Meet your tour manager at the airport and transfer to your hotel. Dependent upon your arrival time, you may wish to head out and enjoy a first exploration of the ‘twin city’ that straddles the Danube. There are a host of bars, cafés and restaurants to suit all tastes and pockets, all exuding traditional Christmastime warmth and welcome.
This morning’s included tour will bring to life the major sights, including Buda’s Castle Hill, home to the former Royal Palace, the Castle District’s maze of winding streets, Mátyás Church and the Fisherman’s Bastion, with its views across to Pest on the opposite shore. Bustling, stylish Pest, with its sweeping boulevards, elegant stores, and the Belváros Old Town, is a hive of designer stores, coffee houses, patisseries and restaurants, many found along Váci utca, the pedestrianised main shopping street. Traditional Christmas Markets take place on Vörösmarty tér, the central square, and in front of St Stephen’s Basilica. Wooden pavilions offer handcrafted gifts, and the aromas of mulled wine, roasted chestnuts and traditional Hungarian pastries hang in the air. This evening return to your hotel for a festive dinner and to begin your Christmas celebrations in earnest.