Hungary 3-Days Trip last part; Afternoon stroll in Szentendre

3-Days tour to quickly sight-see the best marvels of Hungary

June 20-22, 2015

Hungary 3-Days Trip 5th part; Morning visit to Eger

How to Go to Szentendre;

From Budapest, ride suburban railway line 5 from Batthany station. Travel time is around 40mins. Photography and video taking is permitted.

Szentendre is not on the state railway lines. The only train connection is the HÉV, Budapest's suburban railway. This charming little town, whose name means "Saint Andrew", is known for its well-preserved houses and churches. Today the town's best-known inhabitants are artists and small galleries that can be found on every street corner.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Szentendre

Hungary 3-Days Trip; afternoon stroll in Szentendre

Hungary 3-Days Trip 5th part; Morning visit to Eger

3-Days tour to quickly sight-see the best marvels of Hungary

June 20-22, 2015

Hungary 3-Days Trip 4th part; inside the Caves of Aggtelek National Park

How to Go to Eger;

There is a daily every hour train departure from Budapest Keleti. Travel time is almost 2 hours. Photography and video taking is permitted. 

Eger is mainly known for its castle, thermal baths, historic buildings (including the northernmost Turkish minaret) and, above all else, the best Hungarian red wines. When you plan your trip, it looks like a small town for which half a day is more than enough, but 3 days may not even be enough to enjoy it fully, even in the winter.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Eger

Hungary 3-Days Trip; short visit to Eger (Center town)

Hungary 3-Days Trip 4th part; inside the Caves of Aggtelek National Park

3-Days tour to quickly sight-see the best marvels of Hungary

June 20-22, 2015

Hungary 3-Days Trip 3rd part; Budapest City Walk

How to Go to Aggtelek National Park;
Please see the following table on my actual transportation from Budapest to Aggtelek Caves. Eventhough I went to the earliest departure going to Jósvafő-Aggtelek train station, the bus timings going to Aggtelek caves was disappointing, I just waited for more than 2 hours for that. Entrance fee is 1,800 HUF on a guided tour with specified times. Photography and video taking is allowed but tripod and flash is prohibited.

0530H		ETD Hostel			breakfast, bound to train station		1,800huf
0630H		ETD Budapest-Keleti			platform 5; 3h48m; IC 182	train	booked
0827H		ETA Miskolc-Tiszai			patform 9; 41m transfer
0908H		ETD Miskolc-Tiszai			1h10m; G43 35422	train	booked
1018H		ETA Jósvafő-Aggtelek			standby mode for 2 hrs
1225H		ETD Jósvafő-Aggtelek			bound to Aggtelek Cave	bus	370huf
1300H		Aggtelek National Park			(scheduled tour)		1,800huf
1415H		Aggtelek tour finished			souvenir magnet		750huf
1430H		ETD Aggtelek			bound to Jósvafő-Aggtelek	bus	370huf
1510H		ETA Jósvafő-Aggtelek			28m transfer
1538H		ETD Jósvafő-Aggtelek			1h18m; 35413	train	booked
1656H		ETA Miskolc-Tiszai			34m transfer
1730H		ETD Miskolc-Tiszai			2h; SZINVA IC 503	train	booked
1930H		ETA Budapest-Keleti			dinner

The more than 20,000ha area of the Aggtelek Karst rich in natural values on surface and underground was declared to be a landscape protected area in 1978, than it became a national park in 1985. There are about 300 caves in the relatively small area of Aggtelek National Park. In 1995 all the caves of the Aggtelek Karst as well as the Slovak Karst were entitled as World Heritage Sites. The longest cave of the Karst as well as Hungary is the Badala Cave System that has been strictly protected since 1982. 

Total length of the cave system is 25.5km. Tour length is about 1hr with temperature of around +10'C. The cave is strictly protected, touching of dripstones, throwing away litter and smoking is prohibited. Leaving the group tour and walking alone is prohibited.

Hungary 3-Days Trip; inside the Caves of Aggtelek National Park

Hungary 3-Days Trip 3rd part; Budapest City Walk

3-Days tour to quickly sight-see the best marvels of Hungary

June 20-22, 2015

Hungary 3-Days Trip 2nd part; above the St. Stephen's Basilica

I roam the city through self-guided walk accompanied by a downloaded map online starting from the hostel where I booked-in (All Central Hostel). I passed-by the Pest area first through St. Stephen Basilica, Shoes of Danube, Parliament Building to Chain Bridge going to the Buda hill for Buda Castle, Matthias Church, Fisherman's Bastion and how locals and other tourists hassles on the streets. Photography and video taking is allowed.

Budapest is divided into two parts by the Danube river. The hilly Buda is situated on the west side and the flat Pest on the east side. Busa is the older part of town and awaits you with fascinating history and such majestic sites as the Buda castle, Matthias Church, Fisherman's Bastion and the Gellert Bath. For going out and for shopping it is better to stay in Pest which is famous for its exciting ruin pubs, food markets and fantastic cafe's. Once in Pest don't miss the Parliament, the Basilica, the Heroes Square and the Dohany Street Synagogue.

Hungary 3-Days Trip; Budapest City Walk (Parliament Building at night)

Hungary 3-Days Trip 2nd part; above the St. Stephen's Basilica

3-Days tour to quickly sight-see the best marvels of Hungary

June 20-22, 2015

Hungary 3-Days Trip 1st part; Overnight Train from Bucharest to Budapest 

How to Go to St. Stephen Basilica;
St. Stephen Basilica is located around 3km away from the Budapest International Train Station Eastern (Keleti). Entrance to the church is free but there is a donation box standing-by infront of the door. Panorama tower has an entrance fee of 500 HUF. Photography and Video takingis allowed on the tower.

St. Stephen's Basilica is a Roman Catholic basilica in Budapest, Hungary. It is named in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (975–1038), whose supposed right hand is housed in the reliquary. It was the sixth largest church building in Hungary before 1920. Today, it is the third largest church building in present-day Hungary.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Stephen%27s_Basilica

Hungary 3-Days Trip; above the St. Stephen's Basilica

Hungary 3-Days Trip 1st part; Overnight Train from Bucharest to Budapest

3-Days tour to quickly sight-see the best marvels of Hungary

June 20-22, 2015

Romania 3-Days Trip last part; inside Count Dracula's Bran Castle

timezone - +0200H UTC (summer time);   capital - Budapest;   language - Hungarian
currency - Forint; 1 EUR = 300 HUF
visa - included in Schengen Agreement, Filipino's are required to apply 1st before travel

Hungary is a country in Central Europe, member of the European Union and the Schengen Border-less Europe Agreement. Top this off with Hungary's great accessibility in the middle of Europe, a vivid culture and economy, and you get a destination absolutely not worth missing if you're in the region. Hungary is one of the 15 most popular tourist destinations in the world, with a capital regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Hungary

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HUNGARY (",)
1. Hungary is one of the oldest countries in Europe. It was founded in 896, before France and Germany became separate entities, and before the unification of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
2. Hungarian inventions include the noiseless match (János Irinyi), Rubik's cube (Erno Rubik), the ballpoint pen (László Bíró) and the krypton electric bulb (Imre Bródy).
3. As of 2013, hungary ranks 8th among the olympic medals received at all time
4. Hungarian is officially among the most difficult language to be learnt and spoken. This has been certified by the British Foreign Office survey.

Hungary 3-Days Trip; Overnight Train from Bucharest to Budapest

23 Days Solo Summer Adventures in Central, Southern and Northern Europe

Germany - Liechtenstein - Slovenia - Croatia - Serbia - Bulgaria - Romania - Hungary - Slovakia - Poland - Lithuania - Estonia - Latvia - Denmark
June 10 to July 02, 2015

23 Days Solo Autumn Experience in Central Europe (Oct. 2013)

"Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I have really worked, is mine." - Nikola Tesla

Schengen Area guarantees free movement within territory of 26 countries. As of 19th of December 2011, Schengen Area consist of 26 countries (of which 22 are EU states): Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland and Sweden along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Being part of the area without controls at internal borders means that these countries no longer carry-out border checks at their internal borders and have stepped-up controls which must meet clearly defined criteria, at the external borders.

As of January 2015, valid Schengen Visa holders regardless of nationality can transit/visit European countries of (1)Albania, (2)Bosnia and Herzegovina, (3)Bulgaria, (4)Croatia, (5)Macedonia, (6)Montenegro, (7)Romania and (8)Serbia. Some of this countries provide maximum 15-days stay in any period given in the Schengen Visa duration.

My 3rd time to visit the European continent (1st visit was last October 2013 and 2nd visit was last June 2014), 43rd solo backpacking trip, total of 55 countries visited so far and of course, usual budget do-it-yourself itinerary from arrival to departure.

3rd Solo Trip in Europe fridge magnet collections