Travel Agencies & Tour Operators in Hungary

Hungary Travel Guide: Budapest, Thermal Baths, Lake Balaton & Wine Country #

Hungary is a small landlocked country in Central Europe, sitting at a historical crossroads between the Balkans and the Great Eurasian Steppe. Its capital, Budapest, combines Habsburg architecture with ornate Turkish bathhouses left over from the Ottoman period, while its villages preserve some of the strongest surviving folk traditions in the region. Straddling the Peri-Carpathian Steppe and the Carpathian Mountains, the country packs a wide range of landscapes into a compact area — low mountain ranges, thermal springs, the Great Plain in the east, and a network of lakes and rivers, with Lake Balaton at the centre of Hungary’s warm summers. Hungary is among the fifteen most visited countries in the world, and professional tour operators specialising in the destination help travellers combine its cities, spas, wine regions and plains into coherent itineraries.

Why Choose Hungary for Your Next Trip #

Hungary offers a remarkable concentration of sights for a country of its size: numerous World Heritage Sites, UNESCO Biosphere reserves, the second-largest thermal lake in the world (Lake Hévíz), the largest lake in Central Europe (Lake Balaton) and the largest natural grassland in Europe (Hortobágy). Travellers can expect safe food and water, good general safety, and short travel times — almost any point in the country is within three hours of Budapest by train or bus.

Superlatives worth building an itinerary around:

• Great Synagogue of Budapest: Largest synagogue in Europe
• Széchenyi Medicinal Bath: Largest medicinal bath in Europe
• Esztergom Basilica: Third-largest church in Europe
• Pannonhalma Archabbey: Second-largest territorial abbey in the world
• Gödöllő Palace: Second-largest Baroque castle in the world
• Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs: Largest outside Italy

Geography & Natural Wonders #

Hungary is landlocked and largely flat to gently hilly, with the Danube and the Tisza as its defining rivers:

Landscapes:

• The Great Plain (Puszta): Vast open grassland across the east, the largest semi-natural grassland in Europe
• Transdanubia: Rolling hills, vineyards and historic towns west of the Danube
• Northern hill country: The Bükk, Zemplén and Aggtelek ranges, with caves, forests and wine regions
• Lake Balaton: The largest lake in Central Europe, with wine hills along its northern shore
• Thermal belt: Over 1,000 thermal springs, many developed into baths and spas

Natural landmarks:

• Hortobágy National Park: Hungary’s largest protected area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Caves of Aggtelek National Park: UNESCO-listed caves with dripstones and stalagmites
• Lake Hévíz: The world’s second-largest thermal lake, near the western end of Balaton
• Fertő Lake Cultural Landscape: UNESCO site shared with Austria, near Sopron
• Kiskunság National Park: Grassland, sand dunes and fishpond systems on the Great Plain
• The Danube Bend: The river’s sharp turn north of Budapest, lined with Szentendre, Visegrád and Esztergom

Popular Destinations & Attractions #

Budapest:

• Capital and main entry point, widely regarded as one of Europe’s most beautiful cities
• UNESCO-listed Banks of the Danube, Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue
• Széchenyi Medicinal Bath and a dense network of historic thermal baths
• Great Synagogue, museums, green parks and a well-known nightlife scene
• Danube sightseeing and night cruises

Regional Cities:

• Debrecen: Second-largest city, in the Northern Great Plain
• Miskolc: Third-largest city near the Bükk hills, with the cave bath at Miskolc-Tapolca
• Győr: Baroque city centre full of cafés, restaurants, boutiques and nightclubs
• Pécs: Cultural centre and university town with an Early Christian necropolis
• Szeged: The sunniest city in Hungary, on the southern Tisza
• Székesfehérvár: Former royal seat, known for Baroque architecture and museums
• Kecskemét: Music, plum brandy and Art Nouveau architecture
• Nyíregyháza: Busy water resort, museum village and an annual autumn festival
• Eger: Historic northern town at the heart of the Bull’s Blood wine region
• Sopron: One of the most popular sightseeing towns in the west, officially bilingual

Spa Towns:

• Hévíz: Thermal lake bathing year-round
• Hajdúszoboszló: Large spa complex on the Great Plain
• Harkány: Southern Transdanubian medicinal spa
• Egerszalók: Hillside thermal spa near Eger
• Miskolc-Tapolca: Bathing inside a natural cave system

Regions of Hungary #

Central Hungary #

Main city: Budapest

The traveller’s main entry point and the country’s transport hub. Almost every rail and motorway route in Hungary radiates from here, which makes it the natural start and end point for itineraries.

Lake Balaton #

Main town: Siófok

Tens of thousands of visitors a year head to Siófok, the unofficial summer capital of Lake Balaton. The lake is the focus of Hungarian summer holidays, with beaches, ferries, wine hills and the thermal spa at Hévíz nearby.

Western Transdanubia #

Main cities: Szombathely, Győr

Cities with historic downtowns and castles near the Austrian border. German is almost universally spoken here, and Sopron has strong day-to-day links with Vienna.

Central Transdanubia #

The region between Budapest and Balaton, taking in Székesfehérvár and the hills and lakes that separate the capital from the lake.

Southern Transdanubia #

Vineyard and hill country in the south-west, anchored by Pécs and the Villány wine region, with Mohács and its Busójárás carnival on the Danube.

Northern Hungary #

Main cities: Miskolc, Eger

Historic towns, wine regions and cave baths. The Bükk, Zemplén and Aggtelek hills carry the best walking and birdwatching in the north, and the Tokaj wine region lies at the eastern end.

Northern Great Plain #

Main cities: Debrecen, Szolnok

Flat, open country east of the Tisza, containing Hortobágy National Park and the mayfly-covered river reaches around Szolnok.

Southern Great Plain #

Main city: Szeged

The sunniest corner of the country, with Kiskunság National Park, horse-riding traditions and the fish-soup culture of the lower Tisza.

Activities & Experiences #

Tour operators build Hungarian programmes around water, horses, wine and music:

Thermal Baths & Spa Tourism #

• Széchenyi Baths, Budapest: The best-known thermal complex in the country
• Cave bath at Miskolc-Tapolca: Bathing through natural rock chambers
• Egerszalók: Terraced thermal hillside near Eger
• Lake Hévíz: Open-air thermal lake bathing
• Medicinal waters: Hundreds of authorised medicinal springs nationwide

Horse Riding #

• Vast open countryside and long traditions of horsemanship make Hungary well suited to riding
• Wide plains in the south and forested hills in the north give varied terrain
• Horse shows and herding displays on the Great Plain, including the Kurultaj reenactment festival at Bugac

Birdwatching & Nature #

• Kiskunság National Park: Grassland and fishpond systems
• Hortobágy National Park: The Puszta, Europe’s largest natural grassland
• Aggtelek, Bükk and Zemplén hills: Wooded hill habitats
• Tiszavirágzás: The mid-June mayfly swarm on the Tisza, likened to flowers on the water

Wine Tourism #

• Tokaj: UNESCO-listed region famous for sweet Tokaji aszú
• Villány: Southern reds and cellar rows
• Eger: Home of Egri Bikavér (Bull’s Blood)
• Badacsony: Volcanic hills above Lake Balaton
• Szekszárd: Southern Transdanubian reds
• Cellar visits and tastings, with high quality often available at low prices

River & Lake Travel #

• Danube Bend cruises: Scheduled riverboats and hydrofoils from Budapest to Szentendre, Visegrád and Esztergom
• Vienna–Budapest hydrofoil: Operating May to September
• Budapest sightseeing and night cruises: Several operators on the Danube
• Lake Balaton ferries: Reliable and inexpensive crossings

Sport & Events #

• Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix: Held at the Hungaroring near Budapest in the July window, and often booked out early
• Football: Twelve clubs in the top tier, NB I, four of them in Budapest; the national team plays at the Puskás Aréna, completed in 2019
• Tour de Hongrie: Four-day cycling race held in May
• Busójárás: February carnival at Mohács, where masked crowds drive out winter spirits

Cultural Experiences #

• Folk traditions preserved in villages, including the UNESCO-listed old village of Hollókő
• Classical and contemporary music, particularly in Budapest and Kecskemét
• Cukrászda (patisserie) culture and turn-of-the-century coffee houses
• Folk-art shopping: Kalocsa and Matyó embroidery, black pottery, blueprinted textiles

Cultural Heritage & History #

Origins #

The Carpathian Basin was inhabited by Celts, Romans, Huns, Goths, Avars and Slavs before the Magyars — a Finno-Ugric nomadic people led by Árpád — migrated in during the 9th century. That migration is considered the foundation of the Hungarian nation, and the horseman imagery it produced is still central to Hungarian identity.

Kingdom & Occupation #

Hungary became a powerful European kingdom within the Latin Christian world, resisting the Mongol invasions and later the Ottoman Empire. Defeat by the Ottomans in 1526 opened a long dynastic crisis that ran to the revolution of 1848 — the event commemorated every 15 March, and the source of the tradition of not clinking beer glasses.

Modern Era #

Hungary lost significant territory and population at the end of World War I, a trauma that still shapes national feeling. After occupation and a communist takeover in the 1940s, the 1956 uprising led by Imre Nagy was crushed by Soviet forces. The country transitioned to democracy in 1989, joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

People & Religion #

Over 90% of the population is ethnically Hungarian, with communities of Slovaks, Romanians, Germans and Roma across the country, and more than two million ethnic Hungarians living in neighbouring states. Roman Catholicism is the traditional religion, with Calvinism strong in the east, though modern Hungary is largely secular and fewer than 20% of Hungarians attend church regularly.

Learning & Invention #

Hungary has a strong academic tradition, thirteen Nobel laureates and some of Europe’s older universities. The Rubik’s Cube was invented here by Ernő Rubik in 1974.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites #

• Budapest: the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue
• Old Village of Hollókő and its surroundings
• Caves of Aggtelek National Park
• Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its natural environment
• Hortobágy National Park — the Puszta
• Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs (Sopianae)
• Fertő Lake Cultural Landscape, shared with Austria
• Tokaj and Villány wine regions and historic cultural landscapes

Travel Tips for Hungary #

Language #

Hungarian (Magyar):

• A Uralic language most closely related to Mansi and Khanty of western Siberia, further classified with Finnish and Estonian
• Not related to the Slavic, Germanic or Romance languages of its neighbours, and not mutually intelligible with Finnish or Estonian
• Written in the Latin alphabet, so no new script to learn
• Complex grammar and pronunciation make it one of the harder languages for English speakers

Other languages:

• English is a mandatory school subject, but proficiency is lower than in many European countries; younger people and Budapest residents may hold a good conversation, rural areas often not at all
• German is spoken almost as widely as English and is close to universal near the Austrian border, especially in Sopron
• Russian is spoken by a minority but is a sensitive choice; ask first and use it only as a last resort

Climate & Best Times to Visit #

• Temperatures range from around -20°C to 39°C over the year
• The climate is continental, so rainfall distribution is unpredictable; heavy storms often follow hot summer days and multi-day rain is common in autumn
• The western part of the country generally receives more rain than the east, and summer droughts can occur
• Conditions on the Great Plain are harshest: hot summers, cold winters and scant rainfall
• Summer is peak season for Lake Balaton; the shoulder months suit city touring, wine regions and spa travel

Safety Considerations #

Hungary is generally a very safe country, and it is quieter at night than much of Europe.

• Petty crime is the main concern: watch bags and pockets on public transport, where pickpockets target passports, cash and cards
• Bags have been stolen from sleeping passengers on trains
• Crime affecting tourists is mostly limited to pickpocketing and overcharging on prices, bills and taxi fares
• Check taxi change carefully — a common scam returns worthless outdated Romanian notes that resemble forints
• Everyone is required to carry a passport or ID card; police generally accept a colour copy of a passport
• The police are professional and well trained, but few speak much English

Currency & Money #

Hungarian forint (HUF, “Ft”):

• Notes come in 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 forint
• Coins run 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 forint
• Euros are accepted at most hotels and some restaurants and shops, though rates are often poor — paying in forint is usually better
• Major credit cards work in larger shops and restaurants; small places may be cash only, so check first
• ATM coverage is good even in small cities; in Budapest nearly all tourist-facing businesses take cards
• Euronet ATMs typically charge 2,000–2,500 HUF on top of your own bank’s fees, while bank-operated ATMs do not
• Change money at official exchange offices, which always give a receipt; avoid unofficial changers operating nearby
• Airport and main railway station rates are poor — change only what you need to reach the centre

Tipping:

• Tips (borravaló) are customary in restaurants, bars, for taxi drivers and hairdressers
• 10% is usually enough
• Check the receipt first: some places add a 10–12% service charge (szervizdíj), in which case tipping is not expected
• Tips are normally stated to the staff when paying rather than left on the table

Transportation #

Rail:

• MÁV is the national railway, with GYSEV running some lines in the west
• The network is star-shaped from Budapest, a legacy of the post-World War I borders; journeys that bypass the capital can take a long time and often need a change there
• Intercity (IC) trains are the fastest, well maintained and cheap by Western European standards, with a mandatory seat reservation of about 550 Ft regardless of distance
• Slower categories (Személy, Sebes, InterRégió, Zónázó) use older carriages
• Balaton trains are often overcrowded in summer, and Friday afternoon and Sunday evening services to and from Budapest fill with students
• Smoking is prohibited on trains and on station platforms

Rail passes and tickets:

• Buy through jegy.mav.hu or the MÁV app; Emma is the most complete domestic route planner
• A County Pass is valid 30 days within one county for 9,450 Ft
• A Hungary Pass covers the whole country for 18,900 Ft
• A nationwide 24-hour pass, Hungary24, costs 4,999 Ft
• Interrail and Eurail passes are valid; seat reservations are still required on IC trains
• Passengers aged 65 and over and children under 14 generally travel free; under-26s get 50% off
• Bicycles need a separate 500 Ft ticket, and popular lines may require a bike space reservation

Buses:

• The national bus network is operated by the MÁV-Group, previously the Volán Association
• Connections are frequent and prices match non-Intercity trains; bus routes often reach places trains do not, at similar speed
• Long-distance buses are clean and safe but prone to delays
• Buy at the station desk before boarding, or from the driver at minor stops, and validate tickets in the orange boxes on board
• Reserve ahead for national holidays and Friday and Sunday evenings

Driving:

• Motorways require an electronic vignette, checked automatically by camera gantries reading number plates; driving without one brings an automatic 20,000 Ft fine
• Vignettes are sold in 10-day, monthly and annual periods, online, at filling stations and at ÁAK offices
• Speed limits are 50 km/h in built-up areas, 90 km/h between towns and 130 km/h on motorways
• Headlights are a legal requirement outside urban areas, even by day
• Hungary has zero tolerance for drink-driving — no blood alcohol level is acceptable
• Aggressive driving and speeding are common; most roads outside the motorway network are two-lane
• There are only a few Danube bridges outside Budapest, which matters when crossing the country east to west

Boat:

• MAHART PassNave runs scheduled riverboats and hydrofoils from Budapest into the Danube Bend
• A hydrofoil connects Vienna and Budapest from May to September
• Ferries on the Danube and Tisza keep unreliable hours; the Lake Balaton ferry is dependable and inexpensive

Domestic flights:

• There are no scheduled domestic flights; the country is small enough that rail and bus cover it

Planning Your Hungary Trip #

Choosing the Right Tour Operator #

Look for Hungary specialists who can handle:

• Budapest programme design, including bath entry and Danube cruises
• Rail and pass logistics across the star-shaped network
• Wine region access and cellar visits in Tokaj, Villány, Eger, Badacsony and Szekszárd
• Spa and medicinal bath bookings, including Hévíz and Miskolc-Tapolca
• Horse-riding and Puszta programmes on the Great Plain
• Birdwatching guiding in Hortobágy, Kiskunság and the northern hills
• Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix and festival ticketing
• Hungarian-language interpretation, which matters outside Budapest
• Village tourism and farmhouse accommodation arrangements
• Cross-border itineraries with Austria, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Romania and Ukraine

Popular Hungary Tours & Itineraries #

Classic Hungary #

• Budapest city break: 3–4 nights covering the Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, baths and the Danube
• Budapest and the Danube Bend: Day or overnight extensions to Szentendre, Visegrád and Esztergom
• Budapest, Eger and Tokaj: Capital plus the northern wine towns
• Grand tour: Budapest, Balaton, Pécs and the Great Plain over 10–14 days

Spa & Wellness #

• Budapest bath circuit across the historic thermal complexes
• Hévíz thermal lake stays
• Hajdúszoboszló and Harkány spa programmes
• Cave bathing at Miskolc-Tapolca combined with the Bükk hills

Wine Tours #

• Tokaj aszú tastings in the UNESCO landscape
• Villány and Szekszárd reds in the south
• Eger and the Bull’s Blood cellars
• Badacsony vineyards above Lake Balaton

Nature & Wildlife #

• Hortobágy Puszta and its grassland birdlife
• Kiskunság fishponds and dunes
• Aggtelek caves and the northern hills
• Tisza mayfly bloom in mid-June

Summer at Lake Balaton #

• Siófok and the southern shore for beaches and nightlife
• Northern shore wine hills, Tihany and Badacsony
• Ferry crossings and lakeside cycling
• Hévíz and Keszthely at the western end

Multi-Country Tours #

• Vienna–Budapest: By rail or by summer hydrofoil along the Danube
• Central European capitals: Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest
• Danube river cruises: Hungary as a mid-route highlight
• Balkans routes: Onward links to Serbia, Romania and Croatia

Hungarian Cuisine & Dining #

Hungarians are proud of their cuisine (Magyar konyha), which is generally spicy but not hot, and tasty rather than healthy — many dishes use lard or deep frying. The national spice is paprika, ground from sweet bell peppers.

Signature Dishes #

Meat and stews:

• Gulyás: A lighter paprika-flavoured soup — the name outsiders use for the thick stew
• Pörkölt: The thick paprika-laden meat stew known as goulash elsewhere
• Csirke paprikás: Chicken stew in paprika sauce
• Sült libacomb: Roast goose leg, the most common goose dish
• Libamáj: Goose liver, still cheap by Western standards

Other staples:

• Halászlé: Paprika fish soup, often made from carp
• Lángos: Deep-fried dough topped with sour cream, cheese or garlic
• Palacsinta: Hungarian pancakes, both savoury and sweet
• Töltött vegetables: Stuffed peppers, cabbage and more
• Savanyúság: Pickles served with almost every meal, including breakfast
• Tarhonya: Small couscous-like pasta unique to Hungary

Meat and fish: Pork (sertés), beef (marha) and venison (őz) dominate, with chicken (csirke), turkey (pulyka), duck (kacsa) and goose common. Game birds — pheasant, partridge — appear in smarter restaurants and country areas. The best fish are river species: carp (ponty), zander (fogas/süllő) and catfish (harcsa).

Cukrászda (patisserie): Worth a stop for cakes and coffee. Try krémes with vanilla cream, eszterházy with nuts, or somlói galuska.

Vegetarian Dining #

Budapest has a wide choice of vegetarian and vegan restaurants and health food stores. In an ordinary rural restaurant the non-meat mains are often limited to rántott sajt (fried cheese) and gombafejek rántva (fried mushrooms), though many kitchens will adapt a dish on request. Italian food is widely available, and market and supermarket produce is good, especially in summer.

Beverages #

Wine:

• Egri Bikavér (Bull’s Blood of Eger): Strong red wine wrapped in Ottoman-era legend
• Tokaji aszú: Sweet dessert wine made from grapes affected by noble rot, historically favoured by European royalty and unusual among whites for ageing well
• Other regions include Badacsony, Villány and Szekszárd
• Hungarian wine, including pezsgő (sparkling), is often sweet — look for “Száraz” for dry and “Édes” or “félédes” for sweet
• Very cheap bottles are best avoided; cellars often sell high quality at surprisingly low prices

Spirits:

• Pálinka: Fruit brandy, usually around or above 50% alcohol, offered to guests on arrival in rural areas; barack (apricot), körte (pear) and szilva (plum) are the best-known
• Unicum: Herbal digestif made from a secret mix of over 40 herbs, in a distinctive black bottle

Beer: Common brands are Dreher, Szalon, Borsodi, Soproni and Arany Ászok, sold as világos (lager) or barna (brown). Imported Czech beers are widely available.

Coffee and tea: Café culture is widespread; kávé means espresso-style coffee, while hosszú kávé is the American-style long coffee. Tea houses selling loose-leaf herbal and fruit teas are growing in Budapest and larger cities.

Dining Costs #

• Main courses run 3,000–5,000 Ft in touristy parts of Budapest and 2,000–3,000 Ft elsewhere
• A two-course lunch with a soft drink in Budapest is typically 3,000–10,000 Ft per person, and a half or a third of that outside the capital
• A service charge of 10–12% must be clearly stated on the menu; if it is not mentioned, it cannot be added to the bill
• Check drink prices before ordering in central Pest nightspots

Accommodation #

• Hostels: Well-rated beds cost roughly €9–22 per night, cheapest on weekdays and in low season
• Village tourism: Well developed across the country, with farmhouse stays organised through rural and agrotourism associations
• Rural houses near Budapest: Let travellers combine the capital with a national park from one base
• Camping: Campgrounds are available; see individual city guides

Practical Information for Travellers #

Entry Requirements #

• Hungary is part of the Schengen Area, and standard Schengen entry rules apply
• Recognised refugees and stateless persons holding valid travel documents from certain countries are exempt from a visa for stays of up to 90 days in a 180-day period
• Non-Schengen land crossings, particularly from Serbia and Ukraine, involve strict customs control and can mean long waits in summer weekends
• Drivers need a valid International Motor Insurance Card for Hungary, vehicle registration, and a power of attorney if the car is not theirs

Getting In #

• By plane: Liszt Ferenc Airport (BUD) in Budapest, Airport Debrecen (DEB) and Hévíz–Balaton Airport (SOB) at Sármellék, served by low-cost carriers including Ryanair, Wizz Air, easyJet and Eurowings
• By train: Budapest is a major hub for eastern Europe, with frequent services from Austria, Germany, Czechia and Slovakia, and at least daily trains from Croatia, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine
• By bus: Several international lines run into and through Hungary, with Volánbusz as the national operator
• By ship: Danube and Tisza international shipping, plus the seasonal Vienna and Bratislava hydrofoil

Electricity #

• 230V, 50 Hz
• Plug types C and F (European two-pin)
• Adapters are widely available

National Holidays #

• 1 January: New Year’s Day
• 15 March: National Day, commemorating the 1848 revolution
• Good Friday and Easter (flexible dates)
• 1 May: International Workers’ Day
• Pentecost (flexible date)
• 20 August: State Foundation Day, also St Stephen’s Day
• 23 October: National Day, also Republic Day
• 1 November: All Saints’ Day
• 25–26 December: Christmas

Health #

• Food and water are generally safe, including in remote villages
• Tap water is drinkable anywhere, though the treatment process can affect the taste; train tap water is not drinkable
• Bottled water is cheap, from under 100 Ft for 1.5 litres, with blue caps for sparkling and red or pink for still
• Private healthcare is high quality but limited in scope outside Budapest; public healthcare is adequate in urban areas
• Dentistry is cheaper than in Western Europe, around 8,000–10,000 Ft for an appointment with an x-ray, and physiotherapy around 3,000 Ft per half hour — confirm prices before booking
• EU citizens need a European Health Insurance Card to claim free treatment
• Pharmacies are everywhere and well stocked, though staff often speak only Hungarian

Communication #

• Country code: +36
• Broadband and free Wi-Fi are widespread, including shopping centres, most Budapest cafés and pubs, and small towns
• 4G covers most of the country and 5G is being rolled out

Etiquette & Respect #

• Hungary uniquely uses the Eastern name order in Europe — family name first, as in Kovács István — though most Hungarians reverse it when speaking a foreign language
• Address strangers as Uram (Sir) or Hölgyem/Asszonyom (Madam), or by surname plus úr; given names are for acquaintances or when offered
• Hungarian has a polite “you” (Ön) and an informal one (te); start with the polite form
• Hungarians are direct communicators; bluntness is not intended as rudeness
• Show respect for elders, offer your seat on public transport, keep your voice down in public, and take your shoes off when entering a home
• Many Hungarians do not clink beer glasses, a habit traced to the 1849 executions of the 13 Hungarian Martyrs
• Sensitive topics to avoid raising: the Treaty of Trianon, the 1956 Revolution, the communist period, relations with Russia, and party politics
• Displaying communist, Nazi or Arrow Cross symbols is prohibited by law, even as a joke, and is finable
• Use “roma” rather than “cigány” when referring to the Roma community

Shopping #

• Food: Paprika and Hungarian saffron, winter salami (téliszalámi), cold-smoked Mangalica sausages, duck and goose liver, truffle honeys and jams, herbal teas
• Drink: Tokaji and Villány wines, pálinka, Unicum, Hungarian sparkling wine
• Porcelain: Handmade Herend and Zsolnay pieces, with Herend majolica at more affordable prices
• Folk art: Kalocsa and Matyó embroidery, blueprinted linen and cotton, black pottery, matyó-patterned wooden spoons
• Sweets: Szamos marzipan, fruit-brandy chocolates and szaloncukor at Christmas
• Other: The Rubik’s Cube, invented in Hungary in 1974

Onward Travel #

Land borders can be crossed to Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia, which makes Hungary an easy component of wider Central European and Balkan itineraries.

Hungary rewards travellers who combine its layers: Habsburg and Ottoman Budapest, the thermal waters that surface across the whole country, the wine landscapes of Tokaj and Villány, the open horizons of the Puszta, and the summer life of Lake Balaton. Experienced Hungary tour operators can assemble these into itineraries that work in any season, and handle the language, ticketing and regional logistics that are hard to arrange from abroad.