Why Hungary belongs on your list
Hungary packs thermal spas, baroque old towns, lakeside wine country and a famously good-value food scene into a compact, easy-to-travel country. Trains and buses link the main cities cheaply, so you can see several in a single trip. Here are the ones worth prioritising.
Budapest
The capital straddles the Danube, splitting hilly Buda from flat, lively Pest. Soak in the neo-baroque Szechenyi Baths, ride up to Buda Castle and Fisherman's Bastion, and end the night in a ruin bar like Szimpla Kert in the old Jewish Quarter.
Highlight: the view from the Fisherman's Bastion terraces over Parliament at dusk.
Pécs
A warm, southern university city with a Mediterranean feel, Ottoman-era monuments and a strong art legacy.
Highlight: the Mosque of Pasha Qasim on Szechenyi Square, now a church but still crowned with a crescent.
Eger
Famous for its hilltop castle that repelled the Ottomans in 1552 and for the red wine valley just outside town.
Highlight: tasting Egri Bikaver (Bull's Blood) in the cellars of the Szepasszony Valley.
Debrecen
Hungary's second city and the proud capital of the Great Plain, known for its huge yellow Reformed Great Church and the nearby Hortobagy puszta.
Highlight: the Flower Carnival each August, when floral floats fill the streets.
Szeged
A sunny, elegant city rebuilt in grand style after the 1879 flood, famous for paprika and fish soup.
Highlight: the open-air theatre festival in Dom Square each summer.
Gyor
Half way between Budapest and Vienna, Gyor has one of the prettiest baroque old towns in the country, set where three rivers meet.
Highlight: strolling the riverside and the colourful Szechenyi Square.
Veszprem and Lake Balaton
Veszprem, a 2023 European Capital of Culture, sits above the north shore of Lake Balaton, central Europe's largest lake and the country's summer playground.
Highlight: the Castle Quarter, then down to Balatonfured or Tihany Abbey for the lake views.
Practical tips
- The forint (HUF) is the currency; many places take cards but carry some cash for markets.
- Budapest to Pecs or Debrecen is roughly three hours by train.
- Buy a thermal bath ticket online in summer to skip queues.
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