Destination: Hungary

When on small group tour of Hungary, these small group journeys travel by coach and occasionally uses local transport, including trains and ferries. Specifics are always outlined in your tour itinerary. Hungary‘s capital, Budapest, has a well-developed public transport system, with rail services linking all major cities, and bus services readily available. Taxis can be found in all major cities and are reasonably priced, though it’s best to call a reputable taxi company rather than hail one off the street.

In major cities such as beautiful Budapest, Odyssey selects for Private tours and small group tours the group stays in centrally located good quality 3-4 star hotels, with easy access to public transport.

In smaller towns or rural areas, we usually stay in family-run hotels or guesthouses. On our long stay tours, during which you spend the length of the tour in a single location, we use serviced apartments.

Odyssey always engages a local tour guide with regional knowledge to ensure an authentic experience during which you can learn as much as possible about the history and culture of places you visit.

Hungary is a landlocked country covering 93k square kilometres. Hungary has 2 major rivers, the Tisza and the Danube, the latter of which stretches over 418 kilometres of Hungarian territory.

Hungary is a largely flat country, and has three main geographic regions – the North Hungarian mountains, the hilly region of Transdanubia, and the Great Alfold (the Great Hungarian Plain), east of the Danube River.

Hungary has a continental European climate, with warm to hot summers and cold winters.

Depending on the time of year you intend to travel, check the weather reports and prepare accordingly.

Hungary has some 8 UNESCO World Heritage Site locations. You can view the official list of the sites here (https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/hu). While every site is worth a look, here are a few highlights:

• Christian Necropolis of Pecs, featuring beautiful early Christian art and decorated murals
• Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst caves, a cave system of over 712 caves with a geological history dating back millions of years
• Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma, the second largest territorial abbey in the world

Hungary has an eclectic mix of different festivals and events throughout the year. Hungarians are proud of their heritage, with festivals such the Koros Valley Folk Arts Festival celebrating folk traditions with music, dance, drama and crafts. The Busójárás celebration is a truly unique spectacle – held in the town of Mohacs, it involves the men of the town donning carved masks and furry costumes and parading through the streets of the town.

Hungary hosts numerous international events, including the Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Budapest International Circus Festival.

• A Concise History of Hungary by Miklós Molnár
• The Will to Survive: A History of Hungary by Bryan Cartle
• Eclipse of the Crescent Moon,by Géza Gárdonyi
• Budapest 1900 by John Lukacs

No discussion on Hungarian cuisine would be complete without mentioning goulash – the famous meat stew is the country’s national dish, made out of beef, potatoes, carrots, and generous quantities of paprika. Paprika features prominently in Hungarian cuisine; aside from goulash, paprika is used to flavour numerous other dishes, including paprika chicken, halászlé (fishermen’s soup), and lecsó (a vergetable stew with a base of tomatoes, peppers, and paprika).

On a culinary walking tour your tour leader or local tour guide may entice you Sweeter offerings include kürtőskalács (‘chimney cake’, rolled in cinnamon, sugar, and nuts), palacsinta (crepes) and rétes (Hungarian strudel).

Hungary’s national drink is unicum, a herbal liquer, while the country also produces numerous other liquers and varieties of wine.

Central Europe and Hungary including Budapest is generally safe to travel around in, though always exercise common sense whenever you travel.

Whenever you travel overseas, it’s always wise to take an appropriate travel adapter. Hungary operates on a electricity supply of 230V and 50 Hz. Hungary uses both the Type C and Type F plug, so be sure you have an adapter handy as needed.