Hungary travel guide

Budapest is a wonderful mix of fine architecture on par with Vienna and charismatic east bloc leftovers. The city is split into two sections by the Danube river, Buda the west side and Pest the east side. They are connected by several bridges, all with their own style and history. A popular activity is a river cruise either during the day or at dinner at night - you could also just grab a drink at the river front in a cafe or bring your own. There are heaps of churches and other magnificent buildings, including a few quirky sights (like underground hospital from WWII and "Shoes on the Danube"), which can keep you busy for days. But no visit to Budapest is complete without a trip to one of the famous thermal baths.

The Communist Statue Park, or just "Statue Park" (Szoborpark), is a collection of Communist statues and monuments from the Communist period. When the Iron curtain felt in 1989, some enterprising soul saved the disgraced statues and is today displaying them for the joy of tourists. Here you can come face to face with Lenin, Marx, Engels, Dimitrov, Russian Captain Ostapenko, Bela Kun and other "celebrities" from the past, along with a fair amount of hammer-and-sickle.

Danube is Europe’s second-longest river (after Volga). It has its spring in the Black Forest in Germany and empty into the Black Sea in Ukraine. One of the the prettiest stretch is considered to be the bend in northern Hungary. Today the phrase Danube Bend refers to the whole region, which include the pretty villages and towns of Esztergom, Visegrad, Vác, and Szentendre, and many visit the region on a day trip from Budapest. If going by public transportation start by going to Vác, and then Esztergom by train for then backtrack with bus to Visegrad and Szentendre. From Szentendre catch a train again and if time, get off at Aquicumi for a quick look at the Roman ruins.

Esztergom is famous for its soaring basilica which overlooks Danube river and Slovakia on the other side. It's the largest building in Hungary and is among the largest churches in Europe, so it's naturally to get drawn to it, but don't necessarily skip the rest of the town. The neighbourhood at the foot of the basilica is surprisingly nice and so is the river front. The view of the basilica is particularly good from the bridge leading to Slovakia. The rest of the town centre is interesting too, and even the area around the bus station is a lovely insight into ordinary Hungarian life with small local bars and shops with outdated fashion.

At the far west end of Lake Balaton lies the town of Keszthely. It's a fairly touristic place during summer with fairgrounds, beach parties, and lots of souvenir shops, but the town's pride is the Festetics Palace. Its construction started in 1745 and lasted more than a century. The palace grounds are pretty with flowerbeds, but what stands more out is the asymmetric layout and architecture. Many of tourists who come to Keszthely also come for the thermal lake in Heviz a short bus ride away - an even more touristic place.

One of Europe’s largest lakes is Balaton, which is a Hungarian version of a seaside holiday destination. The southern shore is more developed with a bit of sand, shallow water, hotels, bars, and drunk young people during summer - particularly around Siofok. While the northern shore is more villages, room for rent, and even vineyards on the mountain slopes. Balatonfured, Tihany peninsula, and Keszthely are the most interesting villages for travellers.

The northern shore of Lake Balaton is more quiet and less developed than the south shore. There further you get from the east side (closest to Budapest), the less tourist facilities are there. But the area around Revfulop, which sits about halfway down the lake, has a bit of a holiday vibe - and even a hostel for the few backpackers who dare to leave Budapest.

Thermal baths are a big thing in Hungary and Szechenyi Thermal Bath is the king of them all. Build in 1913 and slowly extended through times, it is the biggest of its kind in Europe. Today there are three large pools along with 12 smaller sitting pools. Though the two thermal springs that supply Szechenyi have temperatures over 70 °C/158 °F, the pool water is pleasant, ranging from 26 °C/79 °F to 38 °C/100 °F. Beside the big outdoor pools area, there are also a range of health and spa services, but most people just come here to relax and hang out, and maybe a game of chess.

Szentendre is another stop on the Danube Bend route. There are several lovely Orthodox churches, as well as other fine buildings and charming winding lanes. The best place for an overview is from the yard of Szent János Plébánia church on Castle Hill, where you can have peek at the other church’s spires and the red sea of tiles, which makes up the rooftops of Szentendre. The main pedestrian streets and the riverfront can be very touristic during summer and sunny weekends, but it's easy to escape the crowds by wandering the narrow alleyways.

This warm water lake is actually an extinct volcano crater with slightly radioactive water. The water temperature can reach 38 degrees in summer and never drops below 22 degrees during winter. The thermal lake is apparently the largest "biologically active, natural thermal lake in the world" and has been a private health spa since 1795. The depth is from 2m to 30m, so people float around in inner tubes among the water lilies. Though it's a very popular spa - particularly for elders - and has been going through several upgrades (like chip wristbands), it still has this traditional Eastern bloc spa feel about it.