Locations

Hungary

Size isn’t everything. Hungary may be a small country but it packs an awful lot within its borders. There is a diversity in its landscape, which ranges from flat and grassy plains to lush peaks and valleys and in its culture, which makes room for both traditional wooden churches and vibrant modern nightclubs. Budapest is a hive of top-class music and art, with one of the World’s best opera houses and a host of museums and galleries, while bustling festivals take place all over the country at all times of the year.

Budapest

Budapest ranks among the World’s most romantic and entertaining capitals. Nicknamed the “Paris of the East”, it is a place of broad boulevards and green parks, grand Art-Nouveau mansions and brightly painted churches, lively cafés and top-class music venues. The city is divided into two parts by the River Danube which is spanned by several elegant bridges.

Budapest looks its most beautiful at dawn. As the sun slowly rises over the eastern plains, bathing Pest in soft pastel hues, it radiates back from the buildings of Buda as if they were a giant mirror; the windows on Castle Hill positively glisten in golden jubilation. But Budapest is also spectacularly appealing at night. The Chain Bridge is festooned with white lights, and the main public buildings like the Parliament, the Opera and the Royal Palace, as well as the entire panorama of the Castle District, are imaginatively and sensitively floodlit. It’s easy for Budapest to play with light in the manner of an elegant lady trying on her jewels, for everything looks good. This is a vibrant city: it throbs with life morning, noon and night; visitors arriving from other countries get the feeling that something interesting is happening round every corner.

There are plenty of other capital cities built on the banks of a river, and in many cases the river runs through the historic centre. But such a wide and majestic river, as is the Danube at Budapest, is more of a rarity. Even more exceptional is the perfect contrast between the right and left banks. Buda is built upon hills, the feet of two of them – Castle Hill and Gellért Hill – almost stand in the water. Facing it is Pest, as flat as a pancake (or, as a Hungarian might say, as flat as a “lángos”, a pita-type bread popular for many a century). It’s no exaggeration to say that Budapest is one of the finest capital cities in Europe, and also one of the best situated. Among the several places in Hungary that have been afforded the classification of UNESCO World Heritage Site, the first were the Danube panorama (on the Buda side from the Gellért Hotel all along Castle Hill to Margaret Bridge, and on the Pest side from the Parliament back down to Petőfi Bridge), and Andrássy út (along its entire length from the centre of Pest to Heroes’ Square, where the Millenary Monument stands on the edge of the City Park).

Budapest, now home to two million inhabitants, would appear countless times on any list of superlatives. The Continent’s first underground railway was built here. From here originated more pioneering Hollywood film makers than from any other European city. Budapest was the home of such world class inventors as Kálmán Kandó, the father of electric railways, and János Irinyi, one of the early developers of matches. Hungary’s two most celebrated composers – Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály – lived in Budapest, and Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian author Imre Kertész was born here.

Hungary’s oldest academic library, the University Library, is to be found here. It is the location of Europe’s largest synagogue. It is the only capital city in the world where there are more than one hundred hot thermal springs. There are no other cities of comparable size anywhere where visitors can explore dripstone (stalactite) caves in the middle of the residential districts.

Budapest’s Number One Visitor Attraction

In Buda, contrary to many other capitals, the royal castle really is at the top of a hill, as it is in all the best old stories. Known as the Royal Palace of Buda, it is visible from virtually every point in the city.

Not just one but three castles have been built on this site. The first appeared in the thirteenth century after the Mongol invasion and was a thick-walled fortress intended to withstand enemy attacks. Few contemporary descriptions have survived but archeologically digs have revealed fragmentary remains. In the fourteenth century it was enlarged in the Gothic style, and then at the time of one of Hungary’s greatest monarchs, King Matthias, it was remodelled into a Renaissance palace famed far and wide. The Turks took Buda without a battle in 1541, and for a while the medieval buildings remained structurally intact. However, they suffered grievously later through siege, conflagration, explosion and earthquake. The city walls often had to be patched up and new bastions built, and today a part of the fortifications from this period can still be seen.

Having lasted almost 150 years Turkish rule ended with a three-month siege, and this heralded the third main period of castle building in Buda. Ruined buildings were cleared away, cellars filled in, and in 1714 the building of a baroque palace began. It was further extended in the nineteenth century into the form with which we are familiar today. The Royal Palace was completely burned out in the Second World War, losing in the process its valuable furniture and art treasures. On restoration it was converted into a centre of culture becoming home to the medieval, Renaissance, baroque and later Hungarian masterpieces that comprise the permanent collection of the Hungarian National Gallery. In separate wings of the palace complex, the Budapest History Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the principal library of Hungary, the Széchényi Library are housed. The Palace can be reached from the Danube embankment by the Castle District’s own special funicular railway, the “Sikló”.

Unique Sights behind the Gates of Buda

When locals say Buda Castle they are usually referring not just to the Royal Palace but to the whole of the medieval town built on Castle Hill, with its charming squares, narrow twisting streets, and fantastic views over the city.

The Church of Royal Weddings

One of the most beautiful Gothic churches in all Hungary stands next to the Holy Trinity Column commemorating the plague of 1709 in Szentháromság Square in Buda. The Church of Our Lady – more commonly known as the Matthias Church. – was founded at the same time as the first of the Buda Castles, by King Béla IV. Later rulers left their mark on it, adding a tower here and a door there, and generally enlarging the building, and for a while it was also used as a coronation church. It came to be called the Matthias Church in honour of King Matthias, Hungary’s illustrious monarch, who held both his marriage ceremonies here.

The Only Bastion never to have seen a Soldier

If you walk up to the Castle District in the evening from the Danube embankment, the illuminated, snow-white towers of the Fishermen’s Bastion (Halászbástya) rise up ahead, like so many sugar-loaves. You are more likely to associate the sight with fairy tales than with soldiers, although it is the latter who are the rightful users of a bastion. The Fishermen’s Bastion has never served as a defence; it was built in 1905 purely as a lookout terrace and to augment the cityscape. It follows the line of the old city walls and is near the site of a former fish market. And the connection with fishermen? Back in the mists of time it was the Fishermen’s Guild who was responsible for defending this section of the castle ramparts.

The First Permanent Bridge between Buda and Pest

The Lánchíd (Chain Bridge), the symbol of Budapest, was the first permanent crossing over the Danube on Hungarian territory, and only the second along its entire length. The river had long bisected an important trade route, and in early times people were ferried across in boats. By the beginning of the fifteenth century pontoon bridges were being used, and although in winter when the river froze over people could cross on foot or with horse and cart, when the ice started to thaw the two shores were completely cut off from each other.

Parliament

Town planners and builders of the late nineteenth century were certainly fond of grandeur and adornment – witness, for example, one of Europe’s most splendid parliament buildings on the left bank of the Danube. The Eclectic building is itself an example of the art of the period – with its Gothic towers, intricate stonework and 88 statues on the outside, and its baroque grand staircase, frescoes, mosaic windows, Gobelin tapestry and paintings inside.

Esztergom - Hungary’s Largest Church

Tight on the border with Slovakia, Esztergom was the place of birth and coronation for King Istvan, the founder the Christian State and the royal capital until the 13th century. Its church is the country’s largest while the Maria Valéria Bridge – which crosses the Danube River to Slovakia – was reopened just a few years ago after having been destroyed in World War II.

The towns situated on the banks of the Danube tend to show their best faces to those approaching by boat. At Esztergom, Hungary’s ecclesiastical centre and seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop, the Basilica and the walls of the ancient castle rise imposingly on the Danube’s right bank. The Basilica, as well as being Hungary’s largest church, is noteworthy for its remarkable altarpiece depicting the Assumption, which is the largest single-canvas oil-painted altarpiece in the world.

The church’s stately interior contains Hungary’s finest complete Renaissance monument, the Bakócz Chapel, built from red marble in the early 1500’s. The Cathedral Treasury is the richest in Hungary. In the nearby Bishop’s Palace is a Christian Museum noted for its valuable collection of fine arts.

The first fortress was built on Castle Hill in 972, and it was here that the founder of the Hungarian State and Church, King Saint Stephen, was born, earning the town’s epithet “Cradle of Hungary”. The twelfth century castle chapel and one of the symbols of Esztergom, the rose window, vividly recall the importance of the former palace building.

Kecskemét

Kecskemét – the capital of Bács-Kiskun County – fusing all the beauty and values of the Great Plain is situated in the middle of Hungary, approximately 85 kms from Budapest. Our city – using its favourable geographical location – developed into the economic, administrative, educational, and cultural centre of the region; it gives home for several institutions of fine arts, unique collections, and dignified festivals. The name of the city originates from the word „kecske” (meaning „goat”) and „mét” means district. The goat can be seen in our coat of arms as well above the platform with the motto of our city beneath it: „Neither height, nor depth frightens us.”

Szekszárd

In Szekszárd there was already a well-developed wine-growing culture in Roman times. In 1987 the town was granted the title “International wine and vine town” by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine. A particular feature of the region is that it is the home of the Szekszárdi Kadarka wine; but the area also produces Bull’s Blood, a blend of three red wines. King Béla I founded a Benedictine Monastery here in 1061, the ruins of which can be seen in the inner courtyard of the old county hall, which was built in the Classicist style. During the Turkish occupation the town was almost completely destroyed, before later being settled by German speakers. The first settlers arrived at the beginning of the 17th century, contributing to the cultural development of the town and surrounding area. Szekszárd is home to the only German language theatre in Hungary (outside Budapest), the Deutsche Bühne Ungarn. Traditional handicrafts are represented by the “Sweet Memories from our Past” museum and shop, with its Hungarian honey-cake, candle and confection making.

The “cellar village” at Sióagárd-Leányvár, comprising some 340 wine cellars, is part of the Szekszárd Wine Route and not to be missed.

Pécs

Pécs is universally loved and was a leading centre of power during both the Roman and Turkish times. You will still find Roman ruins including some early Christian tombs and there is more surviving Ottoman architecture than anywhere else in the country. A cultural stronghold the city has a street lined with museums and in 2010 will take up the mantle of European Capital of Culture. www.pecs2010.com

The underground tombs at Pécs date to the early Christian period and include wall paintings of Jonah and the whale Peter and Paul and the Roman wine jug.

Pécs being the largest town of Pannonia, is known as a town of “Mediterranean moods”, not just because in summer social life in the cafés goes on into the night, but also because of its sub Mediterranean climate. Figs grow in the gardens here – quite unusual in Hungary – and in spring plants typical of southern countries bud on the southern slopes of the Mecsek, the hill which rises over the city.

There was a flourishing city in this place two thousand years ago, when the main east-west route of the Roman Empire, known as the “Mediterranean Road” passed through here. Sopianae (Pécs) was built in the first century, and its last great era was in the fourth century, when Christianity had already appeared in the empire. It was at this time that the ancient Christian tombs were constructed, the first of which was discovered at the end of the 18th century.

The excavations are being carried out in a built-up area of the city, under Dóm tér (Cathedral Square), at a depth of five or six metres. Several of the frescoed, vaulted mausoleums, grouped closely together, can now be visited. This unique group of monuments has been declared a part of World Heritage by UNESCO.

It was in Pécs that the first university in the country was founded in 1367, and the first public library in 1774. It also saw one of the first bishoprics, in 1009. Not long afterwards construction was begun on the cathedral, which has been rebuilt several times over the centuries; from the crypt upwards one can trace the additions of various ages, in different styles. Interestingly, the cathedral stood on piles, because the soil was constantly washed away by the underground flow of water from the Mecsek Hills. The most important monuments of the 150-year Turkish occupation of Hungary are to be found in Pécs. Amongst other things are the mosque of Pasha Iakovali Hassan, and the round domed Catholic church in the main square, which was formerly a Turkish mosque. On its roof, the cross fixed above the crescent proclaims the victory of Christianity in this region. Pécs has several world-famous factories. The oldest sparkling wine factory in Hungary operates here, and the oldest brewery. In the 150-year-old Zsolnay Porcelain Workshop, apart from beautiful china dishes and ornaments, pyrogranite is also made. A special feature of the face of the city of Pécs is the ceramic decoration on buildings, employed not only in designs of the art nouveau period, but also for the ornamentation of the most modern buildings of today.

Villány

As early as Roman times there was viticulture on the sunny slopes of the Villány Hills. Today this is one of the most famous wine growing regions in the country, and outstanding red and white wines can be sampled on the wine tour, which takes you through 11 villages. A wine museum has been set up in the community of Villány – where a red wine festival is organised in October of every odd year – to familiarise the visitor with the region’s wine culture.

Villánykövesd, Palkonya

Travelling south from Pécs you reach the unique sight of the cellar villages. In Villánykövesd, on the side of the hill, there are two levels of cellar streets, and even three in places. The small houses, which accommodate cellars, are huddled close together. A folklore event is often held in front of these groups of listed monuments. In nearby Palkonya there is a line of cellars built in the 19th century, another listed monument. Another point of interest in the village is one of the finest round churches in Hungary, the red-domed church of St. Elizabeth.

Eger-Tokaj Wine region

Hungary's highest peak and smallest village, the first printed Hungarian-language Bible from the sixteenth century, and the oldest narrow-gauge forest railway from the nineteenth are all in this region. The country's best known wine, the Tokay aszú, matures in the cellars of Northern Hungary. One of Europe's most beautiful equestrian stud farms and its most extensive stalactite cave systems are to be found here. The region is proud to own three of Hungary's eight World Heritage sites, designated by UNESCO as places of outstanding natural and cultural interest.

The village of Tokaj in the northeast of the country is world famous for its wine which Louise XIV declared “the wine of the kings, the king of the wines”. Take a tasting in the impressive Rákóczi Cellars which date to the 15th century or go on a tour through some of the other atmospheric wine villages in the surrounding foothills.

Tokaj-Hegyalja: the whole world has heard of Tokay wine; it's one of the first things everyone knows about Hungary. It was already known far and wide in the twelfth century. Its admirers have included the Sun King Louis XIV, the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, the Tsar Peter the Great and Tsarina Catherine. The Russian Tsar even stationed a small garrison in the Tokaj area so that supplies of the prized wine could be secured. It is recorded of Pope Pius I that he took a sip daily on doctor's orders for the preservation of his health, and it is known also that Beethoven, Schubert, Voltaire and Goethe were all fond of the Tokay nectar. Tokay wine plays a part in countless Hungarian literary works; it is even commemorated in the Hungarian national anthem. It is no exaggeration to speak of it as, "The wine of kings and the king of wines".

2002 was another milestone in the life of Tokaj and its region, when the historic wine growing area was added by UNESCO to its list of protected World Heritage sites.

Grapes were found growing in the 27 square miles of the Tokaj-Hegyalja district at the time of the Hungarian Conquest. Perhaps it is not so surprising, as the volcanic soil of Kopasz Hill and the sunny south-facing slopes in general make ideal conditions for viticulture. The extra ripening of the grape on the stem, the unique handling of the wine and the noble rot which develops in the cellars all contribute to the production of the special liquid. Hegyalja offers more than visits to the cellars. Many are also attracted by the wine harvest. The harvest festival closes with a procession, folklore programmes and other entertainments.

Eger has cobbled streets and quaint Baroque architecture and is therefore among the country’s most popular towns. This is where the Bull’s Blood wine is produced and its castle was the sire at which the town’s womenfolk famously joined a small number of soldiers to repel a vast Turkish force in 1552. Near by is the Valley of Beautiful Woman which has scores of wine cellars dug into its sides and is an ideal place for wine tasting. The town has a variety of summer events, featuring wine, music and medieval re-enactments.

Hungary's third most popular and Northern Hungary's most visited town – Eger - has found it is capable of the impossible – to hum with activity and to offer the atmosphere of a quiet country town at the same time. It's good to wander along the promenade beside the Eger stream and look around, stopping here and there to peer into the tiny craft shops that are scattered throughout the narrow little streets. But it's also rewarding to hurry from one interesting sight to another in the well fortified Eger Castle; from the archers to the costumed dancers, for example, or from the wine tents down to the underground casemates. There one can listen to the guide, as he describes how the enemy once broke through the thick stone wall. This town has both light and dark, a humorous side and a serious side.

For it was here that a most remarkable and historic victory was won over the advancing armies of the Ottoman Empire. The siege of Eger lasted for over a month in 1552. Less than a thousand soldiers along with the valiant girls and women of the town and castle repelled Turkish forces numbering a staggering eighty thousand. Descendants of the famous "Eger women" still meet today, but their communal activities in defence of the town are purely peaceful.

And the wine… The ten thousand acres (4000 hectares) of this historical wine area were producing grapes as early as the eleventh century. Its best known wine is the "Egri bikavér", better known in the English-speaking world as Bull's Blood. But a great many more wonderful varieties can be tasted in the nearby "Szépasszony-völgy" or Valley of the Beautiful Lady, in the many old wine cellars dug out of the rhyolite tuff hillside.

Getting a taste for Hungary

Learning about Hungary’s traditional cuisine is a time-consuming process, and an experience full of pleasant surprises. But before taking your first bite, we think you should be aware that the risk of addiction is extremely high. Travellers returning to the country are often seen trembling with a craving which only a generous portion of class A goose liver, chestnut puree or stuffed cabbage can satisfy.

For a thousand years or so, Hungary’s food, like its culture, has had an intriguing double identity, cleverly blending eastern mystique with the traditions of the west. As the borders have moved over time, a number of nationalities have found a home in Hungary and foreign troops have come and gone. From a culinary point of view, the many peaks and troughs of history have had very positive effect. Over the centuries, Hungarians have embraced everything worth adding to their cuisine, subtly adapting it to suit their palate. In addition, master chefs have always trained a keen eye on the latest trends across Europe, and most Hungarian specialities reveal hints of Renaissance Italian or 19th century French cuisine.

Hungarian gastronomy is always open to innovation, but traditional flavours and ingredients have always had pride of place. Rather than playing safe with steak and seafood, you won’t regret plumping for unknown quantities like fish soup and curd dumplings. The culinary experience will stick in your memory for years to come and you, like us, will be itching to tell the world all about it. You may even try to recreate your delicious meal when you get home. We hope you enjoy sampling Hungary’s world of unforgettable flavours.

Wine & Pálinka

The Hungarian wine renaissance that began some 15 years ago has resuscitated a culture nourished by roots reaching back hundreds; some say thousands, of years. During the brief period since the triumph of democracy, the country’s vintners have gone to work on rescuing traditions from obscurity, and set about winding up the damage caused by being locked away behind the iron curtain for four decades. As they dusted off ancient winemaking practices, the love of wine that had secretly survived the totalitarian era in the tiny farms left in family ownership now freely invigorated entire wine regions in Hungary.

If you visit Villány and Szekszárd, the two southern regions known for their near-Mediterranean climate, you will encounter big, velvety reds of great warmth. You will surely meet a favourite, as most producers offer a range of the best-known international varieties, such as cabernet sauvignon and franc, merlot, and syrah. Nor will you be disappointed if you are looking for a local flavour. You will find all the red wine grapes indigenous to the Carpathian Basin – kadarka, kékfrankos, and portugieser.

The region around Lake Balaton is absolutely unique and cannot be compared to any other wine region in the world. The loess and clay soils of the southern shore tend to produce wines with a Mediterranean flavour. The geographical complexity of the northern shore is a different story altogether. Approaching from the east, you will first travel through limestone ranges known for their popular chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and, more importantly, olaszrizling (Welschriesling) of superb structure and great elegance. Moving further west, you will arrive among denuded volcanic buttes that have calmed down through the eons of geological history but still hang on to their mystic charm. The most famous of them – Badacsony, Somló, Csobánc – yield steely and dense whites with an intriguing spectrum of acids that you will not likely forget anytime soon. One absolute rarity is the wonder of a grape known as kéknyelu, which is not grown anywhere else in the world, including in other regions of Hungary.

If your taste is for a leaner red wine style of the northern type, marked by lower tannins but more vigorous acidity, you should look around Sopron on the western border, or head east for Eger. Although in these two regions you will find almost all of the usual red grapes, kékfrankos and pinot noir have shown exceptional promise, as have quite a few white wines. In and around Eger, the cellars themselves are spectacular enough to make the trip worthwhile. In fact, throughout the north-eastern part of the country, cellars carved deep in the hillsides stand as a unique testament to an ancient wine culture of oriental origins. The easternmost wine region, Tokaj, is at once the single most famous wine producing area in Hungary, and one that has undergone tremendous transformation. Some 10 to 15 splendid great wineries have sprung up owing to large-scale investment. Luckily, quite a few smaller, family-owned estates have managed to keep up with the push upmarket. The region shows us a new face each year. The charm of the local countryside is now universally known, and there is a growing recognition of Tokaj as producing the finest, most natural sweet wines in the world. While styles and official categories of sweet wines abound, the greatest surprise of recent years has been the release of distinctive and superb dry whites. Today, few would debate the fact that dry Tokaji, especially from the furmint grape, has the potential to scale hitherto unknown heights of wine quality and character.

The European Union recognises ‘pálinka’, a strong clear spirit made from a variety of fruits, as a Hungarian speciality. It is excellent as an aperitif, a digestive or a winter warmer and great for lifting spirits on a special occasion. It can be made from several kinds of fruit and the top traditional brands hail from Kecskemét and are made from the delicious apricots nearby. The plum variety distilled from fruit ripened in the Szatmár and Bereg counties is also known and loved throughout the country. Pálinkas are especially tasty if they are matured for a longer period.