Wondering what's so special about Hungary? Is it Budapest with it's splendid castle and dignified waters of the Danube? Or the world-famous spas? Maybe it's Puszta, the Hungarian steppe? Want all of that? Try Hungarian food - it has it all mixed in one!
Visiting capitals is sometimes a waste of time, but it doesn't apply to Budapest. The Pearl of the Danube, as Budapest is often called, is a city that caters for the tastes of all travellers. Dozens of museums of all kinds will please everyone interested in local culture. Numerous spas are a choice that goes without saying for all those who want to chill out. You're a party animal? The direction is obvious - Budapest. Only skiing in Hungary may be a problem - it's totally flat (no hidden meaning here).
How to get there?
Getting to Budapest is easy since the city is among the main hubs of Wizzair, one of the largest low cost carriers in Europe. Wizzair connects Hungary with England, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, France, Belgium and Netherlands. If flying from Norway - try Norwegian. For Germany, England and Ireland Ryanair will do!
Make it efficient
You think 3 days are enough? Forget it. Our three-day stay made me just want to come back as soon as possible.
When you open the guidebook you may be spoilt for choice what to visit, especially if your stay is limited to three or five days. One thing you should know from the very beginning: there are two parts of the city - Buda and Pest (hence the name) divided by the Danube. It's better to have at least superficial knowledge what's where.
Some people may say you can't miss the thermal spas (Fürdő). The most famous one is Gellért Fürdő, located in an Art Nouveau building being a monument itself. Actually we didn't go to any spa. If you want to enjoy it fully, spend there at least half a day. Staying in Budapest for only three days we had other priorities. But I can bet my boots I'll visit some spa when again in Budapest!
My recipe for sightseeing Budapest is (like with many other cities) to walk. Take comfy shoes with you and cover the city on foot. There's no better feeling than knowing a place like the back of your hand. Having very limited time we had a rather active time there.
Favourite spots:
When you open the guidebook you may be spoilt for choice what to visit, especially if your stay is limited to three or five days. One thing you should know from the very beginning: there are two parts of the city - Buda and Pest (hence the name) divided by the Danube. It's better to have at least superficial knowledge what's where.
Some people may say you can't miss the thermal spas (Fürdő). The most famous one is Gellért Fürdő, located in an Art Nouveau building being a monument itself. Actually we didn't go to any spa. If you want to enjoy it fully, spend there at least half a day. Staying in Budapest for only three days we had other priorities. But I can bet my boots I'll visit some spa when again in Budapest!
My recipe for sightseeing Budapest is (like with many other cities) to walk. Take comfy shoes with you and cover the city on foot. There's no better feeling than knowing a place like the back of your hand. Having very limited time we had a rather active time there.
In Budapest we stayed with László, a personable guy contacted through Hospitality Club (visit http://www.hospitalityclub.org to learn more). We had a great time with him. László was so kind and showed us around the city on the first day of our stay. He even offered to cook traditional Hungarian food inviting us to help him. We had a lot of fun preparing letcho (a green pepper stew with tomatoes and sausage) and other things. On top of that the traditional dessert made of chestnut butter and whipped cream was delicious as well. László was a top-notch host and I would love to meet him again.
Our second destination in Hungary was Szeged, a middle-sized city in the southern part of the country. Szeged is a univerisity city which means it offers plenty of budget accommodation during the summer holidays. We took advantage of this opportunity and stayed in one of the students' houses paying HUF 6200 for three persons.
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