With 20m visitors a year, Budapest is now of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and, judging by the large number of Irish accents to be heard on our recent visit, it is an extremely popular destination for the Irish as well.
With the virtual explosion which has taken place in dental tourism in recent years, Hungary has been aggressively marketing the many benefits of travelling to their capital city for competitively-priced dental treatment.
One of the major players in the dental tourism market is Dublin based Hungary Dental (www.hungarydental.com) who offer Irish patients a complete package of treatment at their state-of-the-art surgery in the heart of Budapest, in Madach Ter (Square), at a fraction of the cost of Irish dental treatment. What distinguishes them from other practitioners in this field is that they offer all after-care treatment at a permanent and fully-equipped surgery in Dublin on Chatham Street.
The Hungary Dental clinic in Budapest is bright, modern and very busy. It houses a team of 20 dentists, all of whom are registered with both the Irish and Hungarian Dental Councils. They operate six days a week and their client base comes from all over Europe, including Ireland. Their state-of-the-art facilities include their own in-house team of dental technicians who manufacture crowns, bridges and veneers in a laboratory setting using metal-free technology.
Hungary Dental set up its permanent Dublin office last February in an effort to eliminate one of the most serious criticisms levelled at international dental companies – the squeezing of complex dental procedures into a short stay in a European capital city, which can be both medically unsound and downright dangerous.
All the Irish patients seen by Hungary Dental at their clinic in Budapest can avail of free after-care in Dublin during the period of their guarantee, and they are also welcome to book in for routine check-ups during this period as well.
If you are the sort of person who would baulk at the idea of travelling to a city where you cannot speak the language, don’t understand the currency, haven’t a clue about the transport system and are expected to have a complex dental procedure carried out as well, then Hungary Dental will step in and arrange everything for you.
Once you have had your initial consultation in Dublin and have decided to travel to Budapest for dental treatment, an English-speaking representative will meet you at the airport in Budapest and accompany you to your hotel or apartment. The company have a luxury apartment which is available to patients during their treatment in the city and is priced at just u35 per night single or u45 per night double. Patients who stay for five nights receive the sixth night free. They have also negotiated very competitive rates for patients at a number of city-centre hotels.
Among the other facilities provided for dental patients are a pre-paid mobile phone for the duration of their stay in Budapest, which enables them to contact their Hungary Dental representative at any time.
Known as the “Pearl of the Danube” Budapest is a vibrant, exhilarating, vast urban landscape which is home to almost two million people and no less than four UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
With breathtakingly-beautiful buildings framed by the majestic Danube river and a wealth of things to do and see, you could do worse than spend a long weekend in such stunning surroundings.
Given its long and chequered history, with invasions by the Magyars, the Tatars, the Ottomans and the Turks, Budapest undoubtedly has some of the finest architecture in Europe, most notably the magnificent Buda Castle quarter; the Millennium underground railway (the first on the European continent) and the superb Hungarian State Parliament Building which stands majestically on the banks of the Danube.
The first permanent bridge to be built over the Danube was the Chain Bridge, which is a magnificent structure (especially at night when it is completely floodlit, as are all major public buildings in Budapest) and is still the single most recognisable symbol of the city today. Reunification of the three regions of Buda, Pest and Obuda into one city known as Budapest took place shortly after the building of the Chain Bridge, in 1873.
Budapest is very famous for its prevalence of thermal springs, of which it has 118, and one of the “must-dos” on any trip to the city is a visit to one of the bath houses. One of the largest bathing complexes in all of Europe is the Szechenyi Baths which not only houses a whole range of medicinal baths in magnificently-ornate surroundings but also has a wealth of outdoor pools and hot tubs where temperatures rise to 38 degrees Fahrenheit and men can be seen playing chess in their swimwear with the steam swirling around their heads.
Budapest also has many cultural treats from the State Opera House to traditional Hungarian folkdancing at many restaurants around the city. It also has a vibrant student and youth culture which is evident in the many café bars dotted around the city centre. Nightclubs which cater to locals and tourists alike remain open very late into the night ensuring that Budapest – like many modern European capitals – operates right around the clock!
Then, of course there are the famous Christmas markets; open-air ice-skating; a permanent Circus; a Zoo; the world-famous indoor gastronomic market, in a beautiful 1870s building known as Market Hall; the largest Synagogue in Europe; and one of the widest and grandest boulevards in Europe which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Andrassy Avenue.
Bring a good pair of walking shoes, a swimsuit for a visit to the many thermal springs and wrap up well if you are planning a winter visit.
n Hungary Dental offer a very keen package of prices to Irish customers and pride themselves on the fact that they offer a complete after-care service, free of charge, at their Dublin Clinic on Chatham Street.
The initial consultation fee in Dublin is E50, compared to a typical Irish price of E100. Also, Hungary Dental re-imburse this consultation fee to all patients who proceed to have their dental treatment in Budapest.
n Hungary Dental have a dedicated team of representatives in Ireland, who can be contacted anytime on 086-8051152 or LOCALL 1890-987944. All calls are answered by an English-speaking representative.
n Full details of the many treatment options available from Hungary Dental are available from their website www.hungarydental.com and they can also be contacted by e-mail at info@hungarydental.com
Hungary Dental claims that a quick comparison of prices for dental treatment in Budapest versus Dublin reveals:
BUDAPEST DUBLIN
First package (calculus removal and x-rays) 115 250
Panoramic x-rays 34 80
Root canal treatment/canal 109 400/600
Porcelain crown 295 800/1,000
(fused to metal)
Complete implant 1,604 3,000/4,000
(including abutment and crown)
Veneer 350/395 750/800
Inlay/Onlay 283/329 600/650
- Geraldine Grennan flew to Budapest were courtesy of Malev Hungarian Airlines, who currently operate daily flights from Dublin to Budapest, departing from Dublin at 7.30am and arriving in Budapest at 11.20am. They also operate three flights per week from Cork to Budapest.
- Return fares to Budapest with Malev start at just u61 each way plus taxes in economy class, and may be booked through Malev’s reservation centre on 0818 55 55 77, at any travel agent or online at www.malev.com Included in the quoted fare is a 20 kilo baggage allowance, a hot meal and complimentary drinks.
- Malev also have an attractive fare offer in business class which enables two passengers to travel for the price of one, with the second passenger just paying departure taxes.
- Some 35pc of all Malev’s Irish passengers avail of onward connections from Budapest International Airport to a whole host of other European and long-haul destinations. A point worth noting is that the minimum connection time is just 40 minutes.
- Visitors to Budapest from December l until March 31 can avail of the “Budapest Winter Invasion” campaign which offers visitors one additional night free in a hotel for every three night’s stay. Full details of this offer are available from the www.budapestwinterinvasion.com website, which also features a calendar detailing the many events taking place in the city during the winter months.
- To support the Winter Invasion initiative, Malev Hungarian Airlines are currently offering a special return fare to Budapest from u120 including taxes, a hot meal on board and baggage allowance. However, this fare must be booked by January 31 next and flights must be availed of by March 31. The offer excludes travel between December 15th and January 7, and also between March 20 and 25 in 2008.
- Irish visitors to Budapest who intend to stay a minimum of four nights in a hotel may be lucky enough to grab one of the Early Bird Fares from Malev which means they will pay just u63 return from Dublin and E91 from Cork (both excluding taxes) to the Hungarian capital.
- Full details of all these fares, and more, are on the Malev website www.malev.com
