Social Events and Optional Programs
26th October, Wednesday – Hello Baby Bar (1062 Budapest, Andrássy út 52.)
19.00 – 20.00: First time attendees’ reception
20.00 – 21.00: Welcome Reception
21.00 – 23.00: Holland House event powered by the Dutch Hotel Schools
Metropolitan atmosphere, unique design and trendiness: the most important features of Hello Baby, the city center’s bar and club. The artworks projected on the wall, the fashionable music styles and the place’s vibrancy will make you feel like in the middle of the world! Discover this utterly original bar located in the interior yard of a typical Budapest building, at Andrássy Avenue.
27th October, Thursday – Bordó Bisztró (1065 Budapest, Nagymező utca 3.)
19.00 – 22.00 Buffet dinner followed by a ’Ruin pub’ Tour (Optional – see description below)
Bordó Bisztró, a new winebar-bistro hybrid, opened up its hundred-year old doors for the trendsetter public in the end of October 2013. The interior is simple yet classy: the vivid burgundy floor is the same age as the building (which acted as a printing house in the first half of the last century), everything else is concrete gray. The antique feel is balanced by the overall minimalistic design and the contemporary menu, which features such bistro-favourites as hamburgers and Asian dishes. The top floor of Bordó Bisztró houses various Hungarian wines, making sure that everyone finds one to their liking.
28th October, Friday – Gellért Thermal Bath (1118 Budapest, Kelenhegyi út 4.)
19.00-22.30 Gala dinner and award ceremony
Budapest is called the Spa Capital of the World for good reason. The world-wide known spa, Gellért Thermal Bath was built in the very beginning of the last century in Art Nouveau style, but the medicinal spring was already famed in the 13th century. The spa is decorated with a wealth of original Art Nouveau furnishings, artistic mosaics, stained glass windows and sculptures. The gala dinner and the award ceremony will take place in the prestigious and elegant aula of the bath.
Optional post-convention activities
’Ruin pub’ Tour – 28 €/person
after dinner on the 27th October, Thursday
The ’Ruin pub’ tour is a sightseeing tour with some light pub-crawling.
Budapest ruin pubs started only a decade ago in a historically incredibly interesting district, the Jewish Quarter: bars and cultural centres opened in partially ruined buildings and courtyards. After a few years, they had an official name: ruin pubs. After ten years they have become an ultimate highlight in Budapest. This tour is an authentic experience that only comes if you know a local. We let you know the backstory of this incredibly interesting district with its former inhabitants and why it constituted a perfect location and setting for the flourishing of the Budapest nighlife and alternative arts scene. We visit the really legendary ruin pubs and those tourists have never even heard of. You will see how students, young moms, hard workers, and older generation enjoy together the music, drinking ‘fröccs’ or ‘pálinka’ at tables under the walls, which are full of photos of young artists…
Do as Budapesters do! City discovery in the way the locals live it – 28 €/person
29th October, Saturday
It is not a sightseeing tour, there is no umbrella to follow or bus to hop on. It is simply you and a new city that you’ll discover. Don’t only see, but get to know, understand and do live it …just as the locals do. Do as Budapetsters do and unwind over a strong coffee and a sweet cake in an old, cozy café; have a “fröccs” on a terrace that was used in the ’60s, go around the smallest designer shops, hunt up the flea markets for local souvenirs, discover the architecture and colourful culture that previous centuries left here, enjoy the open air music terraces, the ruin bars and the restos …go where the locals go.
The warm hospitality of the people, the excellent food and wine, the ultimate spa and wellness culture, the never ending parties, the vivid cultural life and the rich museums all attract millions of visitors every year.
Art Nouveau Lifestyle tour – 28 €/person
29th October, Saturday
Who ever thought Art Nouveau is only about buildings? Come and experience the coffee house culture of our symbolist poets, the enchanting world of cabaret and burlesque from the turn of the century, witness the presence of Art Nouveau in a wide spectrum of artworks.
If you are interested in how Hungarians were spending their free time after a long day, you have to join this Art Nouveau Lifestyle tour. The guide will let you into the secrets of local’s past showing you around the old bohemian quarter. You will see where our big actors, actresses and artists met each other and had fun in secret places. The group is going to pass by the most important places like the Párizsi Department Store on Andrassy Boulevard, the Nagymező Street (Pesti Broadway), there the Thalia Theater and the amazing Mai Mano House (House of Hungarian Photographie), and the historical Hajós Street right next to our fascinating State Opera House. You can also adore and take a photo with our tiny yellow Millenium Subway, which was built for preserving the silence for the aristocratic families living on Andrassy Boulevard….
Danube River Cruise – 13 €/person
29th October, Saturday
Visit Budapest’s first UNESCO’s heritage! During the tour you can enjoy the most beautiful panorama of Budapest. Our boat departs from the 15th March Square (dock No 10) and as we sail past the Danube promenade you can see the Buda Castle and the newly renovated Castle Bazaar. We then sail under the Chain bridge to take a look at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and shortly you can take fantastic photos of the Parliament! After we sailed around Margaret Island we see the Bem riverbank and Clark Adam Square. It’s an unmissable experience!
- 1 h 10 m long daytime sightseeing cruise
- 30-language audio-guide
- 1 glass of drink – choice of champagne, wine, beer, soft drinks, mineral water
- 1 glass of “Duna Bella” lemonade
- Free wifi on board
- optional 1 hour 30 minutes free time on Margaret Island
Jewish Heritage Walking Tour – 25 €/person
28th October, Friday
Travel through Budapest’s historic Jewish Quarter on a walking tour and learn about the community that remains active there today. See the Dohány street Synagogue, the Kazinczy Street Synagogue, Raul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park, the Jewish Museum and more, as your guide discusses in-depth the Jewish heritage behind the streets that you pass. During the 2-hour route, you’ll hear about the community’s past and the important role that the Jewish culture plays in contemporary Hungarian society.
