Hungary Vacations

Contemporary Hungarians value family, good food, and have a healthy respect for their resilient past. Evidence of it is everywhere across the country and alive in its traditions

Parliament in Budapest is housed in a Neo-Gothic style building that opened in 1902. The interior includes ten courtyards, thirteen passenger and freight elevators, twenty-seven gates, twenty-nine staircases, and six-hundred and ninety-one rooms (including more than two-hundred offices). The building has more than two-hundred sculptures on its walls. They depict national heroes, monarchs, allegorical figures like wisdom and knowledge, military leaders, and decorative sculptures like angels and mythical creatures. The building sits on the east side of the River Danube.

Hungary has been ethnically diverse from its beginnings. Today over 90% of the population is ethnically Hungarian, but there are also pockets of ethnic and cultural Slovaks, Romanians, and Germans

Hungary is a predominantly Christian country and more than half of the population are Roman Catholic. There are also other small groups of Calvinists, Lutherans, Greek Catholics, Orthodox, and Jews.

The Hungarian thermal baths are no joke. The wellness practice of dipping and lounging in hot water heated with geothermal energy feels like a connection to the Earth itself. Whether you’re easing aches and pains, meditating, or out on a weekend with friends, the mineral-rich waters are associated with various health benefits. Let yourself loose and completely succumb to a full spa treatment at one of the many spas across the country. There are over a thousand thermal springs in the country (100 in the Budapest area).. The first of these baths were erected by the Romans more than two-thousand years ago, and they remain a mainstay of everyday life in Hungary today.

Each season in Hungary offers great options for a trip. From Springtime in Budapest, to the small ski resorts in the northern mountains in the colder months, you’re sure to enjoy cultural events and a variety of activities. 

Lake Balaton, a freshwater lake, is one of the country’s most scenic spots. It’s an hour’s drive from Budapest and has been used as a retreat destination for centuries with its beaches, resort towns and hotels scattered along its 200 kilometre shoreline. The rolling hills on the north shore of a wine-growing region are protected, and filled with trails. Highlights include the Festetics Palace built in 1745 in the town of Keszthely.

Another popular park to visit is Bukk National Park in northern Hungary. The area is very rich in biodiversity, providing habitats for various plant and animal species like the red deer, wild boar, and brown bear in more remote areas.

House of Terror Museum in Budapest used to be the headquarters of the dreaded secret police during the occupation of Hungary by the Soviets but is now a permanent exhibition that mainly covers the 1956 uprising. After surviving two regimes of terror, Hungary established a memorial to the victims. It stands to present a picture of what life was like for Hungarians in those times. The horrors and events of that time are presented to help people understand the value in the fight for freedom.

In Eger visit the historic Eger Castle with amazing views of the city.and go on a gorgeous wine tour in the nearby Szepasszony Valley, famous with wine enthusiasts. And check out the Baroque style Old Town in Gyor. This Basilica, built in the 11th century, is one of Hungary’s most impressive buildings. Pope John Paul II gave the cathedral the status of minor basilica in 1997.

If you’re heading for Debrecen, make sure to spend time in Great Forest Park and in Pecs there is an early Christian Mausoleum and the Barbican, where you can find medieval ruins. Most places in Hungary will also have a spa to enjoy.

Despite the scars and painful memories from a complex history, Hungary  exists in the present with strong education and health systems, a busy tourism industry, and its music and arts scene is thriving.

The region of modern day Hungary has been home to a number of tribes and groups, such as the Celts, Romans, and Magyars, who arrived in the 9th century. Split in different ways over its time, Hungary, in the Act of Compromise of 1867 saw the creation of the Duel Monarchy of Austria and Hungary. Budapest experienced a cultural birth in this period, when much of the city was built.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, Prince of Hungary, was assassinated by Serbian Gavrilo Princip in 1914, and Hungary declared war on Serbia and sparked a global conflict. The post-war period was harsh and Hungary joined Germany in the war, in 1941. Hungarian soldiers were used as pawns while 430,000 Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschitz and other labour camps.

Following the war, Hungary became a republic and lost some of its territories. The Soviets taking over caused the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, but it was forcefully rejected. Twenty-thousand Hungarians were killed and a quarter-million were exiled. With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, Hungary held its first free elections in 1990. Hungary joined the European Union in 2004.

Hungarians are proud of their unique, complex, and sophisticated language. It’s related to Mansi and Khanty of Siberia and is also classified as a Finno-Ugric language which includes Finnish and Estonian. It’s not at all related to any of its neighbours, and is considered one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn.

Table manners can be quite formal in Hungary, and sitting down to dinner can be a real family affair, as it’s common for multiple generations and extended families to live together.

The cuisine of Hungary is based on its ancient agricultural practices,  local traditions, and the country’s main ethnic group, the Magyans who had originally come from the Central Asian Steppe. Traditional dishes are centred around meat, vegetables, fruits, bread, cheese and – hot paprika – the result of Turkish influence. It features heavily in cooking, so expect a bit of spiciness (there is a sweet paprika too, if spice makes you feel funny).

Goulash is a popular national dish. Somewhere between a soup and a stew, made with beef, potatoes, paprika, and sometimes with Hungarian gnocchi. It’s origin lies in the simple country meals prepared by shepherds and cattle herders over centuries.

Gundel palacsinta is a dessert of pancakes with walnuts, raisins, lemon rind, and chocolate sauce with rum.It’ll warm your heart. Chicken paprikash is cooked in a paprika cream sauce and served with dumplings or egg noodles, and kelbasz is a Hungarian paprika spiced sausage.

Langos is a delicious deep-fried bread baked with cheese, ham, and garlic. You can find it everywhere, as it’s a popular street food, centuries old. Toltott kaposzta  are Hungarian cabbage rolls made with cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around meat, rice, and spice mixture.

Sweet dessert wines are popular in Hungary. Tokaji Aszu is a wine that comes from the Hungarian Furmint vines from the northeastern part of the country. It features notes of honey, apricot and botrytis. Bull’s Blood is a dry, rich, and full-bodied wine from the Eger wine region – it pairs nicely with Hungarian cuisine. 

Palinka is a strong fruit brandy and can be sweet or quite fiery. Unicum is a liqueur made from a mixture of more than forty spices, consumed often as a digestif. Hungarian beer is generally crisp, and lightly hopped, and the craft scene is on the rise. Froccs is a popular Hungarian summer drink made from wine and sparkling water - also crisp, and refreshing.

Tipping is expected, usually 10%, in cash.