2017. május 16., kedd

Transportation and safety in Hungary

If you are considering visiting Budapest or Hungary, but you are not sure whether its safe or not, let me enlighten you.

Budapest is not more dangerous than most capital cities. If you pay attention to your belongings on public transportation, you can avoid pickpockets. Like in every other city, taxi drivers may want to scam you. Be sure to always travel with a well marked taxi, usually yellow. Avoid unmarked cars.

Budapest has low crime rate so you can rest assured during your holiday. Try to stay within well frequented tourist areas.

Beware of restaurants which doesnt show you the price list in advance. Mind that restaurants in tourist areas might be overpriced. (for example Váci street)

Always validate your ticket before entering the metro because there might be controllers at the exit. Budapest has a developed infrastructure, which makes travelling easy.

If you encountered any problem,the Hungarian National Tourist Office has a special, 24-hour telephone number for tourists who become the victim of personal crime while in Hungary. Personnel with foreign language capability, including English, are on duty seven days a week to give advice on how to file a police report and to help to find the nearest police station. This telephone number is 00361-438-8080.

We hope you will have a nice and crime-free holiday in Hungary.





Hungarian wine culture

Hungary is well-known for its wines. There are 22 wine growing areas here. For such a small counrty with 10 million inhabitants, it’s a huge number.

The world famous wine is the Tokaj wine.  We produce  the so called „Tokaji Aszú”.  Its a sweet, dessert wine,  just one small glass from it is enough. It has a very special taste, it’s like a sherry. The French King Louis XIV, known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, gave the name „King of wines and wine of kings” for the Tokaj wine. The grapes are collected very late in  autumn, after the first frozen days.
Aszú wine: This is the world-famous topaz-colored sweet wine known throughout the English-speaking world as Tokay.
The original meaning: aszú came to be associated with the type of wine made with botrytised nobly rotten grapes.
Aszú berries are individually picked, then collected in huge vats and trampled into the consistency of paste.

There is also a very famous wine growing area in the north  of Hungary, around the town of Eger. Very fine wines are produced on the slopes of Mátra Mountains such as the Eger Girl, Eger Riesling and Eger Muscat, but the most famous  wine of Eger is  the „Eger Bull’s Blood”. This is a red  dry wine. It is connected with  a legend. When the Turks attacked the castle of Eger, the soldiers drank this wine to get some energy, but the Turks thought they drank „bull’s blood” and they fled from there. The name of the wine is from that legend. Eger is also famous for its wine cellars in  the so called Szépasszony valley; „Valley of the beautiful women”.  Visiting of one of the vine cellar owned by a famous Hungarian  wine-grower taking part at a wine tasting with 5 or 6 sorts of wine,  and having a delicious  dinner in a typical Csárda-wine cellar–restaurant  with Gipsy music is really fun for your whole life. Many programs are held here throughout the year.

Another wine growing area is in Transdanubia called Sopron with the Sopron Mountains, Pécs and the Villányi Mountains to the south of Hungary. This area produces various types of red wine, such as burgundy and cabernet savignon.
If you want to learn more and taste the  world famous Hungarian wines, we can arrange a special tour  for you  and friends.  Take part at wine tours  and  see how  professionals make them!







Seasonal programs in Hungary

Are you tired of hot and damp weather? Do you want to enjoy the winter and see the snow  or enjoy the  sun without  humidity?
In Hungary we have 4 seasons, each one has its own charm. You can decide which one is your favorite. 

In summer you can enjoy the sun  during open air programs and cultural festivals. One of our favorite festivals is  the „Castle Days” in city of Gyula. It tells the story of the castle of the city during the Turkish occupation in Hungary from the 15-17th century. People are dressed in traditional Hungarian or Turkish clothes. In the evenings  two teams fight against each other so that you have and idea how these attacks were made at that time. You can listen to Hungarian concerts also every evening.  By day you can try the tents of the groups and can even try the Hungarian traditional foods. 

In autumn you can take part of a harvest on harvest festivals. Hungary is famous for  wine, so wine harvesting plays a big role here. You can learn how grapes are picked and how wine is made from experts. The oppurtunity to taste them is granted if you would like to do so.Hungary in winter is very special  to see. 

If you don’t feel like exploring the city in  cold wheather, we suggest  numerous  relaxing thermal baths in Budapest. Most of them are from the Roman and Turkish occupation (1-4th  and 15-17th century). The most famous  baths are:  the Széchényi, Rudas and Gellért in Budapest; and in the country: Eger, Hévíz, Castle Spa in Gyula, Cave-bath in Miskolctapolca, Zalakaros, Bükk, Egerszalók, like the world famous bath in  Pamukale in Turkey.  Hungary also was looking for oil during the last century, but we found hot springs every time and we are very well known for our spas in Central Europe. Many Austrian, German, Polish and Japanese tourists come and enjoy our  healing and relaxing thermal baths. https://youtube.com/watch?v=9PQelTlj4fc

In spring you can join the  Easter Festivals or Pig slaughter festivals. It may sound strange for you, but  as Hungarians, we consume a lot of pork, and we pay attention to that. Coming to see these festivals, you can see how the pork is proccessed. But if you don’t want to see that, there are many programs to choose from. For example you can see and try the Hungarian national  traditional dance Csárdás,  or you can choose from concerts. When the pork is ready, you can go and taste it. Our favourite festival is in Abádszalók. The view is excellent also with the second most important river of Hungary, called: Tisza. There are many other popular cultural festivals also, contact us for more information.











2016. július 19., kedd


KECSKEMÉT AND „VARGA TANYA”–THE MEETING POINT OF CULTURE,HISTORY AND CAREFREE RELAXATION


Kecskemét and Varga Tanya

#twinstravel_budapest  www.twinstravel.hu
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Take part in sightseeing in Kecskemét, a city full of museums, galleries and exhibitions. Taste one of the most well-known Hungarian drinks, the traditional Hungarian apricot brandy (pálinka), wines and traditional Hungarian cuisine.

If you want to see horse shows, try horse riding, relax in saunas, Jacuzzis, steam baths, try massages, team building exercises. You can do all of this and more in Kerekegyháza, at the Varga Tanya Restaurant and Hotel, which is not far from Kecskemét.

Kecskemét is known for its many museums, art nouveau architecture and for the fact that the world famous composer Zoltán Kodály was born here. A lot of musicians from all over the world come here to study his music.  One of the most visited places is the Old Synagogue, which is a Moorish-style synagogue.

Right across the street from the Old Synagogue is the Ornamental Palace (Cifra Palota), which was built in  art noveau style, was built in 1902 and now houses the Kecskemét Gallery (Kecskeméti Képtár), where you will be able to see modern paintings as well.
The Museum of Hungarian Naive Artists (Magyar Naív Művészek Múzeuma), where the exhibition has somewhat medieval or surreal paintings and sculptures. Another  great museum is the Ráday Museum of Calvinist Ecclesiastical History, which includes a collection of clocks, an exhibit on chalices, a mineral collection and local sculptures.

Besides the museums, there are several collections and exhibitions, such as an exhibition displaying pictures, music books and other items of Zoltán Kodály, which is located in the Zoltán Kodály Music-Pedagogy Institute. Moreover, there is the Bozsó Collection (Bozsó Gyűjtemény) of Hungarian folk art and the Zwack Fruit Brandy Distillery and Exhibition. Should you have eaten too much or should you have problems with your digestion, or migraine (blinding headache),  drink one glass of the ZWACK UNICUM!
It will help you, we can assure you. It’s the best and most famous Hungarian digestive made of 40 different herbs collected all over the world.

If you do not wish to visit museums in Kecskemét, you could visit the County Hall inside, the beautiful building is the Katona József Theater and the Evangelical church and the Orthodox church. If you visit Kecskemét with your family, you will have a great time in the Kecskemét Wild Park, the Adventure Spa & Waterslide Park or in Kecskemét Baths.

The Varga Tanya: typical restaurant on the Hungarian puszta: desert, hotel with wellness area and famous place with horse show in Kerekegyháza has been attracting visitors for almost 30 years. Here you can learn about Hungarian traditions, enjoy the traditional Hungarian horse shows, where the most outstanding performance is the puszta ten (one horseman rides ten horses at the same time).
The Varga Tanya is reputable and has won the 5 horseshoe equestrian service provider qualification. At the Varga Tanya you will be able to taste pálinka:  Hungarian apricot brandy,  wines, try horse-riding, ride in a horse-cart, visit a homestead, the Tanya Museum and enjoy gipsy music while trying traditional Hungarian cuisine.
The “puszta-program”: horse show is organized between April 1st and October 31st and starts every day at 11.00 a.m. – 11.30 a.m., with the horse-show beginning at 12.30 p.m. At the Varga Tanya you can also try team building exercises and take part in the puszta-olympics, which include archery, horseshoe throwing, sack-race and more.

You can even have your wedding here. The Varga Tanya has a peaceful atmosphere, a beautiful park and the church ceremony is nearby as well, the Puszta-church can house around 200 people.

If you are interested in cultural programs or trying traditional Hungarian open-air activities, Kecskemét and the Varga Tanya are worth visiting.