The Memento Park in Budapest

Memento Park is one of the ten most popular tourist destinations in Budapest. It has been opened in 1993 years after the political change of Hungary. This unique theme park provides a last glimpse behind the  Iron Curtain.  It is a must-see in Budapest, with several hundred tons of Communism at one place.  It has many sections.

Statue Park

The Statue Park is a collection of the communist monuments that were removed from the streets and squares of Budapest  after the fall of the  communist system.  Among many others, the statue of the soviet soldier that once stood on Gellért Hill, Lenin, Marx, Béla Kun:  former communist leader in Hungary etc.  are displayed here.

The Grandstand and Stalin’s boots

The Grandstand is a 1:1 replica of the tribune where leading communist comrades would stand waving at the crowds who were forced to celebrate on state holidays, specially on May Day.  Stalin’s boots are mounted over the tribune. The pair of boots displayed here is an authentic replica of the original. The grandstand is now open for anyone who would like to put themselves in the shoes of waving communist leaders.

Exhibition

Within the park there is a photo exhibition  about  the 1956 revolution in Hungary against the Russian regime.  The 1989-90 years political changes and the 50th anniversary commemoration held at the Memento Park in 2006. The photos recapture the key moments of the 1956 Hungarian revolution, as well as the events leading to the political changes that took place in 1989-90. The photos were sourced partly from private collections and contains photographs that had not been shown to the public previously.

Trabant

Visitors at the Memento Park are welcome to get in and look around in this famous „peoples car” , one of the most popular picture-taking spots at the park.  This world famous former  car from  East – Germany was called  Trabant  and  was made of pressed plastic units.  It was a unique product but  this car had just  two- stroke engine.

Red Star Store

The gift shop is a sure find for unique materials relating to the communist era.  Soviet souvenirs, flasks, cigarette-lighters, T-shirts, postcards,  Trabant car-models etc. are availble.

The Statue Park is open daily from 10 a.m.  till sunset, in summertime until  8 p.m. but  in  wintertime   just  ca.  until  4 p.m.    This park is situated   in the 22nd district of Budapest, about 30 minutes drive from the center of Budapest.

Unusual means of transport in Budapest

Budapest has  beside great infrastrucure, many unusual means of transport which makes your journey special.

The Millenium metro

It was constructed in 1896   as Hungary had its 1000 year  anniversary.  It was the first metro on the continent of Europe. The first one  was build in Europe  in London in 1863,   but London is not  on the continent.  The German company Siemens wanted to built a metro in Berlin, but the plan was rejected  there, so they built the the metro line first here in Budapest.  It has been renovated in 1996 as it was in a very bad state.  Also nowadays  you can see the ceramic decorations on the walls at every stations, leading from the pedestrian street Váci  Street leading under the most famous Andrássy Street to the Heroes Square. Here was the terminal in 1896. Budapest wanted to transport the tourists from the down town area to the World Exhibition in  the City Park behind the Heroes Square.  Later we built 2 more stations, the next one is at the most  famous Széchényi  Bath but we are sorry to say that theese 2 stations are modern.

The Funicular in the Buda Castle

It was constructed in 1870. It was the first public  means of transport   to the castle area  and   the world’s second funicular.  The first one was built  in  Salzburg Castle in Austria.   It links the Adam Clark Square and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge at river level to Buda Castle above. It was destroyed  during the Second World War and reopened on June 4, 1986. A feature of the line are the two pedestrian foot bridges which cross above it. These were present  as the line opene and  were removed in 1900  as the garden of the castle was extended  and rebuilt to the original design in 1983.

Children railway

In 1947, the Hungarian State Railways (MÁV) company decided that a railway operated by children would be built. Children sell the tickets, and they check your ticket in  the train but they give also the sign  for the engine driver,   but of course the train is driven by adults.  It  is and it was every time  a privilege of the best  pupils from the elementary school  to be  to work for the  children railway.  The State Railways wanted  to learn children  about the life of railway  and  want  to resupply  the retired workers. The former name of the line was Úttörővasút (Pioneer Railway, in reference to the communist scouts). The construction started on April 11, 1948. The line is from Széchényi Hill to Hűvösvölgy, it is 12 km long. There are open trains for summer and normal ones for winter.  During the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 the railway was closed, but was not damaged. It reopened on 3 February 1957. A museum at Hűvösvölgy station displays some items from the Communist period. It does not operate on Mondays. At Christmas there is also  the  Santa Claus on the train who gives  candies to the children.

The chair-lift on János Hill

The Chairlift was built in 1970. The cable-railway connects Zugliget and János Hill in the 12th  district of Budapest. This district is one of  the most expensive area in Budapest, on  the Buda and hilly side of Budapest. There is a breathtaking view to the city with the River Danube. The line of the Chairlift is 1040 m long;  the level difference is 262 m between the 2 stations. The journey time is 15 minutes in both directions. It is really very funny to sit and travel above houses and looking into gardens.

Although it is not a means of transport, but it is worth mentioning the Budapest Eye.

It offers fantastic views over Budapest by day and night. Standing 65 meters tall, the wheel with its 42 cars is  the largest mobile Ferris wheel of Europe . It has a capacity of 332 people and at night it will light up the evening sky with over 10,000 colored lights. Budapest Eye (officially known as Sziget Eye, promoting the famous Sziget Festival)  it is open from middle of March  until  end of September every year. Tickets are ca. 8 €  for adults and 5 € for kids. Opening hours are 10 am to midnight from Sunday through Thurdsay and 10 am to 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays. 

The Great Market Hall in Budapest

Nowadays we have a really busy schedule and there is no time to shop for a long time.  Mostly we just grab everything from the supermarket fast. Though many people are getting aware that it is not good, and they simply miss the  old feeling of going to the market to shop and socialize. Maybe that is the reason why markets are getting popular again and even becoming a tourist sight. Tourists coming to Hungary visit them even then  when they do not want to buy anything, they want just see the  tipical local vegetables, different sort of meat or they want to  eat  and drink something, a typical Hungarian food and drink or even a souvenir. 10 markets were built in Budapest more than 100 years ago and now almost every district has one.  One of the most popular ones is the

Central Market Hall in Budapest.

It is situated on the Pest side of Szabadság Bridge and  end of the pedestrian Váci Street, so  it is very easy to find it,  That is the largest roofed market of Budapest, was built in 1897  and received the title: „The most beautiful market of Europe”.   It is also on the toplist of CNN: „Must see sight in Budapest.”

It has two sections. One of them were for small traders and the other one was for wholesalers. The building has 3 floors. On the basement you can find the fishmarket. On the first floor you can find the main market part with the vegetables, meat etc. . On the second floor  you can buy souvenir shops for bag, baskets and thousand kinds of hand made table cloth or the most famous Herend porcelain,  leather goods  etc.  Its area is about 10.000 m2.

This breathtaking building  has been bombarded  during World War II and  was thoroughly renovated in 1994.

Interesting fact,  thats it was prohibited to shout, whistle, litter or swear here like at the other markets.

Since many  thousand of tourists  visit here every year, you can find a lot of typical Hungarian souveirs as well  but Budapest invites a lot foreign countries  to exhibit here as well and they show their traditional food  and products also for tourists.  

If you are hungry, you can try Lángos, that  is a traditional Hungarian food, a deep fried flat bread made of a dough with flour, yeast, salt and water. It is  served fresh fried and  hot, topped with sour cream and grated cheese, ham, or sausages, but from time to time you can find lángos also with  new tastes, since tourists have different demands.

Festival days are the following  in 2017:

Persian Days - March 21-23.

Bulgarian Days  April 4-6.

Sekler Days (people from Rumania) - April  25-27.

Indonesian Days - May 9-11.

Hungarian Days - May 16-18.

Croatian Days - May 23-25.

Portugese Days - June 6-8.

Slovenian Days  - June 13-15.

Indian Days - July 4-6.

Thai Days - August 15-17.

Hungarian Days - September 19-21.

Polish Days - September 26-28.

Sekler Days (people from Rumania) - Oktober 10-12.

Japanese Days - November 7-9.

Santa Claus Days  - December 4-6.

Its opening hours are the following:

Monday 06:00-17:00

Tuesday 06:00-18:00

Wednesday 06:00-18:00

Thursday 06:00-18:00

Friday 06:00-18:00

Saturday 06:00-15:00

Sunday Closed

It is worth a visit, even if you do not buy anything, just enjoy the view or eat a Lángos.

Cafes in Budapest

Cafés became very popular in the thousand years anniversary in 1896, as Budapest organized a World Exhibition behind the Heroes Square.  Budapest had over 100 cafés at that time!

Cafés were originally made for serving only coffee. The first cafes opened in 1550s in Istanbul. Only men were allowed to visit them. Women were allowed to visit them only in the 20th century. Cafes multiplied in the second half of the 19th century. It became a meeting place for friends. At this time television has not been invented, so people came here for news. They could read the newspaper there peacefully, or they could get informed by other people. People talked about politics, and many famous people could be seen in cafes.

Budapest has many historic cafes. Some examples:

• New York Café
• Gerbeaud Confectionery and Café
• Pilvax Café

New York Café

This beautiful worldfamous Baroque building was built in 1894 and it was renovated lately. Today the Café New York is one of the most beautiful Cafés in the world!

It history started with Max Aufrichttel who travelled to Paris, where he met the director of New York insurance company.  Max got the task of forming a Hungarian network, as the company had one representative building in each important European city.

It became the centre of literature in the 90s of the 19th century as the Harsányi brothers became the managers. They introduced „the bowl of literature”, which contained little ham, sausage and cheese could be bought on credit only by writers and poets.They stored large amount of  ink and writing set in the storage.

Many famous Hungarian poets and writers passed their freetime here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e6smj-23cM

Café Gerbeaud

This confectionery was founded in 1858 by Kugler Henrik. It became worldwide famous under the next owner: Emil Gerbeaud in the 90s of the 19th century. The sour cherry with Cognac and the „cat tongue” was nationalized by him. He also made coffee specialites. There is a cake called Gerbeaud with wallnut and apricot jam and chocholate cream on the top. Apricot jam is the most famous fruit in Hungary, we produce from that the world famous apricot brandy of course.  This cake is very important for the Christmas dinner beside „beigli cake” for many Hungarians.  By the end of 19th century this café had 150 employees coming from different countries just to learn from Mr. Gerbeaud. There is a beerhouse also under the popular café.

Mr. Gerbeaud had 5 daughters and the family left the country during the World War II., now they live in Switzerland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKsCmeuPA9o

Café Pilvax

It can be found in  the 5th district in Budapest. It was founded in 1838 by Privorsky Ferenc. It got its famous name from the next owner Mr. Károly Pillwax. He managed the cafe in the 40s of the 19th century.

In the reform era  the Café Pilvax was the meeting point of young intellectuals. It played a very important role in politics. One of the important guests  was Mr. Sándor Petőfi, one of the most important Hungarian poets, later  he became an important figure of the revolution. In 1848, on 15th  March  Petőfi recited his poem, the National Song (Nemzeti dal) in front of this cafe.  From this date the cafe used the name Revolutionary Hall for more than one year. Today it waits the visitors under the name of Pilvax Restaurant and Hotel.

Easter in Hungary

As a Christian country, Hungary pays attention to Easter. There are many traditions connected to it.  Some of them are the following:

„Doll” burning

A doll made of straw and dressed in a woman’s clothes.  It is a symbol of the winter and fasting. They carry it around the village while singing. Then it is burned or thrown into water.

Egg dying & water sprinkling

Eggs are the symbols of life and reborning. The girls dye their eggs in various, colorful patterns. They usually  use  patterns  tha are typical for their the region. But most of them are red. It sybolises love and life.  On Easter Monday they give it to the boys who come to sprinkle them with water or scented water.  This custom is very old and according to legend  that bring good luck for the girls. They say poems and songs when they do it. There are many creative and funny poems. Originally it was made by pouring a bucket of water onto girls,  but nowadays they only use a sup of water or scented water. Some girls give money or chocolate eggs in return,  instead of eggs. The more sprinkler a girl gets, the more popular she is.

The Easter Bunny

The rabbit is considered a symbol of fertility, as it can have up to 20 kids in a year. As Easter is a celebration of fertility, it is not a surprise why rabbit is used. Although there is a strange habbit around rabbits, we say the Easter Bunny lays the Easter Eggs. There are more opinions why it has been formed this way. One legend is that „Eostre godess” found a wounded eagle in the forest in winter,  to save it from death she transformed it into a rabbit, but  the rabbit kept its egg laying ability. The rabbit decorated  her eggs and gave it to the godess as a sign of gratitude.

Nowadays young people don’t really follow the sprinkling tradition in the big cities, but you can watch this traditional custom at many villages.  One of the most famous villages in Hungary is Hollókő.
This small beautiful village is part of UNESCO World Heritage.
In Easter to follow the tradition the boys pour water onto girls. Both boys and girls are dressed in traditional Hungarian clothes. Easter Festival takes place there,  and you can even try the traditional foods.

If you feel like visiting Hungary in Central Europe at this celebration, don’t hesitate to contact us at office@twinstravel.hu

Team building

What is the aim of a team building training?

Its aim is to help your employees find their unknown, inner skills which will help your team to  find the hidden possibilities. It always has to have a mission which fits your business strategy, challenges or problems. It has to simulate the business life. In the real team building programs it has to be always clear why and how things are done. It has to represent real values.

What is a team building good for?

Preparing for changes within the company.
Making community.
Improving the effectiveness of solving different problems.
Making standardized business image.
Making employees concious of the values of the company.

Why is it good to organise a team building event?

Firstly, it allows employees to get to know each other better. This way,  it can improve teamwork.
Your company will be more effective as a result.
It is also important from time to time to relax and to enjoy time together.
After having a little fun,  you will be able to return to work more effectively and relaxed.

As the supply is wide ranged, it is an important aspect to know, for what kind of company it will be arranged.
There are different interest  at  a financial or  at a commercial  company. The age of the workers and the distribution
according to their sexes also has to be taken into consideration.

Team building is an essential part of any company, but it  is also important where  will it be organised and by whom.
We can give you some ideas   with professional organising and  with 30 year experience.

With our help you can choose from many posibilites. Some examples are the following:

Typical Hungarian Team Building:  Pig Killing

Pork is  one of the most  important  meat of Hungarian cuisine. Come and watch how it will be made by professionals.
You can take part in the meat processing, so you can build your team in an unusual way.   Groups are divided. The teams
can  compete who can grind the meat faster, sausage making etc. You can combine the team building with wine tasting .
The catering is all inclusive. You can also taste the traditional Hungarian foods served on these pig killings.

Bubble Football

You can compete with each other in a funny  way with huge plastic balls wrapped around your body. You are divided into teams.
It is a kind of football you have never done before. The rules are the same like during the original game, except here violence is allowed.
You can push your opponent, as your  bubble ball will protect you from any  injury. Customers enjoy pushing each other.
The teams tackles with each other in 5 minute rounds.

James Bond action game around Budapest

Experience the life of an agent. Discover Budapest in an exciting, unusual way. Your  group   is divided into teams. The task is to find the bomb before it explodes.
The team finds it the soonest, it will be the winner. The tasks are on an iPad, you have to carry it around the city to solve the mystery. This game is avaible in other Hungarian cities as well.

Medieval Tournament

Experience the life of the knights. You can learn how to use some medieval guns,  e.g.  archery, and there are exciting tasks, like ruining the wall of the castle. You are divided into teams, with colorful T-shirts. The teams compete by earning points in the Visegrád Castle.   Drinks are  served by Pages during the whole event. Discover the Castle and be the number one knight!

For more opportunities and information contact us:  office@twinstravel.hu

Advantages of arranged tours

If you want to enjoy your vacation carefreely, I suggest choosing an arranged package tour. Let me tell you why our travel agency would be a good choice.

First of all it costs you much less than if you arrange it by yourself. We are more aware of the best hotel tariffs and rates of every other thing, and we can get it for you at a lower rate.

Secondly, you would be free of all the headaches of booking tickets or rooms, we would do it for you. All you would have to do is pay the price and enjoy the holiday.

Nextly, booking a package tour not only saves money but also time. You dont have to sit for hours to find flights and hotels and call them individually to enquire and make bookings. We deal with everything and in your budget.

The fourth reason is the availability of best services. By opting for an all-inclusive holiday package you can enjoy the best of all services available at a hotel, starting from accommodation to facilities like swimming pool, spa and sauna. Booking a spa session or dining at the restaurant separately will surely cost much higher.

Some people may still be under the illusion that buying a package holiday means a restricted choice when it comes to destinations. In fact, when choosing a resort you will find that the range of places available covers all the firm favourites and many more besides. There certainly isn’t a limited choice when it comes to picking a package holiday. We also usually cater for all budgets, from the top of the range 5-star resorts through to budget-friendly self-catering apartments.

The last factor in favor of holiday packages is safe travelling. As tour operators, we are completely aware of situations in a particular place, the risks and the safe zones and hence you can enjoy a safe holiday. By planning a trip on your own, you may fall in trouble at an unknown place.

If we have convinced you, take a look at our offers and contact us!