The ESSENCE and MAGIC
of Classical Music
A Musical Journey to Prague, Vienna and Budapest
September 8th – 16th, 2018
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BUDAPEST and Classical Music
Hungary’s most important contribution to the worldwide field of European classical music is probably Franz Liszt, a renowned pianist in his own time and a well-regarded composer of 19 Hungarian
Rhapsodies and a number of symphonic poems such as Les Préludes. Liszt was among the major composers during the late 19th century, a time when modern Hungarian classical music was in its formative stage. Along with Liszt and his French Romantic tendencies, Ferenc Erkel’s Italian and French-style operas, with Hungarian words, and Mihály Mosonyi’s German classical style, helped set the stage for future music, and their influence is “unsurpassed even by their successors, because in addition to their individual abilities they bring about an unprecedented artistic intensification of the Romantic musical idiom, which is practically consumed by this extreme passion”. Elements of Hungarian folk music, especially verbunkos, became an important element of many composers, both Hungarians like Kalman Simonffy and foreign composers like Ludwig van Beethoven and George Szell. Hungary has also produced Karl Goldmark, composer of the Rustic Wedding Symphony, composer and pianist Ernő Dohnányi, composer and ethnomusicologist László Lajtha, and the piano composer Stephen Heller. A number of violinists from Hungary have also achieved international renown…(More on music and Hungary)
While in Budapest, included in this journey, is a bus tour ticket for you to explore numerous sights and landmarks. You may also go on a boat cruise down the DANUBE as part of this offering. Here are all the possibilities:
You can begin your hop-on hop-off tour at any of the 28 stops on the itinerary, including attractions such as the National Museum or the Buda Castle District. Enjoy the wind through your hair as you travel by 
open-top bus or by boat, with the option to stay on board and take photos or hop off and walk around at your own speed.
On the Red and Yellow lines, spend some time at the famous Citadel, snap photos of the Parliament building, shop for paprika at the Great Market Hall or stroll around the shops on Andrássy Avenue, a UNESCO World Heritage site. When you’re ready to view this beautiful city from the river, head to one of the three stops on the Blue Boat Line to cruise down the Danube.
Additional info Itinerary Hop-On Hop-Off Stops: Red Bus Line Loop – Square of the Governor Joseph (József Nádor Tér) – Square of Elisabeth (Erzsébet Tér) – Andrássy Avenue – Opera House – Franz Liszt Square (Liszt Ferenc Tér) – Heroes’ Square (Hosök tere) – Eastern Railway Station – New York Cafe Station – Astoria – Funicular (can transfer to Yellow Line here) – Castle District – Citadel – Marcius (departure point for the Blue Boat Line) – Parliament Yellow Bus Line Loop – Square of Elisabeth (Erzsébet Tér) – Synagogue – Astoria – Dózsa György Tér – Funicular (can transfer to Red Line here) – St Anne Church (Batthany Tér) – Margaret Island (Margit Hid) – Parliament – Vigado Tér – Market Hall – National Museum Blue Boat Line Loop – Vigado Tér – St Anne Church (Batthany Tér) – Margaret Island (Margit Hid)
The city of BUDAPEST
Budapest is the capital and the most populous city of Hungary, and one of the largest cities in the European Union. With an estimated 2016 population of 1,759,407 distributed over a land area of about 525 square 
kilometers (203 square miles), Budapest is also one of the most densely populated major cities in the EU. Budapest is both a city and county, and forms the centre of the Budapest metropolitan area, which has an area of 7,626 square kilometers (2,944 square miles) and a population of 3,303,786, comprising 33 percent of the population of Hungary. The Budapest metropolitan area had a GDP of $141.0 billion (€129.4 billion) in 2016, accounting for 49.6 percent of the GDP of Hungary. GDP per capita in the city is $64,283, which means 148% of the EU average measured on purchasing power parity. Thereby the city is among the top 100 GDP performing cities in the world and making it one of the largest regional economies in the European Union.
Budapest is a leading global city with strengths in commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment. It is a leading R&D and financial centre and the highest ranked Central and Eastern European city on Innovation Cities Top 100 index, as well ranked as the second fastest-developing urban economy in Europe. The city is home to the 2nd largest stock exchange by market capitalization in Central and Eastern Europe, the Budapest Stock Exchange and its business district hosts the headquarters of the largest national and international banks and companies. Budapest is host to many major international organization’s regional offices, including the United Nations and ICDT, furthermore it is the headquarters of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, the European Police College and the first foreign office of the China Investment Promotion Agency. Over 40 colleges and universities are located in Budapest, including the Eötvös Loránd University, Semmelweis University and Budapest University of Technology and Economics, which have been ranked among the top 500 in the world. Opened in 1896, the city’s subway system, the Budapest Metro, serves 1.27 million, while the Budapest Tram Network serves 1.08 million passengers daily. Budapest ranked as the most liveable Central and Eastern European city on EIU’s quality of life index.
The history of Budapest began with Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement that became the Roman capital of Lower Pannonia. Hungarians arrived in the territory in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241.The re-established town became one of the centres of Renaissance humanist culture by the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács and nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule, the region entered a new age of prosperity, and Budapest became a global city with the unification of Buda and Óbuda on the west bank with Pest on the east bank on November 17, 1873. Budapest also became the co-capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a great power that dissolved in 1918, following World War I. The city was the focal point of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Battle of Budapest in 1945, and the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.
Budapest is cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, ranked as “the world’s second best city” by Condé Nast Traveler, and “Europe’s 7th most idyllic place to live” by Forbes. Among Budapest’s important museums and cultural institutions, the most visited art museum is the Museum of Fine Arts, which is noted for one of the largest collections of all periods of European art and comprises more than 100,000 pieces. Further famous cultural institutions are the Hungarian National Museum, House of Terror, Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Hungarian State Opera House and National Széchényi Library. The central area of the city along the Danube River is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has many notable monuments, including the Hungarian Parliament, Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion, Gresham Palace, Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Matthias Church and the Liberty Statue. Another famous landmarks include Andrássy Avenue, St. Stephen’s Basilica, Heroes’ Square, the Great Market Hall, the Nyugati Railway Station built by the Eiffel Company of Paris in 1877 and the second-oldest metro line in the world, the Millennium Underground Railway. The city also has around 80 geothermal springs, the largest thermal water cave system, second largest synagogue, and third largest Parliament building in the world. Budapest attracts 4.4 million international tourists per year, making it the 25th most popular city in the world and the 6th in Europe. (Lots more on Budapest from Wikipedia)
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