Hungarian Pop Music

The Nox is one of the most popular pop bands in Hungary. They mix the traditional folkmusical elements and instruments with the modern pop music. Their song the "Embermadár" or "Human bird" glorifies and courages the "human" be brave to fight with natural elements like altitude or water. Not miracle, this song has happened to be the title song of the European Swimming Championship 2006 in Budapest. Listen: here.

Hungary Card : Discounts

Relax in the best way: Hungary Card is in your pocket, and your holiday budget never gets out of hand...

Please read this introduction carefully, and learn about all the services and opportunities that are available to you at a reduced price, or sometimes even free of charge.

How can you use the Hungary Card?

1) You may claim certain discounts simply by showing the card, taking advantage of the opportunity an unlimited number of times during the validity period.

2) Other discounts are available to you only a limited number of times. In order to take advantage of these reduced or free services, use the vouchers you find in the voucher book you received with the card. Each voucher gets you one discount - usually for one person, at times for everybody in your company. Just hand your card and booklet over to the service provider. They will tear out a voucher, and if applicable, stamp or date the remaining part. Please keep your card and booklet ready, as in case of a control it serves as proof of your eligibility. Reduced fare tickets are valid only together with the corresponding card and booklet. You can purchase reduced fare tickets or services, as long as you have a correspondent voucher in your book. Therefore, take the card and the voucher book with you every time you set out on a trip.


Examples of Discounts:

10 - 20 % discounts on accommodation
10 - 20 % discounts on restaurants
10 - 50 % discounts on museums entry tickets
10 - 15 % discounts in baths and thermal spas
10 - 100 % discounts for certain tourist services and events
20 % reduction on Well-PRess travel guides and publications
20 % discount on Lake Balaton boat tickets for two people.
50 % discount on the Balatoncard
15 % discount at FOX Car Rental

Other Cards:
Balaton Card: www.balatoncard.hu
Budapest Card: www.budapestinfo.hu

Where to buy a Hungary Card?

In the Tourinform Büros are available at www.tourinform.hu

Magnificent Synagogue in Budapest

The Great Synagogue in Dohány utca (Street), also known as the Dohány Synagogue, or the Tabac-Schul, the Yiddish translation of dohány (tobacco), after the Hungarian name of the street, is located in Belváros, the inner city of Pest, in the eastern section of Budapest. It was built between 1854-1859 by the Neolog Jewish community of Pest according to the plans of the Viennese architect Ludwig Foerster. The synagogue neighbors a major Budapest thoroughfare expressing the optimism and the newly elevated status of the Hungarian Jews in the mid years of the 19th century.

It is a monumental, magnificent synagogue, with a capacity of 2,964 seats (1,492 for men and 1,472 in the women's galleries) making it one of the largest in the world. The building has a length of more than 53 meters while its width has 26.5 meters. The design of the Dohány Street synagogue, while basically in a Moorish style, also features a mixture of Byzantine, Romantic, and Gothic elements.

How to get there: It is 2 minutes walk from the central Deak Square, same distance from Astoria. Search on a map: junction of Károly körút-Wesselenyi utca-Dohány utca.

Close to this place in the Rumbach Sebestyen utca you can find gorgeous neglected other synagogue (Rumbach Synagogue). If you are lucky enough to find it hopefully the security guard admits you to admire the building inside. Guided tour with an expert also available from us. E-mail: danubebendtour@gmail.com

What To Do at Summer in Budapest? To Swim of Course!

Budapest has plenty of public places to enjoy swimming. An excellent place can be found at the Margitsziget ("Margarit Island") called Alfred Hajós National Swimming Center. Besides this place is in the heart of the city it`s also the right place to swim and have a lazy sunbath on hot Summer days. In the evenings the place is popular for Hungarians to see great waterpolo matches and swimming competitions.

More on Alfred Hajós:
Hajós Alfréd

Hungarian Railway Museum

The foundation-stone of the Hungarian Railway Museum was laid on 22 November 1999, on the site of the former Budapest North Depot of the Hungarian State Railways (MÁV). The first phase of the project was completed in less than eight months, funded by the Ministry of Transport and Waterways, MÁV and MÁV Nosztalgia Ltd, the heritage division of MÁV. After many months of effort, Europe's first interactive railway museum opened on 14 July 2000, displaying over a hundred railway vehicles and equipment of varying ages on a site of over 70,000 m2... Access to the Museum: RAILWAY MUSEUM Further details: MAIN PAGE RAILWAY MUSEUM

Budapest Opera

Hello, if you visit Budapest it is obligatory so visit the Opera, which is really in the middle of the town right on the Andrássy Street, between Deák Square and Oktogon Square (Address: VI. Andrássy út 22, Tel: 353 0170, Box office open: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm (or until the start of the programme on performance nights), M1 Metro Opera Station. As Budapest's principle venue for opera and ballet productions, Miklós Ybl's fine neo-Renaissance building has, over the years, played host to the likes of Ferenc Liszt and Gustav Mahler. The main season here runs from September to mid-June and includes over 50 major productions, many of which are familiar to opera lovers abroad. For tickets, it's advisable to book a couple of days in advance, though cheap seats are often available at the last minute.On the opera.hu website you should click on "Műsorkalendárium" to figure out what is the actual programme :) .

Ladies' day in the Rudas Turkish Thermal Spa

Budapest, which is famous for its health and thermal spas, offers a unique opportunity for ladies to use the thermal pool of a Turkish bath, the Rudas Health Spa. Rudas Health Spa launches a Women-only day every Tuesday between 06:00 and 20:00 for ladies wishing to enjoy the experience of bathing without a bathing suit... This service, which is not provided anywhere else in Europe in an original, functioning Turkish bath, is accompanied by another important change: the days of the weekend have also been opened for women, so both sexes can enjoy Rudas in bathing outfits on Saturdays and Sundays.

Those who wish to combine bathing and entertainment will enjoy the great parties on Friday and Saturday nights! For further information, go to: budapestspas.hu

Van Gogh in Budapest Museum of Fine Arts

The Museum of Fine Arts celebrates its 100th birthday with a true museum sensation. To commemorate the centenary, a large-scale exhibition from the works of Vincent van Gogh will be launched. Visitors will have the opportunity to see nearly 80 works by the Dutch painter genius till 20, March, 2007. Starting from 2nd December, those interested can view such masterpieces as the Farmhouse in Provence, painted in 1888, on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The importance of the celebratory exhibition is demonstrated by the fact that masterpieces will arrive from more than 40 collections, from museums such as the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Musée D’Orsay in Paris, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

Tickets purchased in advance on the Internet, at jegymester.hu, in the museum, and well-known ticket offices in about 50 towns will be cheaper. Tickets are valid for specific time slots. In collaboration with Vince Books, the Museum of Fine Arts will publish a 600-page catalogue in Hungarian and English. The curator of the exhibition: Judit Geskó

Website of the museum: szepmuveszeti.hu