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HUNGARY |
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Location:
Budapest
19 Nov - 29 Dec 2010
"Europe's best Christmas fair"
(Sunday Times, 2008)
The festive atmosphere of the Christmas Fair is due to the unique pavilions and the exclusive goods available in them: almost 100 craft stands offer goods, special gifts and folk art and craft decorations certified by the panel of experts of the Association Of Hungarian Folk Artists.
For visitors who have a taste for traditional gastronomic delights the city centre location of the fair is a real heaven: the smell of the fresh bread baked in the traditional clay oven, the stands of caramelised pastry horn makers and strudel makers, traditional country food baked in clay ovens, friendly meat grills attract anybody walking near the fair.
If you like good mulled wine, you should also be there in the Vörösmarty Square : after drinking it, you can take home the special mug it was served in: the Christmas Fair Mug gets a new design every year.
Visitors are continuously entertained by cavalcade of Hungarian folk music, folk dance, classical music, children's programmes and concerts.
On the windows of the Gerbaud House facade, one of the most beautiful buildings of the square, is the Advent Calendar is where the calendar is represented, in which 24 contemporary artists exhibit their paintings, and every day a new window opens, accompanied by a fanfare.
The city's other Christmas market is on Vaci Utca (the main shopping street)
The organizers have prepared special surprises and accompanying events for the anniversary year, making this years Christmas in Budapest a truly unforgettable experience.
Opening times
10.00 - 20.00 daily
Vörösmarty Square
Fly there with Easyjet from Luton and Gatwick, Malev from Gatwick, BA from Heathrow, Wizzair from Luton, Jet2 from Manchester and Ryanair from Bristol, Dublin, East Midlands or Glasgow.
www.gotohungary.co.uk
www.budapestinfo.hu |
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First Budapest Winter Festival has started
With the first concert of the Academy of Music’s goodbye festival, the first Budapest Winter Festival was launched on 3 November. The festival expects to entertain guests interested in cultural programmes until 28 February 2010. Colourful programmes of the Cultural Budapest Group’s 15 member institutions are on offer.
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The Budapest Christmas market |
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How to say "Merry Christmas" in Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Good buys: Traditional products worth looking out for include folk art, embroidery and ceramics, wall hangings, painted wooden toys and boxes. Also look out for feather or goose down items.
Local dishes: Goulash, stuffed cabbage and fish soup top most menus in Hungary. There are also cakes and pastries to satisfy the sweetest of teeth. Wash them down with Bull’s Blood red wine, the stronger Tokaj or apricot brandy.
Funny fact: Hungarians introduce themselves by telling you their surname first and Christian name second - like James Bond.
FIVE “HUNGARIAN” GIFT IDEAS
Tokaji Wine : Only white grapes tend to be grown in the Tokaj region of northeastern Hungary, ranging from dry to sweet. The most famous sweet wine from the region is the Tokaji “Aszú” dessert wine. The various qualities of it are graded from 3 to 6 puttonyos; the higher the grading the more expensive the price.
Unicum : This is a bitters sold in a distinctive round black bottle. Its origins are over two centuries old, and it is best drunk cold. ( www.unicum.hu)
Red paprika : in a cloth sachet: Although paprika itself is of American origin, the grinding of it is a particularly Hungarian invention. It is an absolutely essential ingredient in traditional Hungarian cooking.
Modern print of a 1930’s photograph : Several of the world’s historically most renowned photographers came from Hungary. But whilst they were making their names abroad, their lesser known contemporaries stayed behind. Now, beautiful prints of their photographs are available at very reasonable prices from the Mai Manó Ház bookshop (VI. Nagymező utca 20. www.maimano.hu.)
Herend porcelain : The history of Herend porcelain goes back over two hundred years, and over that time the factory has produced some 12,000 different types of handmade objects and ornaments. The Herend shop in Budapest is at: VI. Andrássy út 16.
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Additional services provided:
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