Best of Budapest & Hungary

The new schedule that came into effect on March 31, the start of daylight saving time, at Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt International Airport allows passengers to choose from 130 direct destinations courtesy of 39 airlines in the summer season.

    A statement by the airport’s management company Budapest Airport says that its route development team and the airlines will continue to make new destinations accessible in Budapest Airport’s schedule this summer, alongside the perennial favorites. One of these much-anticipated cities is Faro, Portugal, which Ryanair will be flying to twice a week. Portugal’s southernmost city is a colorful cultural adventure in itself, but the good news for active holidaymakers is that the Algarve region, home to Faro, offers numerous locations for hiking and surfing, and of course there is no shortage of picturesque beaches. Also new is the island of Skiathos, which can even be visited over a long weekend, thanks to the convenient schedule. Besides offering the paradisiacal atmosphere of the Greek islands, Skiathos boasts one of the world’s most interesting airports; aviation enthusiasts can enjoy the view of aircraft flying low overhead, while lying on an ocean beach. Other new additions to the Irish carrier’s schedule include Milan (MXP), Tirana, Frankfurt-Hahn and Trieste, and from the summer, more frequencies will be available to 20 existing destinations, including Alicante, Bari and Rome.

    Wizz Air’s offer now includes destinations that many have yet to explore, such as the Armenian capital Yerevan, with its nearby hiking sites, ancient manuscripts, a historic mosque and flea markets, as well as Brasov, one of the most important cities in Transylvania, with its famous castles, including Bran Castle, known as the home of Dracula. In addition, thanks to the carrier, Budapest is now just a short flight away from Brussels, Bucharest, Stuttgart and Valencia, and from June, frequencies will be increased to Alicante, Athens, Basel, Glasgow, Madrid, Malta, Milan, Naples, Nice, Rome, Thessaloniki, Tirana and Paris.

    Among European destinations, the largest frequency increases are occurring on the Tirana, Catania, Madrid, Alicante, Berlin, Geneva, Basel and Amsterdam routes, with KLM offering five daily connections during the busiest months between Budapest and the Dutch capital, except on Fridays.

    It is good news for fans of the Far East that the summer schedule offers plenty of opportunities to travel to Korea and explore China in particular, with 13 flights a week now available, offering direct connections to Beijing, Shanghai, Ningbo and Chongqing.