Tour Ref: HG13/1
Menu
Want a cheap holiday to Budapest showing you “all that Hungary is about”? Book with someone else… because Budapest alone is not “all that Hungary is about”! We have put together an utterly captivating adventure to see the real “secrets” of Hungary. Once out of Budapest we are in another, step back in time, world and that’s what we want you to experience.
The holiday is priced from Budapest so the simplest and cheapest way is to fly to/from the UK and meet at the Intercity Hotel 16th of September. However, we all like trains, and your courier will accompany an overland journey leaving on the 15th of September and returning on the 28th of September, with overnights in each direction in Munich, travelling first class. This will be at an additional cost still to be calculated. A ball-park figure, including accommodation, would be around £600.00 for the add-on – but don’t hold us to that!
Arrive Budapest and enjoy a welcome dinner at the 4-star Intercity Hotel adjacent to Budapest-Keleti Station.
So long Budapest for a while, as we head to the Balaton region. This is Hungary’s main resort area and our base for the next three nights is the amazing 4-star Helikon Hotel. The hotel has a superb buffet restaurant, lovely rooms, pool, spa, and is own private island – sheer indulgence. We travel there by train and enjoy our first narrow gauge rail ride. Dinner is included on each night here.
Rural Hungary awaits. We use coach and local trains to travel out to Lenti where we find a forest railway. Our afternoon is spent chugging through the forest and fields with Csomoden Vasutuzem. This is a proper introduction to the back of beyond.
A local morning includes the amazing Festetics Palace. This enormous stately building has period rooms, a carriage museum, a hunting museum and an impressive model railway. Then, we rail out to the Nagycenki Szechenyi Muzeumvasut for an afternoon of steam action before driving back to Keszthely.
We move on today, by train and coach via Pecs, the jewel of Transdanubia, to Baja for an overnight stay on the banks of the Danube. On the way we are going to travel to the very top of Hungary and enjoy steam in the Gemenc National Park.
From Baja we “hit” the Hungarian Plain and a place called Bugac – by train and coach to the middle of nowhere for horse riding and horsey entertainment like you’ve never seen before. We continue north to a place called Lillafured. This is magic – our hotel (Palota), meaning Palace, is a “chateau” style hotel – more like a castle really, and possibly the most impressive hotel we use anywhere in the world! No need to forage as dinner is also included on each of our three nights here.
From our forest base we board a narrow gauge train from the station next to the hotel and trundle down to Miskolc. Then we head for the hills. Lovely scenery on our journey to Szilvasvarad, a horsey town with a railway to a waterfall. The circular tour continues on the branch line to Eger and completed with a truly scenic drive over the Bukk Hills.
Trams and trains deliver us to Debrecen and yet another steam railway, Zsuzsi Erdei Vasut Debrecen. Lunch is included during our time here and we track back to Lillafured via the plains.
Highlights during our stay in the capital are too many to list but will certainly include the Danube Bend, Szentendre, the railway and transport museum, cog and steam railways, and of course the Gyerm-Kuasut – Children’s Railway – unbelievable! It’s all done using public transport, be it train, bus, tram, boat or on foot.
Our Danube day starts by tram and then train to Kismaros on the banks of the river. Here we join the Kisvasut-Kiralyret Railway for a steam train ride to the middle of nowhere and back. A short stroll down to the river precedes boarding a boat for a cruise on the Danube bend. We return to Budapest by rail.
To the north of Buda is the ecclesiastical town of Szentendre. This place is very quaint and worth a visit on those merits purely, but it also has the Urban Transport Museum to enjoy. Back in the city we just have to visit the National Railway Museum which claims to be the largest of its kind in Europe.
Our last day includes what will for many be the holiday highlight. The Children’s Railway is a pure delight. Better behave yourselves as being told off by a child is truly chastening. There are rack railways today as well, and a trip up the funicular to old Buda.
Homeward Bound jouneys commence after breakfast...
Located in the historical city centre of Budapest, Hungary, Intercity Hotel offers a well-connected and reliable place to stay near the lively centre for attractions. This is a plush 4 star, close to Deák Tér city centre and Ferenciek Tere Station.
Located in the rich city centre of Keszthely, Hungary, Helikon Hotel offers stylish accommodations near the western shore of Lake Balaton. A luxurious 4-star rating, nearby Helikon Castle Museum and Helikon Beach.
The Duna Wellness Hotel is a comfortable 4-star establishment situated in the heart of Baja, featuring well-appointed, air-conditioned rooms and a comprehensive wellness center. Its central location on the historic main square provides easy access to local sites, serving as an ideal base for exploring Southern Hungary.
Located in the beautiful hills of Miskolc, Hungary, just 13km from the centre. Palota Hotel offers unique accommodations set in a neo-renaissance castle built in 1930. The hotel is surrounded by a large park with a hanging garden and the 20-metre-high waterfall on the Szinva Stream. This 4-star hotel is 15km from Miskolc Train Station if you’d like to venture into the city, but there are also many services available around the hotel with tours available via a local forest train just 250 meters from the hotel, or a boating on the lake which starts just 110 meters away.
Located in the bustling city centre of Budapest, Hungary, Park Plaza Hotel offers modern accommodations near the Hungarian Parliament. A unique 4-star, that focuses on artistic talent – this hotel also showcases a collection of artworks by renowned contemporary still life artist Donald Sultan. This painter, printmaker, and sculptor’s works have been shown around the world by many leading galleries and museums including The Met, Guggenheim, Tate Modern, and Centre Georges Pompidou. The hotel is also nearby the Hungarian National Gallery, Hungarian State Opera, and The Citadel/Liberty Monument.
