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Whether it’s for an extended weekend or longer,
Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is full of attractions to keep
you enthralled and wanting to return for more. Luckily American
Airlines is now offering the only year-round direct service
between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Budapest
Ferihegy International Airport, offering more convenient travel
options for New Yorkers traveling to Hungary and beyond. In
fact, in celebration of the Budapest launch, American Airlines
passengers between JFK and Budapest can earn 15,000 bonus
AAdvantage miles for round-trip travel in Business Class, 10,000
bonus miles for full-fare Economy Class, and 5,000 bonus miles
for discounted Economy Class through June 30. Full details and
registration can be found at www.aa.com/offers using
the promotion code NYBUD.
The city of Budapest, split by the waters of the
Danube, is beautiful and perfect for walking around. It draws
travelers with a magnificent array of castles, museums,
churches, restaurants and its dozen spas, fed by 100 natural
warm springs. |
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On a recent trip, my friends and I saw the
magnificent Parliament building, Matthias Church, St. Stephen’s
Basilica, the Jewish Quarters, the Great Synagogue and the
Jewish Museum, a Hungarian flea market and an indoor food
Central Market. This market has two floors: food on the bottom
floor and hand-made goods, local crafts and clothing items on
the second floor. Some of the things they had for sale were
amazing—tablecloths, painted eggs, crystal figurines—we could
have spent the entire day walking around and looking at stuff
for sale, but instead the three of us went off to see more of
the city.
We meandered our way up to a World War II
monument and museum that looked over the whole of the city and
offered a wonderful view. We then worked our way back down hill
and found our way to the castle. Buda Castle now houses a museum
and the National Gallery, and was also playing host to a Sausage
Festival (that was taking place that weekend).
We decided it was too nice a day to spend in a
museum or art gallery, so we moved on, working our way to St.
Matthias Church—an ancient and beautifully painted church. After
the church, we wended our way back down to the river and to
Margaret Island. The island includes many walking trails and
tree-covered park spaces, a swimming pool, a full size track,
and sidewalks covered in all-weather track material for
long-distance jogging.
Depending on how much time you have, and how much
of a culture vulture you are, check out a show at the Hungarian
State Opera House. Housed in one of Europe’s architecturally
most breathtaking buildings, the opera company performs
traditional opera and ballet. Open to the public in 1884 and
famous for its acoustics, guided tours are available in six
languages.
Sunday morning found us at the thermal baths at
the Gellert Hotel. While the Kiraly baths may be a more
authentic Turkish bath experience, those at the Gellert can’t be
beat for style and were wonderfully relaxing. The bath area
included saunas and steam rooms, outside was a full-size pool.
For about $10, you get unlimited access to a bathhouse that has
steam rooms, saunas and pools.
You can eat like a king here for less. We filled
up on: crepes, goulash, beets, lots of chicken/yogurt, matzo
cake and my favorite, langos (a pastry filled with poppy seeds).
After the baths, feeling less stiff and quite relaxed, we made
our way back up to the Buda Castle. Most of the medieval castle
had been destroyed, but parts of the wall, a chunk of flooring
and a few other portions remain.
After some last-minute purchases, we took off for
the airport, and it was great knowing we had that direct flight
on American Airlines to unwind and relax. I’ll probably be
booking to visit Budapest again soon!
The original article was published on :
http://www.nypress.com/blog-8845-sponsored-post-visit-budapest.html
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