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YOUR journey
J² crafts journeys of inspiration, education, and Jewish connections to Israel and worldwide. We are guided by a simple but powerful concept: No two trips are the same; each experience should be personal, meaningful, and backed by superb service. Travel is not just about the places you visit, but the connections you make along the way.
IMPORTANT Please register for the post-trip after registering for the main-trip.
Art & Culture 
Heritage 
Food & Wine 
Current Affairs 
Local Specialists
Program Itinerary
DAY 1
FROM PRAGUE TO BUDAPEST
Thu. Nov 21, 2024
- Check out of the hotel.
- Transfer to the Prague Train Station.
- Enjoy the beautiful views as you embark on a comfortable train ride to Budapest.
- Arrive in Budapest and welcome by your local guide.
- Drive to the top of Castle Hill, an ideal and spectacular spot to get your Budapest bearings. We’ll look down on the beauty of the city and see how the Danube river separates the hilly Buda area from the flat lands of Pest. Castle Hill, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is named after Buda Castle, which was built in the 13th century and now hosts the Hungarian National Gallery and other major cultural institutions. We’ll wander Castle Hill’s cobblestoned streets and appreciate the remarkable rebuilding of this area, which was reduced to rubble after World War Two.
- Enjoy the panoramic views of Budapest from the top of the Fisherman’s Bastion.
- Check into the hotel.
- Evening option:
Attend a live performance at the Hungarian State Opera House, one of the world’s great homes of music. Built in 1875 by Emperor Franz Joseph I, when the Austria-Hungary Empire was at its political and cultural peak, it is one of the architectural masterpieces of Budapest and served as home to maestros like Franz Liszt and Gustav Mahler.
Overnight: Budapest
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 2
JEWISH LIFE IN BUDAPEST
Fri. Nov 22, 2024
- Take a bus tour along stylish Andrassy Avenue with its palaces and mansions. Home in the 19th century to aristocrats and bankers, it is now also a chic street of designer stores, upscale boutiques, and the glorious State Opera House. We’ll jump off the bus at Heroes’ Square to see the iconic statues commemorating one thousand years of Magyar (Hungarian) tribes, leaders, and kings.
- Explore the story of Jewish Budapest over the past 160 years:
- The Dohany Street Synagogue.
- The Jewish Museum.
- The Raoul Wallenberg Memorial Park.
- Visit the newly renovated Rumbach Synagogue.
- Meet young Budapest Jewish leaders and activists to talk about the issues that most concern them and hear what factors they believe will shape the future of Hungarian Jewry.
- Return to the hotel with time to refresh and prepare for Shabbat.
- Who are the Neologs and How Do they Fit Into the Jewish World? We'll talk with Rabbi Tamas Vero and his wife Linda Vero-Ban at the Frankel Synagogue. Find out whether Hungary’s main Jewish stream is closer to Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox Judaism and discuss what led Hungarian Jews to embrace this movement. We’ll also explore why Frankel Synagogue is enjoying a new surge in popularity.
- Kabbalat Shabbat services at the Frankel Synagogue.
- Shabbat dinner at a local restaurant with members of the local community
Overnight: Budapest
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
DAY 3
SHABBAT IN BUDAPEST
Sat. Nov 23, 2024
- Is Hungary turning its back on democracy and returning to authoritarianism? Find out during this presentation by Gabor Gyori, senior political analyst at the Hungarian thinktank Policy Solutions. We’ll also hear how the rise of Christian nationalist politicians, such as Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister and a proponent of “illiberal democracy,” affects Hungary’s Jews, the country and, indeed, Europe.
- Walking tour of Budapest:
- Enjoy the lawns, walkways, and architecture of Liberty Square. We’ll also see that the square provides important insights into the transformations and turmoil of recent Hungarian history and politics.
- Walk by the Hungarian Parliament.
- See The Shoes on the Danube, a moving, sparse memorial to honor the Jews who were massacred by Fascist Hungarian militia belonging to the Arrow Cross Party in Budapest during the Second World War.
- Afternoon at leisure to explore the sites and scenes of Budapest on your own, including:
- The Széchenyi Bathhouse and the Gellert Bathhouse. Get good and relaxed as you bathe in the city’s famous mineral-rich waters.
- Fashionable Vaci Street. Voted one of the world’s best pedestrian streets, it combines elegant architecture and public art with a huge number of restaurants, boutiques, and cafés.
- Margaret Island, a green oasis in the middle of the Danube. This lovely park has gardens, historic sites, and attractions, including a water park and swimming complexes.
- City Park (Varosliget) is another great open space. It is a square kilometer of green and gardens as well as museums, galleries, a zoo, a circus, and Vajdahunyad Castle. The lake is another local favorite, especially with rowers in the summer and ice skaters in the winter.
- The Nagycsarnok (Great Market Hall), Budapest’s largest food market. Local foods, spices, and wines are downstairs, while upstairs you’ll find traditional Hungarian costumes and crafts.
- The Blue Danube: Enjoy the beauty of Budapest on a farewell dinner cruise on the Danube.
- Havdallah on the boat.
Overnight: Budapest
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
DAY 4
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
Sun. Nov 24, 2024
- Check out of the hotel.
- Departure flight to the USA, arriving the same day.
RATES & LODGING
participants
25+
Cost p/p in double room
$1,875
Cost p/p in single room
$2,050
Cost of accommodations for pre & post nights including breakfast and all taxes:
-BUDAPEST: HOTEL NEMZETI - MGALLERY $190,- per night per double occupancy room, $175,- per night per single occupancy room.
*All rates are subject to availability. Registration open
Budapest: Hotel Nemzeti - MGallery
- Nights: 3
- Room Category: Classic
- Hotel Website
What to expect
- 3 nights' accommodations.
- 3 days of touring with a tour educator and local guide, in a luxury, air-conditioned bus.
- 1 Group train ticket from Prague to Budapest.
- Daily breakfast & 2 dinners.
- The J² adventures App available on the App Store & on Google Play (active 7 days before your departure and throughout your trip).
- Porterage at the hotels.
- All site entrance fees & program fees as per your final program.
- Credit card fees.
- Transatlantic flights from Hungary.
- Gratuities are excluded. For groups of 20 and more participants traveling to Central Europe: We recommend the following guidelines for tipping (amounts are in US dollars): Jewish Tour Educator: $12 | Local Guide: $10 | Driver: $5. Amounts are per day per person.
- Hungarian State Opera House tickets on day 1.
- Departure transfer to the airport.
- COVID related expenses, including tests.
- Evening transportation when dinner is not included.
- Amendments to the program: In the event that any sites, programs or meals etc. are added to the program, an additional fee may be required.
- Personal extras: Items of personal nature such as laundry, wines, mineral water, beverages, coffee, tea, food other than the table d’hotel menu, passport and visa fees, insurance, and foreign port taxes, unless otherwise specified.
- US and foreign airport taxes, Q fuel surcharge and border taxes when applicable.
- Please review our terms & conditions (T&C’s) or request that we send you our full T&C’s. Until you do that, here is the small print, and other stuff you may want to know:
- Validity | All prices quoted are based on exchange rates as of the proposal date and are subject to change without notice. Rates are per person and are based on shared twin room occupancy.
- How to Make a Reservation | The quickest way to make a reservation is to register online or contact us by email. We accept VISA, MasterCard, and American Express credit cards. A non-refundable deposit is required in order to complete the registration process.
- For any assistance with this registration process or other trip-related queries, please email Customer Care: customercare@j2adventures.com.
- Payments | The balance of your payment is due 90 days before your trip begins, or as specified in your invoice. You will receive an email reminder 2 weeks before this date. Various payment options are available as follows:
- Credit card | We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Please check with your credit card provider regarding international processing fees. We are unable to process payments of over $1,000 over the phone. Please submit payment online via a credit card or by wiring funds via your bank.
- Domestic bank wire transfer | Payment should be wired in the same currency that is listed on your invoice. Please add the name of your group or invoice number as a reference and forward a copy of the transfer receipt by email. The bank transfer should clearly state the beneficiary’s name on the wire transfer.
- J² Adventures reserves the right to automatically cancel your reservation on that date and it may be subject to reconfirmation should the final payment not be received.
- Cancelation Policy | All cancelations need to be made in writing. The cancelation fee depends on the date when we receive written notification of your request to cancel your booking. Please note that the deposit is non-refundable.
- Cancelation fees | Cancelations made 90 or more days prior to departure incur the loss of the deposit. Cancelations made 89 to 46 days prior to departure incur the loss of 50% of the full trip cost. Cancelations made 45 days or less prior to the departure incur the loss of 100% of the full trip cost.
- Cancelation fees may also include: Hotel or supplier cancelation fees. J² Adventures reserves the right to adjust its terms of payment, including cancelation policies and initial deposits.
DISCOVER NEW WORLDS.
JEWISH JOURNEYS.
A family vacation to Israel. An adventure of a lifetime traveling with friends to Morocco. A trip to Poland or Portugal with your community. What do these trips have in common? No matter where you go, you will come back with a fresh perspective and appreciation of the place you visited as well as a heightened awareness of your identity as part of the global Jewish community.
J2 STUFF.
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