Your
quick connection to Hungary
HOW TO GET THERE WHAT TO SEE GOOD TO KNOW WHAT’S ON
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ETYEK GÖDÖLLŐ
SZENTENDRE
VÁC BALATON MAP OF MOTORWAYS AND RAIL NETWORK SOPRON TOKAJ BEST OF BUDAPEST CITY OF SPAS INFORMATION
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ETYEK
WHAT TO SEE Etyek is famous for two things: the making of wine and film. The area has a long winemaking history, is surrounded with vineyards, and its proximity to Budapest means it has always drawn in wine-tourism. The making of movies is a more recent development and dates to the opening of the Korda Studios in 2007. The press took to calling the studio development Etyekwood, but locals like to think of it as a combination of a smaller-sized Napa Valley and Hollywood rolled into one.
FAMOUS FOR
making wine and movies
GOOD TO KNOW Korda Studios has ten hectares (25 acres) of backlot sets recreating the streets of New York, Renaissance Italy and an English medieval town. The New York street set was created for the movie “Hellboy 2 – The Golden Army”, while the Renaissance backlot was put up for the TV series “The Borgias”. The 12,000 sqm (130,000 sqf) Medieval set was built for the TV series “World Without End”, set against the backdrop of the Hundred Years’ War and the arrival of the Black Death.
Etyek
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HOW TO GET THERE Etyek is about 30 km (19 miles) west of Budapest, an easy half-hour drive along the M1 motorway heading out from the capital in the direction of Győr and Vienna. Take exit 16 off the M1 towards Biatorbágy; Etyek is the next village after Biatorbágy. There are also direct Volánbusz bus services available from Kelenföldi Pályaudvar (No. 760, 767) and Széna tér (No. 782) stations.
Weblinks: Etyek Piknik: etyekipiknik.hu Korda Film Studios: kordafilmpark.hu
WHAT’S ON ETYEK PICNIC SPRING: 8-9 April 2017 SUMMER: 10-11 June 2017 Pork roasting starts from 9 a.m. The Etyek Picnic offers wine tasting, food specialities, craftsmen’s market and many other programs at more than 20 cellars most lying along Újhegyi utca.
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Lake Balaton
GÖDÖLLŐ
GOOD TO KNOW WHAT TO SEE Gödöllő boasts one attraction even Budapest would be proud of, the Royal Palace of Gödöllő (sometimes called the Grassalkovich Palace). Building work started around 1735, and what became Hungary’s largest baroque mansion was originally home to Count Anton Grassalkovich. When his line died out, the Hungarian state gave the palace to the Habsburg royal household in the 1860s as a coronation gift for Emperor Francis Joseph and his wife Queen Elizabeth. Sisi, as she was better known, was particularly fond of the palace.
The fourth World Scout Jamboree was hosted in Gödöllő from 2-13 August 1933. It was attended by 25,792 scouts, including the movement’s founder and Chief Scout, Robert Baden-Powell, then Hungarian head of state Regent Miklós Horthy, and the Chief Scout of Hungary – and eventual two-time prime minister – Count Pál Teleki. A statue of a boy scout was unveiled on 23 April 1994, commemorating the 1933 event. Count Teleki, incidentally, is buried at Máriabesnyő, on the eastern outskirts of Gödöllő.
Weblinks: Royal Palace: kiralyikastely.hu Gödöllő Town Hall site: godollo.hu/tourism
Gödöllő
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BUILDING WORK STARTED AROUND
1735 HOW TO GET THERE Gödöllő lies about 30 kilometres (about 20 miles) northeast of Budapest and is easily accessible by rail or road. If travelling by car, simply take the M3 motorway and stick on it until you come to the exit for Gödöllő. Alternatively you can take the H8 HÉV, the overland suburban railway from Örs vezér tere in District XIV. Faster, though less frequent, is the Gödöllő-Hatvan train service from Keleti pályaudvar (Eastern Railway Station), which takes around 40 minutes.
WHAT’S ON INTERNATIONAL NATURE FILM FESTIVAL GÖDÖLLŐ 26-28 May 2017 www.godollofilmfest.com The mission of the International Nature Film Festival is to raise awareness regarding the protection and conservation of biological diversity and natural resources, with a special emphasis on Europe and the Carpathian Basin.
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SZENTENDRE
THE AREA HAS BEEN SETTLED BY CELTS, ROMANS, SERBS AND GREEKS, AMONG OTHERS.
WHAT TO SEE
Weblink: Szentendre Town Hall site: iranyszentendre.hu
Most people go for the town itself, with its pavement terraces and riverside Mediterranean-Balkan artist-colony vibe, or its Serbian ecclesiastical art collection, but there is one attraction that will give you a real insight into Hungarian rural life through the ages, the Skanzen Village Museum or Hungarian Open-Air Ethnographic Museum. It is actually about 5 km (three miles) from the town centre, and can be reached taking the 230 bus from bay No. 7 at Szentendre’s bus station. Founded in 1967, the Skanzen features farmhouses, mills, and churches that have been relocated, brick by brick, from eight different regions.
Szentendre
GOOD TO KNOW The area has been settled by Celts, Romans, and Magyars (Hungarians), but it owes its Balkan flavour to the Serbs, Dalmatians, Greeks and others who fled the Ottoman Turks in two waves, most recently in the 18th century. Enjoying a religious tolerance the ruling Habsburgs did not extend to the Protestants at the time, the Orthodox religion was able to flourish in Szentendre, with half a dozen churches built here. The artists’ colony dates to a more recent influx from Budapest, dating back to the 1920s and ‘30s. And Szentendre still draws the visitors from the capital today, so if you want to avoid the worst of the crowds, try to plan a visit in spring or autumn.
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SZENTENDRE
HOW TO GET THERE The bigger question is not so much how to get to Szentendre (20 km or 12 miles south of Budapest), as by what means, for you can use road, rail or river. The latter is the slowest option, but possibly also the most relaxing. A boat trip on MAHART PassNave takes 1.5 hours from the pier at Vigadó tér in Budapest (runs from May to end of September). The suburban HÉV railway runs out to Szentendre from Batthyány tér, and takes about 40 minutes. If you fancy driving yourself, take the Route 11 which will get you there directly, and for the very energetic there is a cycle path which runs alongside Route 11.
WHAT’S ON SZENTENDRE SPRING FESTIVAL 2017 8-24 April 2017 szentendreprogram.hu Offers you more than 30 theatrical, musical and literary programs as well as a number of exhibitions.
Vác
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VÁC VÁC IS HOME TO
THE ONLY
TRIUMPHAL ARCH IN HUNGARY.
HOW TO GET THERE The fastest route by car is to take the M3 motorway out of Budapest until you see the junction for the M2/ E77, and then follow the M2 until you see the signs for Vác. The 40 km (25 mile) journey should take about 50 minutes. Volánbusz lines to Vác leave from Árpád híd every half an hour and take 50-60 minutes. Trains leave Nyugati (Western) Railway Station regularly, and the journey takes either 25 or 42 minutes, depending on whether you catch one of the direct express trains. MAHART PassNave also runs boats to Vác from Budapest’s Vigadó tér.
WHAT TO SEE While the town has the Danube bend to boast about, it is justifiably best known for its beautiful Baroque and Rococo architecture, and the best place to see this is at the main square, the triangular Március 15 tér (known to locals as the nicest square in Hungary). EU money has enabled the square to be rebuilt and many of the mansions to be renovated. Pretty much all of the buildings here could be described as historic (certainly the official town website does so), and many are nationally protected.
Weblink: Vác Town Hall site: vac.hu
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BALATON
THE LARGEST LAKE IN CENTRAL EUROPE
WHAT TO SEE At the bottom south-western tip of the lake is Keszthely, a town worth the visit for its magnificently restored Baroque Festetics Palace (the third largest in Hungary) alone. Be warned that doing the palace justice will take some time; there are 101 rooms to see, not to mention a Hunting Museum with 500 trophies and exhibits on wildlife and weapons. The town is surrounded by water. Apart from the main lake itself there is Kis-Balaton (Little Balaton), a protected Nature Reserve that forms part of the Zala river delta internationally known for its water fowl habitat. Just 15 minutes away you will find Hévíz, a spa town famous for its thermal lake.
THE MAXIMUM DEPTH AT BALATON IS
12.2 METRES
The peninsular stretching out into Lake Balaton from a little less the halfway down the northern shore is known as Tihany, and the small town of the same name that you find on it is one of the most beautiful in the region, with its relaxed, Mediterranean vibe and thatched cottages. It is dominated by a twin-towered Benedictine Abbey, originally founded in 1055 by Hungary’s third King, András I. His crypt is still here, but the church above is 18th century Baroque.
Balaton
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HOW TO GET THERE
Weblinks: Lake Balaton Hungarian Tourism website: balaton.gotohungary.com Hevíz Town Hall site: heviz.hu Keszthely Town Hall site: keszthely.hu Siófok Town Hall site: siofok.hu
Balaton is probably most easily accessed by road, with the M7 motorway out of Budapest taking you the approximately 90 km (55 miles) to the topmost tip of the lake in one hour. How much longer your journey takes depends very much on which shore your end destination lies. The M7 continues to run along the southern side of the lake, but destinations on the northern side are served by Route 71. Trains run regularly from Budapest, but can be slow. An Intercity to Siófok, the main party town on the southern shore, takes about 1.5 hours.
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MAP OF MOTORWAYS AND RAIL NETWORK
MOTORWAYS IN HUNGARY
M5: Budapest – SRB
M1: Budapest – AUT
M6: Budapest – Pécs
M3: Budapest – RO/UKR/SK
M7: Budapest – SLO
LEGEND existing
planned
Map of motorways and rail network
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RAIL NETWORK OF 7,542 KM
Hamburg Bremerhaven Rotterdam
Duisburg
Moscow
Prague Munich
Linz Dunajska Streda Vienna
Salzburg Trieste Koper
Budapest
Ploiesti
Arad Rijeka
Chortomlyk
Debrecen
Belgrade
Constanta
Pireas
RAILWAYS Scheduled
Non-
block trains
scheduled
Planned train projects
Scheduled barge service
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BALATON
90 KM
FROM BUDAPEST
GOOD TO KNOW With a maximum length of 77 km (48 miles), 14 km (8.7 miles) across at its widest, and a surface area of 592 sq km (229 sq miles), Balaton is the largest lake in Central Europe. Little wonder, then, that in landlocked Hungary it is known as the “Hungarian Sea”. The maximum depth is 12.2 metres (40 ft), and it is surrounded by 236 km (147 miles) of shoreline, offering endless possibilities for fun and relaxation. The water tends to be shallower on the southern side, and deeper on the northern shore. Although principally famous for the lake, this is also a major grape-growing area. A Mediterranean climate combines with volcanic soils to produce a predominately white wine region.
77 KM MAXIMUM LENGTH
Balaton
WHAT’S ON CENTENARY EXHIBITION IN MEMORY OF BLESSED CHARLES IV AND QUEEN ZITA Until 30 April 2017 Archbishop’s Palace 8200 Veszprém Vár utca 16. Exhibition commemorating the centenary of the coronation of the last King and Queen of Hungary. Please note it can only be visited by making an appointment via e-mail: info.boldoggizella@gmail.com or by phone: +36 88 426-095. AUSTRIAN BIEDERMEIER PAINTINGS Until 31 December 2017 Vaszary Gallery 8230 Balatonfüred Honvéd utca 2-4 With Budapest’s Museum of Fine Arts closed for renovations, its collections have ben farmed out around the country. The Vaszary Gallery in Balatonfüred is now playing host to Austrian Biedermeier paintings.
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SOPRON
THE CITY HOLDS THE TITLE OF
“THE MOST LOYAL TOWN”
WHAT TO SEE FIREWATCH TOWER There is plenty to see and do in Sopron, but there can be little doubt as to its main attraction: The Firewatch Tower on Main Square (Fő tér). The tower was originally built on the remains of the Roman city walls and dates back to the 13th century, but it got its present look with its Baroque balcony after the great fire of 1676, which destroyed much of the medieval town. The tower’s 200 steps lead to a fine viewing point overlooking the city.
ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH St Michael’s (Szent Mihály), the old parish church of Sopron, is also one of the most important gothic places of worship in Hungary, second in significance only to the magnificent Matthias’ church up in Buda’s Castle District. The church grounds also include St. James’ Chapel, one of the oldest buildings in Sopron. The Gothic glazed-tile flooring of the treasury is said to be the largest continuous ceramic floor in Hungary.
Sopron
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HOW TO GET THERE BE A ROAD WARRIOR At around 210 km (130 miles) west of the capital, Sopron is easily accessible by car from Budapest, and can be reached within two-and-a-half hours. By far the easiest route is to take the M1 motorway out of the city (this is the major highway leading to the Hungarian city of Győr and on to Vienna in Austria), and then taking the M85, which becomes the Route 84 and leads you into the city.
Weblink: Sopron Town Hall site: sopron.hu
LET THE TRAIN TAKE THE STRAIN There are also regular hourly train connections from Budapest’s Keleti Pályaudvar (Eastern Railway Station), the city’s main international and inter-city rail hub. InterCity (IC) trains leaving at ten minutes past the hour will require a change at Kelenföld (Budapest’s fourth busiest station in the south-western District XI), but from there it is direct through Győr to Sopron; total rail time will be around three hours. For the fastest connection, with no need to change, look for the IC trains which leave every two hours at five minutes past the hour. These make the journey in two-and-a-half hours.
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SOPRON
SOPRON’S VINEYARDS
cover about 1,500 hectares
GOOD TO KNOW The city holds the title of “The Most Loyal Town”. After the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War 1, Sopron held a plebiscite on December 14, 1921 to decide whether it would remain part of Hungary or become part of Austria. The city voted to stay, and December 14 is now a local holiday. Although settled since Roman times, when the Hungarian tribes moved in at the end of the ninth century, it was all but deserted.
Sopron
The Sopron wine region is one of the seven larger wine regions of Hungary. Sopron’s vineyards cover about 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) with the best soil for growing grapes said to be on the slopes of the Lajta hills around Lake Fertő. It is principally known as a red wine area, with Kékfrankos its most populous grape. The lake, which lies across the border with Austria, where it is known as the Neusiedlersee, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001.
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TOKAJ
WHAT TO SEE Tokaj itself is a town, the earliest mention of which goes back to 1353. The name is also given to Hungary’s most famous wines, the topaz-coloured sweet desert wine (uniquely, made from grapes affected by fungal rot) called Tokaji Aszú. King Louis XV of France once famously referenced Aszú as the “Wine of Kings, King of Wines”. The name is also given to one of the seven main wine regions in Hungary, TokajHegyalja, which surrounds the town in the northeast of the country, at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains. The Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape was added to the UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2002. The area covered, along with its so-called buffer zone, takes in 27 settlements and covers 88,124 hectares (217,260 acres).
THE TOKAJ WINE REGION
HISTORIC CULTURAL LANDSCAPE WAS ADDED TO THE UNESCO’S WORLD HERITAGE LIST IN 2002.
Tokaj
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HOW TO GET THERE
The Great Synagogue of Tokaj was built in the 19th-century Eclectic style. Although used as a German barracks during the last war, it has been beautifully restored and now serves the town as a conference and cultural centre. Entry is via the Ede Paulay Theatre and by appointment only. Another synagogue worth seeing is in the nearby village of Mรกd. This is thought to be one of the oldest in Hungary, built in 1785 in the late Baroque style.
The mere fact that you are heading to Tokaj suggests at least some of you intend to drink. Given that, perhaps the best bet is to let the train take the strain. There are regular InterCity connections to Tokaj from both Keleti pรกlyaudvar (Eastern Railway Station) and Nyugati pรกlyaudvar (Western Railway Station). Journeys take between two-and-a-half and three-and-a-half hours. If you want the freedom offered by driving to Tokaj, the 230 km (about 145 miles) journey is relatively straight forward, and takes about two-and-a-half-hours. Head east out of Budapest on the M3 motorway until you reach junction 151 (E71/M30/E79 toward Miskolc). On the outskirts of Miskolc you leave the M30 and take the Route 3/E71, then pick up the Route 37 and finally the Route 38 into Tokaj.
Weblink: Tokaj Wine Region site: visittokaj.com Tokaj Renaissance (wine association) site: tokaji.hu
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TOKAJ
GOOD TO KNOW The Wine Bus is a relatively new service around the town of Tokaj that can cater for numbers ranging from two to 50 people, although prior booking is required (e-mail: tokaj@ tourinform.hu). The standard program lasts between four and five hours, and presents three wine cellars; you can taste three wines at each stop. The wineries range from a small family operation to something much larger, but the organisers say you can also ask to go to a particular winery. A professional guide leads the trip with English, German, and Russia languages offered.
KING LOUIS XV OF FRANCE ONCE FAMOUSLY REFERENCED ASZÚ AS THE
“WINE OF KINGS, KING OF WINES”.
To give you an idea of how important Tokaj is to the Hungarian national mindset, the “nectar” of the grapes is even mentioned in the country’s national anthem. Although Tokaj is best known for its sweet wines, it also produces Furmint, Hárslevelű and Muscat grapes, and the wines made from them.
Tokaj
WHAT’S ON There is always something to do in Tokaj, so do make plans for a return visit. In June, for example, there is a three-day summer Tokaj Wine Festival, which brings the best of the local wines and gastronomy to the streets of the town. And the autumn features the Harvest Days (Szßreti Napok) festival, complete with processions, traditional clothes and music, winemakers offering their goods and a market along the main street. The festival has been staged since 1932, making it one of the oldest in the wine region.
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BEST OF BUDAPEST CITY OF SPAS WHAT TO SEE Hungary has hot water like the Arctic has snow and ice. There are more than 1,000 natural springs scattered across the country and 118 in Budapest alone. The country is a geothermal and medicinal water hot spot, if you will pardon the expression. Given all those natural resources, it is no surprise that a bathing culture has developed going back 2,000 years to when this was the Roman province of Pannonia.
Here are just three of the most popular baths. The Art Nouveau Gellért Baths and Hotel, over on the Buda side of the river, at the foot of Gellért Hill, has been a hit with tourists since it opened in 1918 and became part of the Grand Tour. The baths even boast a wave pool, first used in 1927. Nowadays the hotel has lost some of its former grandeur, but the baths are still resplendent with mosaics, stained glass windows and sculptures. The Rudas is a genuine Turkish bath, having been built in 1550, and reconstructed in 1566 during the period of Ottoman Empire rule. The Rudas is open during the day, of course, when it offers all sorts of medicinal cures, but the atmospheric original octagonal pool and characteristic Turkish dome take on a new dimension when it opens every Friday and Saturday night. On the Pest side of the river, try one of the largest thermal bathing complexes in Europe, the large yellow Neo-Baroque Széchenyi Thermal Baths in City Park (Városliget) behind Heroes’ Square and just along from Budapest Zoo. The baths date from 1913, with the warm outdoor pools added in the late 1920s. Széchenyi Thermal Baths: Állatkerti körút 9-11, 1146 Budapest; tel. +36/1 363 3210; web: szechenyibath.com Szent Gellért Medicinal Spa And Swimming Pool: Kelenhegyi út 4, 1118 Budapest; tel. +36/1 466-6166; web: gellertbath.com Rudas Medicinal Spa And Swimming Pool: Döbrentei tér 9, 1013 Budapest; tel. +36/1 356-1010; web: en.rudasfurdo.hu
HUNGARY FACTS AND FIGURES TIME ZONE Central European Time (CET = GMT+1). Daylight saving time – CET+1 (GMT+2) – runs between the end of March and the end of October
ELECTRICITY AC: 230 V/50 Hz. Sockets are the European standard two-pin
HELP
IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION Emergency hotline: 112 English speaking tourist hotline: +(36-1) 438-8080 Budapestinfo Tourist Information Offices: in the city centre at Sütő utca 2 (close to Deák tér); at City Park on Olof Palme sétány 5 (close to Hősök tere) Further information: www.budapestinfo.hu
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN 2017 Date 1 January 15 March 17 April 1 May 5 June 20 August
Day Sunday Wednesday Monday Monday Monday Sunday
23 October 1 November 25 December 26 December
Monday Wednesday Monday Monday
Holiday New Year’s Day 1848 Revolution Memorial Day Easter Monday Labour Day Whit Monday Saint Stephen’s Day: National Day commemorating Hungary’s founding King/Saint Stephen (István) Republic Day (1956 Revolution Memorial Day) All Saints’ Day (Day of the Dead) Christmas Day Boxing Day/St. Stephen’s Day/2nd Day of Christmas
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Hungarian Tourism Agency
Further information: www.gotohungary.com — www.budapestinfo.hu www.bkk.hu (BKK Centre for Budapest Transport) Essential tips online: www.gotohungary.com/essentialguide