English
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Español
ONLY BE BUDAPESTER
Only-Be Budapester
The Pálinka Festival
The annual springtime Pálinka Festival is the sister event of the Pálinka and Sausage Festival in the fall. As its name suggests, the festival celebrates the Hungarian spirit Pálinka. Each year at the beginning of May, Buda Castle opens up its Hunyadi Court to locals and tourists alike, and over four days, guests have the opportunity to sample a huge variety of excellent spirits and local delicacies. © jokotografy What is Pálinka? Pálinka is a potent local brandy made from all sorts of local fruits. Most commonly, pálinka is made from plums, apricots, pears and apples; however, just about any fruit can be used for pálinka, including raspberries, blackberries and quince. Many locals say that if it can be made into jam, it can be make into pálinka! As you’ll see at the 2013 Pálinka Festival, the Hungarians are proud of their pálinka. It’s considered a “noble drink”, though you’ll find a huge variety, ranging from humble homebrew to top-of-the-line spirits. Celebrating Prime Pálinka You’ll find pálinka at nearly every grocery and liquor store; however, the variety and quality you’ll find at the Pálinka Festival outshines anything you’d find on store shelves. Each of the major distilleries offers up the very best of their produce, and guests are welcome to sample the amazing range of flavors. Along with the major distilleries like 895 Hunnium, Árpád és Vadász Pálinkák, Békési Pálinkaház, Bezerics, and Brill Pálinkaház, you’ll find a whole host of smaller, family-run operations. These small, independent distilleries sometimes offer up the most innovative, creative new flavors, so don’t spend all your time at the big booths. The little mom-and-pop shops...
Ice Hockey World Championship in Budapest
In the month of April, the city of Budapest will host the Ice Hockey World Championship, during which the best teams from six selected countries in Division I, Group A, will compete. Teams from Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Italy and Kazakhstan will play their matches in the Hungarian capital’s Sportarena while seeking to attain the top placing in their group and, of course, the title of World Champions. Games will be held from April 14 to 20. The 6 teams will play a total of 15 games, which are divided up between those seven days, so that the teams will play each other once. On April 14, the championship will begin with a match between the national teams of Japan and Kazakhstan at 12:30 pm local time. The following match brings together the teams of Korea and Italy at 4 pm. And to end the first day, the hosts will face Britain at 7:30 pm. These game times will be repeated over the following days, until the April 20, at 7:30 pm, for the final game, in which Hungary and Japan will face off and wrap up this competition on Hungarian soil. The Sportarena pavilion in Budapest has welcomed this and other sporting events since its construction in 2001. Ice hockey has always been one of the most popular sports played at the venue, which is due to the Hungarian’s love for this sport. The Sportarena has also hoted a number of other world championships, including those for wrestling, handball and tennis. They are easily able to match the characteristics of the pavillion to the needs of...
Winter Excursions in Budapest
Budapest has a unique appeal that distinguishes it from other cities in central Europe. Of course, this is partly due to the beautiful Danube River which crosses the city and lends the Hungarian capital connotations of elegance, romance and tradition. One would need a lot of space to write about all the stories, songs and myths involving this famous river. Since it can get quite cold in Budapest in the winter, parts of the river may even freeze. If you’re lucky, the city might be transformed into a snow-white streetscape or just receive a light dusting, which makes it an even more fantastic to explore, discover and take pictures. Budapest also has the distinction of being a relatively flat city. This means you can walk from one end to the other without the slightest inconvenience or getting fatigued. Of course, the city’s subway and public transport system is also very efficient. However, if you prefer to walk, this city’s structure makes that possible. Just make sure you’ve dressed properly for cold weather. Normafa The areas around Budapest also provide a lot of options for those interested in snow, skiing and hiking. Both locals and visitors come out to Normafa mountain near Budapest when it has snowed. It’s easy and safe to reach this mountain using public transport. Whether using skis, sleds, or special shoes for hiking in snow, you´ll love going up and down this mountain. And the scenery around is beautiful and romantic. Visegrád Visegrád is another important location near Budapest. This area is frequented by many students when school is in session, and it offers visitors a...
‘Wine & Music’ Gala in Budapest
That music and wine are a great combination to enliven the senses is something that people in Budapest know well. So every December 30 the Hungarian capital is decked out to see the year leave with a unique event on the banks of the Danube, where the rich musical tradition of Hungary, with its Gypsies nuances, joins big classical composers like Strauss or Brahms, accompanied by the best wines. The origin of what has already become a tradition in Budapest is found in 1985, the year in which the great dynasties of Hungarian musicians decide to form a band, dubbed Hundred Member Gipsy Orchestra hoping to create a place of continuous training that involved national young talents, and contribute to preserving the musical heritage of the country. The culmination of this ambitious project comes with a Christmas concert in the elegant and idyllic Budapest Convention Centre. In this edition, the doors open at 18pm and the event begins with a wine tasting at 18:15 pm, where you will have chance to meet the best winemakers in the country and enjoy a traditional dance show. But if you want to feel like a true member of the nobility, choose the option that includes a gala dinner during the concert. The menu Appetizers: Ham with roquefort cream and walnuts, pears with saffron and white wine, blue cheese mousse and red onion jelly. First Course consommé with quail egg and ham profiteroles. Second Course: Pork tenderloin steak with French fries and green beans wrapped in bacon. Dessert: Irish coffee nougat mousse with cinnamon and peanut. Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon Hajósi 2006 Kunsági white...
3 sports that will never be olympic sports
We all know that for many years, many sportsmen have strived, even made a huge effort, so that their favourite sport becomes an olympic sport. Some have achieved it, others haven´t. Actually, it´s surprising that some of them haven´t made it (Kick boxing, for example, taking into account that judo is and, the way I see it, there´s not that much difference between them) and others haven´t made it yet, such as golf, which isn´t in London this summer but will be in Rio in 2016. Others have actually managed it but have later been eliminated and the IOC have told them to go and play it somewhere else, such as baseball, and others… well, the truth is that they will never make it because if they are considered sports, so should watching the Olympics from the sofa or eating paellas on a Sunday. Let´s see: It´s called bog snorkeling, something like snorkeling in a lake full of crap. You may think that I´m joking but this sport is practiced in Wales, where they have been organizing world championships every summer since 1985, with people from all over the world taking part, including your country. It has rules, like every sport, although in this sport they aren´t to swim like you swim in normal swimming. Hashing is the official name, but if it was a Spanish film it would be called ´run while you get drunk´. This ´sport´ has its origins in Kuala Lumpur and, you won´t believe this, began due to boredom and people wanting to have fun. Of course, there´s always the killjoy who makes a big deal out...
The Day of St. Stephen in Budapest
This is the day that Hungarians celebrate the founding of their country by Stephen I, the man who in the early eleventh century brought together all the Magyar tribes under one nation, becoming the first king ofHungary. After his death, he was canonized onAugust 20, 1083, becoming known as St. Stephen. During this holiday a multitude of activities take place across the country, although the most popular one are in the capital, Budapest, where besides the usual political celebrations a wide range of activities designed for the whole family are held, including an amazing fireworks display on the banks of the river Danube at night. The celebrations start every year around8.30 amwith the hoisting of the flag in front of the Hungarian Parliament and continue through the night with all kinds of activities, including traditional dance, craft markets or the Court of St. Stephen, a historic courtyard popular with families, which takes place inKossuth Squarefrom11 amto9 pm. Here children can learn how the ancient Hungarians made their tents or how they made their bows. Furthermore, this day also marks the Red Bull Air Race, an air show featuring several famous pilots, including Hungarian Peter Bessenyei. They use their amazing skills to maneuver through the air and under the bridges of theDanuberiver at breakneck speeds, making this show one of the day’s most exciting. But for those who prefer grounded vehicles there is also the Wheel Festival, another spectacular show takes place onAndrássy Avenuebetween 2 and6 pm. It includes an extensive bicycle-related program, including, for example, a trial competition for professionals as well as amateurs. Attendees also have the opportunity...ACB Gallery Budapest
The ACB Gallery in Budapest manages young Hungarian artists and, with an ambitious plan, tries to internationalize Hungarian art.
Budapest Spring Festival
During three weeks, the last fortnight in March and the first week in April, Budapest enjoys this festival of music, theatre, exhibitions and dance. Unmissable.
Bike Rental Budapest
Bike Rental in Budapest is a bicycle rental company that also organizes guided tours to Vienna.
Corvinteto Club Budapest
Located in the basement of a department store, it´s one of Budapest´s nightlife references.
