My first visit to Hungary was in 1995, it was like stepping into another world, one that was so different to the one in the west I had just come from.
Hungary has a great deal of farmland, and as we made our way to Budapest from the border with Austria, it seemed to go on forever. In 1995, the roads were very poor and the motorway was little more than a duel carriageway, lighting on the roads and in the villages were none existent, but as we arrived in Budapest it seemed very quiet.
Hungary has the Danube River running through it and it is the land of Romany Gypsies, Baroque Architecture and Historic buildings. The highest peak in Hungary is Mount Kekes at 1000 metres (3,250 feet).

So enjoy my look at Hungary.

The Hungarian Capitol is split into two parts by the River Danube.
Buda and Pest are linked by a number of brigdges, the most famous is the “Chain Bridge”, which is guarded by huge stone lions.

On the Buda side is the Gellert Hotel, I’ve taken groups into here to enjoy the thermal baths. The Hotel was opened in 1918 and the pool was built in the former greenhouse, it has splendid Mosaics, Columns and Balconies.

You get to swim in the warm waters, then the ice cold pools as many times as you wish during your session, and I know, all the group took the option of a massage, men and women have separate area’s, then it was back into the pool again, the hot one of course!

Also on the Buda side of Budapest is the Royal Castle (Bulavari Palato) and the Castle District (Varhegy), the History Museum and National Gallery, which we see on our sightseeing city tour.

On the Pest side of Budapest, there are many shops, since my first visit in 1995, many of the Europes Famous name stores have opened branches here.
The Pest side of the River Danube is dominated by the Parliament Building, which always reminds my tour groups of the Houses of Parliament in London.
During our City tour of Budapest we also visit, St Stephens Basilica (Szent Istvan Bazillika), with a 96 metre (315 ft) Dome, the Opera House (Magyar Allam Operahaz), which was inspired by the Vienna Opera House in Austria and the City park. Some of the tour group’s walk over the Margaret Bridge onto Margaret Island, to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the city and traffic.
In the evening I take the holiday makers on a Danube Cruise, it takes around 1½ hours, where we get to see many of the City’s main sights floodlit, whilst enjoying the commentary and relaxation.

We visit Szentendre on an excursion from Budapest, its an artists village with narrow cobbled streets. It gets very busy now as it’s a major tourist attraction. There are many museums in the village and also a number of Churches. The houses are mostly brightly coloured, giving the village a relaxed feel about it.