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Budapest - Some Tours to TakeCruise the Danube, Explore the Opera House, the Synagogue, and More
Arriving in a new city is always exciting - all those possibilities for enjoyment, all those new places to explore - various tours can help you orientate yourself.
It can all seem a bit overwhelming when you arrive in a new city, especially when it is as packed with things to see as Budapest. Tours can give you a good starting base for further explorations. Here's a selection of tours available to get you started, and to whet your appetite for more. Night Cruise of the Danube This must be one of the highlights of anyone's trip to Budapest - cruising down the Danube, sipping a glass of champagne or fruit juice, and watching the magnificent panorama glide past, with starry skies and floodlit buildings. On the Legenda boat, the Danube River is the narrator, explaining the history of the bridges and buildings - the Palace, the Parliament, the churches - and the people associated with them. Dinner cruises are available, and for those who really like to multi task, there's an operetta ship where members of the Hungarian opera perform arias and dances. Cruise ships depart from Vigadó Square boat station - Belgrád rakpart Museum of Fine ArtsYou'll come away from a tour of the art gallery with a whole different viewpoint of art and artists. The volunteer tour guides, who do a ten-week training course, and have to pass an exam, present an interesting, informative and imaginative hour-long tour. They bring to life the painters, their paintings, and their place in history. Tours are at 11 and 14.00 (2p.m.) and could be 17thC Dutch masters, the Spanish Galleries, 19th C works, The Flemish, Austrian and German gallery, and the newly opened Italian rooms. An added bonus - it's all free! Szépmuvészeti Múzeum, Dózsa György ut 41 (Hero's Square) Opera HouseDesigned by Miklós Ybl, the opera house, in Neo Renaissance style, dating from 1884, is one of the gems of Andrássy ut. Tickets are available at the Opera House shop, to the left of the main entrance. Tours are at 3 pm - wait at the impressive entry hall and stand by the sign with the language of your choice. You'll be told the history of the building, and shown such things as the royal box, the Grand Staircase, the smoking corridor, the foyers, the red room, and plenty of murals, statues, and other decorations. Andrássy ut 22 - Yellow Metro stop "Opera" Parliament HouseA "must see" - beautifully sited on the banks of the Danube and resembling the British Houses of Parliament. Get your ticket from Door Ten, and then wait for the appropriate language tour to depart. There's airport type security before you can enter the building with your guide. Despite the signs, photography is allowed. The building has some 700 rooms and 18 courtyards. You'll see only a fraction of them - sumptuous rooms with columns, carvings, gold leaf, and other decorations abound. Highlight is the sacred crown under the dome. District V, Kossuth Lajos Tér 1-3; tram line 2 SynagogueDating from 1859, the fantastic Budapest Great Synagogue is the second largest in the world. Designed by an architect with little idea of how a synagogue should look, the building incorporates features of the three major religions. It's been beautifully restored, and the basic tour takes in the building and its history, the wonderful silver weeping willow Memorial tree, the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park, and the museum, where the guide will explain the significance of the various artefacts, most of which have been donated. Additional tours include the entire Budapest Jewish Quarter. Dohány utca 2
The copyright of the article Budapest - Some Tours to Take in Hungary Travel is owned by Christiane Birkett. Permission to republish Budapest - Some Tours to Take in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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