music. During a fascinating horse show, you will marvel at the skills of the Hungarian “cowboys”. After a lunch of Hungarian specialties, we will continue to Eger.

Day 9 – Eger City and Castle Tour
Take a walking tour of this lovely Baroque city and learn about the most remarkable monuments, Dobó Square, the Lyceum, and the second largest Cathedral in Hungary. Visit the famous fortress where the outnumbered heroic defenders, led by István Dobó, held out against the Turks during their initial attack in 1552. Free afternoon and evening, or you can enjoy a visit to the wineries of the Lady of the Beautiful Valley or a relaxing soak at the thermal spa of the Egerszalok Salt Hills. Eger sits at the centre of one of the most famous wine-growing regions in Hungary and boasts the well-known red wine Egri Bikaver (Bull’s Blood). End the day with an independent dinner in town and make sure to try the famous red wine of the region!

Day 10 – Szilvasvarad, picnic at the Valley of Szalajka, Lillafured, optional evening cave bath visit at Miskolctapolca
After breakfast at the hotel and check out we will travel into the Bukk Mountains and take a narrow gauge train through Szalajka Valley, one of the most beautiful mountain valleys of Hungary. At the large clearing found at the end of our brief train trip we will have a lunch prepared by…US! “Make your own trout” is the name of the game, but don’t worry, we will have professional chefs to help us turn a simple lunch into a gourmet picnic! The countryside here is overwhelmingly beautiful, peaceful and full of historical heritage. As we walk alongside the fast-running Szalajka Stream, we will pass the Veil Waterfall, the Rock Spring and the open-air Forestry Museum which evokes the industrial life of the area. From the quite beauty of the valley, we will move onto Lillafured. Upon arrival, continue enjoying the wonderful outdoors during your free time for the rest of the day. After dinner, we offer you a once in a lifetime opportunity of an evening swim at the thermal cave baths of Miskolctapolca.

Day 11 – Tokaj - Tarcal
Today, we move on to the Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tokaj is where the premier dessert wine, the Aszu, is produced among many others. The wines of Tokaj were cherished by European nobles and royals for Centuries. In the town of Tokaj, visit the Historical Wine Museum exhibition. After lunch, you will have free time to enjoy the small town. A short bus ride will take you to your accommodations where additional free time will allow you to enjoy the pool or private vineyards of the hotel. A private wine tasting of the world-famous Tokaj Aszu will be followed by dinner in this historical chateau.

Day 12 – Holloko, Budapest
After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Budapest. En route, visit Holloko the Unesco World Heritage site, a traditional village settlement deliberately preserved in an outdoor setting. This village, which developed mainly during the 17th and 18th centuries, is a living example of rural life before the agricultural revolution of the 20th century. Lunch in Holloko. Upon arrival in Budapest, you may join an optional tour or explore the city on your own.

Day 13 – Godollo, Budapest
Visit the Royal Palace in Godollo. This magnificent Baroque edifice was built by the rich landlord and royal treasurer, Count Antal Grassalkovich I in the 17th century. Later, it was given as a summer retreat to the Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph on the occasion of his coronation as Hungarian King. Francis Joseph and Queen Elisabeth with their children spent many of their summers in this mansion surrounded with spacious gardens and game parks and stables. You will be impressed by the renovated rooms of this great Baroque palace and the many items on display that explain the history of the building. Light lunch at the world famous Gerbeaud Café. Free afternoon and evening in Budapest.

Day 14 – Budapest
Spend the day exploring Budapest or take an optional tour with us. Meet us again in the early evening at the hotel to be transported to our farewell dinner. Enjoy a gourmet meal with traditional gipsy tunes at the famed Gundel restaurant, one of the finest restaurants in the world.

Day 15 – Departure
Individual transportation to airport arranged by Danube Destinations

*** During your free time in Budapest, we will advise you about ongoing concerts, opera and other performances so you will have the option to attend those of interest. You just have to decide and we take care of your ticket! (ticket cost is exluded from tour price)