Hungary

Overview

Hungary ( Hungarian : Magyarország ) is a small landlocked country in central Europe , at a historical crossroads between the Balkans and the Great Eurasian Steppe. Its capital city, Budapest , boasts Habsburg architecture, and ornate Turkish bathhouses remnant of its Ottoman past, while its villages preserve strong folk traditions. Straddling the Peri-Carpathian Steppe and the Carpathian Mountains, Hungary offers a diverse range of landscapes—from relatively low mountain ranges and thermal hot springs, to the Great Plain in the east, along with a variety of lakes and rivers. The vast Lake Balaton is a key destination for Hungary's warm summers.

Hungary is one of the 15 most popular tourist destinations in the world, with a capital regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world . Despite its relatively small size, Hungary is home to 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 ). In terms of buildings, Hungary is home to the largest synagogue in Europe (the Great Synagogue of Budapest), the largest medicinal bath in Europe (Széchenyi Medicinal Bath), the third largest church in Europe (Esztergom Basilica), the second largest territorial abbey in the world (Pannonhalma Archabbey), the second largest Baroque castle in the world (Gödöllő), and the largest Early Christian Necropolis outside Italy (Pécs).

Hungary has been ethnically diverse since its inception, and while today over 90% of the population are ethnically Hungarian, pockets of ethnic and cultural Slovaks, Romanians, Germans, Romani/Sinti people (Gypsies), and others dot the country. Due to the border changes of Hungary after World War I, over 2 million ethnic and cultural Hungarians live in bordering countries, as well. The Hungarians, otherwise known as Magyars, are the descendants of several tribes from Central Asia, who were believed to be fierce, nomadic horsemen and came to Central Europe in the 9th century.

Sights and landscapes

Other major tourist destination is Lake Balaton , with winehills, thermal spa in Hévíz , Hajdúszoboszló and Harkány around. Sopron is one of the most popular place for a sightseeing in the region.

Hungary is a landlocked country . Its geography has traditionally been defined by its two main waterways, the Danube and Tisza rivers. The common tripartite division— Dunántúl ("beyond the Danube", Transdanubia ), Tiszántúl ("beyond the Tisza"), and Duna–Tisza köze ("between the Danube and Tisza")—is a reflection of this. The Danube flows north–south through the centre of contemporary Hungary, and the entire country lies within its drainage basin .

Transdanubia, which stretches westward from the centre of the country towards Austria, is a primarily hilly region with a terrain varied by low mountains. These include the very eastern stretch of the Alps , Alpokalja , in the west of the country, the Transdanubian Mountains in the central region of Transdanubia, and the Mecsek Mountains and Villány Mountains in the south. The highest point of the area is the Írott-kő in the Alps, at 882 metres (2,894 ft). The Little Hungarian Plain ( Kisalföld ) is found in northern Transdanubia. Lake Balaton and Lake Hévíz , the largest lake in Central Europe and the largest thermal lake in the world, respectively, are in Transdanubia as well.

The Duna–Tisza köze and Tiszántúl are characterised mainly by the Great Hungarian Plain ( Alföld ), which stretches across most of the eastern and southeastern areas of the country. To the north of the plain are the foothills of the Carpathians in a wide band near the Slovak border. The Kékes at 1,014 m (3,327 ft) is the tallest mountain in Hungary and is found there.

Phytogeographically , Hungary belongs to the Central European province of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom . According to the WWF , the territory of Hungary belongs to the terrestrial ecoregion of Pannonian mixed forests .

Culture and food

In restaurants, a service charge is frequently included into bill, 10% or even 12%, but this has to be clearly pointed out on the menu. If it's not mentioned, the place has no right to include a service charge in the bill.

Even if there's no service charge, unless the service was preposterous most Hungarians tend to leave a tip of 10% minimum. Unlike in most Western countries, tip is usually not left on the table but rather the amount is specified to the waiting staff when you pay.

There were some places, mainly in the centre of Pest, that try to rip off drunk tourists at night by charging ridiculously high prices for drinks. Most of these places are closed now, but it's still a good idea to always check the prices before ordering.

Planning your route

Hungary has no regular domestic flights. As Budapest lies in the centre of the country and pretty much any point can be reached within three hours by train or bus, there isn't much need for scheduled domestic flights.

You can also use menetrendek.hu , Google Maps, KDE Itinerary or the MenetBrand android apps to plan your trip – these all have generally up to date data as well.

The train network is star-shaped (hub-and-spoke), fanning out from the centre at Budapest . This is caused by history because half of the once complete train system went to the neighbor countries after World War I. If neither the starting or ending point is Budapest, expect to travel for a long time often with change in Budapest.

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors) and Wikipedia article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.