Hungary - Eastern Europe - page 320

down the Tisza River in eastern Hungary from April 1 to October 15. These tours are
booked through separate agencies in the towns of departure (Tokaj, Kisköre, Tiszac-
sege, Szolnok, Szeged, and many others along the river). Ask at MAHART for further
information and for the telephone numbers necessary for booking.
Legenda, at XI. Fraknó u. 4 ( & 1/266-4190; www.legenda.hu), a private company
founded in 1990, offers several boat tours on the Danube, using two-story steam-
boats. The daytime tour, called “Duna Bella,” operates daily at 2:30pm, year-round,
with additional daily trips during the summer. The 2-hour ride includes a stop at Mar-
garet Island, with a walk on the island. Tickets cost 3,600 Ft ($18/£9.25). The night-
time tour, departing daily at 8:15pm, is called “Danube Legend” and is more than a
bit hokey, but worth it for the view of the city all lit up. “Danube Legend” tickets cost
4,200 Ft ($21/£11). On both trips your ticket entitles you to two free glasses of wine
or beer and unlimited soft drinks. A shorter variation of the daytime tour, without the
stop on the island, runs from mid-April to mid-October. All boats leave from the
Vigadó tér port, Pier 7. Tickets are available through most major hotels, at the dock,
and through the Legenda office. Look for the company's brochure at Tourinform.
The Operetta Ship, departing from at Vigadó tér ( & 20/332-9116, 1/318-1223,
or 1/488-0475; www.operetthajo.hu), offers a unique candlelit boat tour that includes
performers of the Hungarian State Opera House singing famous operas, operettas,
Italian and Spanish songs, musicals, instrumental solos, and Hungarian folklore. Dur-
ing the tours, you will hear famous excerpts from Strauss, Mozart, Lehar, Gershwin,
Puccini, and more. The boat tour runs from April until October, and operates Mon-
day to Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday from 8 to 10pm. The boat tour with a dinner
included costs 12,500 Ft ($63/£32), or 8,500 Ft ($43/£22) without the meal. There
is also a “music” sightseeing tour guided in English, German, or Hungarian, that costs
4,000 Ft ($20/£10).
SPECIALTY TOURS
Chosen Tours ( & /fax [phone] ) specializes in tours related to Jewish life and her-
itage in Budapest. The 11/2- to 2-hour guided walking tour of Pest's historic Jewish
Quarter is a good introduction to that fascinating neighborhood. Tours are conducted
from April through October and run Monday through Friday and Sunday, beginning
at 10am in front of the Dohány Synagogue, on Dohány utca. The walking tour costs
2,420 Ft ($11/£6.20). You should reserve a space on the tour ahead of time. Chosen
Tours offers a 1-hour, air-conditioned bus tour of Jewish sights in Buda as an add-on
to the walking tour. Called “Budapest Through Jewish Eyes,” the combination tour
ticket costs 3,740 Ft ($17/£9.60). Reserve your space early. Other tours, available for
private bookings, include a tour of Jewish art and a trip to Szentendre, as well as tours
catering to individual needs and interests (such as Jewish “roots” tours). The company
offers a free pickup service from select hotel locations.
SPA BATHING & SWIMMING: BUDAPEST'S MOST POPULAR
THERMAL BATHS
Hungarians are great believers in the medicinal powers of thermal bathing. Even if you
are unsure about the health benefits, it's hard to deny that time spent in thermal baths
is enjoyable and relaxing. The baths of Budapest have a long and proud history,
stretching back to Roman times. The bath culture flourished while the city was under
Turkish occupation, and several still-functioning bathhouses—Király, Rudas, and
Rácz—are among the architectural relics of the Turkish period. In the late 19th and