Travel Guide

Places To See

Esterházy Palace

About two-dozen renovated rooms at the horseshoe-shaped Esterházy Palace are open to the public; the rest of the huge complex houses a hotel and a secondary school. You can only tour the palace with a guide, but armed with a fact sheet in English (available from the ticket office), try to lag behind and explore the rooms away from the crowds.

On the ground floor of the palace you'll pass through several rooms decorated in the pseudo-Chinese style that was all the rage in the late 18th century. On the 1st floor are more sumptuous baroque and rococo salons as well as the lavish Concert Hall and Ceremonial Hall, which lead on to one another. There's also an exhibit dedicated to the life and times of Haydn.

Pannonhalma Abbey

Founded by Benedictine monks almost 1000 years ago, Pannonhalma Abbey has been destroyed and rebuilt many times and is now a crazy quilt of Turkish, Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. The interior is beautiful despite the butchery, and includes a neoclassical library containing 300,000 volumes, making it the largest private library in Hungary.

Also inside the abbey are historical archives holding some of the earliest surviving examples of written Hungarian; a gallery with works by Dutch, Italian and Austrian masters from the 16th to 18th centuries; and, above the red-marble arched doorway, a fresco depicting the patron, St Martin of Tours.

Look down to the right near St Martin and you'll see, written in Latin, perhaps the oldest graffiti in Hungary: 'Benedict Padary was here in 1578'. Pannonhalma is a working monastery, and must be visited with a guide.

Kiskunság National Park

Totalling 76,000 hectares (187,720 acres), Kiskunság National Park consists of half a dozen 'islands' of protected land, though much of the park's alkaline ponds, dunes and grassy 'deserts' with juniper trees are off limits. Bugac village is the most accessible part of the park. Here you can see the famous Hungarian cowboys ride at the popular horse show.

The horse show is the park's highlight. You may come across a couple of noble Nonius steeds being made to perform tricks that most dogs would be disinclined to do, but the real reason for coming is to see the csikósok (cowboys) crack their whips, race one another bareback and ride 'five-in-hand'. This is a breathtaking performance in which one csikós gallops five horses around the field at full tilt, while standing on the backs of the last two.

Aquincum Museum

Aquincum is the most complete Roman civilian town in Hungary and its indoor and outdoor museums try to put the ruins in perspective, with some success. Most of the big sculptures and stone sarcophagi are outside to the left of the museum or behind it in the lapidary.

Keep an eye open for the replica of a 3rd-century portable organ called a hydra (and the mosaic illustrating how it was played) and the mock-up of a Roman bath.

Visegrád Citadel

Visegrád's impressive citadel is perched on top of the dramatic Castle Hill. Visegrád was once the royal centre of Hungary and the citadel, completed in 1259, was the repository for the country's crown jewels until 1440 when they were impishly stolen by Elizabeth of Luxembourg, with the help of her lady-in-waiting.

She hurried off to Székesfehérvár to have her infant son László crowned king. The crown was returned to the citadel in 1464 until the Turkish invaded. The Habsburgs came along in 1702 and blew the citadel up to prevent its use by Hungarian independence fighters as a base. Its remains were buried until the 1930s when archaeologists, following descriptions in literary sources, uncovered the ruins.

There's a small pictorial exhibit in the residential rooms on the west side of the citadel and two smaller displays near the east gate and the nearby Royal Palace and Solomon's Tower are worth exploring However, the real highlight is just walking along the ramparts of this eyrie, admiring the views of the Börzsöny Hills and the Danube, which are arguably the best in the region.

Events

Hungary's major celebration is the Budapest Spring Festival in March, a two-week cultural extravaganza of local and international performances, conferences and exhibitions. Other important events include Busójárás (February), the nation's top Mardi Gras, in Mohács; Sopron Festival Weeks (June/July), which showcases ancient music and dance performances; the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix (August), held in Magyoród, northeast of Budapest; and Debrecen Jazz Days(September), Hungary's top jazz festival.

Pre-Departure Information

When to go?

Though it can be pretty wet in May and June, spring is just glorious in Hungary. The Hungarian summer is warm, sunny and unusually long, but the resorts are very crowded in late July and August. Like Paris and Rome, Budapest comes to a halt in August (called 'the cucumber-growing season' here because that's about the only thing happening).

Autumn is beautiful, particularly in the hills around Budapest and in the Northern Uplands. November is one of the rainiest months of the year, however. Winter is cold, often bleak and museums and other tourist sights are often closed. Animal lovers might also want to skip this season: many of the women are draped in furry dead things throughout the winter.

Travel Visa Overview

Citizens of the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Israel and Japan and virtually all European countries don't require visas. Nationals from these countries can stay in Hungary for a maximum period of 90 days during the six months following the date of first entry into Hungary. A separate permit is required for longer stays. Check current visa requirements at the website of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry (www.mfa.gov.hu), as requirements often change without notice.

Register with local police if staying in one place for more than 30 days; staff at your hotel, hostel etc will do this for you. If staying with friends or relatives, you or the head of the household will have to take care of this within 72 hours of moving in.

Electricity

230V

50Hz

Electrical Plugs

European plug with two circular metal pins

Health Information

Leeches & ticks

Always check your entire body after walking through a potentially tick-infested area, as ticks can cause skin infections and more serious diseases. Adult ticks suck blood from hosts by burying their head into skin, but they are often found unattached and can simply be brushed off. Avoid pulling the rear of the body, as this may squeeze the tick's gut contents through the attached mouth parts into the skin, increasing the risk of infection and disease. To remove an attached tick, use a pair of tweezers, grab it by the head and gently pull it straight out - do not twist it. (If no tweezers are available, use your fingers, but protect them from contamination with a piece of paper.) Do not rub oil, alcohol or petroleum jelly on it. If you get sick in the next couple of weeks, consult a doctor.

Weather Information

Hungary's climate is temperate, and the country can be divided into three climatic zones: Mediterranean in the south, Continental in the east and Atlantic in the west. In Southern Transdanubia, summers are long and winters mild and wet. The Great Plain has the most extreme seasonal differences, with cold, windy winters and hot, usually dry summers. In Budapest and Western Transdanubia summers can be very hot; winters are relatively short and often cloudy, although sometimes they can be brilliantly sunny. January is the coldest month, getting down somewhere around -2°C (28.4°F), and July the hottest, hovering around 28°C (82°F).

History and Culture

Culture

Hungarian art and architecture is laced with Romanesque, Gothic, baroque and Art Nouveau styles. The country has one of the finest folk traditions in Europe, producing excellent examples of embroidery, pottery, ceiling and wall painting, and objects carved from wood or bone. Its musical contributions are just as rich, and range from the rhapsodies of Franz Liszt and the operas of Ferenc Erkel to Gypsy and folk music. Literature has been shaped by the monumental events of the nation's history, which have given rise to swashbuckling odes, stirring poems of independence, gritty tales of realism, and strident polemic. Soccer is far and away the favourite spectator sport, while the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is the sporting event of the year; water polo and chess are also popular.

Pre-20th Centure History

The Carpathian Basin, in which Hungary lies, has been populated by successive peoples for thousands of years. One such tribe was the nomadic Magyars, who reached the area as early as the mid-9th century. Known for their equestrian skills, the Magyars raided far and wide, until they were stopped by the Germans in 955. The defeat left the Magyar tribes in disarray, and later forced them into an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire. In the year 1000, the Magyar prince Stephen was crowned 'Christian King' Stephen I, with a crown sent from Rome by the pope, and Hungary, the kingdom and the nation, was born.

Stephen ruthlessly set about consolidating royal authority by expropriating land, establishing a system of counties, and evangelising the countryside. By the time of his death in 1038, Hungary was a nascent Christian culture, increasingly westward-looking and multi-ethnic.

The next two and a half centuries - during the reign of the House of Árpád - tested the new kingdom to the limit. The period was marked by constant struggles between rival claimants to the throne, and land grabs by powerful neighbours. Hungary's descent into anarchy was arrested only after Andrew III, the Árpád dynsasty's last in line, died in 1301.

After the death of Andrew III, Hungary flourished. A succession of able rulers, beginning with Charles Robert and culminating in the golden reign of Matthias Corvinus, made the country one of Europe's leading powers. However, the death of Matthias in 1490 resulted in another setback. His successor Vladislav was unable to maintain royal authority, funds were squandered, and retrograde laws reduced the peasantry to serfdom.

In 1526, Hungary's motley army was crushed by the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Mohács. The defeat marked the end of a relatively prosperous and independent Hungary, and sent the nation into a tailspin of partition, foreign domination and despair. Turkish occupation did little to improve the country, and increasing resistance to their rule forced the Turks out in 1699.

The expulsion hardly created a free and independent Hungary. Instead, the country became part of the Austrian Habsburg Empire. Thus began a period of enlightened absolutism. Hungary blossomed economically and culturally under the Habsburgs, but nationalist urges were never far from the surface.

In 1849, under the rebel leadership of Lajos Kossuth, Hungary declared the dethronement of the Habsburgs and full independence. The Habsburgs replied by quickly crushing the revolution and instigating a series of brutal reprisals. Hungary was again merged into the empire as a conquered province, and absolutism was reinstated. However, passive resistance among Hungarians and a couple of disastrous military defeats for the Habsburgs prompted negotiations between the two sides. The outcome was the Compromise of 1867, which created the Dual Monarchy of Austria the empire and Hungary the kingdom. This 'Age of Dualism' set off an economic, cultural and intellectual rebirth in Hungary, but there were worrying signs that all was not well in the kingdom.

Modern History

The Dual Monarchy entered WWI as an ally of Germany - with disastrous results - and was replaced by a republic immediately after the war. Hungarian Communists then seized power, but were overthrown five months later by troops from Romania. In 1920, the Allies drew up a postwar settlement under the Treaty of Trianon which drastically reduced Hungary's size. Hungary sought help from the fascist governments of Germany and Italy to get its land back, but found itself again on the losing side in WWII.

In 1947, rigged elections brought the Communists to power. Bitter feuding within the party started, and purges and Stalinesque show trials became the norm. The nation was further rocked by the 1956 uprising, an anti-Soviet revolution that left thousands dead. After reprisals - the worst in the country's history - and the consolidation of the regime, János Kádár began a programme of 'goulash' (consumer-oriented) Communism. His reforms worked, and by the mid-1970s, Hungary was the most developed, most liberal and the richest nation in the region. However, the continuing spectre of unemployment, a soaring inflation rate and mounting debt meant Kádár was ousted in 1988.

After accelerating the collapse of Communism by dismantling the fence along its border with Austria, the nation became the Republic of Hungary in 1989, and went on to hold free elections the following year - the first in more than four decades. Despite initial success in curbing inflation and lowering interest rates, a host of economic problems has slowed the pace of development.

Recent History

In 2004, Hungary joined the European Union, after an April 2003 plebiscite in which Hungarians approved the country's entry into an enlarged EU.

In August 2004 Prime Minister Medgyessy was forced to resign when he lost the support of a coalition partner after a falling-out following a cabinet reshuffle. He was replaced by former minister for sport Ferenc Gyurcsány.

In June 2005 parliament elected László Sólyom, a law professor and founding member of the MDF, as the third president of the republic to succeed Ferenc Mádl.

Returned to power in April 2006, the Gyurcsány government seemed to be enjoying a period of relative political calm in Hungary. His centre-left coalition was focused on reinvigorating the faltering national economy in preparation for joining the Euro zone. The political situation took a distinct turn for the worse in September when a speech delivered by the prime minister in a closed party meeting was leaked to the public. In the colourfully worded speech Gyurcsány admitted his government had 'lied morning, noon and night' in order to win the election. The public were understandably upset and widespread protests took place across the country with the centre of Budapest rocked by three nights of violence. The pervading sour mood continued as the nation commemorated the 50-year anniversary of the 1956 uprising. The divisive behavior of both sides of politics during the anniversary celebrations did little to heal the nation's wounds, both old and new. The municipal elections that followed were disastrous for the government, with a huge swing to the right and Gyurcsány narrowly winning a vote of confidence to keep his feeble grip on power.

The 2008 financial crisis hit Hungary particularly hard. The purchasing power of the Forint declined, interest rates increased sharply and economic growth slowed. Hungary negotiated a rescue package of 20 billion US dollars from the IMF to stabilise its economy.