◆ Country guide · Central Europe

Hungary, capital to Great Plain

City guides

9.6M

People

UNESCO sites

Live destination map

Top 10 guideComing soon

Thermal water under the capital, a lake the country treats as a sea, and a language related to almost nothing spoken around it. Hungary is small enough to cross in a morning and layered enough to hold a fortnight.

Hungary at a glance

Best months

May · Jun · Sep

Ideal length

7–10 days

Budget / day

$55–120

Language

Hungarian

Getting around

Intercity trains

When to visit Hungary

One landlocked country, four clear seasons, and a lake that decides the summer.

Full month guide →

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Best: May, June and September, warm without the August crush Peak: July and August, Balaton season and festival season together Good: April, October and December, cooler and cheaper, baths and markets open Quietest: January to March and November, grey days and the lowest prices

Quick answer · where to go in Hungary

Give Budapest four days: the baths, the market halls, the Jewish quarter and the museums fill them. Then pick one direction. North on the Danube, Szentendre, Visegrád and Esztergom make an easy day out. West is Lake Balaton: vineyards and Tihany on the north shore, shallow beaches on the south. Northeast is wine country, Eger for reds and Tokaj for sweet whites. East is the Great Plain: Hortobágy, Debrecen and Szeged. A week covers Budapest and one region. Two weeks covers two.

4 Hungary city guides

The country layer comes first here. City guides follow it.

Szeged

Europe · 10 picks

Debrecen

Europe · 10 picks

Pécs

Europe · 10 picks

Győr

Europe · 10 picks

Fun fact

One number worth knowing

The yellow line under Andrássy Avenue, Budapest’s M1, opened in May 1896 and was the first electrified underground railway on the European mainland, beaten worldwide only by London. It still runs on its original alignment and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage listing in 2002.

Stereotypes, sorted out

The clichés you have heard, what is actually true, and how to fit in.

"Hungary is Budapest, and Budapest is a weekend."

The realityThe capital holds about a fifth of the population and fewer of the reasons to come. Pécs has a Roman burial complex under its cathedral square. Tokaj has been a demarcated wine region since 1737. Hortobágy is the largest continuous natural grassland in Europe. All three are on the UNESCO list.

"Goulash is a stew."

The realityGulyás is a soup, thin enough to drink, and the word means herdsman. The thick paprika stew called goulash abroad is pörkölt, and with chicken and sour cream stirred through it becomes paprikás. Ordering gulyás and expecting the stew is the commonest menu mistake here.

"Everything is dirt cheap."

The realityIt was, and it is still good value against Vienna an hour away, but Budapest is no longer a bargain capital. Central restaurants, the popular baths and the summer Balaton shore have caught up. Walk two streets off the tourist strip for a lower bill. The countryside keeps the old prices.

"It is a landlocked country with nothing to swim in."

The realityLake Balaton covers 592 square kilometres, the largest lake in Central Europe, and its southern shore is shallow enough to wade far out. Hévíz is a thermal lake you swim in year round. Public baths are ordinary municipal infrastructure, in small towns as much as in the capital.

"Hungarian is basically a Slavic language."

The realityIt is unrelated to the languages of every country Hungary borders. Hungarian is Finno-Ugric, in the Uralic family, and its nearest widely spoken relatives, Finnish and Estonian, are distant. Nothing on a street sign can be guessed from German, Croatian, Slovak or Romanian.

Goulash on every menuPaprika in everythingRuin bars and stag partiesOld men playing chess in the bathsA sad, melancholy peopleCheap beer and cheaper wine

How to fit in

Greet with the surname first. Hungarian puts the family name before the given name, so Bartók Béla at home is Béla Bartók abroad, and forms will ask for them in that order.
Do not clink beer glasses. The custom traces to 1849, when Austrian officers were said to have toasted the execution of Hungarian generals with beer. Whether or not the story holds, the habit does, and glasses of wine and pálinka are clinked freely instead.
Say egészségedre before the first sip, not after. It is the toast, it is unpronounceable on the first attempt, and trying anyway is received well.
Shoes come off inside a home, and something for the table comes with you. Wine, pálinka or cake, not flowers in an even number, which are for funerals.
Learn the bath routine before you go in. Swimwear at all times in the mixed pools, a cap in the lap pool, sandals across the wet floors, and a padlock for the cabin, which is not provided at every bath.
Tap water is safe everywhere and asking for it is normal, though many restaurants will steer you to the bottled list first.
Queue by ticket, not by line. Post offices, pharmacies, banks and government offices run on a numbered ticket from a machine at the door, and standing patiently in the wrong place gets you nowhere.

Famous Hungarian faces

The names behind Hungarian science, invention, music, sport, screen and verse. Pick a field.

Ernő Rubik

Architect who built the Cube in Budapest in 1974 to teach three-dimensional geometry

Béla Bartók

Composer who recorded village folk songs by phonograph and built modern music from them

Katalin Karikó

Biochemist from Szolnok, 2023 Nobel laureate for the mRNA work behind COVID-19 vaccines

Judit Polgár

Grandmaster at 15, the strongest female chess player in history

Albert Szent-Györgyi

1937 Nobel laureate for vitamin C, which he isolated in quantity from Szeged paprika

Ferenc Krausz

Physicist from Mór, 2023 Nobel laureate for generating attosecond pulses of light

Edward Teller

Budapest-born physicist, one of the Martians, central to the US thermonuclear programme

Loránd Eötvös

Physicist whose torsion balance measured gravity; Budapest’s university bears his name

László Bíró

Journalist who patented the ballpoint pen in the 1930s. English still calls it a biro

Kálmán Kandó

Engineer who pioneered high-voltage alternating-current traction for railways

Zoltán Kodály

Composer whose singing-based teaching method is still used in schools worldwide

Miklós Rózsa

Film composer with three Oscars, for Spellbound, A Double Life and Ben-Hur

Georg Solti

Conductor, Chicago Symphony music director for 22 years, winner of 31 Grammys

Krisztina Egerszegi

Swimmer, Olympic champion at 14, with five golds, three at Barcelona in 1992

Katinka Hosszú

The Iron Lady: three swimming golds at Rio 2016 and a 400m medley world record

László Papp

Boxer, first to win Olympic gold at three consecutive Games: 1948, 1952 and 1956

István Szabó

Director of Mephisto (1981), Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film

László Nemes

Director of Son of Saul, the 2016 Oscar winner shot over one man’s shoulder

Béla Tarr

Director of Sátántangó and Werckmeister Harmonies, master of the long take

Sándor Petőfi

Poet of the 1848 revolution, who read the National Song aloud in Pest on its first day

Imre Kertész

Auschwitz survivor and novelist, 2002 Nobel laureate for Fatelessness

Attila József

Poet of the interwar city, poor all his short life, and the most quoted in Hungary

Robert Capa

Born Endre Friedmann in Budapest, war photographer and Magnum co-founder

Ferenc Puskás

Golden Team captain, 1954 World Cup finalist, then a European Cup winner at Real Madrid

Franz Liszt

Composer and pianist, born in 1811, and founder of the Budapest academy named after him

John von Neumann

Budapest-born mathematician behind game theory and the modern computer’s architecture

Harry Houdini

Born Erik Weisz in Budapest in 1874, the escape artist who made his name in America

Ányos Jedlik

Benedictine monk and physicist who built an electric motor prototype in 1828

André Kertész

Photographer who left Budapest for Paris in 1925 and made the ordinary street his subject

Must-try Hungarian food

Paprika, sour cream and slow cooking, and far more than goulash. Pick a category.

Pörkölt

The thick paprika stew the world calls goulash: beef, veal or game, onions cooked down.

Paprikás csirke

Chicken in paprika and sour cream, served with nokedli, small torn dumplings.

Töltött káposzta

Cabbage rolled around pork and rice, layered with sauerkraut. Better on the second day.

Halászlé

Red river-fish soup. Szeged strains it and adds carp, Baja serves it hotter over pasta.

Lecsó

Peppers, tomato and onion stewed slowly, finished with sausage or egg. High summer.

Túrós csusza

Wide pasta with curd cheese, sour cream and crisp bacon. Sweet and salty, eaten as a main.

Lángos

Fried flatbread with garlic, sour cream and grated cheese. Market halls and lake shores.

Kürtőskalács

Chimney cake: sweet dough wound on a spit, sugared and turned over coals to caramelise.

Kolbász

Smoked paprika sausage sold by the metre. Look for gyulai and csabai.

Pogácsa

Small savoury scones, plain or with cracklings or cheese, eaten with wine or beer.

Dobos torta

Sponge and chocolate buttercream under hard caramel, invented by József Dobos in 1885.

Somlói galuska

Sponge, walnut, rum syrup, chocolate sauce and cream in a glass. Not meant to be elegant.

Gundel palacsinta

Walnut and raisin pancakes under dark chocolate and rum sauce, from the Gundel restaurant.

Túró Rudi

Curd cheese in a thin dark chocolate shell, sold cold in every corner shop.

Tokaji aszú

Sweet wine from botrytised grapes, made in a demarcated region since 1737.

Egri Bikavér

Bull’s Blood, a red blend from Eger. Taste it in the cellars of the Szépasszony valley.

Fröccs

Wine and soda water, ordered by ratio: kisfröccs, nagyfröccs and házmester each differ.

Gulyás

A soup, not a stew: beef, potato, carrot and paprika in thin broth, ideally in a bogrács.

Hortobágyi palacsinta

Savoury pancakes rolled around minced meat under paprika sauce. A starter.

Jókai bableves

Bean soup with smoked pork knuckle and pinched noodles, named after the novelist.

Mangalica

The curly-haired native pig, nearly lost once, now back as sausage, cured loin and roast.

Libamáj

Goose liver, hot with onions or cold as a terrine. Ask where it came from if that matters.

Rétes

Strudel pulled paper-thin, filled with sour cherry, poppy seed, curd cheese or apple.

Krémes

Vanilla custard between sheets of puff pastry, dusted with sugar. The village default.

Pálinka

Fruit brandy from plum, apricot, pear or cherry, protected by law and served neat.

Unicum

Bitter herbal digestif in a round bottle, made by the same family firm since 1790.

Know before you go

The essentials for planning a Hungarian trip.

Currency

Forint (HUF), not the euro

In the EU since 2004 but not on the euro, so prices are in forint. Cards work almost everywhere in cities. Carry cash for markets, village buses and bath lockers, and decline currency conversion.

Language

Hungarian, and it is not related to its neighbours

Hungarian is Finno-Ugric, related to Finnish and Estonian, so nothing can be guessed from a sign. English is common in Budapest and among the young. Köszönöm and kérem are worth learning.

Calling code

+36

Mobile numbers run to nine digits after the code. EU SIMs roam at domestic rates; others can buy prepaid SIMs and eSIMs at phone shops or the airport with a passport.

Time zone

CET, UTC+1, with summer time

Central European Time, moving to UTC+2 for central European summer time between late March and late October. Same clock as Vienna, Berlin and Warsaw.

Power

230V, 50Hz, plug types C and F

The standard European round two-pin. British, American and Australian plugs all need an adapter, and anything not rated for 230V needs a converter as well.

Emergency

112, free from any phone

112 reaches police, ambulance and fire and is answered in Hungarian and English. The older single-service numbers still work: 107 for police, 104 for ambulance, 105 for fire.

Visa

Schengen rules, 90 days in any 180

Schengen since 2007: visa-exempt visitors get 90 days in any 180 across the whole zone. The EU Entry/Exit System takes biometrics at external borders; ETIAS is not yet running.

Getting around

Trains and coaches out of Budapest

MÁV trains and Volánbusz coaches radiate from Budapest, so provincial hops often change there. In the capital one ticket covers metro, tram, bus and the HÉV; validate it before boarding.

Driving

On the right, and a motorway e-vignette

Keep right. Motorways need an e-vignette bought before you join, online or at border filling stations. The drink-drive limit is zero, and dipped headlights are required outside towns.

Tipping

10 to 15 percent, unless it is already on the bill

Many Budapest restaurants add a 12 to 15 percent service charge (szervízdíj), and then nothing more is due. Otherwise tip 10 to 15 percent, in forint, handed to the server.

Tap water

Safe everywhere

Mains water is drinkable across the country, including in the smallest villages, and asking for tap water in a restaurant is normal even where the bottled list is offered first.

Thermal baths

Bring a towel, flip-flops and a padlock

Public baths have their own rules: swimwear in mixed pools, a cap in the lap pool, sandals on wet floors, your own padlock for the cabin. Some Ottoman baths keep single-sex days.

Hungary travel FAQ

Do you need a visa for Hungary?+

Hungary is in the Schengen area, so Schengen rules apply. Visa-exempt nationalities, among them the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and Japan, may stay 90 days in any 180 across the whole zone, and days spent in Austria or Croatia count against the same allowance. Your passport must be valid for three months beyond the date you intend to leave and issued within the last ten years. The EU Entry/Exit System now registers non-EU travellers biometrically at external borders, so allow extra time on a first crossing. ETIAS, the separate travel authorisation, is not yet in force and cannot be applied for. Check the European Commission’s own pages before you travel, and skip paid intermediaries.

When is the best time to visit Hungary?+

May, June and September. The days are long, the terraces are open, the baths are still a pleasure, and neither the Balaton shore nor Budapest is at capacity. July and August are hot and busy: the lake fills, festival season runs, and the capital empties of locals in the way continental cities do. April and October are cooler and cheaper and work well for a city-only trip. Winter is dark and often grey, with one clear exception: the advent markets and the outdoor thermal pools are both better in the cold.

What currency does Hungary use, and can you pay by card?+

The forint (HUF). Hungary joined the EU in 2004 but has not adopted the euro, and everything is priced in forint. Cards are accepted almost everywhere in the cities, including on public transport and in taxis, and contactless is standard. Carry a little cash for markets, rural buses, bath lockers and small village places. Avoid the currency-exchange booths on the tourist streets and decline the offer to be charged in your own currency at a card terminal, which is where the poor rate hides.

How do you get around Hungary without a car?+

Easily, because the rail and coach networks both radiate from Budapest. MÁV trains reach Győr, Pécs, Debrecen, Szeged, Eger and the Balaton shore, and the intercity services are comfortable and cheap by western European standards. Volánbusz coaches cover what the trains miss. The catch is the shape of the network: crossing between two provincial cities often means changing in Budapest, so plan a loop as a set of returns from the capital. Budapest itself runs on metro, tram, trolleybus and bus under one ticket, and the HÉV suburban line carries you out to Szentendre.

Which thermal bath should you actually go to?+

Depends what you want from it. Széchenyi in the City Park is the big yellow one from the postcards, mostly outdoors, busiest and best in cold weather. Gellért is the art nouveau one, smaller, tiled and calmer. Rudas and Király are Ottoman baths from the sixteenth century, with domed pools and single-sex days that you should check before turning up. Outside the capital, Hévíz is a thermal lake you float in year round, and Miskolctapolca puts the water inside a cave. Take a towel, flip-flops and a padlock, and expect a cap to be required in any lap pool.

Is Budapest enough on its own?+

For a first long weekend, yes, and stretching it thin to add a second base is usually a mistake. Four days in the capital is not padding. Beyond that, the return is better outside it: Szentendre and Esztergom are day trips on public transport, Eger and Pécs are two hours out and both worth a night, and the Balaton shore is a separate holiday. The pattern that works is Budapest plus one region, chosen by season.

Hungary by theme

Themed Top 10s that pass through Hungary.

All themes →

№01→

Hidden gems of Europe

№02→

Hot springs

Planning a Hungarian trip?

Subscribe to the Wimup newsletter for new guides, travel news and more.