Temple Shir Tikva
Extension to Budapest in Hungary

Led by Rabbi Danny Burkeman

Apr 4, 2024 - Apr 7, 2024

  • DESTINATION Hungary
  • Who’s Going Adults Only
  • Trip Type Extension
  • Duration 4 DAYS
  • Group Size 15+
  • Price From $2,645
Program is tentative and subject to change. Connect with our Customer Care Team by calling: (888) 230-6008 Mon.-Thur. from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).

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. Apr 4, 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 where you will be welcomed 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.
  • 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.
  • Check into the hotel.
  • Evening recommendation:
    • 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
DAY 2
JEWISH LIFE IN BUDAPEST
Fri. Apr 5, 2024
  • 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.
  • Enjoy an immersive culinary experience as you learn to craft traditional Langos dough from scratch under the guidance of expert chef.
  • Return to the hotel with time to refresh and prepare for Shabbat.
  • Kabbalat Shabbat services at Frankel synagogue.
  • Enjoy Shabbat dinner at a local restaurant with members of the local community.
Overnight: Budapest Meals: Breakfast & Shabbat Dinner
DAY 3
SHABBAT IN BUDAPEST
Sat. Apr 6, 2024
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Afternoon at leisure to explore the sites and scenes of Budapest on your own, including:
    • The Széchenyi Bathhouse and the Gellert Bathhouse. Relax and unwind 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 vast 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.
  • Enjoy Havdalah on the boat.
  • The Blue Danube: Enjoy the beauty of Budapest on a farewell dinner cruise on the Danube.
Overnight: Budapest Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
DAY 4
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
Sun. Apr 7, 2024
  • Check out of the hotel.
  • Departure flight to the USA, arriving the same day.
Overnight: Flight Meals: Breakfast

RATES & LODGING

participants
15+
Cost p/p in double room
$2,645
Cost p/p in single room
$3,115

Budapest: Kempinski Hotel Corvinus

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 hotel.
  • All site entrance fees & program fees as per your final program.
  • Credit card fees.
  • Flight from Hungary.
  • Hungarian State Opera House tickets on day 1.
  • 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.
  • 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.

We have everything you need to know before you go. Check out our Instagram my_j2adventures for cool updates and interesting tidbits.

 
 

Just like you we're concerned for the future. And like you, J2 stands for equality, tolerance, pluralism, and true democracy.