DAY    3            DAY TRIP TO AQUINCUM
We begin our sightseeing with a panoramic view of Budapest from Gellert Hill, a vantage point rising steeply beside the Danube in one of the city’s most beautiful areas. Once called simply Old Hill, the hill is named for Bishop Gellert who climbed its slopes in 1046 AD, only to be tossed back down to his death by some very unwilling converts to Christianity. The Danube narrows at the base of the hill and this has always made it an ideal crossing place. Some of the first inhabitants of the hill are known to be the Celtic Eravi who settled on its northern slope around 50 BC, one hundred years before the Romans’ arrival. Later this morning we will journey to one of the most significant excavations of an ancient Roman urban settlement outside Italy, Aquincum, a site just outside the city center. The city’s name means “ample water” and, in its heyday, the city had a population of almost 100,000 people. We will first stroll through the ruins of its Amphitheater and then take a tour along the excavated streets of Aquincum where we will view outlines of temples, shops, baths, and homes in what was the center of the town. Our visit will also include the Museum, inside a Neo-Classical Lapidarium, which houses objects found at or near the sight including weapons, coins, utensils, jewelry, pottery, and a very rare musical instrument from 228 AD called a water organ. This afternoon there will be some free time for you to explore Budapest at your own pace or simply relax at one of the city’s internationally renowned coffeehouses or pastry shops which are said to serve the best baked goods in central Europe!
 

DAY    4            BUDAPEST
This morning we explore the hill town of Buda and its Castle district. Topped by monuments including the castle, or Royal Palace, this is the very heart of medieval Budapest with its cobbled streets, narrow alleys and lovely squares, where homes are painted in pastel colors, each marking the trade of its owner. Starting with a Funicular Ride up to the hill’s summit, we will then enjoy a Walking Tour through the Old Town. Highlights will include the State Archives, Lord’s Street, Mihaly Tancsics Street, and Holy Trinity Square. We will also visit the Budapest Hilton where ruins and artifacts from the 13th century, uncovered during the excavations for the hotel’s construction, have been incorporated in its design. Reflected in a rosy glass wall of the hotel is the famous Fishermen’s Bastion, a neo-Romanesque series of arches and towers overlooking the Danube, so-named because the fishermen of the city had to protect this northern side of the Royal Castle against siege in medieval times. We will view the Grand Equestrian Monument of King Stephen there and ascend the Tower for a magnificent view over the city, including the Houses of Parliament located on the opposing bank of the Danube. We will visit the nearby Matthias Church where generations of Hungarian Kings were crowned and King Matthias was married twice. With its Gothic spires and colored tile roof, this church has one of Europe’s most memorable silhouettes. Our afternoon will be spent around the Royal Palace, an architectural treasure, highlighted by Lion Gate, Matyas Fountain, and the Neo-Classical Dome. The palace today houses several museums, and we will visit the Hungarian National Gallery where artworks depicting Hungary’s turbulent history are displayed. The gallery houses an extensive collection of Hungarian art from medieval times to the 20th century. Highlights of the collection include: the St. Anne Altarpiece, the Madonna of Toporc, Madonna of Bartfy, Woman Bathing by Karoly Lotz, Picnic in May by Pal Szinyei Merse and Dusty Road by Mihaly Munkacsy. This evening our guide will accompany us on an evening walk in Budapest’s most beautiful park, Margaret Island in the Danube River. Inaccessible except on foot, it is a perfect place for a stroll or for peaceful contemplation among its gardens and ancient religious ruins.

DAY    5           HALF-DAY TRIP TO ESZTERGOM
This morning we journey north to Esztergom, a former Roman settlement and the seat of the Hungarian government for 300 years, located along a beautiful stretch of the River Danube. Hungary’s first Christian king, St. Istvan, was baptized and then crowned in Esztergom on Christmas Day 1000. Even though it has been destroyed and rebuilt many times in its long history, it is still the country’s most sacred city and remains the seat of the archbishop of Hungary. We will explore its very picturesque old town district, as well as visit the huge, early-19th century Catholic cathedral, the red-marble burial chamber built by Florentine craftsmen in the 16th century, the treasury of ecclesiastical objects rescued from the earlier 12th-century church, and the remains of the 10th-century castle situated just below the cathedral. After time for lunch in Esztergom, we return to Budapest to visit the largest church in the country, St. Stephen’s Basilica, dedicated to Hungary’s first Christian king and the bust above the main entrance is that of King Stephen (or St. Istvan). Inside the church, in the Chapel of the Holy Right, you can see Hungarian Catholicism's most cherished and bizarre holy relic, Stephen's preserved right hand. We conclude our sightseeing today with a visit to the opulent State Opera House, built to rival those of Paris and Vienna and which opened in 1884. The building and its interiors are the design of Miklos Ybl, a great Hungarian architect, yet many important Hungarian artists contributed to the ornamentation inside, including a magnificent fresco by Karoly Lotz illuminated by a bronze chandelier weighing 3 tons. Just a few steps away is the famous Vaci Street, the pedestrianized boulevard lined with shops, cafes, hotels and banks, where we will enjoy time to walk, shop, and relax.

DAY    7            BOAT TRIP TO SZENTENDRE
Today we will travel by boat up the Danube to the town of Szentendre, a distinctly Mediterranean town in spite of its relatively northern location. In medieval times, Serbs seeking safe haven from Turkish invaders populated this area and, since the 1900’s, it has been home to hundreds of artists. As a result, many museums and galleries can be found in and among its rich collection of historical buildings. We will enjoy lunch and a stroll on winding, cobblestone streets before returning to Budapest to enjoy the buskers, street musicians and portrait artists of Vorosmarty Square and our farewell dinner.

DAY    8        DEPARTURE FROM BUDAPEST
Our enjoyable and rewarding tour will come to an end as our tour manager/guide accompanies us to the airport for the return flight home.