Budapest. Cinetrip Water Circus

After a number of hugely successful Budapest bath house parties, Cinetrip is at it again, presenting Water Circus – Volume 1 in the Széchenyi Bath.  What is Cinetrip? Imagine reclining in an outdoor thermal pool surrounded by fire jugglers and acrobats, water ballets and belly dancers, 360° visuals and a top DJ’s. Read the rest of this entry »

Budapest. Summer Festival

Budapest bursts to life every summer during their indulgent Summer Festival, presenting some of the top names in international theatre and opera.  Priding itself on the indulgent and colourful line up, it’s set on the Margaret Island Open-air Stage from June through August.

For the first time ever, visitors can be transported to and from Margaret Island by a sightseeing dinner boat, adding a romantic element to the experience.  Margaret Island is a lush oasis, covered in fragrant flowers and towering trees, there’s even a small zoo and not to be missed national monuments.  The open-air stage of the island is the only like it in the country, and offers views to the Water Tower monument.   It’s worthwhile to get to the island a little early to climb the tower and check out the view the 53-meter observation point.   Equipped for every type of performance, from opera to rock concerts, it’s a stunning venue for the summer festivities.

Highlights of this years programme include Boris Godunov, returning to Hungary’s stages after years.  Performing on the 24th and 30th of July, it promises to be a masterpiece of Slavic opera with stunning scenery, starring artists from the Bolsoi Theatre in Moscow.

Many premières are featured, including the musical version of Mór Jókai’s novel, Szegény gazdagok (Poor Riches), as well as the latest work of co-writers, György Szomor and Tibor Miklós, the Robin Hood musical.  There’s an entire Robin Hood festival to be held in conjunction with the première, in the Great Meadow of Margaret Island.  Entertainments include jousting, fencing, and fanciful period costumes.  Aida will be performed, by audience demand, for the first time at the festival since it’s wildly successful debut at the 2007 Summer Festival.

The festival is reason enough to plan a trip to Budapest, when the evenings are long and cool and the stages and the skies promise to be filled with stars. The Lánchíd 19 Hotel is a must have indulgence when in Budapest.  Views over the Danube and the city are spectacular, and while your evenings are filled with opera and theatre, you can fill your days exploring the heart of this colourful city, just outside your door.

http://eng.szabadter.hu/

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Categories: Budapest, Culture

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter

Handmade in Hungary. Textiles

Kamchatka

Picking up great design pieces in Budapest is easy in the design district, located just across from White Line’s Lánchíd 19, an exceptional neighbourhood for wandering or shopping.

Featuring hand made textiles, fashions, jewellery, and some very unique hats, these shops are destinations if you’re looking to bring a little bit of Budapest home. The three shops are just around the corner from each other and would make for a nice afternoon stroll after lunch on the L19 terrace. Read the rest of this entry »

Award Winning Hotels

We are always been proud of our hotels.  We are proud to work with such unique getaways in phenomenal cities and we all share the view that travelling should be a fun and individual experience.  However, that doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy a little extra pat on the back.  We are proud to announce recent accolades for three White Line Hotels. Read the rest of this entry »

Budapest Spring Festival 10

The Budapest Spring Festival, one of Europe’s most prestigious cultural celebrations will soon be upon us.  The festival, which runs this year from March 19 to April 5, features opera, jazz and classical concerts, ballet and theatrical performances, as well as a range of gallery and museum events.

One of four major seasonal festivals held in Budapest each year, and certainly the most celebrated; the Spring festival is a highlight on Budapest’s cultural calendar. Over the course of 18 days the streets of Budapest awake from a winter slumber, alive with over 200 performances.

Highlights from 2009 included performances from the Russian National Opera, a flamenco and gypsy fused performance by Maria Serrano and Kaman Balogh and jazz performances by Nigel Kennedy.  2010 will take it up a notch. The festival opens with a Beethoven Evening, where Beethoven’s Piano concerto No. 4 as well as the powerful and renowned Symphony No. 9 will be performed.  This is a rare opportunity to see the final pieces performed by Beethoven in Europe.  Directed by Iván Fischer and including an all-star international repertoire of performers, the Beethoven Evening opens the festival with a flourish.  Victor Hugo’s Ruy Blas, directed by András Léner, will also premier.  It is lauded by critics as being Hugo’s best play. Opera enthusiasts will find Strauss, Rossini, and Wagner on the bill throughout the festival.  Lovers of dance of all sorts won’t be disappointed either; both the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía and the Royal Danish Ballet are scheduled to perform.

The very cool 100 members Gypsy Orchestra will be celebrating its 25th anniversary, and Nigel Kennedy will return to perform his popular Bach/Ellington evening that has been praised by jazz and piano audiences alike.

The 29th National Dance House Gathering and Arts and Crafts Fair will surely be an inspired way to pass an afternoon and not to be missed are a slew of wildly creative performances by the likes of the Danish performance group Hotel Pro Forma and the surreal and magical performances of Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Polla.  This is to say nothing of the range of exhibitions and screenings, which makes the festival popular among younger visitors.  The Kunsthalle will be open nonstop for 3 days with a tribute to Hungarian actor and director Péter Halász; a 24-hour documentary about the actor will be presented for the first time.

White Line Hotel’s Lánchíd 19 is in the middle of it all.  Located within walking distance of many of the venues, it’s the perfect place to have a dinner before an evening of opera, find respite after a long day of exploring the city, or blissfully watch the sun come up after an all-nighter at the Kunsthalle.

Gypsy Orchestra Photos Courtesy of the Budapest Spring Festival website and Arthur Dubuc.  All other images courtesy of Hotel Pro Forma and the Royal Danish Ballet.

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Categories: Budapest, Culture

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter