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Palace District Evening Culinary & Wine Walk, With A Side of History
Combine food, drinks, and history during this evening out in one of Budapest’s most charming and fascinating neighborhoods, the Palace Quarter (Palota Negyed, in the eight district). The magnificent old palaces in this neighborhood perfectly communicate the history of Hungary from the 1800s through the present. You’ll eat and drink well on this tour, while experiencing the laid-back vibes and stunning architecture of this neighborhood, which is now home to several universities.
Highlights
Tasting Notes
Tour Details
Grazing and Strolling Among Golden Age Palaces
This tour is especially close to our hearts, as it is designed to showcase our very own neighborhood! We have operated our wine tasting cellar, The Tasting Table, in the heart of the Palace District (Palotanegyed) for the past ten years, during which we have fallen ever more in love with this remarkable neighborhood. Many of the neighborhood’s charms are obvious—the architecture is stunning, the many universities add a unique vibrancy, the history is ever-present, and there are plenty of cool cafés, art galleries, and shops. This neighborhood is justly a favorite for international film shoots (who use it as a standby for other locales), and hardly a week goes by that there’s not a film being shot on these streets.
After meeting at the Tasting Table, where our sommelier will introduce you to some wines (paired with a platter of charcuterie and local cheeses), we’ll graze on a variety of dishes and drinks at five more venues in the district. Other tasting stops include snacks at a bakery run by a family who has been in the business since 1870; a pálinka inside a fun courtyard bar; gulyás and appetizers at a neighborhood bistro; and dessert at an old coffeehouse.
When we are not eating and drinking, we’ll stroll through the elegant area which lies between the inner and outer ring roads—including the gardens of the National Museum, where aristocrats built their palatial homes in the 19th and early 20th centuries (the golden age of Budapest), and café-lined streets with more Bohemian vibes. As per our usual style, our evening of exploration will combine food and drinks, with historical and cultural stories about the buildings and people important to the neighborhood. This is the neighborhood which housed Hungary’s first parliament, and was a prominent scene during the unsuccessful Hungarian Revolution in 1956 (particularly the siege of the Hungarian Radio building). We’ll discuss the Italian community that played an important role in this part of town, and we’ll peek into buildings and courtyards not open to the public. We’ll also visit a former neo-Baroque palace, which is now easily one of the most beautiful public libraries in existence—complete with a ballroom where Franz Jozsef attended events. And we’ll learn what has happened here over the past few decades, as the neighborhood finds its new place by mixing the traditional with cosmopolitan touches.
This neighborhood still has an off the beaten track feel to it, which we love! Come explore this most special part of Budapest with us, as we wine and dine our way through it.
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