Budapest: The Splendour of New Year's Eve

Discovering music-loving Budapest and Hungarian classical music. In the footsteps of the pianist and composer of genius, Ferenc Liszt... Thanks to his works, including the famous Rhapsodies, this musician with a Hungarian heart and a European spirit brought the Hungarian musical heritage of the 19th century into the universal heritage and was, like Chopin, one of the precursors of impressionism...

Hungarian classical music is characterised by its particularity, like the Magyar language. It draws its inspiration from the soldiers' recruiting dances (verbunkos and csárdás), played primarily by gypsy orchestras. Hence the confusion with gypsy music! These dances incorporate specifically Hungarian rhythms and motifs that great composers such as Joseph Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart and Brahms introduced into their works. Berlioz's Rákóczi March is certainly the best known example. The development of Hungarian art music is linked to the names of Franz Liszt, who captivated the whole of Europe with his exceptional pianistic skills, and Ferenc Erkel, composer of national operas. At the beginning of the 20th century, Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók were the two great figures who enabled the synthesis of post-Romantic and modern music with the world of folk songs and local musical traditions.

In addition to this, we recommend a visit to the Museum of Music History, the Franz Liszt Memorial Centre and the Béla Bartók Memorial House.

Budapest and its turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau buildings.

The Hungarian Secession is an Art Nouveau movement whose rise is closely linked to the works of Ödön Lechner, the Hungarian Gaudi. His aim was to create a specifically national style that combined traditional Art Nouveau motifs and forms with oriental elements. His followers drew their inspiration from traditional folk motifs, especially from Transylvania. The first signs of modernism appeared in the early 1910s in the work of Béla Lajta.

Art Nouveau spread to all the major cities of the former Transylvania. Budapest is without doubt the city where the imprint of the architects of the Secession is most palpable. It is also part of the Art Nouveau Network, which aims to preserve and promote the Art Nouveau heritage of major European cities.

• A tour of the city in the footsteps of the Hungarian Gaudi and Budapest Art Nouveau...

• Discovery of the architectural diversity of turn-of-the-century Budapest (19th-20th centuries): romanticism, historicism and eclecticism

• Walk in Pest and Buda to admire the Art Nouveau jewels of the Hungarian capital: Freedom Square, Széchenyi Square, Váci utca Street, Gellért Baths...

The Hungarian capital has long been divided between several cities, and has retained its multiple faces from its past. We invite you to visit the right bank of the Danube. This guided tour takes us to Buda, the historic seat of the royalty, an aristocratic city with a German influence that opens up to the surrounding hills and the West...

Cidatelle - At the top of Mount Gellért, overlooking the Danube, the citadel offers a magnificent view of the whole city, the river banks and the castle district, which has been a World Heritage Site since 1987: the surest way to discover the topography and soul of Budapest...

• Gellért Baths - This beautiful eclectic Art Nouveau building built during the First World War tells us about the vicissitudes of Hungarian history in the 20th century... It is also an opportunity to discover the bathing culture of Budapest.

• Buda - We go to the Castle district where we discover a gothic, baroque and eclectic Buda. Stroll from the Place d'Honneur to the Trinity Square to admire the Mátyás Church and the Fishermen's Bastion...

• And why not finish off with a sweet treat in one of the capital's best historical pastry shops?

Unusual tour of Budapest to get off the beaten track in the company of people who are passionate about the city and its culture!

This walk around an unusual Budapest will allow you to discover the hidden corners, the little secrets of the Hungarian capital, and to familiarise yourself with the Hungarikum. This label brings together emblematic figures, creations and exceptional products that are ambassadors of Magyar culture and know-how.

This walk is also an opportunity to discuss the daily life and recent history of Hungarians.

Historical tour in the heart of Pest and in what was one of the last ghettos of the Second World War. Between memory, religion, festive life and street art, discover the Jewish quarter of Budapest beyond the facades!

The Nazi occupation of the city began in March 1944. The ghetto contained several streets of the old Jewish quarter around the great synagogue. Surrounded by high ramparts guarded to prevent smuggling or escape, it was maintained for less than three months. More than half of the Jews parked there perished in the concentration camps. Between the occupation of the city and its liberation in January 1945, the Jewish population of Budapest shrank from 200,000 to 70,000.

For a more in-depth visit, we recommend a visit to the Holocaust Memorial Centre or to the Shoes on the Danube.

• Visit the Dohány Street Synagogue (exterior) and its surroundings. It is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world. The neo-Moorish style synagogue is also distinguished by the Christian elements of its architecture. Guaranteed tours in French are provided every day except Saturdays and certain public and religious holidays.

• Visit the Kazinczy Street Synagogue, a masterpiece of Art Nouveau and the centre of Orthodox Judaism in Budapest.

• Stroll through what is currently the capital's party district, but where traces of the past are present at every corner...

This immersive tour of Budapest takes you on a discovery of the capital's 8th district, known as Józsefváros, named after Emperor Joseph II, the ‘Nyolcker’ is a central district rich in culture, history and diversity. Once associated with a more modest reputation as a former working-class and industrial district home to a large Roma community, this part of the city has undergone significant revitalisation in recent years.  Marked by architecture ranging from Baroque to neo-classical and Art Nouveau.

You'll discover an abandoned, hidden church; building facades steeped in history; the ‘Mátyás Academy’ where apprentice musicians came to train; a typical pastry shop and a local market.