Hungary

My Hungary travel summary:

Visited: April 2005 and later on many occasions

Duration of visit: 8 days

Capital city: Budapest

Population: 9.72 million (2021)

Hungary travel blog reading time: 10 minutes

• Budapest – the Pearl of Danube – my favorite city in CEE; cultural metropolis divided by Danube river with numerous attractions.
• Standing on the Castle Hill in front of Buda Castle and savoring the spectacular sunset view of Hungarian Parliament Building.
• Swimming in pleasantly warm water of Lake Heviz, the largest swimmable thermal lake in the world.
• Business meetings with Hungarian distributors while working as a regional sales representative.

The territory of present-day Hungary has for centuries been a crossroads for various people, including Celts, Romans, Germanic tribes, Huns, West Slavs and the Avars.

After World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed, and the Treaty of Trianon set Hungary’s current borders, causing mayor losses: 71% of its territory and 58% of its population. Quite a shock for this powerful nation.

The idea of uniting all Hungarians under one umbrella resurfaces occasionally as a political slogan. In practice, Hungary is an EU member with extreme positions on media freedom, democracy, cultural diversity, and relations with Russia.

Nevertheless, Hungary is growing in popularity as a tourist destination. Budapest and Lake Balaton offer rich cultural, historical, culinary, and entertainment experiences at lower prices than Western Europe.

Around 25 million people speak Hungarian, a Uralic language, mainly in Northern Eurasia. Yet it is completely different from neighboring languages. No matter how hard I try, I cannot make sense of a single word. It is truly one of the hardest languages to learn.

Yet it is completely different from neighboring languages. No matter how hard I try, I cannot make sense of a single word. It is truly one of the hardest languages to learn.

Some of my friends who live there permanently don’t even attempt basic Hungarian. Pronunciation is tricky and words are long.  There are 35 cases, flexible word order, 14 vowels, and the unfamiliar words sound like nightmares.

When travelling from Slovenia to Budapest, I would always joke about the unpronounceable city name, Székesfehérvár. But after an overnight stop, I finally learned how to say it correctly.

Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is considered by many to be the Paris of the East.

It is not only one of the most culturally important metropolises in Eastern Europe, but it’s also home to numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I see many similarities between Budapest and Prague. Both cities are built along rivers and have beautiful old towns and castles on hills, with many places to visit and exciting things to do. Prague is Eastern Europe’s most popular destination, while Budapest has only recently become an important stop for mass tourism.

I visited Budapest at least five times: for business, pleasure or to fly out of the international airport.

The city has been developing fast, new modern buildings are raising, shopping centers and tourist facilities upgraded, but the road system seems as it has not changed from the old times. Highways in the west are modern, but main roads in and around the capital have barely expanded in the last twenty years.

Budapest’s Castle Hill (Várhegy) contains many of the city’s most important medieval monuments and museums. The most impressive building, and the main landmark, is the 18^th century Buda Castle. It is a huge 200-room palace built on the site of a 13^th century castle that once protected the area from Mongol and Tartar attacks.

In front of the castle, overlooking the Danube, stands a bronze equestrian statue of Prince Eugene of Savoy.  He was a field marshal in the army of the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian Habsburg dynasty. He became a hero for defending the city against Turkish attacks.

Although badly damaged in World War II, much of the exterior was restored, and parts of the interior now house important museums. Since I am slightly indifferent to museums, I only appreciated them from outside:  the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum.

The Hungarian Parliament is the most famous landmark, not only of Budapest, but of the whole country. Standing on Castle Hill in the late afternoon, overlooking the Danube and the Parliament, is one of the city’s most beautiful moments.

The world’s third largest parliament building, this Neo-Gothic edifice was inaugurated in 1896 to mark the country’s 1,000^th anniversary. Officials handed over the keys to the building in 1902, however, it was not fully completed until 1904.

This impressive building has 691 rooms and 10 courtyards. It also features 88 statues of Hungarian rulers and 19 kilometers of corridors and stairs. It currently serves as the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary. Hungarian architect Imre Steindl designed the building but went blind and died before its completion.

The House of the Country was inspired by the Houses of Parliament in London. Stretching 271 meters along the Danube and rising 96 meters, its eye-catching dome is a major highlight. Grand interior is remarkable too, including the sixteen-sided central hall, which houses the Crown of Hungary.

I continued my Hungary travel adventure along the Danube Promenade. It has been a popular place for leisurely walks since the 19^th century. Walking along the Danube, Europe’s longest river, I enjoyed views of Buda Castle, the Parliament, and the main bridges. I also passed many restaurants, cafés, bars, five-star hotels, sculptures, and monuments.

The most touching memorial in Budapest is the shoe sculpture called Shoes on the Danube Bank. It honors the Jews who were massacred by fascist Hungarian militia during the World War II.

Fascist Hungarian militiamen forced them to remove their shoes and then shot them by the river. Their bodies fell into the water and were carried away. Shoes were valuable and could be resold by the militia after the massacre.

Hungarian State Opera House is home to the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hungarian National Ballet. It seats up to 1,300 people in its horseshoe-shaped auditorium, which is not only praised for its impeccable acoustics, but also features stunning chandeliers. Located in the historical heart of Budapest, the Opera house is only the second-largest opera house in the country.

Saturday morning was a perfect time to inspect the Central Market Hall, where obviously the central market is located. I found all kinds of traditional Hungarian products at one place. A wide choice of fresh, quality food, good prices, and a lively atmosphere are the main reasons why people come here.

You can find fruits, vegetables, dairy, sausages, fish, paprika, Tokaj wines, and langos (deep fried flatbread with cheese and garlic topping). Upstairs, food stands and eateries serve fresh local dishes. t is a real gastronomic lesson and a true highlight for food lovers.

Souvenirs section is wide as well.

Since the Romans times, locals have enjoyed the steaming, mineral-rich thermal water simmering beneath Budapest’s surface. We talk about real spas here, not saunas or hammams, so popular in other areas. The positive impacts of mineral-rich water are highly appreciated by locals (and tourists) also today.

A visit to one of the spas in Budapest, especially in the winter times, is the best relaxation available.

Budapest has a total of nine medicinal baths and 123 hot springs. Two of the most famous spas are: Széchenyi Thermal Bath and Gellért Spa.

Széchenyi Thermal Bath is the biggest in Europe, established in 1913. It’s supplied by two thermal springs, where thousands of bathers at a time mingle in its three outdoor pools and 15 indoor pools. Mostly foreign tourists also enjoy saunas, steam rooms and massages.

The Art Nouveau bath palace at Gellért Spa is another famous thermal bath in Budapest, established in 1918. The spa also boasts lovely outdoor facilities, including a wave pool and thermal sitting pool. I visited the spa early in the morning or choose smaller places to mingle with locals and avoid tourist crowds.

The main goal of my business trips to Hungary was to find distributors for heating and air-purifying products. I was successful in appointing a serious importer with good distribution in retail channels through the whole country.

The management of the company was highly educated and fluent in English, but a gap between old and new school was very obvious in language skills and decision making. Most employees couldn’t speak English, but they were very supportive and knowledgeable about local operations.

Part of my job was to visit local stores: from hypermarkets through technical and DIY stores to specialized shops. I find it interesting that most Hungarian retail shops quickly closed after Western chains entered the market in the early 1990s. This happened during the transition from a planned to a market economy. Several large multinational chains viewed Hungary as a strategic market.

Lake Hévíz lies west of Lake Balaton and is the world’s largest thermal lake where people can swim.

The lake ranges from 2 to 38 meters deep and stays warm all year. Its pleasant temperatures have attracted visitors for 2,000 years, starting with the Ancient Romans.

It took me about 15 minutes to walk around the lake. Hot springs constantly move the water, replacing it completely every three days. The water of the lake has a very special composition, containing sulphur, calcium, magnesium and hydrogen carbonate. The water is extremely rich in minerals, effectively treating many illnesses while also helping people relax.

During my visit, in December, the water was still pretty hot comparing to the air temperatures. I was feeling very young surrounded with mostly retired, third age people, predominantly from German speaking countries. The whole city has transformed into a big spa with all kind of wellness services. From underwater jet massage, medicinal mud pool, salt cave or a steam bath, to saunas and massages of all types.

Lake Heviz is attractive due to lower prices comparing to Western European standard and good service. I believe the best time to swim in the lake is late autumn. The water stays warm while the trees turn beautiful shades of red, yellow, and brown. In the summer it is too hot, in the winter it cools down to 23°C.

I visited Budapest numerous times for pleasure, business or logistics to fly out of Ferenc Liszt International Airport. It is not a typical city that I would explore for several days, see the main landmarks to never return. Maybe that’s why there are still so many places to visit I haven’t explored yet – I feel I’ll return.

Current Hungarian government came under increased international scrutiny over alleged rule-of-law violations in the 2020s. The opposition to European values, order and laws on one side, and rapprochement with Russia on the other side, make the future of the descendants of the famous Austro-Hungarian Empire difficult to predict.

Curtailment of human rights, control over public media and a tendency towards a totalitarian regime don’t align the country very well with the European Union.

For now, these guidelines do not affect security or foreign guests, but any incident could quickly change the situation.

I hope that in the future Hungary will return to democracy, free speech, and respect for basic human rights.