Month: April 2013

IMEX continues this year over the 21st-23rd May in Frankfurt, and as usual there is a strong contingent of exhibitors from Vienna, to represent one of the world’s preeminent cities for meetings and conventions. Exhibitors include former palaces, such as Palais Ferstel and Palais Daun-Kinsky.

Barcelona is soon to be taken over by thousands of racing fans as The Spanish Grand Prix arrives on the weekend 10-13 May 2013. The Circuit de Catalunya is located to the North of Barcelona but expect the city to be very busy with fully booked hotels and high prices. The arrival of The Grand Prix will bring excitement to Barcelona and create a real incentive for corporate visitors! 

Routes Europe, the region’s most important annual route development forum of aviation professionals, will be held in Budapest at SYMA Event Center between 12-14 May, hosted by Budapest Airport and Hungarian Tourism Plc. Annual Conference of Routes Europe has been organized since 2005, and the most important target is to provide a forum for the management of the European Airlines and Airports, Tourist Boards to discuss

Budapest Airport has provided a wireless internet connection for passengers in all departing passenger circulation areas. Access to the internet is available free of charge for up to two hours on the departure levels of Terminals 2A and 2B and in the SkyCourt.

The Grand Market Hall in Budapest became Nr. 1 favourite among European city markets on CNN Travel ranking. Various sausages, hams, salamis and locally revered langos and a packet of paprika are must haves. Mercat de San Josep de la Boqueira in Barcelona, Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Portobello Road in London and Les Puces in Paris made it to the top five behind Budapest.

On 8 April 2013, Corinthia Hotel Budapest was named one of the Best Hotels in Europe in the 2012 Gogobot Travelers’ Favorite Awards. The best hotels are chosen based on the opinions of 2.5 million members worldwide. Corinthia Hotel Budapest has been selected out of thousands of hotels as one of the top 25 hotels in Europe.

Gogobot is a travel planning site sourcing recommendations from its members’ social networks. Unlike other travel sites, members can verify people’s identities and plan their trips based on their friends’ reviews.

“It is our great pleasure to accept this award from a new generation social travel company, which means we have earned the esteem and recommendation of travellers around the world,” said Mr Thomas M Fischer, General Manager of Corinthia Hotel Budapest. 

The hotel is very grand and elegant with a spacious marble reception and sweeping staircase. It has a wonderful 6 storey atrium with glass roof and the bedrooms are well appointed. The staircase leads up to the main meeting room, the Grand Ballroom. This has been restored to its original baroque-style with inlaid portraits, high ceiling and ornate design. There is a glass bridge that takes you to the Valetta Exhibition Centre. All of the meeting space flows well with refreshment areas and breakout rooms. A luxury hotel with extensive spa facilities and a 15 metre pool for those that have time to unwind.

For many years nobody knew where an iron gate in the Buda castle lead to, today it’s a new museum where visitors can see exhibits about the history of this underground military hospital. The opening hours of the museum are from Monday to Sunday 10:00 – 20:00, with the last entry at 19:00. Guided tours depart on the hour, read on for a brief intro about this unique and fascinating attraction.

Some local businessmen started the project right before the second World War in order to create a safe storage for their goods. To reduce the cost, they used the caves inside the hill. The ongoing project was then taken over by the Government of Budapest. It established an emergency surgery center there by changing the original plans.

As for the construction, the caves were connected to one another, and they added a door to the tunnel system that leads to the Lovas Street. The hospital was located 15-30 m from the ground on different levels. It was serving 200 people at the same time towards the end of 1943. Its length is approximately 2 km.

During the World War, this place used to be served as shelter and as well as a hospital.  At the end of the war, in February 1945) ca. , 600-650 people were treated since it was the only protected hospital during the battle for Budapest.

It had been working for a while after the war, but then they closed it down eventually. After the revolution in 1956, the hospital got reconstructed and they even set up a nuclear filter system in the caves.

Take timeout from your conference and let delegates see Budapest from ground level to really appreciate all that the city has to offer. 

Insightful, fun-filled and informative walks about history, society, architecture and what Hungarians are actually like. Walks are focused around the best sights Buda and Pest have to offer. The goal of this walking tour is to discover and experience our city through the eyes of the insiders, to bring to life streets, bridges and statues and of course to have fun. Tour ends at the Fisherman Bastion area with useful orientation about thermal baths, museums, places to go out, places to eat out, and how to avoid the tourist traps in Budapest.

 

Tour leaves from the Vörösmarty square (tér). Meeting point is at the lion fountain. (last stop of M1 yellow line) Walk lasts 2.5 hours and covers about two and a half miles (i.e. about 3.5 kilometres if you think metrically). It is an easy walk with the exception of the 8 minutes long uphill walk to the Castle District. Tour goes at a gentle pace. It is possible to use the funicular or the public bus instead of the uphill walk. In this case guests are accompanied by our staff.

Groups more than 12 persons must pre-register.

For those unable to make the morning walk, there is an alternative, easy going afternoon walk .This walk covers the basic sights of Pest and Buda, updates you on what’s happening  and what’s a must regarding Budapest nightlife and daytime activities. Lots of insider information, plus great exercise on the Castle Hill.

Walk lasts 2.5 hours and covers about two and a half miles. Once again, it is possible to use the funicular or the public bus instead of the uphill walk. In this case guests are accompanied by our staff.

As of November 2013, low-cost carrier Jet2.com is to launch a new flight to the heart of the Midlands, East Midlands airport. The flight will be operated twice a week, on Monday and Friday, connecting Budapest and the largest airport of the Midlands region with easy access to three big cities: Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester. This important destination has been missing from the route network of Budapest Airport for a long time.

It is good news primarily for those who work abroad that from the autumn onwards the Midlands will be directly accessible from Budapest. Low-cost carrier Jet2.com launches a flight to connect the Hungarian capital with East Midlands airport twice a week from 8 November. Ideally for long-weekend trips, the flight is scheduled to depart from Budapest at 18:40 on Friday and will arrive at East Midlands at 21:35, and on the return leg it will depart at 15:00 to arrive in Budapest at 17:55. According to the plans, Jet2.com will use a 148-seat Boeing 737-300 aircraft on this route. 

CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays Steve Heapy highlighted “We are excited about the launch of this new flight, as Jet2.com will be the only carrier to offer a direct link between Budapest – quite a popular destination with passengers – and the Midlands region.” He added, “The new route is to be launched to meet the express demand of our passengers, and therefore we are positive that it will become successful in spite of a winter launch.” 

“We are pleased with the decision of Jet2.com to launch a flight from one of the fast-growing airports of the Midlands to Budapest,” said Budapest Airport aviation director Kam Jandu, adding that “The new flight may not only have a positive effect on the economy of the region but it will also provide a much closer link for Budapest with the Midlands.”

The East Midlands is one of the nine regions of the United Kingdom, featuring both countryside and urban environments with picturesque traditional villages and cities, homes of the aristocracy, and industrial areas. The airport of East Midlands is located in the western corner of the region, in the heart of England. Interestingly, it is connected to three major cities in the vicinity: it is situated in the county of Leicester (the city just south of it), its postal address and phone numbers are listed by the city of Derby to the north-west, while IATA links it with Nottingham. Out of the three cities, Nottingham may be the best known, mainly due to the legend of Robin Hood. As the story goes, Robin Hood lived with his buddies in Sherwood Forest nearby, fighting against their chief enemy, the Judge of Nottingham.

Leeds-based low-cost carrier Jet2.com launched its first flight between the Hungarian capital and Manchester back in 2004, initially with three flights per week. In the summer of 2010, flight frequency was up to 5 per week, and subsequently the city of Edinburgh was also added to the Budapest network. For some time, a Leeds flight was also operated to and from Budapest. The fleet of Jet2.com consists of thirty-five Boeing 737 and eleven Boeing 757 aircraft. 

Rudas Thermal Bath, Budapest

 

To add a traditional Hungarian experience when  your conference breaks in the evening you could always add a trip to the thermal baths.

 

Gellert may be the most famous thermal bath in Budapest, but Rudas is the most historic. The building dates from the 16th century, when the occupying Turks were constructing bathing facilities to make the most of the city’s 80 geothermal springs. The Ottoman influence can still be seen in the octagonal pool, covered by a huge dome and supported by eight pillars, and the six steam pools. Try an underwater massage at 3am (the bath is open until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays). Note that it’s men-only during the week, except on Tuesdays when it’s women-only; weekends are for mixed bathing.

• From around £4 for a morning ticket to £10 for night bathing, and from £8 for massages; rudasbaths.com