Day-by-day programme of this 8-day itinerary across Budapest, the Danube Bend, Eger and Lake Balaton.
Day 1 â Arrival in Budapest
Landing in Budapest, the 'pearl of the Danube': two cities - hilly Buda and flat Pest - joined by the river and its bridges, in a setting of monumental architecture. A first evening impression on the illuminated riverfront.
- âïļ Budapest â Aeroporto di Budapest-Ferenc Liszt (BUD)
- ð St Stephen's Basilica â You begin at St Stephen's Basilica, Budapest's largest church, dedicated to Hungary's first king: its 96-metre dome (as tall as the Parliament's, symbolising the balance between State and Church) can be climbed for a first view over the city. Inside is kept the 'Holy Right Hand', King Stephen's mummified hand. In front, a square full of cafes. From here you walk down towards the Danube and the Chain Bridge.
- ð Chain Bridge â The Chain Bridge (Szechenyi) is the oldest and most famous of Budapest's bridges, guarded by its stone lions: it was the first to permanently link Buda and Pest in the 19th century. Crossing it on foot at sunset, as the lights come on over the Parliament and the Castle, is the perfect way to fall in love with the city. You dine nearby on a gulyas and return to the hotel, where you sleep four nights.
- ðĻ Bohem Art Hotel â Centro (Pest, distretti V-VI-VII), Budapest
Day 2 â Buda Castle Hill
A day on the Buda bank: Castle Hill with the Royal Palace, Matthias Church and the fairytale Fisherman's Bastion, the view from Gellert Hill and relaxation in the historic baths.
- ð Buda Castle â You climb Buda Hill - on foot, by the historic Siklo funicular or by bus - up to Buda Castle, the imposing Royal Palace dominating the Danube, today home to museums and galleries. You stroll among courtyards, panoramic terraces and statues, with all of Pest spread out on the other bank. Just beyond, in the historic quarter, await Matthias Church and the Fisherman's Bastion.
- ð Fisherman's Bastion â The Fisherman's Bastion is Budapest's fairytale image: seven white conical turrets (one for each founding Magyar tribe) linked by terraces and neo-Romanesque arcades, offering the finest view of the Parliament and the river. Beside it stands Matthias Church, with its colourful tiled roof and interiors painted like an oriental carpet. For lunch you head down towards Gellert Hill.
- ð Gellert Hill â Gellert Hill, crowned by the Citadel and the Liberty Statue, offers Budapest's most spectacular 360-degree panorama: the Danube with its bridges, the Parliament, the Castle, the two cities facing each other. A steep but short climb, rewarded with an unforgettable view. At the foot of the hill, the historic Gellert and Rudas baths. In the late afternoon, the quintessential Hungarian ritual: the thermal bath.
- ðŊ Szechenyi Baths â Budapest is the 'city of baths', built over a hundred hot springs. The Szechenyi Baths, in the City Park, are the most famous and scenic: a grand yellow neo-Baroque palace with steaming outdoor pools where Hungarians play chess in the warm water even in winter, plus dozens of indoor pools and saunas. A regenerating, iconic experience. You dine and return to the hotel.
Day 3 â The face of Pest
A day on the Pest bank: the majestic Parliament, Andrassy Avenue up to Heroes' Square, the great Central Market Hall and, in the evening, the unique atmosphere of the ruin bars in the Jewish quarter.
- ð Hungarian Parliament â The Hungarian Parliament is one of Europe's most spectacular buildings: a 268-metre neo-Gothic triumph facing the Danube, with 365 turrets and a dome beneath which St Stephen's crown jewels are kept. The guided tour of the interior (to be booked) crosses the grand staircase and the dome hall, both lavish. From here you follow Andrassy Avenue towards Heroes' Square.
- ð Heroes' Square â Andrassy Avenue, a UNESCO site, is Budapest's Champs-Elysees: elegant palaces, the State Opera, historic cafes. It leads to the monumental Heroes' Square, with its colonnade and statues of the Magyar chieftains and Hungarian kings. Behind it opens the City Park with Vajdahunyad Castle. You head back towards the centre for lunch at the great covered market.
- ð―ïļ Great Market Hall â The Great Market Hall (Nagyvasarcsarnok), in a vast neo-Gothic iron-and-brick hall, is the temple of Hungarian food: on the ground floor salami, garlands of paprika, foie gras and cheeses; upstairs the street-food stalls where you try langos (the fried dough with sour cream and cheese) and gulyas. Great for lunch and edible souvenirs. A free afternoon, then the evening in the Jewish quarter.
- ðŊ Szimpla Kert â The Jewish quarter (district VII) is home to the famous ruin bars: venues set in dilapidated buildings and abandoned courtyards, furnished with salvaged furniture, hanging bicycles and quirky installations. The original is Szimpla Kert, a labyrinth of rooms and yards amid music, art and cocktails. It is Budapest's most original nightlife, perfect for your last evening in town. Tomorrow you head out to the Danube Bend.
Day 4 â The Danube Bend
A trip north of Budapest, where the Danube makes a spectacular curve among the hills: the artists' town of Szentendre, the fortress of Visegrad and the great basilica of Esztergom.
- ð Szentendre â Half an hour from Budapest, Szentendre is a charming Baroque town on the Danube, for centuries a haven for artists: cobbled lanes, pastel-coloured houses, Serbian Orthodox churches, galleries, shops and museums (the marzipan one is famous). You stroll amid Mediterranean atmospheres and have a coffee on the main square. Then you head up the river to the Visegrad fortress.
- ð Visegrad Citadel â Visegrad was a royal capital in the Middle Ages: its citadel, perched atop a hill, looks down on the narrowest and most spectacular bend of the Danube, with a panorama that repays the climb. You visit the walls and the royal palace at the foot of the hill. The view of the river curving among the hills is the highlight of the trip. You continue to Esztergom.
- ð Esztergom Basilica â Esztergom, the kingdom's first capital and still the seat of Hungary's primate, is dominated by its Basilica, the country's largest church: a neoclassical mass with a giant dome, overlooking the Danube which here marks the border with Slovakia. You climb to the dome for a final view of the river. In the late afternoon you return to Budapest for your last night in the city.
Day 5 â Eger, the baroque town
You leave Budapest heading north-east: Eger, a Baroque jewel famous for its castle that halted the Turks, and for the wine valley where the legendary 'Bull's Blood' is born.
- âïļ Budapest â Eger â Eger (centro)
- ð Eger Castle â Eger Castle is a national symbol: in 1552 just two thousand defenders repelled an Ottoman army of tens of thousands, a feat celebrated across Hungary. You visit the walls, the cellars and the museum, with a view over the town's Baroque roofs. Just below, Dobo Square and the great neoclassical Basilica. In the afternoon, the nearby wine valley.
- ðŊ Valley of the Beautiful Women â A few minutes from the centre, the Valley of the Beautiful Women (Szepasszony-volgy) is an amphitheatre of hills dotted with dozens of small cellars carved into the tuff, side by side. Here you taste, straight from the producers, the famous Egri Bikaver - 'Bull's Blood', a full-bodied red wine - alongside typical dishes. You move from cellar to cellar in a convivial atmosphere. You sleep in Eger.
- ðĻ Hotel Korona Eger â Centro storico, Eger
Day 6 â To Lake Balaton
A long crossing south-west to Lake Balaton, the largest in Central Europe, nicknamed 'the sea of the Hungarians': you start from the Tihany peninsula with its abbey.
- âïļ Eger â Tihany â Penisola di Tihany, Lago Balaton
- ð Tihany Abbey â The Benedictine Abbey of Tihany, with its two yellow towers, looks down over the peninsula and the blue of the Balaton: founded in 1055, it holds a deed of foundation that is the oldest document containing words in the Hungarian language. Around it, lanes of thatched-roof houses, lavender shops and panoramic terraces over the lake. You lunch on lake fish. Then you reach the northern shore at Balatonfured.
- ð Balatonfured â Balatonfured is the most elegant of the lake's spa towns, with its tree-lined promenade (Tagore setany) along the water, period villas and a marina of sailing boats. Here effervescent springs flow that you can drink at the fountains. It is the right place for a swim in the Balaton and an ice cream on the lakefront. You sleep on the shores of the lake.
- ðĻ The Margareta Hotel â Riva nord (Balatonfured / Tihany), Lago Balaton
Day 7 â Western Balaton
A last day on the lake: the sumptuous Festetics Palace at Keszthely and the volcanic wine hills of Badacsony, between views and cellars, before heading back to Budapest.
- ð Festetics Palace â At the western end of the lake, Keszthely holds the Festetics Palace, one of Hungary's most lavish Baroque residences: sumptuous rooms, a famous library with 100,000 volumes, stables and a large English park. It is a plunge into the splendour of the Magyar aristocracy. Nearby, the spa town of Heviz with its swimmable warm lake. Then you head up to the Badacsony wine hills.
- ð Badacsony â Badacsony is a volcanic hill with a characteristic flat shape rising above the northern shore of the Balaton: its terraced, basalt-soil slopes produce excellent white wines. You climb among the vineyards to the viewpoints and cellars, to taste a glass with a view of the shimmering lake. A sweet, luminous finale to the trip. You return for a last night on the lake or towards Budapest.
Day 8 â Departure from Budapest
Drive back to Budapest and return flight. End of the journey in the heart of Europe.
- âïļ Budapest â Aeroporto di Milano Malpensa (MXP)
