Budapest to Manila Austrian Airways Flights

  About Budapest

Budapest, in Hungary, is one of the most beautiful places to go on vacation. You can head to Budapest with your family, your friends or even on a solo backpacking trip. The city has nightclubs for the party animal in you, and it also has architectural marvels that date back to the Renaissance, neo-Gothic, Ottoman and Roman times. Not to mention, you also have a lot of castles to visit and learn all about Budapest's history. The city is also known for its Jewish heritage and Danube river. It is an exciting European destination to visit, and the city does not bore you one bit. You will constantly find yourself admiring the beautiful buildings or learning more about the city without burying yourself in books or the internet. There is always something you can do in Budapest, and you will never want your holiday to end.

Best Time to Visit Budapest

March to May and May September to November are considered to be the best months to plan a trip to Budapest. March to May is the spring season, and the weather remains quite pleasant. You will get cheap flight tickets to Budapest during this time as compared to the rates in summer. You can also book a hotel in Budapest at a minimal price. The temperature ranges from 2 to 21 degree Celsius during these months. There are chances of mild rains at the end of spring, though. If you are planning a spring vacation to Budapest, you can also attend a lot of events and festivals held in the city like the Budapest Dance Festival, Budapest Spring Festival, Rosalia Festival and Budapest Beer Week. There will be a lesser tourist crowd during this time, making it ideal to go sightseeing or take up other activities that you might find restrictive otherwise, owing to a larger tourist crowd.

September to November is fall season, and it is ideal because it is right after summer. The number of tourists reduces, and hotel prices drop yet again. There are quite a few interesting festivals and events during this time that make it the best time to go to Budapest. You can attend events like the Jewish Cultural Festival, Budapest Wine Festival, Oktoberfest Budapest, Design Week Budapest and a ton of Christmassy things that happen before the big day.

Summer hits Budapest from June through August, and it is also a popular time for tourists to head to the city. You might want to book your flight tickets to Budapest in advance along with your accommodations since the prices increase in summer. Not to mention, do check the hotel facilities before booking one because not every hotel has air conditioning. It is also expected to rain in summer in Budapest. If you are taking off to Budapest in summer, you can attend a couple of festivals and events during this time like the Budapest Summer Festival, Danube Carnival, Budapest Pride (highly recommended), Sziget Festival and Festival of Folk Arts. The temperature ranges from 13 to 26 degree Celsius in summer. The climate will not be intolerable, but the increase in tourists will only make your plans difficult to execute.

The city sees snowfall from December to February and though it's not the worst times to take a trip to Budapest, the other seasons are much better. Budapest sees a major dip in the number of tourists during this time.

Places to Visit in Budapest

Buda Castles is one of the most important tourist attractions in the city. It is the perfect blend of Gothic, Roman and Baroque architectures. The castle looks far beautiful and spectacular at night. It is also a UNESCO Heritage site. Underneath the castle, you will find Hospital In The Rock, which was created during World War 2 and the Cold War as a shelter. It is recommended that you hire a guide for this one to know more about the hardships faced by people of that era. This section only opened to the public in 2008 and is one of the many exceptional places to visit in the city. Matthias Church is another popular tourist spot in Budapest and dates back to 1014. You will find peace here and be marvelled at the stunning architecture. The Hungarian State Opera is another masterpiece in the city that you must visit, even for sightseeing. Fisherman Bastion, near Matthias Church, is another place in Budapest rich with history. The complex has seven towers, several courtyards and colonnades that represent the Magyar tribes. It is named after the group of fishermen since they were the ones who saved Buda Castle from this part of the city during the middle ages. Not to mention, you will also catch a scenic view of the Danube river from up top.

Gellert Spa is one of the most popular thermal spas in the city. Spending some time here will only help you rejuvenate your body, and water also has healing properties. This is a highly recommended place in the city and a very relaxing one, too. Heroes Square was built in 1896 to celebrate Hungary's 1000th anniversary and is one of the most popular places in Budapest.

Things to do in Budapest

Take a walking tour at Castle Hill that is right above the Danube river. You can also visit Buda Castle, an activity that is not to be missed in the city. A lot of tourists also take a cruise at the Danube river, which you won't regret one bit. Try to go for a cruise around sunset and the beautiful view will leave an imprint in your mind. Budapest has a lot of different tours that you can take. You can opt for a guided historical tour or just plain sightseeing. You can also take up hiking or other activities in the city. Thermal baths are a rage in Budapest, and it would be a shame not to experience it here. The city is also known for its nightlife and has several nightclubs. You can also spend a day or two to just party till you drop. It will not burn a hole in your pocket at all. If you are taking a cruise, make it romantic by opting for a candlelit dinner cruise. You can visit the Museum of Fine Arts if you want to take a break from exploring the old parts of the city. Head over to Hungarian State Opera House, and while you are at it, you can also book tickets to a show and enjoy the musical experience.

Food and Restaurants in Budapest

While Budapest has a place for all different kinds of taste buds, you can also give Hungarian food and the local street food a try. Cupákos is popular among meat lovers and is quite affordable, too. A lot of food critics recommend that you use your hands to eat instead of a fork and knife. Be it sausages, ribs, pork or duck, and this restaurant serves the best of everything. Bable is known for its Romanian and Hungarian cuisine. It's a Michelin-star restaurant and a popular one, so you might have to reserve a table before entering. The restaurant also has a seven-course meal for vegans. Két Szerecsen is a great place for a cup of coffee or breakfast. The bistro is open all day and has a great ambience. TOPRUM Rooftop Bar, which is on the seventh floor of Hotel Rum Budapest, is where you go for a couple of drinks and food, of course. You will also experience the best views of the city from the bar. Mazel Tov is known for its Israeli and Mediterranean cuisine. It is a glass-roof restaurant that also has a huge courtyard. Do try the chicken shawarma here. You will find a lot of restaurants and cafes here that serve delectable Hungarian food.

How to reach Budapest (Transportation)

The Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport is the largest one in Hungary and is well-connected to the rest of the world as much as to Europe. The flight connectivity to Budapest from India is excellent. While there are no direct flights to Budapest, there are several airlines that fly to the city and have layovers in their home cities. Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Lufthansa fly to Budapest quite frequently with layovers at Istanbul, Doha and Munich. Cheap flight tickets to Budapest are available from Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai as compared to Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi or Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. Budapest is also connected to other international cities like Paris, Dubai, Zurich, Ibiza, Vienna, Cairo and so on. However, if you are travelling to Budapest during winter, there are possibilities of flight delays and cancellations since the city experiences high snowfall during this time. December and January see the most snowfall in Budapest. Like most airports, Budapest airport also has VIP lounges, children's play areas, shopping areas, a prayer room, smoking room and restaurants. If you have to wait some more to board your flight, you won't get bored here.

  About Manila

The highly populous city of Manila is the capital of the Philippines. The urban city is recognised worldwide as a city prone to the maximum number of natural disasters, owing to it attracting a high number of cyclones regularly. Despite being vulnerable to natural disasters, Manila is actually known to be a fast-growing city in the Philippines. Located on the bayside, the city has been tremendously influenced by the Spanish as it was once a colony.

Best time to visit Manila

Manila is surrounded by waters on all sides, giving it hot and wet weather. Hence, it is best advised to visit the quaint city during their dry season. Manila's dry months start from January and last up to April. The rest of the year is pretty hot and humid. The flipside of the dry months is that it comes with the summer sun. This basically means you'll have to deal with hot and dry weather when you visit Manila. However, it is still a better bargain than the wet months. March and April see the peak summer with temperatures ranging from 23 degree Celsius to 35 degree Celsius. The weather is perfect for hitting the beach and cooling down. That is always an option that many tourists opt for. Besides, one can always indulge in renting out bicycles and riding in the streets of Manila, exploring new crevices of the lovely city. Due to the months being peak season, the city is often crowded with tourists resulting in high hotel prices. During these months, the hotel rates in Manila spike up to an exorbitant amount. It becomes quite unfavourable for budget tourists to make their bookings for hotels and flights to Manila as there is already a lot of demand for the city.

One can simply opt to make prior hotel and flight bookings to Manila. Although tourists tend to visit the city all-round the year, the safest ones are from January to April. From June to November, Manila is pretty much hot and humid with monsoon taking over. The weather gets rather unpleasant to indulge in tourist activities. This is one of the major concerns which makes tourists opt for the peak season. Monsoon is pretty bad as during this time, the streets get flooded, and the torrential rains destroy quite a lot of the habitat. Since Manila also attracts cyclones and other such calamities, it is best to avoid the wet season. It is essential to check the weather and all the reports before you make your flight and hotel bookings in Manila. Sure, the bad weather and lack of tourism does bring down the hotel prices in Manila. But it definitely wouldn't be worth it as you wouldn't be able to enjoy the city's spirits and tourist attractions. The best thing to do would be to make prior bookings of flight and hotels in Manila for the dry season.

Places to visit in Manila

As a country with some of the largest urban gardens and parks, you can start your tourist rendezvous in Manila by visiting some of them. Rizal Park is a popular garden in the city which was earlier called Bagumbayan, attracts a lot of tourists every year. The garden was built during the Spanish Colonial Period and has been a structure of historical significance. The park is beautiful and comes with lush green grasses and alluring sights. Next from here, you can visit some of the monuments in the city. You can check out Fort Santiago, a citadel created by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, a known Spanish navigator and governor. The defense fortress is recognised for its historical relevance of serving as a prison during World War II. San Agustin Church is another beautiful Roman Catholic structure which is acknowledged by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Aside from the usual, you can always make room for visits at the Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Manila Zoo and Casa Manila, to name a few highlights.

Things to do in Manila

There are many things that you can do in Manila, starting from the Manila Baywalk. The promenade overlooks the Manila Bay and offers a pristine view of the waterbody. You can actually take up carriage rides by the promenade. In the evenings, there are also some performances by locals and live band performances. Not to mention how the area has lovely cafes which serve multi-cuisines. Visiting the Manila Ocean Park should be on your list of things to do in Manila. It is an oceanarium and is owned by the China Oceanis Philippines Inc. The institute is located in proximity to Rizal Park. The place is beautiful as you get to walk through the oceanarium and view some exquisite and rare marine life. To learn more about the history and cultural heritage of the country, you should visit the National Museum of the Philippines. It falls under the government authority and is maintained by the officials. The architecture and exhibits preserved by the Philippines government in the museum will pique your interest. You can also indulge in some fine dining and relish the lavish cuisine.

Food and restaurants in Manila

The cosmopolitan city brings flavours from around the world in their cuisine. You will not miss any international cuisine as the Filipino food in itself has been derived from inspiration from aboriginal, North American, Chinese, Indonesian and Spanish cuisine. Most of the dishes in Manila would seem familiar, be it the flavours or the style of cooking. Manila's eclectic spread of food establishments is perfectly balanced with upscale restaurants and budget food joints. Wherever you go, you will be met with exquisite and memorable food. You can start with a buffet spread at Spiral Restaurant. It features some of the finest gourmet dishes with food inspired by 21 diverse countries. There's a Japanese station as well as a French station with fun cooking scenes. The place is high-priced so best to fill up your pockets before visiting the place. Another luxurious fine dining experience that you can check out is at Café Ilang-Ilang. This food establishment also has a buffet setting with cuisines such as Italian, Asian, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese and Western.

You can also opt for dining with a great view of the Sky Deck View Bar. The aerial view of Manila from the rooftop restaurant is beautiful. For a quaint but authentic Filipino food, head to The Aristocrat. Barbara's Heritage Restaurant is another such place which serves Filipino food as well as a spectacular vibe. Some more establishments that would put a smile on your face are Ilustrado Restaurant, Harbor View Restaurant, Movie Stars Cafe, Bistro Remedios and My Kitchen by Chef Chris. Your food expedition in Manila would be quite an experience as there are far too many places to pick from.

How to reach Manila

Flight connectivity to Manila from India is extremely good. There are many flights that fly to Manila from India. Most of the South Asian countries have impeccable flight connectivity with Indian cities. Even Manila sees regular flights flying from Indian cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, to name a few. The most popular route to Manila chosen by travellers is from Singapore and Hong Kong. The flight connectivity to Manila from these international cities is immaculate. Airlines such as Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Dragon Air, Philippine Airlines, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are some of the prominent names that have flights reserved for Manila. There are no direct flights that fly to Manila from India. There are mostly connecting flights and layovers that take place in international cities such as Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. International routes connecting Manila from cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and even Bangkok are more favoured. The number of flights in service are more, plus the duration is also less time-consuming.

It takes about eight hours and fifteen minutes to reach Manila from India. However, the only way you will get to reach so early would be if you pick the fastest flights with exorbitant ticket costs. The popular flights to Manila have tickets at the price range of INR 20,000 to 27,000. The difference in duration of flights is also barely of an hour or two, making these options more affordable. There are cheap flight tickets to Manila, and if you book in advance, you might be able to get some benefits of discounts too. There are countless deals that take place online, and you can easily avail some flight deals to Manila by snooping around the web. In fact, there are combo deals of flights and accommodation too that is recommended. You can get a cheap flight and hotel bookings in Manila, as long as you make prior reservations and find good deals online. The peak season might see a tremendous change in the flight ticket cost to Manila as well as the hotel prices. During the wet seasons, the hotel prices in Manila drop to an all-time low, making budget travelling possible.

  About Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines is not only the flag carrier of Austria but also a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. Its main hub is at Vienna International Airport with its focus cities at Graz Airport, Innsbruck Airport and Salzburg Airport. Austrian Airlines is basically a consortium of Austrian Airways and Air Austria which had happened in 1957. Though it is the flag carrier of Austria, the operations are carried out by Lufthansa. After running into losses for several years, the Austrian government decided to privatise it. That's when Lufthansa came in and bought the airlines. Lufthansa also implemented cost-saving initiatives and fleet expansion plans. The airline currently has 42 Airbus, 12 Boeing, 14 De Havilland Canada Dash 8-Q400 and 17 Embraer E195 are currently in service. The airline's journey right from 1957 has been quite the roller coaster. The airline's headquarters are at Schwechat, Austria. Flying a Vickers Viscount from Vienna to Zurich was the first flight the airline took after it was given the license to fly internationally.

Fleet size of Austrian Airlines

As of 2020, Austrian Airlines' fleet consists of 85 aircraft. The airline holds a mixed fleet which comprises of Airbus, Boeing, Dash 8 and Embraer. The fleet consists of seven Airbus A319-100s, 29 Airbus A320-200, three Airbus A321-100s, three Airbus A3210-200, six Boeing 767-300ER, six Boeing 777-200ER, 14 de Havilland Canada Dash 8-Q400 and 17 Embraer E195. A few aircraft from the fleet are all set to retire soon.

For the same, the airline placed orders for a few new replacements such as seven Airbus A320-200 and later, they placed an order for four more Airbus A320-200. As the operations do fall under the Lufthansa Group, the German company has ordered for some Boeing 787-9s which they are considering to shift to Austrian Airlines. The company originally ordered the new aircraft to replace their own ageing aircraft Boeing 767-300ERs and 777-200ERs. Over the years, the airline transformed its fleet tremendously as it owned a slew of different aircraft in the last.

Since it's inception, the airline owned varied aircraft such as Airbus A310-300, Airbus A330-200, Airbus A340-200, Airbus A340-300, Boeing 707-300, Boeing 737-600, Boeing 737-700, Bombardier CRJ200, Fokker 50, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, McDonnell Douglas MD-81, Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle, Vickers Viscount and Douglas DC-8-63CF, to name a few. The airline further hosted British Aerospace 146, Hawker Siddeley HS 748, Douglas DC-3 and more.

Baggage Allowance

Austrian Airlines has certain baggage allowance rules and regulations that every passenger is obligated to follow. Whether you are a first-class ticket or an economy ticket, the host is what becomes your best friend. You cannot carry more than 8 kg of hand luggage with you. However, the rules are different, just a tad bit in terms of weight in front of the police. Depending on what your seat is, you can take from 23 to 32 kgs. However, if your luggage is still exceeding the limit, you will have to pay extra depending on how much your total luggage weighs. But it is mandatory that you call the airline staff a few hours prior to your flight and not at the last minute. You can also make an enquiry or mention it in your boarding pass if you are doing your web check-in through my phone. The staff will definitely try to support you. A list of things that are prohibited for passengers to carry on the flight is already communicated to the passengers by the airlines. Make sure you don't pack your portable charger, power bank and laptop with your hand baggage and not the check-in luggage. You are also not allowed to carry anything sharp or combustible. If at all you lose your baggage somehow, the airline staff will be quick to help you out. The service is quite good, and you won't have complaints.

In-flight Services

Austrian Airlines' in-flight services are quite up to the mark and do not disappoint. Though airplanes don't have a lot of options when it comes to in-flight entertainment, they do offer the most scrumptious meals as they drive the food cart to every passenger on the train. If you are a business class or first class passenger, all the food that you order is cooked by a professional chef. In fact, you will actually be greeted with a complimentary glass of champagne or wine or other spirits of your choice. The passengers also drag her in the fight just as I'm allowed to it. Since the airline has made web check-in quite easy through your phone or through a travel agent. You can also check your Asiana Airlines flight status through the internet.

Popular routes and top cities for Austrian Airlines

In 2006, Austrian Airlines decided to clean up some of its fleets and retire a handful of its Airbus fleet. The airline's company bid farewell to some of its Airbus aircraft which included four Airbus A330-200s, two Airbus A340-200s and two Airbus A340-300s. By selling these aircraft, the operations of Austrian Airlines saw a tremendous hit as many popular routes had to be suspended. These mainly included the long haul routes to Asian countries and even the famous Kangaroo Route to Melbourne via Singapore and Sydney via Kuala Lumpur. Austrian Airlines has temporarily resumed it's Vienna Vs Sydney route in 2020 with a view to connecting Melbourne and Europe and retrieving people who were stranded during the COVID-19 pandemic's global lockdown.

Although once a great network, Austrian Airlines' has dropped several of its routes and suspended operations from various cities. Currently, these are the only cities and destinations that the airline connects to - Innsbruck, Linz, Vienna, Brussels, Minsk, Sofia, Montreal, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Larnaca, Cairo, Hurghada, Paris, Lyon, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, Volos, Zakynthos, Budapest, Tehran, Bologna, Catania, Milan, Naples, Rome, Venice, Tokyo, Amman, Male, Bucharest, Moscow, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Stockholm, London, Manchester, Chicago, New York City and Washington DC.

Why travel by Austrian Airlines?

Austrian Airlines has played quite an essential role in shaping the aviation map of Europe and the rest of the world. Thanks to Austrian Airlines, the continent has been able to find new international route connectivity that has only helped enhance the face of aviation. Further, the airline has contributed tremendously for embarking on several new international routes to trade cargo and goods. Basically, not just in terms of passenger traffic, but Austrian Airlines has been quite an asset to the European aviation industry. Even though it is facing a significant loss at the moment while Lufthansa has taken over the operations.

While the airline's illustrious history and legacy are worth celebrating, so is travelling by it. Over the years, despite all the financial highs and lows faced by Austrian Airlines, it has triumphed and continued to serve the nation and even the continent. In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the global lockdown left many stranded in different parts of the world, away from home, Austrian Airlines saved them. Having shut down its Kangaroo route back in 2009, the airline resumed the route just to bring back the stranded Europeans in the Australian continent.

With a spirit as such, there is much more scope for the airline. Over the years, it has grown into quite the airline as it has been creatively solving management issues and even worked on expansion plans. Currently, to enable the latest technology, the airline has also acquiring web check-in services. Passengers can go to the official website of the airline and do web check-in without any hassle. In fact, the same can be accessed by phones too. Aside from web check-ins, passengers can also book an Austrian Airlines flight ticket on their official website. The perks of booking Austrian Airlines ticket is that the Lufthansa lounge can be accessed by passengers who have business class or premium accessibility of some kind.

Similarly, updates on Austrian Airlines' flight schedule along with flight status of the tickets that have been booked can also be accessed on their website. Further, details about baggage allowance and in-flight services that passengers with a certain ticket type are eligible for will also be sent across. The airline's in-flight services are just as good as their strong legacy.