Explore the land of fabulous surprises
It is a land like no other in Europe. Unrivalled in its cities, landscapes and people, Hungary beckons to those seeking the unique, the truly special - a whole New World that has never been seen or experienced before.
To uncover Hungary's vast riches, all you have to do is go to the heart, to the very heart of Europe. Where the splendour of Budapest, the country's capital, meets the calm sweep of the romantic Great Plain and Puszta.
Ancient walled towns, such as Sopron and Kőszeg, vie for beauty with the 16th century bastion of Turkish rule, Pécs, and the Baroque masterpiece of Eger. In fact, architecture from every period of Hungarian history is reflected in its dynamic character today. You can discover that from Budapest's stunning Roman settlement, Aquincum, to the magnificent Romanesque cathedral in Ják, from the Rococo Eszterházy palace in Fertőd to the Art Nouveau Town Hall in Kecskemét.
Come and see:
- Budapest the pearl of the river Danube
- Lake Balaton, the Hungarian Sea
- Gyor, centre of the Minor Plain
- Szeged the capital of the paprika
- Eger, the capital of the bull's blood
- Pécs the capital of "Turkish" Hungary
- Debrecen and the Puszta
- Kecskemét, the capital of the "apricot brandy" and the Hungarian Art Nouveau
- Sopron baroque Austro-Hungarian village
The capital, Budapest
Budapest, a city where a surprise awaits you on each corner. This metropolis with its 1,8 million inhabitants is much more than just the capital of Hungary. Budapest is a unique moment of the past as well as a modern city, a treasury that contains 2000 years of history and a cultural centre in which one sensational event haunts the next one.
The city extends on both sides of the river Danube - on the right hand side you find the older, hilly Buda with historical and architectural monuments. On the left-hand side discover the flat land of the younger Pest with its houses for its fashionable citizens and bustling life.
Relax on Margitsziget (Margaret Island). Its an island on the Danube with 92ha in the middle of the city, a conservation area, 2,5 km long and 500 m wide. Cars are not permitted on the island. Find old majestic trees, parks and ruins of monasteries dating back to the Middle Ages. Two thermal hotels and a small zoo as well as restaurants and cafés await you in the heart of the town.
During your visit you will not only find out, why Budapest is the proud heir of the Magyar tribes, who founded Hungary about 1100 years ago, you will also discover the lasting influence of the Romans. You will walk in the footsteps of the Turks, who determined the history of Hungary in the 16th and 17th century and you will remember the days, when the Habsburgs ruled the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.
Of course you will also see the Budapest of today. A blossoming centre of international trade, culture and politics, a growing metropolis with the charm of a small town whose lively present and gleaming past make her one of the most dynamic and beautiful cities of Europe.
Castling-around
There are more than 2000 castles and country mansions in Hungary today. 700 of them are protected monuments. A small proportion of our nicely renovated castles and mansions are functioning as hotels. No doubt, if you wanted to spend your holiday in a castle-hotel or a country mansion, you will learn not only Hungarian history but will also get insight into the past and present of the region.
Besides, you can enjoy all services that a 1, 2, 3 or 4-star hotel can provide. Complete with Hungarian hospitality, the excellent flavours of the Hungarian kitchen, the beauty of the landscape and facilities for the more active. The hotels both in the mountains and the far-famed environs of "Puszta" (plain) are suitable also for small conferences.
Wellness-paradise
Hungary is extremely rich in thermal springs. Across the country there are some 135 natural springs with recognised medicinal properties. Thirty-five spas offer medical treatment, and there are thirty additional public baths with natural spring water exhibiting medicinal properties. Mineral water is taken from spas for curative purposes, then sold in bottles in pharmacies. Besides the swimming pool, enjoy the bubble bath; adventure pool and sauna, which are all features of wellness packages.
Those who enjoy a more active, sporting fitness lifestyle will find that gymnasiums these days not only have workout machines installed. Professional fitness rooms are centres, which provide tailor-made training programs, places where guests also receive consultations on healthy nutrition, while the presence of doctors and trainers is guaranteed.
In recognition of the increasing interest in healthy lifestyles, ever more hotels in Hungary have developed fitness-wellness program packages.
Hungary is the ideal place for anyone wishing to enjoy a spa vacation. In addition to spas, they'll find countless cultural, sports and other facilities right across the country. Indeed, guests will find a really "warm" welcome in no less than 400 thermal establishments in more than 100 places.
World Heritage Sites
Every nation must cherish its culture, history and traditions and pass them on to the next generation. This is the essence of heritage, which is indispensable for understanding the present and planning the future. Our cultural and natural heritage is constantly threatened with destruction by natural forces and social and economic change. There are cultural and natural assets of purely local interest, and there are those that are of world-wide importance, because they are unique. Hungary is proud to have 8 places considered special enough to be included on the list of exceptional and universally important sites.
- Pécs (Sopianae) Early Christian Cemetery
- Millenarian Benedictine Monastery of Pannonhalma and Its Natural Environment
- Budapest, the Banks of the Danube and the Buda Castle Quarter
- Hollókő
- Hortobágy National Park
- Caves of the Aggtelek and Slovak Karst
- The wine region of Tokaj
- Budapest Andrássy út and its historical environment
- Lake Fertő -Neusiedler See
Golfing
Approximately 2-3 hours travelling time from Budapest there are several golf clubs that offer full golf & country club facilities. These clubs provide a complete program for a whole weekend, such as hunting in the wild, horseback riding, thermal bathing and many other recreational facilities. Should you wish to extend your stay at one of these resorts, we are happy to organise packages of pay & stay to suit any requirements. Traditionally the golf season starts April and runs till end of October. During the entire golf season in Hungary there is at least one competition on every weekend. Our exclusive offer: Open competition on weekends with varied programs.
Gastronomy - Hungarian cuisine
Not everybody knows it, but according to an unofficial rating, Hungarian cuisine is among the three best cuisines in the world: the first is French, the second is Chinese and the third one is the Hungarian! This rating primarily refers to the richness and harmony of flavours.
Spicy dishes rich in calories and carbohydrates characterised the traditional Hungarian kitchen. Most dishes were made with lard and did not lack in the rightly famous Hungarian onions and paprika. At the beginning of the century, the most important food sources were corn and vegetables produced in small gardens and pigs, which no family in the country could do without. In the country, only a few butcheries could be found.
The country-folk preserved the meats of the domestic animals they butchered so they could store it throughout the year. The farmer, to be able to carry out his hard physical labour (for example, harvesting, plugging or casting iron) needed to consume high-calorie foods. After more intellectual ones had replaced many physical occupations, people needed less energy.
Culinary habits had to change so the food became lighter, without losing the great flavours! Onion and paprika browned in grease give a unique aroma to our dishes. Although we use oil now instead of lard (and not very much oil, at that), the flavours have not changed.
Not a single foreign visitor should leave Hungary without having tried stuffed cabbage, paprika chicken, roast pig, roast duck, and letcho at least once, and they shouldn't miss our sour-cherry strudel, the delicious sweet appetiser, "vargabéles", cabbage ravioli or pasta with soft cheese and cracklings. Paprika from Kalocsa or Szeged, onion from Makó, the most delicious sweet pepper, Liptauer, Hungarian salami, smoked ham and goose liver are all unique Hungarian products.
Finally, don't forget those liquid "Hungaricums" - the excellent apricot brandy and many delicious wines, including the "wine of kings, king of wines", Tokaj. Visitors who come to our country should taste all of these foods.
Wine regions / wine tasting
Hungarian wine has a history of several hundred years. The wine-producing regions of Hungary have excellent agricultural-ecological features that have yet to be fully exploited in the domestic wine industry.
Hungary lies in the middle zone of wine-growing regions. This means that the mean annual temperature is between 11-16 °C and that the cultivation of grapes producing both red and white wines is possible. The quality of wines produced in Hungary is usually very good.
Drinking habits in Hungary are changing. Wine consumption in the past 10 years has increased by 150%. The habits of wine consumers have also changed; they're switching from mass produced wines to quality wine. More and more wineries producing quality wines are being established. They hope to gain brand recognition by producing quality wines and winning domestic and foreign wine competitions.
Wine tours and wine clubs are organised in more and more wine-growing regions. In the wine-growing regions the possibilities of wine tourism have been recognised and professionals realised that other segments, besides wine, could also be included. Wine tours popularise not only the wines and penologists of the regions but other institutions interested in tourism are also attracted (catering and hotel units).
It was the Villány-Siklós wine-growing region, which established the wine tour in Hungary, but since then, it is also available in the Szekszárd wine-growing region. The wine-tours offer complete packages, including hotel and catering, organised wine tasting and trips to "gastronomy land" which show the sights of the region.