| The Golden Triangle of City Breaks |
Can you imagine visiting three of the top City Break destinations in as many days..not many people are aware of how close Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna are to each other. On a long weekend you can experience a multi - City Break in the Golden Triangle.
Budapest
With its multifarious and often embittered history, incredible architecture and rich cultural heritage, Hungary's capital deserves its reputation as the 'Paris of Eastern Europe'. It has a complex identity, somewhere between Western luxury and simple traditions.
The city straddles a gentle curve in the Danube. It has broad avenues, leafy parks and elaborate bathhouses. It also has a turn-of-the-century feel to it, for it was then - during the industrial boom and the capital's heyday - that most of the city was built.
There is more to Budapest than fish soup, paprika and Zsa Zsa Gabor. With its multifarious and often embittered history, incredible architecture and rich cultural heritage, Hungary's capital has the justly deserved sobriquet of `the Paris of Central Europe', set apart from other Hungarian and European cities by its beauty. The city straddles a gentle curve in the mighty Danube River, the Buda hills rising dramatically on the west bank while the Pest district marks the start of the Great Plain to the east.
The largest Hungarian city by a mile, Budapest is the heart, soul and memory of Hungary, with the Danube coursing through its veins. The city has a complex identity, currently facing something of a crisis with the allure of modern Western luxury in conflict with the simple traditions of its Eastern European roots and penchant for all things classical.
Budapest a fantastic Cty Break is just over 200 kilometres from....
Vienna
City of music, cafes, waltzes, parks, pastries, and wine -- that's Vienna. Vienna is a true cosmopolitan center, where different tribes and nationalities have for centuries fused their cultural identities to produce the intriguing and often cynical Viennese.
From the time the Romans selected a Celtic settlement on the Danube River as one of their most important central European forts, "Vindobona," the city we now know as Vienna, has played a vital role in European history. Austria grew up around the city and developed into a mighty empire. The capital became a showplace during the tumultuous reign of the Habsburg dynasty, whose court was a dazzling spectacle.
The face of the city has changed time and again because of war, siege, victory, defeat, the death of an empire, the birth of a republic, foreign occupation, and the passage of time. Fortunately, the Viennese character -- a strict devotion to the good life -- has remained solid.
Music, art, literature, theater, architecture, education, food, and drink are all part of Vienna's allure. In the pages that follow, we'll show you the brilliance this city has to offer.
Vienna, a dazzling City Break is 65 kilometres from...
Bratislava
Bratislava has served as the capital of Slovakia since 1993, when this country split from the Czech Republic. Home to some 451,000 people, Bratislava is Slovakia's largest city, as well as its cultural center; it features the National Theatre, National Gallery and National Museum.
Dating back to the Roman occupation, Bratislava Castle has dominated the cityscape. Set high on a hill overlooking the Danube and Morava River confluence, the castle's four towers are a Bratislava city symbol. After recent reconstruction, the Castle remains the official residence of Slovakia's president.
Situated on Slovakia's far western border, Bratislava is near Vienna, Austria. Hovercraft zip up and down the Danube, ferrying visitors between the two cities in about 75 minutes, one way. Petroleum production has been a major Bratislavan industry since the industrial revolution, and the city does its share of the five million tons shipped each year on the Danube.
Bratislava played a strong role in the Velvet Revolution of 1989, which resulted in the peaceful relinquishing of Communist control of Czechoslovakia. Now this city, with a past dating back thousands of years, is leading the way as the young Slovak Republic further establishes its national identity.
The city's center is beautifully renovated and has a great atmosphere," said Tana Tekusova, a university student. "It's worth visiting ... not huge like Vienna or Paris, but cozier and friendlier."
Bratislava has come a long way from its grey, shabby communist days. Today, locals and tour groups alike pack the pulsing cafes around Hlavne Namestie, the main square of the old town.
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