|
|
| Home - City Guide - Budapest - Excursions | ||
|
||
|
Excursions For a Half Day Szentendre: Several waves of Serbian refugees have defined the character of this historic town on the Danube Bend, with its incense-filled hilltop churches A group of artists found the Serb-abandoned Szentendre in 1920s, liked what they saw and formed a colony there. Serbian churches include Blagovestenska Church, which looks onto the town's main square, F? tÉr, and the spectacular Belgrade Cathedral next to the Museum of Serbian Church Art (entrance is on Pátriáka utca). The Margit Kovács Museum, Vastagh Gy utca 1 displays the works of Hungary's best-known ceramist, while the Barcsay Collection, Dumtsa Jen? utca 10, displays the abstract paintings of one of the founders of the art colony. The bus from the HEV terminal at Szabadságforrás út goes to Szentendre's Open-Air Museum (open April to October Tuesday to Sunday 0900-1700), which charts Hungarian village life over three centuries. Szentendre also has a new modern arts centre, a renovated nineteenth-century sawmill, Muveszet Malom (Art Mill), at Bogdanyi utca 32 (tel: (26) 311 355; e-mail: mmalom@matavnet.hu). The exhibition hall displays graphics, paintings, sculptures and pieces of applied arts from local artists and artists connected to Szentendre. Once the investment project is complete, the building will be one of the most important art centres of Eastern-Central-Europe. Tourinform have offices in Szentendre, Dumtsa Jen? utca 22 (tel/fax: (26) 317 966; e-mail: szentendre@tourinform.hu; website: www.szentendre.hu). For a Whole Day Lake Balaton: The Lake Balaton region, romantically known as the 'Hungarian sea', is the most popular tourist attraction west of Central and Western Europe. Its water is only waist height, except for the Tihany Well in the north where it reaches its deepest point of 13m (43ft). Activities centre on the water, and include sailing, windsurfing and fishing for eels or fogas - the perch-pike unique to Lake Balaton, best enjoyed with wine from the nearby Badacsony Hills. The Tihany Peninsula, declared a national park in 1952, is one of the quietest spots in the region. The Baroque Abbey Church, standing on the hill in Tihany village, once housed the first written relic of Hungarian - King András I's deed for the foundation of the church originally on this site. The major resort in the north is Balatonfüred, known since Roman times for the curative power of its waters. The lakeside resort of Keszthely has a relaxed atmosphere and the Baroque Festetics Palace, situated in lovely grounds. Tourinform have offices in Balantonfüred, at Petofi Sandor utca 8 (tel: (87) 342 237; fax: (87) 340 566; e-mail: balatonfured@tourinform.hu). Balatonfüred can be reached by train from DÉli pályaudvar in Budapest, or by bus from Budapest's ErzsÉbet tÉr. |
||
