From Budapest to Zagreb by Car (Road Trip)

To get to Zagreb, you can easily reach there by car, it was just 3.5 hours but we made a little stop at the  gas station and arriving in Zagreb after four hours.

Driving directions to City of Zagreb, Croatia

There are two suggested routes:

• E71/M7 and A4/E65/E71  (346 km)  3 hours 28 min

• E71/M7 and Route 28 (380 km)4 hours 55 mins

Of course, we preferred the first one ;)

This route has tolls.

	1. Head northwest toward Fő utca
		77 m
	2. Exit the roundabout onto Clark Ádám tér
		400 m
	3. Continue onto Alagút utca
		180 m
	4. Continue straight onto Krisztina tér
		110 m
	5. Continue onto Mészáros utca
		260 m
	6. Turn left to stay on Mészáros utca
		750 m
	7. Take the 1st right onto Hegyalja út
		240 m
	8. Continue straight onto BAH csomóponti felüljáró
		750 m
	9. Continue onto Budaörsi út
		2.1 km
	10. Continue onto E71/M1/M7 (signs forBalaton/Győr/Bécs - Wien)
		7.3 km
	11. Take the exit on the left onto E71/M7 Partial toll road
		221 km
	12. Take exit 2 toward 7/Zagreb/Letenye/Budapest Toll road
		650 m
	13. Merge onto E65/E71 Toll road
		97 m
	14. Slight right to stay on E65/E71 (signs forZagreb/7/Letenye) Partial toll road Entering Croatia
		1.2 km
	15. Continue onto E65/E71 Partial toll road
		1.6 km
	16. Take the ramp onto A4/E65/E71 Partial toll road
		94.6 km
	17. Take exit 6-Ivanja Reka toward Zagreb istok
		700 m
	18. Merge onto Slavonska avenija
		9.5 km
	19. Take the exit toward Avenija Marina Držića
		66 m
	20. Keep left at the fork and merge ontoAvenija Marina Držića
		1.7 km
	21. Turn left at Kneza Višeslava
		23 m
	22. Take the 1st right to stay on Kneza Višeslava
		210 m
	23. Turn right at Antuna Bauera
		600 m
	24. Turn left at Vlaška
		500 m
	25. Continue onto Trg Josipa Langa
		170 m
	26. Turn left at Jurja Branjuga
		200 m
	27. Take the 1st right onto Vlaška
		78 m
	28. Continue onto Stara Vlaška
		180 m
	29. Turn right at Bakačeva
		74 m
	30. Continue onto Kaptol
		37 m

City of Zagreb, Croatia

By air plane, it is less than an hour. Nonetheless, we enjoy traveling on the road than the air these days as on the plane, you cannot see as much as on the road. On the road, you get to see wonderful colours like this:-

The Zagreb Cathedral has a nice mood around. Not the same as the one in Strasbourg, France. This one does not have a gothic feel. It has some elements of Baroque after it was rebuild due to the heavy damages by the Tartars.

The part of the stairs in the photo of the Zagreb Cathedral captures the mood very well. Even the colours are very special. Don't you think?:)

This part in the city has typical elements of the Upper Town, quite similar to Hungary afterall. The cost of living in Zagreb is 13.87% lower than Budapest.

From Budapest to Hvar Croatia

I have been searching for a place like this for soooo long. A place which is like candy to the eyes, to the nose and to the ears too, which is rather relaxing but full of life and which is not overcrowded but you don't feel yourself as Robinson on an island.

Though Croatia is just the next country to the south of Hungary, I have never been there. Ok I was once, working in the nothern part of the country but it was not the coast side. And I found a place which totally matches my recent mood:)

Stari Grad on the island Hvar in Croatia.

There are different type of vacations to me.

• The Ibizia-Corfu-Mallorca type. Beach, party, music, bikinis and coctails. Lot of fun, lot of people, nightlife.
• The sight-seeing type. Athens, Barcelona, Paris, Saint-Petersburg, Rome, Venice. Every corner a living history, a lot to see, museums and exhibitions, taking photos and getting a lot of impressions.
• The hiking, diving, climbing, rafting, jumping, icy, mountain, sporty adrenaline rushing vacation.
• The relaxing one. Renting an apartment in Florence, reading a book on the terrace watching the evening city life in a restaurant with a glass of wine. Mobile phone off, no internet, no television especially no news but you can feel the gentle wind on your face and this is the only stimulus which might bother you..but it doesn't.

Stari Grad belongs definitely to this last category. A little town in a hidden bay where the typical Dalmatian buildings are not museums but part of the recent life. Everything is so old here, and still everything is so real.

The history of Stari Grad:

Stari grad, the oldest town on the Hvar island and one of the first in Europe , was founded by the ancient Greeks in 385/384 BC as an independent polis of Pharos. At the time of the Roman colonisation it was called Pharis. From the formation of the Hvar commune in 1278, when Hvar (Civitas Nova) became the island's chief town, Stari Grad (Civitas Vetus) stagnated somewhat.

The medieval settlement grew up north of the Greek one and by the coast on the east. But there was nonetheless no change in the previously mentioned political and economic stagnation of the town in the 13th century. The architecture of the town, however, was not affected. Although the majority of the buildings were built in the 16th and 17th centuries, i.e. the Renaissance and baroque style are dominant in the city centre, there are many buildings with Romanesque and Gothic traces. (source)

Looking at the buildings and considering the entire atmosphere of the Dalmatian towns and cities the Venetian influence is the most obvious. I felt like just being in Italy though this is Croatia, an original Slavic community.

I guess due to the local policy...Stari Grad is a quiet or better to say 'noiseless' place. Not because its empty, plenty of tourists and local people are everywhere but somehow they try to keep that relaxing feature. There are no bars which try to be the most loud in the street. Only cafés and restaurants - some of them with a great style.

That's what I wanted. Finally being able to finish my books, forgetting about work and about the bills and about everything from my everyday life. Just three of us here...Zannnie and Momo and me. And this hidden paradise which respects so much my need for recreation this time.

Budapest to Venice

Mestre or Venice: Where to Stay

Getting there by the rail from Budapest, it was just a few minutes walk from the railway station. This part of Mestre is very scenic despite it has a different mood being more modern than Venice itself.

Mestre

If you are planning a trip to Venice, we really do not recommend you to stay in Mestre. Mestre accommodations are much cheaper than Venice and this might be a consideration point for some of you. However, it is not Venice. It is where people who wants to escape from the high water and rising damp.

Venice

''May-stray'' as it is pronounced, is connected via a lagoon bridge called 'Ponte della Liberta' and crossing it by the rail leads you to Piazzale Roma. When you get there, request for a free map of the vaporetto routes.

Buy a tourist ticket which are electronic cards which allow unlimited travel on ACTV water and land buses for 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours or 7 days, you can choose any of these that is appropriate for your stay in Venice.

Remember to validate your ticket before you travel. You just hold the card close to the iMob electronic cardreader at the entrance to the vaporetto platform until you hear a beep.

Overall, it is a very tourist friendly place. You can easily catch a vaporetto (the water taxi) or the cheaper alternative vaporetti (the waterbuses).

Here's how to make Budapest as the base to travel to Venice or the charming attraction Scala Contarini del Bovolo.

From Budapest to Vienna

MuseumsQuartier, their slogan is 'Now or Never'.

This place called MQ Point is where culture mets kitsch. There are serious art with an offbeat humor. Many imaginative products other than museum tickets are sold. You can't miss the adorable traditional roly poly dolls. Some called it 'never-fall doll' or even tumbler toys.

The MQ Point is more than just a run-of-the-mill museum shop, it stocks cool design and unconventional gifts including mugs, bags, buttons and T-shirts with fun messages. Every “fashion Friday” the store picks a designer of the month and goes on to market products created by the winner at affordable prices. The result is an exciting cross-section of the Austrian and international design scenes.

MQ-Point

7., Museumsplatz 1 

(main entrance to the Museumsquartier) 

Tel. (+43-1) 523-58-81-1731 

www.mqw.at 

10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily 

Being just a short jump from Budapest, it is especially popular to visit it over the weekend, from mid-November through Christmas. The reason is, Vienna's public squares are transformed into Christmas markets with hundreds of booths full of gifts and goodies for visitors to buy.

Each year a traditional Christmas Market transforms City Hall Square into a magical Christmas wonderland.  Sample cookies, savor punch and select gifts at one of the many shopping booths throughout the square. 

We were simply strolling and enjoying the amazing Christmas decorations: a giant 40 foot Advent wreath is prominently displayed in the center of the square while the trees in the neighboring Rathauspark twinkle with festive lights!

The Christmas village on Maria-Theresien-Platz is nestled between the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Museum of Natural History. More than 60 stands offer traditional, handcrafted wares and original gift ideas. The romantic Christmas Village in the Old General Hospital (Altes AKH) is a popular meeting point during Advent, especially for a younger crowd.

Tradition is the order of the day at the Old Viennese Christmas Market at Freyung. There has been a Christmas market here ever since 1772. Nowadays the stands offer attractive handcrafted pieces, glass decorations, cribs and ceramics. Festive Advent Christmas music rings out on the square from 4 pm.

It was also a wonderful time spent at the cultural and Christmas market in the Ehrenhof at Schönbrunn Palace where offers of Christmas romance in front of an imperial backdrop. The atmospheric market shows traditional handicrafts, hand-made jewelry and rustic Christmas decorations. There is a diverse children's program and a crib exhibition. The Christmas market in front of the Belvedere is also held in an imperial ambience.

An alternative Christmas market on Karlsplatz is a more contemplative affair. You're sure to find a Christmas gift or two amongst the wide range of handicrafts on offer. There's also lots to discover in the idyllic little lanes at the Christmas market on Spittelberg.

Vienna Christmas Market

November 13-December 24, 2010

10 am-9.30 pm, Fri & Sat -10 pm

December 24: 10 am-6 pm

City Hall Square, 1st district  

www.christkindlmarkt.at 

Christmas Village on Maria-Theresien-Platz

November 17-December 24, 2010

11 am-9 pm

December 24: 11 am-3 pm

Maria Theresien-Platz, 1st district 

www.weihnachtsdorf.at

Christmas Village at the Belvedere Palace

November 19-December 23, 2010

11 am-9 pm

Prinz Eugen-Strasse 27, 3rd district 

www.weihnachtsdorf.at

Christmas Village at "Altes AKH" (Vienna's former General Hospital)

November 11-December 23, 2010

Mo-Fri 2 pm-10 pm

Sat & Sun 11 am-10 pm

Alserstr./Spitalgasse, Hof 1, 9th district

www.weihnachtsdorf.at

Old Viennese Christmas Market

November 19-December 23, 2010

10 am-9 pm

Freyung, 1st district

www.altwiener-markt.at

Culture and Christmas Market in front of Schönbrunn Palace

November 20-December 26, 2010

10 am-9 pm

December 24: 10 am-4 pm

December 25-26: 10 am-6 pm

New Year's market December 28-January 2:

daily 10 am-5 pm

Schönbrunn Palace, 13th district

www.weihnachtsmarkt.co.at

Christmas Market on Karlsplatz

19 November - 23 December 2010

daily from 12 noon - 8 pm

Karlsplatz, 1010 Vienna

www.divinaart.at

Christmas Market on Spittelberg

16 November - 23 December 2010

Mo-Th 3 pm - 9 pm, Fr 3 pm - 9:30 pm

Sa 10 am - 9:30 pm, Su 10 am - 9 pm

Spittelberggasse, Schrankgasse, Gutenberggasse, 1070 Vienna

www.spittelberg.at

Winter Market on Riesenradplatz

20 November 2010 - 2 January 2011

Mo-Fr 12 noon - 9 pm

Sa & Su 11 - 9 pm

www.praterservice.at

Christkindltours

Guided tours to Christmas Markets in Vienna

www.christkindltours.at

Christmas Tram - Budapest

[[zsoolt]]

If this tram passes you, you wouldn't miss it :) That's for sure because in Budapest, this tram really stands out.

Have a beautiful christmas wherever you are! :)

Country Imaging Video of Hungary

By 1st January 2011, Hungary will be taking over the rotating presidency of the European Union. Part of Hungary's strengthening of its country image includes the following video:

Yukako Furudate at BudapestZIN

Yukako Furudate, Tokyo, Japan

What makes Budapest special for you?
Yukako: I'm a violinist. It is the hungarian gypsy music:) I like and had played in restaurant or hotel lobbies. Some of the musicians are my friends:):) and sometimes, we will play together on stage or in restaurants when I am in Budapest. It's very exciting for me:)

What were your first impressions of Budapest?
Yukako: my first impressions of Budapest: beautiful, calm, tasty food, and good music!!!

Budapest vs Tokyo

Yukako: To compare both city, I must to say that Tokyo is a more modern city and there are many kinds of "everything". It is a very convenient city, but sometimes it makes us confused. On the other hand, Budapest is more compact, I think not as convenient as Tokyo, but there is a lot of heart warming things which most Japanese people had forgotten:(:( I love both cities!!but, I feel that depends on the condition, Budapest is better than Tokyo, because of their kind people.

If you are appointed to be the Mayor of Budapest?

Yukako: I think that the Hungarian gypsy music is one of the world's heritage in music. Many famous classical composers like Sarasate, Brahams, Liszt etc. had been influenced by Hungarian gypsy musicians especially so by solo violinist (prima). So, protection of the music or situation of working. 

Ferries to France

Ferienwohnungen Costa Brava

Planning a Memorable Christmas Itinerary - Budapest

How to plan a Memorable Christmas Itinerary in Budapest

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: Little.

How:

1.     Getting there: Conduct an online search for promotional offers or last minute deals. Whether you choose to travel to Budapest by rail, road, air or sea, there are so many different choices in the way to get there. As by train, by car, by plane or even by cruise, there are many Christmas deals and offers. You can find direct rail links between Budapest and 25 capital cities of Europe. Besides, there are more than 50 international scheduled trains arrived in Budapest daily. If you prefer to fly, there are flights by Malév Hungarian Airlines or WizzAir. Some of these even have great deals that include the hotels and accommodation that suits your style and demands.

2.     Budapest Christmas Fair and Christmas Markets is an authentic festive experience that encompass the traditional elements. Soak in the atmosphere, taste the Hungarian foodfare, drink hot mulled wine and if you enjoy shopping for special handmade gifts and folk crafts, there is a lot of shopping opportunities with quality assurance by Hungarian Society of Folk Arts. Several christmas markets to choose from: Vörösmaty tér, the Jokai tér, and the Liszt Ferenc tér. You are even recommended to check out all three of them.

3.     Learn how Hungarians prepare for Christmas in Budapest. See the christmas street lights on the Andrassy ut. Most shop-windows would have been adorned to entice christmas shoppers if you visit Budapest by end November.

4.     Have an excellent warm buffet-dinner while cruising on the Danube. Enjoy the live music on the Christmas Cruise.

5.     Stroll along the Danube River Bank, crossing the Danube River from Buda to Pest by the bridges and enjoy the wonderful city view at night.

6.     Sightseeing and create a personal photo journal with sights not to be missed: Fisherman's Bastion, Matthias Church, Parliament architecture, National Theatre, Margaret Island, Gresham Place, Chain Bridge, Gellert Hill, Elizabeth Bridge and Liberty Bridge.

7.     Christmas Opera and Operetta Concert.

8.     Exhibitions: The exhibition titled “Chopin in Paris – the workshop of the artist” is the digitalised travelling version of the exhibition by the Cité de la Musique and the Bibliothéque Nationale from Paris. If you are interested in lifework exhibition, János Megyik, whose works can be defined as on the border of painting, sculpture and architecture, focuses his art on modeling the structure of panel paintings is available until 30th of January 2011. LISZT AND THE PIANO WITH HUNGARIAN TELECOM, the thematic evenings of which, compiled around interesting themes and correlations, welcome lovers of piano music, but this event ends on 1st of December.

9.     Walking tours from Socio-cultural tours, to the Juice of the 8th District tour, Art Nouveau sightseeing tours, cave tour, Jewish heritage tour, religious heritage tour, Now and Then Roman or Turkish heritage tours.

10.  Thermal bath. Select from any of these medicinal thermal baths: Széchenyi Gyógyfürdő, Gellért Medicinal Spa and Swimming Pool, Rudas Baths, Lukács Gyógyfürdő, and Király Baths to name a few.

BudapestZIN wish you 
a wonderful Christmas in Budapest!

Ferries to France

Ferienwohnungen Costa Brava