Hungary Travel Guide

Continent: Europe
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Hungary Travel Essentials

Ideal Duration: 5-7 days for exploring Budapest and nearby areas; 10 days for a more comprehensive visit including other cities and regions like Lake Balaton

Currency: Hungarian Forints (HUF)

Best Time: April - September Read More

Accommodation Cost (per night in USD):
Dorm bed: $10-25
Budget: $30-60
Mid-range: $80-120
Luxury: $150 and above

Budget for Food & Drinks (per day in USD):
Budget: $5-15
Mid-range: $20-40

Visa Policy for Indians:
Schengen Visa required

Visa Policy for Other Nationals: Schengen Visa for many countries

Getting In Hungary:
Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) Read More

Getting Around Hungary: Budapest Metro, trams, trains, buses Read More

"A fusion of traditional and modern Europe"

Hungary Tourism

Currently among the 15 most popular tourist destinations in the world, Hungary offers a unique amalgamation of traditional European culture and modern-day practices. Here, you can take a trip through quaint, rural villages and enjoy a thriving nightlife in Budapest, both within a distance of a few miles. With a capital city regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world, Hungary is home to several World Heritage Sites, UNESCO Biosphere reserves and the second largest thermal lake in the world. Hungary also has the largest synagogue in Europe (Great Synagogue) and the third largest church in Europe (Esztergom Basilica). It is an ideal place for a fun and kicked-back vacation.

Best time to visit Hungary

The best time to visit Budapest is from March through May. The weather is idyllic and the city isn't overcrowded. The Cherry Blossom Festival and the Japanese Garden on Margaret Island are blooming w (Read More)ith beautiful flowers; Easter celebrations and traditions are in full swing. A good time for walking tours and bar-hopping of BudapestÕs best ruin pubs. A number of Spring festivals take place, centered around food, wine and music.

Holidify's opinion on Travel to Hungary

What's Great about Travelling to Hungary?

Cheap for Europe. Great parties. Ruin pubs and thermal baths. Amazing festivals. Unique food and beverages.

What's Not So Great about Travelling to Hungary?

Slightly conservative citizens. Significant language barriers.

Who should Travel to Hungary?

Travellers on a budget Euro trip. Wine drinkers. Party lovers. Travellers seeking a culturally-immersive European experience.

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Exchanging Money in Hungary

If you are buying currency before travelling to Hungary, buy Euros and not Forints. The HUF is not a highly traded currency, and you will most likely get a poor exchange rate in your home country.

While in Hungary, prefer to exchange currency in Budapest or some other major cities. Rates are likely to be much worse in airports and train stations. Unofficial (illegal) money changers also operate near official money changing booths. Apart from being illegal, they also offer unfavourable rates. Tourists are recommended to remain cautious and only avail official money changing services. Further, ATMs offer a much better rate than the bureau de change and are a convenient way to obtain cash. Many banks machines in Budapest accept global debit/credit cards.

Shopping in Hungary

You can carry home the following unique goods from Hungary:
Alcohol:
Wines like Tokaji, Egri BikavŽr, red wine from Vill‡ny area, etc.; P‡linka, the popular, strong fruit brandy.
Food items: Spices like paprika and Hungarian saffron; Gundel set of cheese; Unicum, a herbal digestive liqueur.
Others: Herend, hand painted and gilded porcelain.

The best places to go shopping are mostly in Budapest
Pest's City Center: Home to the V‡ci Street (V‡ci utca) and the Andr‡ssy Avenue (Andr‡ssy œt), it has some of the most glamorous and expensive shops. The Andr‡ssy Avenue is often compared to the Avenue des Champs ElysŽes in Paris.
Central Market Hall: One can find fancy bottles of Tokaji, a variety of paprika, chessboards, dolls and traditional Hungarian clothes here.
Memories of Hungary is one of the best souvenir shops.

Festivals of Hungary

The major festivals in Hungary are:
Budapest Spring Festival: Held in mid-April, this festival has performances of the opera, ballet, classical music in Budapest
Danube Carnival: Held in mid-June in Budapest, it is a multicultural festival
Szentendre Summer Festival: Held from late June to late August, this is an art festival with theatre, concerts, film and activities in Szentendre
Bull's Blood Festival held in July in Eger is a festival of wine and traditional food

Hygiene in Hungary

Food and water in Hungary are generally safe, even in the most remote villages. High-quality private health care providers are widely available in the capital, but very limited in scope outside Budapest. The most high quality and cheap services are those of dentists, better than anywhere in Western Europe. EU citizens can use the European Health Insurance Card for basic medical coverage, but one should check before entering the country what the insurance covers and what needs to be paid. The pharmaceutical coverage is extremely good as pharmacies are everywhere, even if the prices are high. The only problem is communicating with pharmacists and chemists as a majority of them speak only Hungarian.

Customs of Hungary

1. Kissing each other on the cheeks instead of shaking hands is a common form of greeting, even for strangers.
2. According to an old tradition and legend, Hungarians do not clink beer glasses or beer bottles. However, this is not followed by the youngest generation of today.
3. For any alcoholic beverage other than beer, you look into the other person's eye when saying egŽszsŽgedre (the Hungarian word for cheers). It is customary to cheer with each person you are drinking with as opposed to a 'group cheer'.
4. Hungarians often jokingly refer to themselves as "dancing with tears in our eyes" ("s’rva vigad a magyar"), lightly mocking the perceived bad luck in their long past. But tourists should avoid making jokes about Hungarian history.
5. Shoes should be taken off when entering someone's house.

Tips for visiting Hungary

1. Take care of your baggage and personal belongings on public transport as pick-pocketing is common. It is advisable to leave important items in your hotel safe or residence.
2. Hungarians are known to be slightly aggressive and careless drivers, hence drive carefully. Also, keep in mind that the police regularly stop vehicles for document checks.
3. Hungary is more conservative than its European counterparts. Therefore, LGBT travellers are advised to be careful when travelling through rural areas. Budapest is open, friendly and largely safe.

Culture of Hungary

Culture in Hungary is diverse and varied across the country. Central features include a rich folk crafts tradition, for instance, embroidery, decorated pottery and carvings. Hungarian music is also broad in its scope and ranges from Franz Liszt's rhapsodies to folk music to modern songs influenced by various musical traditions. Hungary also possesses a rich literary heritage with many talented poets and writers. Some noted authors include S‡ndor M‡rai and Imre KertŽsz.

Religion in Hungary is mainly comprised of various forms Christianity - 38.9% are Catholics, 13.8% are Protestants and around 2% follow other religions, with remaining non-religious 16.7%.

Hungarian is the most commonly spoken language of the country - it is complicated and difficult to understand (both written and spoken) for English speakers. Fortunately, since English is widely taught in schools and universities, younger people speak and understand English. However, the older generation is unlikely to speak English and language remains one of the biggest barriers for tourism in Hungary. German, on the other hand, is more useful as it is spoken more commonly on account of the shared border with Austria. Common phrases in Hungarian are szia (hi and bye), kŽrem (please) and kšszšnšm (thank you).

Food of Hungary

Food in Hungary is spicy and flavourful, but can be rather than healthy. Several dishes are prepared with lard or are deep-fried. Fresh paprika, made from ground sweet bell peppers, is added to almost every dish. Goulash, a thick paprika-laden stew, is the national dish of Hungary and eaten widely by both citizens and tourists alike. Dishes made from meat, specifically pork, venison and goose are quite popular in Hungary. Some popular dishes include goose liver (libam‡j) and roasted goose leg (sŸlt libacomb). Hungarian pickles called savanyœs‡g accompany almost every meal in the country including breakfast. Hungary is known for its alcoholic beverages, especially wine from Vill‡ny, Eger, Badacsony, Tokaj and Szeksz‡rd. Another popular drink is p‡linka, a strong brandy-like liquor distilled from fruit, served as shots.

Photos of Hungary

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FAQs on Hungary

How to reach Hungary from India?

Major Airlines: Aeroflot, Turkish, Lufthansa, Air India, Jet Airways, Emirates. Major cities in India to catch a flight for Hungary - New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai (all one-stop flights).

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