Central Europe's thermal bath capital — Budapest's two-city drama split by the Danube, ruin bars in crumbling mansions, the Great Synagogue, and Lake Balaton as the Hungarian Sea.
- Capital
- Budapest
- Population
- 9,539,502
- Area
- 93,030 km²
- Languages
- Hungarian
- Currency
- Hungarian Forint (HUF)
- GDP
- $237,070M
Good to know
Driving side
Right
National dish
Gulyás
Annual visitors
31,641,000 (2020)
Safety
Very low (0.72/100k)
Big Mac
$4.99
Avg temp
11.5°C
Religion
Christianity
Coast
Landlocked
☎ Police 107 · Ambulance 104 · Fire 101
Travel guide
Hungary (Hungarian: Magyarország) is a small landlocked country in central Europe, at a historical crossroads between the Balkans and the Great Eurasian Steppe. Its capital city, Budapest, boasts Habsburg architecture, and ornate Turkish bathhouses remnant of its Ottoman past, while its villages preserve strong folk traditions. Straddling the Peri-Carpathian Steppe and the Carpathian Mountains, Hungary offers a diverse range of landscapes—from relatively low mountain ranges and thermal hot springs, to the Great Plain in the east, along with a variety of lakes and rivers. The vast Lake Balaton is a key destination for Hungary's warm summers.
© Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA)
Explore Hungary
Best time to visit
Budapest is best April–June and September–October. Lake Balaton peaks in summer (June–August). Christmas markets are excellent in December. Thermal baths are enjoyable year-round.
Visa
EU/EEA citizens enter freely. US, UK, Canada, Australia and most Western nationalities get 90 days Schengen visa-free.
Highlights
Sitting atop Castle Hill and overlooking the river Danube is Buda Castle, a sprawling castle and palatial complex that dates back to the 1700s. Here, you'll find art and history museums, massive courtyards, churches and chapels, restaurants, and iconic attractions like the Fisherman’s Bastion, famous for its fairytale-like exteriors. Explore all this and more on a tour—there's even a night tour that gives you a glimpse into the dark side of Buda Castle.
Public holidays
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (10)
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