The beautiful blue Danube bisects the country from north to south, adding its own flavor to a country rich in scenic beauty and history. Floating down the river, it’s easy to imagine noblemen on horseback hunting in the forests, returning to one of the magnificent palaces on the banks for music and feasting. Music and drama are important features of Hungarian culture and almost every city offers nightly performances — from a Bach symphony to Gypsy dancing in a waterfront tavern.Visitors enjoy the “Olde Worlde” atmosphere which is reminiscent of Europe before the world wars, but they also speak of the pleasures of modern Hungary.

Budapest, the capital city (also bisected by the Danube), is one of Europe’s jewels, with many spectacular sights, fine restaurants and a wide variety of cultural activities. The people of Budapest take special pride in the river and the bridges that span it: Most of the important public buildings are designed to face the Danube. Mineral baths are a specialty in Hungary, and Budapest boasts at least 80 thermal springs (and maybe more, it depends on whom you ask). In fact, if you use the very ornate thermal springs at the Hotel Gellert, you’re bathing in a national monument.

One of the first countries to grow disillusioned with Communist rule, Hungary embraced new economic structures and social freedoms once the Iron Curtain came down. It has come a long way since then: It is now a member of the European Union although not yet on the euro.

You’re going to find it very friendly to western tourists. In the smaller towns and countryside, you will find the old rural lifestyles and customs much in evidence. You may even hear ancient folk tales about vampires and other such creatures. As is common with new vacation places, venturers took the lead in exploring Hungary. However, it’s a wonderful destination that, as time goes on, lures all other traveler types, too.

Go bird-watching in Hortobagy National Park, Hungary’s top site for birders where 342 bird species have been registered, of which 152 nest in the park.
In a country noted for its horsemanship, spend a little of your holiday time on horseback.
Go jet skiing on Lake Tisza.
Take a really long walk. Hungary boasts more than 6,800 miles of marked trails for hikers. It also has a network of routes for cyclists.
Go underground in Budapest. Tour the Buda Castle Labyrinth, a series of underground passageways created in part by thermal springs and further enlarged in the Middle Ages. Other cave systems under residential areas of the city are also open to tourists.
Go canoeing on the Tisza River or the Bodrog River.
Visit the Lazar Equestrian Park outside of Budapest for a horse show, remembering that your hosts are descendants of warrior horsemen who came to Hungary in the late ninth century, the Magyars. Get even closer to old ways of life by visiting the Hortobagy National Park, which preserves a vast grassland still used by herdsmen tending horses and cattle; it is the setting for the annual International Horse Days.

Sample local wines. Hungary’s vineyards are found in the volcanic hills to the northeast. Tasters should try those made from the Tokay grape, a specialty.
Spend a night or two at Lake Balaton, a resort area that draws from all over the continent in summer. Enjoy water sports and nature walks. Also, see the oldest town on the lake which is Keszthely, with a baroque castle, medieval gothic church and several museums.
Take a guided walking tour of Budapest.
The massive architecture of old European cities like Budapest can overwhelm visitors. But, you should definitely see the reconstructed Royal Palace containing art and history museums; the Houses of Parliament, one of the largest legislative palaces in the world, and the Agricultural Museum in City Park, a replica of a Renaissance castle in Transylvania.
Sample Hungary’s fabled thermal springs. If you go to Budapest’s Gellert Hotel and Baths, you get an added benefit: a look at a true grande dame among Hungarian hotels.
Attend the autumn Paprika Festival in Kalocsa, Hungary’s paprika capital. Visit the Paprika Museum, then, buy paprika to take home. (Also, the town is among those noted for its embroidery work; go to the Kalocsa Folklore House for a look.)

See parts of Hungary by taking a Danube cruse. Or, just go sightseeing within Budapest by boat.
Schedule your visit to coincide with the annual two-week Budapest Spring Festival, which starts in March and in actuality schedules its musical events in 11 cities. Also, the Summer Jewish Festival involves several towns and cities.
Play golf at any of 13 golf courses, two of which are in Budapest.
Visit the open-air museum in Szentendre. It is a collection of rural buildings and furnishings from the 18th to 20th centuries and sponsors events that recall rural traditions.
Ride the so-called Children’s Railway in Budapest, a narrow-gauge line with a route through the hills on the Buda side of the city. Children up to the age of 14 act as conductors on these rail trips.
Have coffee and a pastry at the legendary Cafe Central in Budapest, founded in 1887, shut down by the Communists and now revived and reborn. Or, sample sweets in any number of other establishments in a city noted for its confectioner’s shops.
Eat goulash, preferably with Gypsy music playing in the background.

For more information, consult the Hungarian National Tourist Office at www.gotohungary.com

back to top