The Motorcyclers

Budapest – largest spa town in Europe

Budapest, the capital and largest city of Hungary, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. This is due on the one hand to its unique location at the intersection of two landscapes, and on the other hand to its beautiful architecture. Budapest is located in the center of Europe in the middle of the Carpathian Basin, which is protected by the European mountain ranges. The Buda district is located on the right mountainous side of the river. Here you will find the castle district with the castle palace, the fisherman’s bastion and the Matthias Church, which was the coronation church between the 14th and 19th centuries. The livelier Pest on the flat left side of the city takes up about two-thirds of the city’s area. Here, on the banks of the Danube, is the Parliament, which, together with the castle district and other buildings along the banks of the Danube, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.

According to Abbreviationfinder, Budapest is also known for its numerous medicinal baths. As the city lies on a tectonic rupture, there are a multitude of hot springs below it. The Romans already appreciated this and built the first thermal baths there. The Ottomans and continued this development and established the bathing culture in the city. Budapest is now the largest spa town in Europe. Furthermore, it is the cultural, political and economic center of Hungary and is one of the most important trade fair cities and financial centers in Eastern Central Europe. Numerous modern commercial buildings have been built since the late 1980s, especially on the Pest side. The city center is, however, mainly dominated by grand old buildings. Architectural styles of the different stylistic epochs from the Renaissance to the Baroque, Rococo and classicism up to Art Nouveau harmonize with one another in the beautiful streets and in the cozy squares. Many of the magnificent buildings were built during the millennium celebrations at the end of the 19th century. The most famous examples of this are the Fisherman’s Bastion, Vajdahunyad Castle and the great monument on Heroes’ Square.

Budapest is also the outstanding cultural center of Hungary; most of the country’s universities are located here, for example. The two opera houses and the numerous theaters not only play pieces in Hungarian and are therefore just as worth a visit as the many interesting museums. The city is also known for its musical tradition, with a large number of concerts taking place all over the city, from classical to jazz. If you want to enjoy the Hungarian nature, you should take a trip to the picturesque Danube Bend, whose wooded mountain slopes are excellent for hiking.

Note
Information that applies to the entire country, e.g. on currency, entry requirements, health issues, etc., can be found under Hungary.

Budapest: arrival and transport

General

Maximum speed
In the cities and also in Budapest, the maximum speed is 50 km / h.

Alcohol per mille limit.
There is an absolute ban on alcohol for motorists.

Other rules
Motorcyclists must always have the low beam on. While driving, the phone is for the driver of the vehicle. forbidden.

Airports

Budapest Ferihegy Airport is about 25 km from the city center. Airport minibuses drive you to the center and take you to the desired address. These shared taxis are cheaper than conventional taxis, where you don’t know whether the driver is going to take a detour.

Train stations

The city has three major train stations.

Ostbahnhof
The trains from the Ostbahnhof mostly go to Western Europe, including Austria, Switzerland, and Southern and Western Germany.
Westbahnhof
The trains from here mainly travel to the east of Europe and to northern and eastern Germany.
Südbahnhof
The trains from the Südbahnhof go to Southeast Europe, including Croatia, Serbia and Austria.

Subway

The Budapest subway, which opened in 1896, is the second oldest in Europe. Today 3 lines operate in the city, a fourth is under construction. The trams run every 3-5 minutes on average. The tickets are bought at the ticket counters. There are single tickets, three-day tickets, weekly tickets and season tickets. Local transport is operated by the BKV (www.bkv.hu/anglo/home).

Tram

Budapest has an extensive tram network with 35 lines. The tickets are the same as for subway.

Buses

There are both “normal” buses and trolleys buses in the city. Since the buses are relatively old, they are hardly ever designed to be handicapped-friendly. Local public transport in general: The single tickets are only valid for one means of transport. If you change, you need a new ticket, regardless of how long you have been driving.

Taxi

Taxis can usually be recognized by their yellow license plates.
There are several taxi companies in the city.

Rdi Taxis Tel. (0) 1-377 77 77 (www.radiotaxi.hu)
F-Taxis Tel. (0) 680-222 22 22 (www.fotaxi.hu)
City Taxi Tel. (0) -211 11 11

Boat / ferry

You have the option of going from Vienna to Budapest by boat. The travel time is 5-6 hours. Within the city, from May to September you can take the so-called water buses for a river trip on the Danube and see many of the city’s sights from the water.

Budapest: special festivals

Budapest Film Festival (February)

Budapest Opera Ball (beginning of March)

National holiday (March 15)

Budapest Spring Festival (second half of March)
Website: www.festivalcity.hu
Opera performances, concerts and folklore

International Danube Carnival (June / July)
Hungarian folklore ensembles perform at various Set up in the city.

St. Stephen’s Day (August 20)
Procession with the relic of St. Stephen’s Basilica.

National holiday (August 20th)
Markets and concerts in the city. Fireworks take place in the evening.

Budapest Autumn Festival (end of September)
Website: www.festivalcity.hu
various exhibitions and events all over the city.

Budapest Art Weeks (September-10th October)

New Year’s Eve Ball (December)

Budapest: Known People

Robert Capa (1913-1954)
photographer. The American photographer of Hungarian descent is best known as a war photographer.

Count Péter Esterházy (born 1950)
writer. The main work of the internationally known writer is “Harmonia Caelestis”.

Zsa-Zsa Gabor (born 1917)
actress. Known for her extravagant lifestyle, the American actress of Hungarian descent was married several times and starred in countless films and television productions.

Attila Hörbiger (1896-1987)
actor. The Austrian actor is the brother of Paul Hörbiger.

Paul Hörbiger (1894-1981)
Actor. The Austrian folk actor appeared in numerous films from the 1930s. His grandchildren are Mavie Hörbiger and Christian Tramitz.

Imre Kertész (born 1929)
Writer with Jewish roots. He was born on November 9, 1929 in Budapest. Kertész is best known for his autobiographical book “Novel des Fateful”. In it he describes his experiences in the concentration camp. As a Jew, Kertész was only deported to Auschwitz in 1944 at the age of 15 and from there to the Buchenwald concentration camp – to its Wille subcamp in Rehmsdorf near Zeitz – in what is now the state of Saxony-Anhalt. He was liberated on April 11, 1945 and was then able to return to Budapest. Kertész has lived in Berlin since 2000. He recently justified this with the words: “It’s better for a Jewish writer to live in Berlin than in Budapest.” April 2010 and in the election of the Mayor of Budapest from October 3, 2010. Kertész received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2002.

György Konrad (born 1933)
The Jewish writer and winner of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade left his home village in Hungary in June 1944 and fled to Budapest with his sister. His parents had previously been picked up by the Nazis or the fascist Arrow Cross members allied with them. The parents survived in an Austrian concentration camp. In Budapest he was hidden by an aunt, among others. After the war the family moved entirely to Budapest. Here, after long struggles, he studied literature at the university – as the son of a large bourgeoisie. He then took part in the 1956 Hungarian uprising. He is one of the pioneers of the turning point. He lives both in Germany and in his holiday home on Lake Balaton in Hungary. His first novel “The Visitor” was published in 1969.
Konrad was president of the international writers’ association PEN from 1990 to 1993 and president of the Academy of Arts in Berlin-Brandenburg from 1997 to 2003.

Ephraim Kishon (1924-2005)
satirist. Kishon was born as Ferenc Hoffmann. He survived the concentration camp and moved to Israel in 1949. He was best known for his satirical short stories.

Ferenc Puskás (1927-2006)
Hungarian football player. Puskas was one of the best football players of the 1950s and, as their captain, led the Hungarian national team from 1950 to 1954. However, he could not prevent the 1954 World Cup defeat of the Hungarian against the German national team in Bern with 2: 3. After the crackdown on the Hungarian uprising, he emigrated to Spain and played for Real Madrid from 1958, taking on Spanish nationality. Therefore, he was able to play for the Spanish national team at the 1962 World Cup. At the age of 39, he ended his career as a player and became a football coach. In this capacity he led the club “Panathinaikos Athens” in 1971 up to the final of the European Cup and was also the Greek champion several times with the team.

István Szabó (born 1938)
film director. Hungary’s most famous film director shot the film “Being Julia” with Jeremy Irons (2004).