Must-See: The Upper Castle of Visegrád

The Danube Bend tour is one of my most popular tours, as it includes three very different little villages along the Danube river.

Visegrád is one to the towns we visit, it’s famous for the Royal Palace and the Upper Castle, both belonged to the amazing complex of fortification built after the invasion of the Mongols in the 13th century.

The castle was originally built as a heaven for nuns and was paid for by the wife of the Hungarian king Béla IV. Today you can still see the remains of the massive fortification walls and the panoramic view over the Danube Bend.

  • The Upper Castle of Visegrád
  • The Upper Castle of Visegrád
  • The Upper Castle of Visegrád
  • The Upper Castle of Visegrád
  • The Upper Castle of Visegrád
  • The Upper Castle of Visegrád

The Herend Porcelain

Visiting the Herend Factory is always a special experience. The dedication and the talent of people making the most famous Hungarian porcelain products is simply amazing.

During the tour one can see all the different phases of porcelain making and can also learn a lot about the ‘white gold’. I recommend to include the visit in the Lake Balaton tour to make this tour even more authentic.

Cherry Blossom

My favorite part of the year Budapest is getting more colorful and beautiful ever day. This is cherry blossom in the Buda Castle District. Come and see for yourself!

The second best European Christmas Market is the Advent Feast at St. Stephen’s Basilica

https://www.europeanbestdestinations.com/christmas-markets/

Every year hundreds of thousands of travellers vote for the best European Christmas Markets. This year my favorite Christmas Market in Budapest was voted the second best, that’s the one in front of St. Stephen’s Basilica. It’s easy to understand why this particular market got so many votes, it is all about food and drinks, local handicraft products and the videomapping show over the main facade of St. Stephen’s Basilica is magnificent.

Don’t forget to try local hot wine and chimney cake (kürtöskalács), the most delicious treat at our markets.

  • Christmas Market at St. Stephen’s Basilica, Budapest
  • Christmas Market at St. Stephen’s Basilica, Budapest
  • Christmas Market at St. Stephen’s Basilica, Budapest
  • Christmas Market at St. Stephen’s Basilica, Budapest
  • Christmas Market at St. Stephen’s Basilica, Budapest
  • Christmas Market at St. Stephen’s Basilica, Budapest

View from tram #2

I always encourage my guests to take public transport, it’s cheap, convenient and very easy. What’s more is that you can enjoy such a great view from the trams, buses or boats, don’t miss it!

 

Royal Palace in Visegrád

When we are touring the Danube Bend I usually try to include the visit of the Castle complex including the Upper Castle and the Royal Palace, too.

The miracle that we are able to see how royals lived in the 15th century is due to a passionate Hungarian archeologist who had discovered the ruins of the palace in an orchid, we are tremendously grateful to the archeologists who recreated the lavish interiors of the Gothic-Renaissance palace.

The barely 5.000 sq feet stone house built in the 1300’s was rebuilt and extended several times and transformed to a fabulous royal residence with 350 rooms by King Matthias. Legend is that marble fountains were filled with red wine in the 15th century. The Gothic cloisters, Renaissance loggia, living quarters of our kings and queens, amazing fountains and gardens are to be seen in the Palace as well as items and relics from the Middle Ages.

 

The Parliament by night

I love the evening tours, I tell my guests all the time that Budapest has two entirely different faces as it looks different during the day and during the night. My favorite building is the Parliament, it looks like a magnificent gingerbread cake with all the lights and colors of the night.

TH Awards – Private Tour Company of the Year

I’m the extremely proud winner of Travel and Hospitality Awards’ Private Tour Company – of the Year 2018 in Hungary. This is an award I appreciate a lot and it’s also a great feedback showing that my guests are happy with my services as their private Budapest tour guide. It’s time to celebrate!

Budapest by night

Budapest is beautiful day and night, surprisingly it’s like a totally different town when darkness falls. I enjoy very much touring in the city when one can enjoy its amazing lights especially looking at them from the Buda hills. Join my “The lights of Budapest” tour, so that I can show you the nicely lit buildings and tell you more about the stories of my city.

 

A Must-See: Sándor Presidential Palace

I’m not exactly the person who gets invited to the Presidential Palace very often but we were very lucky with my guests last weekend when the doors of the Sándor Palace were open and the public could walk around the beautifully designed interior.

Compared to the relatively simple outside the interior is surprisingly richly ornate, at times I felt like walking around the Versailles Palace. The building is from 1806 and was the residence of the country’s prime minister from 1867. That’s when Queen Elisabeth or Sisi visited the handsome count Andrássy several times after enjoying a performance at the Castle Theatre next door.

The building was restored and became the seat of the offices of the President in 2003, the actual furnitures are reproductions of the originals. The entire restoration was conducted in accordance with the original blueprints. The garden is absolutely stunning with a great view over the Pest side. There is no guarantee we can tour the interior when you book a tour in the Buda Castle district but I’ll find a way to show you something just as beautiful as the Sándor Palace.

1
…
4
5
6