Region

Central Europe

Country/State

Hungary

Place(s)

  • Budapest
  • Eger
  • Esztergom
  • Debrecen
  • Pest
  • Lillafüred
  • Aggtelek Karst
  • Bokod
  • Oroszlány
  • Mohács
  • Visegrád
  • Sopron
  • Miskolc
  • Szentendre
  • Veszprém
  • Hajdúszoboszló
  • Hortobágy
  • Tengerszem
  • Dunakorzó
  • Deák Square
  • Egerszalók

Best Time to Visit

  • Season(s): Spring & Autumn
  • Month(s): March-May, September-October

Uniquely Popular For

  • Lush mountain valleys
  • beautiful river landscape
  • the world-famous goulash
  • strudel pastries
  • wines
  • porcelain
  • painted eggs
  • traditional garments
  • thermal spring culture
  • a mixture of Roman
  • Turkish and Greek architecture
  • traditional classic music
  • Budapest Spring Festival and much more

General Tourist Attractions

  • Lake Balaton, it is the biggest freshwater lake in Central Europe and is known affectionately as the Hungarian inner sea. It is a popular tourist destination both for visitors and nationals thanks to its beaches and volcanic hills.
  • Hike to the Szeleta Caves, located in a North-East direction from Lillafüred, to see first-hand the relics from Ice Age. On your way back, take a ride on the old narrow-gauge railway.
  • Cruise along the Danube bend. With towns dotting the banks of the Danube, the river running through the entire country, you can visit some of them by taking a boat cruise down the river, as it flows from Budapest, all the way to Vienna, and the scattered Hungarian villages across it.
  • The hipster culture is alive and well in Hungary, especially in Budapest where ruin pubs have overrun the town. These eclectic people watch bars are scattered across Budapest’s old Jewish quarter, which was left to rot after WWII, in the ruins of abandoned buildings.
  • Sample local flavours of the Hungarian cuisine which are surprisingly delicious and hearty. The most well-known dish is Gulyás (goulash) which is a soup containing chunks of beef, potatoes, and vegetables, plus plenty of paprika (one of the country’s largest exports).
  • Admire the National Gallery, located inside the Royal (Buda) Palace. It is home to works from prominent Hungarian and European artists. There are a lot of treasures here: besides the paintings and sculptures, you can see a collection of altarpieces from the 1400s and tour the building’s dome.
  • Go bird watching, as Hungary is home to a surprising number of bird species. Hot spots for birding are Hortobágy, Lake Ferto, Kiskunság, Lake Tisza, Bükk and the Zemplén Mountains.
  • The House of Terror museum, infamous for the brutality of its leaders under the Nazi and Soviet regimes is worth a visit. This building is both a museum and a memorial paying homage to the thousands of people who were tortured and brutally killed here.
  • Cycle the countryside with over 1,243 miles (2,000 kms) of cycling paths in the Hungarian countryside (and 125 mtrs/200 kms in Budapest as well).
  • Tengerszem Nature Preserve, This was once a stone mine operation, but it closed in 1907. Nature has slowly reclaimed the area, with water filling the massive gorge.
  • Soak in the baths, whether you’re relaxing in the famous Szechenyi Baths in Budapest or checking out a small hot pool in the countryside, you can’t leave Hungary without partaking in this local pastime.
  • The Great Market Hall in Budapest, at the head of Vaci Utca, the kitschy shopping street in town is the Great Market Hall. Built in 1897, this is the oldest and largest indoor market in the country.
  • The Caves of Aggtelek Karst, are part of a National Park, one of the only UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country. There are 712 caves spread out over 138,000 acres that runs along the border of Hungary and Slovakia. The most significant value of it comes from the special surface formations and caves in this limestone landscape.
  • Go hiking in Hortobágy National Park, the Great Plain, Hungary's largest protected area, and the largest semi-natural grassland in Europe, according to the UNESCO listing. The park was created in the 1970s and became a World Heritage Site in 1999.
  • The Bokod Floating Houses is a collection of cottages and cabins that line the coast, built on stilts over Lake Bokodi. Bokod and Oroszlány are two towns located around 80 kms outside Budapest that homes them.
  • Indulge in a thermal spa at the Turkish baths, which have been in use since the 16th century that bubble up the healing properties of minerals through the fractures of the Buda and Obuda hills.
  • The Hungarian Versailles, Eszterháza is a vast palace located near the border with Austria and is often considered the local version of France’s Versailles.
  • Stand atop the Freedom Bridge in Budapest to capture one of the most picturesque sunsets.

Memorable Pursuits

  • The remains of the castle at Visegrád sit atop a hill overlooking the town, but it is well worth the climb to explore the ruins and admire the view.
  • The Busójárás festival, happens annually in the lead up to Ash Wednesday in the town of Mohács. During this time the local people will parade through the town dressed in traditional clothing and wearing demonic face masks.
  • Dance at the Sziget Music Festival, one of the largest music festivals in Europe. It takes place every August for one week on Margaret Island in Budapest, right on the Danube River.
  • Explore how stables and barns work, and take a blacksmith workshop at the Hungarian Open Air Museum or the Szentendre Skanzen Village Museum. Being Hungary’s largest outdoor collection, founded in 1967, this museum shows Carpathian folk architecture and life in various areas of Hungary. 
  • Walk around the well-preserved medieval architecture of the city of Sopron with Renaissance and Baroque buildings and their elegant decorations that show the town’s rich history and prosperity. Along with them observe the Fidelity Gate, the Fabricius house, the Goat Church, the Storno house, the old Synagogue and many more wonders on the cobbled streets. Don’t forget to explore the 116 steps of the Fire Tower that lead you to a breath-taking view along with the Lover Kalandpark.
  • Enjoy some learning experience with the guided ecological, botanical and zoological trips to cave tours at the Aggtelek National Park, in the Aggtelek Karst region.
  • Mountainous and forested, Bükk, in Lillafüred, a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary is the largest national park and is situated in the northern mountains, between Szilvásvárad and Lillafüred. Bükk's important geological features include various karst formations within its limestone mountains - particularly caves, swallow-holes, and ravines.
  • Officially named as the Miskolc Városi Vadaspark – "Wildlife Park of Miskolc" in Csanyik; it was originally a  wildlife park showing the wild animals of the surrounding Bükk mountains. But now it houses exotic animals too, totally at 700 animals of 130 different species.

Something Leisurely

  • Take a walk in the south-western section of Tihany, a village on the northern shore of Lake Balaton on the Tihany Peninsula, Veszprém County. It is a designated nature reserve, a rather private place, with limited traffic.
  • Hajdúszoboszló is the most well-known bath-city of the Hungarian Great Plain – its main attraction it’s bathing complex with its famous spa, open-air bath, Aquapark and the Aqua-Palace. The bathing complex offers an unforgettable adventures throughout the year to its recuperating and recreating guests and to families of any size.
  • Visit the First Strudle House of Pest, an uncommon cafe and restaurant in the city centre that has a singular passion: the preparation, and preservation of the 15th century tradition of making Hungarian strudel. It aims at providing the guests with gastronomic adventures that carry weight, history and value.
  • Retrock, in Budapest is the largest Vintage and Designer store in Hungary, located in the heart of the town, Deák Square. It is wildly popular with the college crowd, as it represent timeless uniqueness selected from several spots of the world
  • If you are seeking relaxation, then simply head towards Miskolctapolca, Hungary. With its 150 m long interconnect hot-spring network, commonly known as the Cave Bath, is akin to a natural spa. It also houses Cave Chapel, a chapel in a small natural cave, where a Roman Catholic mass is held on every Sunday.
  • Relish the local wines at umpteen wineries housed by the Valley of the Beautiful Woman, Eger. One can also have a paid tour of the entire town.
  • The real attraction of Egerszalók, Heves County, in the southern part of the village is the thermal water spring erupting from the depths of the earth (410 m), which is 65-68 ° C. The water flowing down the hillside has built a spectacular limestone deposit of 1,200 square meters, which is unique in Europe.
  • Stroll along the Danube Promenade (Dunakorzó), in Budapest is a pleasant century-old riverside walk and take in the beautiful architecture of the city.
  • The Anna Cave is a natural limestone cave in Miskolc-Lillafüred, Hungary, near the waterfall. The cave was discovered in 1833, when opening a shaft in the limestone in order to provide the iron furnace at Hámor with water. The cave has not only nice limestone structures, but also plant fossils. New caverns since then have also been found.

Quick Tip(s) from the Locals

  • Although Hungary is safe country, it is always good to be weary of people. Either they are pickpockets or would offer things too good to be true, than can turn out to be scams. Hence, it is advisable to make copies of your personal documents, including your passport and ID and keep some local currency in your possession.
  • Avoid haggling and bargaining in the local markets with your traveller’s cheques