Your Reading List for Budapest
In this week's books for travel blog post we move to the beautiful city of Budapest, known by locals as "Paris on the Danube." Budapest is a gorgeous destination for travel in Central more...
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"JayWay took the worry out of our travel. The pre-trip arrangements were superb and all the guides and drivers were most friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable. We loved the walking tours. The hotels were perfectly situated for access to the city centres. The additional excursions recommended were also great!"
“Perfect organization and execution. Great services and well chosen tours that are interesting and exciting. Comfortable, reliable, fulfilling and stress-free travel. Great balance between touring and free time in each place. One of the best trips that we will always remember.”
Our suggested itineraries in Hungary and neighboring countries allow you to enjoy a multi-destination tour with ease. Our Hungary vacation packages make traveling in Central & Eastern Europe hassle-free. We take care of getting you from place to place, accommodation, excursions and activities.
Experience two splendid and contrasting Central European capitals with an 8 day/7 night trip. Start off in magical Prague, with its picture-postcard Old Town before continuing to bustling Budapest, crowned 'best city in Europe' by CN Traveler readers. read full itinerary
Visit three grand Central European capitals in 10 days. Start off in enchanting Prague, with its picture-postcard Old Town. Then take in the Imperial grandeur of Vienna. You will finish your Central Europe tour in Budapest, crowned 'best city in Europe' by CN Traveler readers for 2015. read full itinerary
If you would prefer to stick to cities in the former Eastern Bloc countries, this itinerary substitutes Krakow in place of Vienna. Known as Poland's cultural and historic capital, Krakow offers a unique atmosphere. This route is popular with guests of Jewish heritage but it truly offers something for all tastes. read full itinerary
This 10 day Budapest, Krakow and Warsaw private tour itinerary will show you three very different cities that all enjoy places on UNESCO's World Heritage List. From buzzing Budapest to historic Krakow to rejuvenated Warsaw, this Central Europe vacation is packed with variety. read full itinerary
Visit the capital cities of neighbors Hungary & Romania with an interlude in the Transylvanian countryside. Budapest, Sighisoara and Bucharest are the overnight destinations on this 10 day tour. read full itinerary
See some of the best Christmas markets in Central Europe on an 11 day tour, traveling by private transfer and train. You will visit Prague, Cesky Krumlov, Salzburg, Vienna and Budapest. read full itinerary
Visit three grand Central European capitals and the historic Polish capital Krakow in two weeks, traveling at a relaxed pace. Start off in enchanting Prague, with its picture-postcard Old Town. Then take in the Imperial grandeur of Vienna. Next stop is in Budapest, voted 'best city in Europe' in 2015. The trip ends in Krakow, Poland's most popular destination and still its cultural capital. read full itinerary
This 12 day itinerary encompasses the highlights of the old Austro-Hungarian empire. From increasingly cool Budapest, impressive and imposing Vienna, musical Alpine town Salzburg to the beautiful Czech capital, Prague. read full itinerary
This sample 14 day (13 nights) itinerary covers some of the signature sights of Hungary and Romania. The overnight destinations are Budapest, Eger, Sighetu Marmatiei, Cluj, Sibiu, Brasov & Bucharest. read full itinerary
With 2 weeks at your disposal and spending a little less time in each city you can explore a large area of Central Europe. Start in the ubercool German capital, Berlin then head south to enchanting Prague. After a few days it's time to head south again, to fairy-tale medieval Cesky Krumlov. From here it's on to the grand old Imperial capital, Vienna. After that you reach Budapest to see for yourself why Condé Nast Traveler readers voted it best city in Europe in 2015. The trip ends in the historic Polish capital, Krakow. read full itinerary
Combine some of our most popular destinations this two week itinerary. You'll have some time in two of Central Europe's most beautiful and enjoyable cities then some seaside relaxation as you head to the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. To top it all off, all 5 of Budapest, Prague, Dubrovnik, Hvar and Split are on the UNESCO World Heritage List! read full itinerary
In this week's books for travel blog post we move to the beautiful city of Budapest, known by locals as "Paris on the Danube." Budapest is a gorgeous destination for travel in Central more...
Spring is a big deal in Central and Eastern Europe. That's not only because many of these countries were once pagan, but also because they have to put up with a long, more...
Locals call Budapest “Paris on the Danube,” and with good reason. This beautiful city sparkles like The City of Lights, especially at night. The Danube and its bridges are even more impressive more...
Entry visas are not required for EU citizens, and travelers from the USA and Canada if you stay less than 3 months. Citizens of other countries can get a visa at the Hungarian Embassy or Consulate in their country: please allow ample time as in some cases the administrative procedure of obtaining a visa to Hungary might take 4-6 weeks. A valid passport is required. For more information about visas, please check the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hungary has accepted the Shengen Visa since November 2007.
Hungary time zones:
So if you fly to Hungary from London or New York, you will lose time (1 hour time difference from UK/usually 6 hours time difference from NY, depending on whether the US has switched to Daylight Savings Time) when you come here, and gain time when you go back to the UK or USA.
Hungarian Public Holidays (apart from Easter and Whit) are on fixed days, so if they fall on a weekend the day off is not moved to the next working day. On public holidays most shops and all banks will be shut so if there's something you need, make sur to plan ahead.
Here's the complete list of the Hungarian public holidays:
- 1st January (New Year)
- 15th March (commemorating the 1848/49 revolution and war of independence against the Austrian rule)
- Easter Sunday and Monday
- 1st May (Labour Day)
- Whit Sunday and Monday
- 20th August (threefold celebration: the celebration of Bread, the name day of Saint Stephen, the first king of Hungary, and the foundation of the Hungarian state)
- 23rd October (anniversary of the 1956 revolution and war of independence)
- 1st November (All Saints' Day): most people go to the cemetery, and there's a handful of Halloween parties (Halloween is relatively freshly imported - similarly to Valentine's day).
- 25-26th December (Christmas) Watch out for Dec 24! not an official public holiday yet but most of the shops, restaurants, bars, theatres etc. close on this day. Families celebrate together in the evening.
66% of the Hungarian population is officially Catholic, 28% is Protestant, the remaining 6% is miscellaneous, e.g. there is a strong Jewish community in Budapest (approx. 100,000 Jews in Hungary). By officially we mean that these figures are how people filled in census forms, it does not mean that this much of the population attends a religious service regularly, most Hungarians only practice their religion on big annual events, like having a Christmas tree, doing the Christmas shopping and giving gifts, but not necessarily going to church.
The average wages of waiters and waitresses is quite low, so they mainly live from tips. Nevertheless, the average tip is only 10%, if you go over that, it means you really appreciate the service you received. Giving tips in Hungary is customary in the following situations: to waiters and waitresses in cafes and restaurants (can be only 5% or none in fast food dining places though), restrooms, hotel staff (from receptionist through concierge to bellboys), petrol station attendants, taxi drivers, Gypsy musicians 'playing in your ear' in restaurants. Now, you may be very surprised, but due to old communist ways, it is still customary to tip doctors, dentists and hospital staff. There are initiatives to tackle this deep-rooted tradition, but tipping health care people in Hungary is still prevalent.