Christmas In Budapest

Story and Photography by Judy Crowell

Additional photography courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace

The Chain Bridge and

The Royal Palace

udapest is really two cities in one, with the

Danube River as its main street. Pest, on the
eastern flatlands, is the commercial, financial
and governmental center. Buda, to the hilly
west, with cobble-stoned streets, medieval castles and
churches and healing baths, is the historical center.
Situated on the flat, Pest side of the Danube, with a
commanding view of the Chain Bridge and sprawling
Royal Palace on the hilly, Buda side, sits the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace, an Art Nouveau gem built
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in 1904 and restored in 2004 thanks to a unique team

of highly trained masters. Today it is a crown jewel of
Budapest, offering unparalleled luxury, service and convenience of location to international visitors, many arriving via river boats such as Uniworlds beautiful River
Beatrice docked nearby on the banks of the Danube.
Every year from the end of November until Christmas Eve, over 600,000 people attend the outdoor
Christmas Market which takes place in the center of
Budapest at Vorosmarty Square. Hungarian gift items

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Deryne
Restaurant

Four Seasons Hotel

Gresham Palace

Beautiful stained glass

windows in hotel

Hotel Lobby

combine with gastronomic delights such as roasted chestnuts,

Hungarian pizza (toki pompos),
strudels and sausages of every size
and shape. All washed down with
the favorite winter drink, hot
mulled wine (forralt bor).
Musical events, puppet shows,
dance programs and Santa Claus
add to the festivities. The days
of Advent are celebrated every
evening at 5 when colorful pieces
of contemporary art are revealed
behind the windows of Gerbeaud
Confectionery. All to the chimes
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The Parliament
along the Danube

Central Market Hall

(Vasarcsarnok)

Suburbia with
Spanish Moss

Gundel
Restaurant

Falconry

Traditional
Hungarian dolls

Sausages on
Vorosmarty Square

Mulled wine

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The Budapest
Christmas Market

of the glockenspiel music of concert

pianist Szilvia Karaszy and the brilliance of a light show.
Elegant and casual dining
abound on both sides of the Danube. Gresham Kavehaz, modeled
on the legendary caf frequented
by Budapests intelligentsia offers
Hungarian and Mediterranean fare.
Be sure to save room wherever you
go for the traditional coffee, tea,
hot chocolate and legendary pastries. Rezkakas for sophisticated
dining and virtuoso gypsy music.
For over 108 years, Gundel has
pleased the tastes of such dignitaries as Queen Elizabeth and Pope

John Paul 11. Master works from

Hungarian painters and a lovely
garden setting add to the ambience.
For casual Hungarian flavors and
to run into locals, try 21 Hungarian Kitchen. I loved the eclectic,
bistro feel of Deryne and breakfast
at Gerloczy is a must.
Important sites include the magnificent Neo-Gothic Parliament, St.
Stephens Basilica, the Hungarian
State Opera House, Heros Square,
the massive Royal Palace home to
the National Gallery, the Budapest
History Museum and the Museum
of Contemporary Art, Matthias
Church, Fishermans Bastion, the

Gellert Baths and the grand structure of the Central Market Hall
(Vasarcsarnok), a bustling place full
of history and local flavor where
food counters and souvenir shops
are scattered amongst produce, fish
and meat stalls.
You could easily spend a day in
any of these placesand youve
barely made a dent in the magic
of Budapest. Grab a mug of
mulled cider, a forralt bor. Forge
onward and upward and have a
Merry Christmas, a Kellemes
Karacsonyi Unnepeket!

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