Thermal baths, Danube views and wine country
Hungary is best known for Budapest, a grand city split by the Danube and famous for its thermal baths and ruin bars. Beyond the capital there are the Danube Bend's riverside towns, Lake Balaton's beaches and wine regions such as Tokaj and Eger. The great plain offers horse culture and wide open landscapes. It suits city breakers, spa lovers and wine travellers looking for good value.
Tap a card or a pin. Add a place to a day of your trip, or look for tours.
A huge neo Gothic parliament on the Danube bank and the symbol of Budapest. Guided tours show the Holy Crown.
A hill of palaces, churches and cobbled streets above the Danube, including Matthias Church and the Fisherman's Bastion terraces. It holds the National Gallery and history museum.
A grand yellow bath complex in City Park with steaming outdoor pools. It is one of the largest medicinal baths in Europe.
A preserved Palóc village of whitewashed houses below a castle ruin in the northern hills. It still has a living community and holds a well known Easter festival.
Crumbling courtyards turned into quirky bars, led by Szimpla Kert. The area also holds the Dohány Street Synagogue, the largest in Europe.
A bend in the Danube north of Budapest with the artists' town of Szentendre, Visegrád's castle and Esztergom's basilica. Boats and trains link them.
Central Europe's largest lake, with resort towns, vineyards and the Tihany peninsula. It is Hungary's summer playground.
A warm natural lake where you can swim all year, even in winter. It is surrounded by spa hotels.
A baroque town with a castle and a long winemaking tradition. The Valley of the Beautiful Women is lined with wine cellars.
A historic wine region known for sweet Tokaji Aszú. Villages and cellars line the hills.
A wide grassland plain known as the puszta, with traditional herding and horse shows. Grey cattle and nine arched bridge are famous sights.
A warm southern city with an early Christian necropolis, an Ottoman mosque church and the Zsolnay quarter. It has a Mediterranean feel.
A Benedictine abbey on a hill founded in 996 and still active. Its library and basilica are highlights.
A sunny university city on the Tisza River, rebuilt in grand style after an 1879 flood. Its Votive Church and art nouveau buildings are highlights.
A large reservoir lake on the Great Plain with wetlands, birdlife and canoe trails. It is a quieter alternative to Lake Balaton.
Everything above is open to read. A Hodolog account lets you build the trip around it: pick cities, add places to days, see the weather for your dates.
Each city with a guide opens its own page: map, where to stay, what to eat.
Grand capital with baths and nightlife.
culture, baths, gateway · Open the city guideArtists' town on the Danube Bend.
art, day trip · Guide comingCastle and wine cellars.
wine, history · Guide comingLake Balaton resort town.
beach, wine · Guide comingSouthern culture city.
history, culture · Guide comingBase for the great plain.
culture · Guide comingBaroque old town and a base for Pannonhalma.
history, gateway · Guide comingLake Balaton resort town.
beaches, nightlife · Guide comingThe capital on both banks of the Danube.
Parliament, Buda Castle, Széchenyi Bath
Riverside towns and castles north of the capital.
Szentendre, Visegrád, Esztergom
Lake resorts, vineyards and spa towns.
Tihany, Hévíz, Pannonhalma
Hills and famous wine towns.
Eger, Tokaj
Puszta grasslands and horse culture.
Hortobágy, Szeged, Lake Tisza
Choose how long you have, then add the whole route to a trip as places and nights.
Best: April to June and September to October. Mild weather for walking and wine tasting, with fewer crowds than summer.
Lake Balaton is busiest in July and August, while Budapest's Christmas markets and thermal baths make winter worthwhile.
January. Quiet season. Lower prices, fewer crowds.
35°F daily high, 29°F average, 1.5 in
Average of past years from NASA POWER, worked out at each city's position. A place far from these cities can be quite different.
The US State Department rates Hungary Level 1 (exercise normal precautions), with pickpocketing and taxi or bar scams the main issues in Budapest.
Trains and buses link Budapest with most towns, and the city has an excellent metro, tram and bus network.
Food, wine, baths and transport are good value compared with Western Europe.
Entry rules depend on your passport. Members see the rules for their own passport here.
Passport and visa rules change often and without notice. Always check the official pages before you book and again before you travel.
| Entry | Check visa and entry rules on the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular information website (https://konzinfo.mfa.gov.hu/en) and on your own government's travel advice before you go, as rules can change. |
| Plugs | Type C, F; 230 V |
| Tap water | safe |
| Tipping | Around 10 percent is normal unless a service charge is already on the bill. |
| Payments | Cards are widely accepted, but carry some forints for small shops and markets, and avoid exchange booths with poor rates. |
| Emergency | 112 |
| Etiquette | Greet people with a handshake and use titles until invited otherwise. Clinking beer glasses was traditionally avoided by older Hungarians. Check bar menus for prices first to avoid scams. |
| What to wear | Cover shoulders and knees in churches and the synagogue. |
| Driving | On the right |
| Between cities | MÁV trains and Volánbusz buses link Budapest with most towns, and the capital is the hub. In Budapest the metro, trams and buses run often. Driving is easy outside the capital. |
| Main airports | BUD, DEB |
| Ride apps | Bolt |
The Magyars settled the Carpathian Basin in the late 800s, and Hungary became a Christian kingdom under Stephen I around 1000. The country was split by Ottoman conquest in the 1500s and later became part of the Habsburg Empire, forming Austria Hungary in 1867. After the world wars it fell under Soviet influence, and the 1956 uprising was crushed. Hungary became a democracy in 1989 and joined the EU in 2004, keeping its own currency, the forint.
Researched 2026-10-13. Check official sources and recent changes before you go.