Hungary

Hungary is already decided, and now the trip needs to be put together. There are usually several questions: how many days to give Budapest, whether to go to Lake Balaton, which bath to choose and what to buy in advance. The trip can turn out very differently: a city weekend, a stay by the lake, treatment at thermal resorts or a wine route. The articles in this section answer these questions in order.

Most of the articles are about Budapest. There are ready-made itineraries for one, three and five days, separate walks around Buda and Pest, and overviews of museums, parks and places to go with children. Parliament, Vajdahunyad Castle, Margaret Island and the Danube cruise are covered separately: how to get inside and which ticket to buy. Several articles are devoted to the baths: a general comparison, Széchenyi Baths in different seasons and alternatives to the closed Gellért.

The second thread of the section is the country beyond the capital. Lake Balaton is described from two angles: how the northern and southern shores differ, why the water in the lake looks cloudy and where it is safe to swim. There are wine routes to Tokaj and Eger, articles on Debrecen, Nyíregyháza and Szolnok, thermal resorts and the health spas of Hévíz with treatments. Event pieces cover the Busójárás winter carnival in Mohács, the grape harvest festival in Badacsony and the spring festivals.

The practical part covers accommodation, transportation and budget. Hotel selections are divided by district, category and type of trip: inexpensive options near the metro, spa hotels, hotels with thermal pools. We write about the hotels themselves with their downsides, not only their strong points. Alongside are articles on getting from the airport to the center, on seasons and prices, on street food, souvenirs and the typical mistakes that make a trip more expensive.

Every article opens with a short conclusion, and the details follow below. We check prices, opening hours and ticket conditions against official websites and state the source and the date of the check. We name the downsides directly: lines, sites closed for renovation, noisy districts. If the information may have changed, we say so and show where you can check it again.

The section suits those who travel independently and want to choose their own accommodation, tickets and order of days. It is useful both for a first trip and for a return visit, when the capital is already familiar and the lake, the wine or the thermal baths are what interest you. Families will find a separate article on traveling around Hungary with children: the capital, the baths and Lake Balaton. If you need a ready-made organized tour or a detailed historical background, these articles will help less.

A convenient place to start is the article on when to go to Budapest: it helps you settle on a month. Then pick an itinerary for your number of days and a district to stay in. After that, read about specific sights and the tickets that are better bought in advance. If your plans go beyond the capital, add the articles on Lake Balaton, Tokaj or the thermal resorts and work out how many days they need.

"Hungary" belongs to the "Europe" part of the "Destinations" section. Everything about the capital is gathered in the "Budapest" subsection, which is the place to go if your trip is limited to one city. If you are comparing countries or planning a route through several, take a look at the neighboring sections: "Germany", "Bulgaria", "France", "Belgium", "Denmark", "Finland", "England", "Andorra".

We update the articles: prices, timetables and opening hours change, and we check them against official sources. Event pieces are tied to a specific season, so pay attention to the date of the check. Before your trip, open the official website of the sight that matters most to you once more. It takes little time and saves you from unpleasant surprises on the spot.