Luxury Escorted Tour - Reflections of Danube ULHU01

Personal Highlights:

• Strolling along Andrassy Street the elegant thoroughfare in Budapest and the location of your hotel
• Dining at Restaurant Citadella with the lights of Budapest beneath you
• Enjoying gypsy music and superb Hungarian wines
• A Farewell dinner with Champagne and Wine at legendary Gundel’s

Day 1 Depart USA

You depart on your overnight flight for Budapest, the capital of Hungary. This charming capital is bisected by the Danube River with hills and valleys on the Buda side and the flat, low-lying Pest on the other. The riverside panorama has been designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

Day 2 Welcome to Budapest

Upon arrival and after clearing customs you will be met by your guide and taken to your waiting car. Although we will explore the city in more detail, this morning you will get an orientation tour of the key parts of the city. You will stop for lunch and begin to become at home with this most charming of European cities. You are then taken to your deluxe hotel where you have a chance to relax and freshen up. Dinner is at the hotel this evening.

Day 3 Pest and Marguerite Island

After a good night's rest you are ready to meet your guide for a personalized exploration. In the morning you explore Pest including Heroes' Square, Vajdahunyad Castle, Andrassy Street, the Opera House, St. Stephen's Basilica and the Parliament building before having lunch at a local restaurant. You have some free time for shopping before boarding a boat for a cruise on the Danube to Marguerite Island. This is very reminiscent of Paris as you stroll among the tress and pathways in the middle of the river and the city. This evening we will take you up Gellert Hill for dinner at Restaurant Citadella.

Day 4 Godollo and Grassalkovich Castle

After breakfast your guide will meet you at your hotel and take you out into the Hungarian countryside to the town of Godollo. There you will visit Castle Grassalkovich which was the most popular residence of Emperor Franz Joseph's wife Elizabeth, better known as "Sisi". As with many Hungarian buildings it was built in the baroque style. The palace has been renovated and twenty six rooms have been restored and opened to the public including the royal apartments the grand hall and Franz Joseph's study. You return to Budapest where you have lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch your guide will take you on a walking tour in the city center including Vaci Street, Vorosmarty ter and a scenic stroll along the banks of the Danube. This evening g please be our guest for dinner at Restaurant Kaltenberg.

Day 5 Esztergom and the Danube Bend

After breakfast you will leave the city for an excursion to Danube Bend, considered one of Hungary's most beautiful regions. Your first stop will be Esztergom which is the center of the Catholic Church in Hungary. You will have a chance to visit the Basilica before moving on to Visegrad once a royal seat where you can enjoy some of the most beautiful panoramas in the country. After lunch at a local restaurant you drive to Szentendre a picturesque baroque town noted for its winding streets. The town is noted for its artists and the many museums including the Kovacs Margit Ceramics museum which you will visit before returning to Budapest.

Day 6 Buda and the Royal House of Wines

You have the chance to have a leisurely breakfast and then stroll among the elegant shops near your hotel. Later in the morning you will be taken for lunch at a local restaurant before commencing your sightseeing. In the afternoon you start your visit on the Buda side with a visit to the Fisherman's Bastion, a neo-Romanesque edifice with seven towers built on the medieval walls and offering spectacular views of the city. You then go to the Castle district and a visit to Matthias church, Budapest's most famous church and dating back to the 13th Century. While in the Castle district you will be taken to the Royal House of Wines for an introduction to fine Hungarian wines. This evening your dinner at a restaurant is enhanced by atmospheric gypsy music.

Day 7 A Day on the Plains, a Night on the Town

After breakfast, you will depart the city for the Hortobagy Puszta, the most well known part of the Great Hungarian Plain (known as the Puszta). This national park allows you to become acquainted with the region's flora and fauna. You will visit the Museum of the Shepherd where you enjoy a carriage ride, a thrilling equestrian show and have a chance to view some of the unusual and indigenous animals including long-horned Hungarian Grey cattle, stud horses, spiral horned Racka sheep and buffalo herds. After the visit you will have a lunch with wine at a local Csarda restaurant before returning to the city where the rest of the afternoon is at leisure. In the evening you will be taken to Gundel's the world famous restaurant located in a park setting. In the early 20th Century it was considered one of the finest restaurants in the world but fell on sadder days under soviet rule. After emancipation, the property was bought by George Lang, a Hungarian by birth and owner of Café des Artistes in New York. He restored both the building and its cuisine to its former level which you now have the chance to enjoy. Your four course meal is accompanied by Champagne and white and red wine as you toast your visit to Hungary.

Day 8 Return to USA

Your guide will be waiting to take you to the airport and assist in your check in. Your flight arrives back in the USA later the same day.

Services Included

• 1st Class rail travel as indicated on the itinerary
• Superior Rooms at the properties indicated in the accommodations area (We reserve the right to substitute a property of equal quality in advance of departure should the designated hotel be unavailable)
• Private Transfers to and from the airport or rail station at destination
• All meals as indicated on the itinerary by B=Breakfast, L=Lunch and D=Dinner
• Private guides for city explorations and private driver/guide while traveling.
• Entrance fees to all museums, attractions and other venues as indicated on the daily itinerary
• Baggage handling at all hotels
• All applicable taxes and service fees

Services Not Included

• International airfare (round-trip from hometown departure gateway to destination)
• Beverages with included meals (unless otherwise indicated on itinerary page)
• Any meals not indicated on the Itinerary page
• Items of a personal nature e.g. minibar, film, postcards etc.
• Gratuities to Guides and Driver/Guides (we provide suggested guidelines for your selected destination in your pre-departure material)
• Any passport or visa fees or government departure taxes (It is the traveler’s responsibility to secure the latest information regarding passports and visa requirements)

Available Year Round