Budapest Excursions

One of the benefits of studying abroad is the ability to venture outside your host city and explore the surrounding area. Excursions are offered for all semester, year, and summer programs. Semester students are typically offered two to three excursions and summer students are typically offered one to two excursions. You will receive a calendar of the specific CEA excursions offered for your program during orientation. To give you an idea of the possibilities, we have collected typical experiences from some of the day trips and weekend tours offered to our students in the past.

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic, is known as the "city of a hundred spires", and "the golden city". It is said that everyone who sets foot in Prague falls in love with it. A city of museums and galleries, churches and synagogues, palaces and gardens, Prague has an amazing mixture of architectural styles and periods from the Middle Ages to the present. A full-day city tour will show students the main sights including Wenceslas Square, Old Town Square, Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, Charles Bridge, the National Theater and the Old Jewish Cemetery. Students will also visit Prague's main churches and synagogues, including the Gothic Church of Our Lady before Tyn, the Baroque Church of St. Nicholas and the Old-New synagogue in Prague's 13th century Jewish quarter (one of the oldest and best-preserved in Europe). The trip will also include free time for students to pursue their own interests or to visit some of the city's museums such as the Dvorak Museum, the Museum of Decorative Arts and the National Museum. There is no shortage of dance clubs, cafés, tea houses, restaurants, and beer halls to help them unwind when the museums and galleries have closed.

Kraków and Auschwitz - Birkenau

Kraków ranks with Prague, Vienna and Budapest as one of the architectural gems of Central Europe. Unlike its neighbor, Warsaw, Krakow miraculously escaped unscathed from WWII. Students will tour the main sights of this UNESCO World Heritage site including Rynek Glówny, the largest town square in medieval Europe and the hub of the city since 1257; Cloth Hall, the world’s oldest shopping mall which has been in business for 700 years; St. Mary's Basilica with its giant Gothic alter carved from wood by Veit Stoss and the cathedral, royal chambers, stately rooms and beautiful arcaded courtyard of Wawel Castle, home to three dynasties of Poland's monarchs. In the old Jewish quarter of Kazimierz, the Old Synagogue and the Remuh Synagogue and cemetery will remind students that the area was once a thriving Jewish community. The Schindler's List Tour will introduce sites which are both historical and recognizable scenes from Spielberg's movie about the Nazi occupation of Kraków, including Oskar Schindler's factory. The tour of the Martyrdom Museum in Auschwitz-Birkenau is one of the most sobering experiences and yet it remains a must-see. Camp buildings, barbed wire fences, watchtowers, and the entrance gate inscribed "Arbeit Macht Frei" all remain to bear witness to the atrocities of the holocaust. The last century has been very rocky for Poland, so seeing it now makes for a unique experience.

Transylvania, Romania

Well-known as the home of Vlad Dracula, Transylvania still conjures up images of dark castles and vampires. Located in the central portion of Romania and surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, it is a land of rolling green hills and beautiful valleys. Transylvania was only incorporated into Romania at the end of WWI and much of its local population is of Hungarian descent. The rural villages students will visit are steeped in Hungarian folklore and tradition. This trip is a unique opportunity to experience the ethnically diverse cultures of small traditional Hungarian communities in one of the least known parts of Europe. Very few tourists set foot in this region. Students will also visit some of the better-known sites such as the Paraid Salt Mines, the spa town of Sovata, which is surrounded by pine and beech forests, Corund, with its unique pottery and wood crafts and the University town of Cluj Napoca which traces its origins back to the 2nd century AD.

Lake Balaton

A day at Lake Balaton is a great way for students to relax and recover their energy with a great mixture of culture, fun, sport and beautiful scenery. Located 60 miles north of Budapest, Lake Balaton is Hungary's number one vacation resort, offering a multitude of activities including swimming, water sports, cycling and hiking. Balaton is not only a major wine-producing region, but also boasts the largest fresh-water lake in Central Europe, covering an area of almost 230 square miles. Because Hungary is landlocked, Balaton is often referred to as “The Hungarian Sea”. The north shore is full of picturesque villages including Dörgicse, founded in the 12th century and Kõvágóörs, with its charming peasant cottages. Before returning to Budapest, students will observe porcelain being made at the world-famous Herend porcelain factory which has been producing porcelain for almost two centuries.

The Danube Bend - Szentendre & Visegrád

The 12th century Baroque town of Szentendre is sometimes referred to as the Montmartre of the Danube. The town is nestled in a scenic location on the banks of the Danube and is packed with art galleries and museums for students to visit. The town’s narrow cobblestone streets are lined with beautiful, ornate townhouses with red-tiled roofs. There are many restaurants and outdoor cafés where students can stop for lunch and soak up the atmosphere of this picturesque artist's colony. Szentendre is an ideal place to have a portrait painted by a local artist. Neighboring Visegrád was the Royal seat in the 15th century. Students will first tour the Renaissance Royal Palace built by King Matthias; its exquisitely carved red marble fountains once flowed with wine! After visiting Solomon's Tower, students can hike up to the 13th century Citadel on the top of Visegrád hill, which dominates the area. On a clear day one can take in a spectacular view of the Danube Bend from the top. The local bobsleigh course is open to visitors all year round, with bobs that seat one or two people. A machine takes the bob to the top of the hill to the starting point, and then students are on their own! It takes about two minutes to get to the bottom and the ride is a blast.