Hungary

I never knew Hungary more than the name of its capital city ‘Budapest’. When I started one of my hiring assignment in Eastern Europe, we had to hire people who had good proficiency in ‘Hungarian’ language. Its then when I started my research on Hungary. Secondly I soon realized that every colleague of mine was making a holiday trip to Budapest. I spent lots of time looking at their photos, selfies and really wanted to join the Bandwagon. The combined effect of some glitzy websites, peer competition and my own urge, I made a trip to Hungary too.

Hungary is a landlocked country with its landlocked neighbors like Austria, Slovakia and other countries like Romania, Moldova etc. Popular worldwide for its flamboyant capital ‘Budapest’, Hungary is a hotpot of cultural and heritage sites of more than 1000 years of history. Also known as ‘Magyarország’ and Hungarians as ‘Magyars’. There is a lot of influence of Germans and Soviets that one can find in the country owing to the rule of both the countries in Hungary.

Where to go in Hungary: Well I will give firstly my cliché answer, it all depends on what is your interest and what you want to spend your time at. I would dissect a country into regions always and try to match my interests, the famous sites and the days I have at hand to spend.

Hungary’s best attraction is Budapest and needless to say one just cannot miss it. The least you need is at least 2 days to visit the major sites. If you have more days to spend in Hungary then my best suggestion would be to visit the Danube towns which can be a day or two trip. Further more days, one can visit the Lake Balaton region, The Hortobagy National Park, The Matra Mountain Range, Northern Hungary as well.

Travel: Trains connect all major towns in Hungary. The capital city has metro which is by far the easiest way to cruise through the city other than foot. Beware the height of the escalators, they may give some nausea to the acrophobics.

Currency: HUF, Hungarian Forinth is the currency used in Hungary. (And it has some very beautiful currency notes, ensure you keep one as memorabilia for yourself after your trip)

Food : Iam sure one food that would have come to your mind by now would be the famous ‘Goulash’, the Hungarian soup/stew of meat and vegetables. It would be criminal to leave the country without savoring it. Another famous dish is ‘Paprika krumpli’, a potato stew which is spiced by the very famous Hungarian paprika (a must item on your ‘What to Shop from Hungary’ list)

My trip: I visited the capital city and made it as my base. I had only three days so I spent 2 of them exploring Budapest and one of them taking a tour to the Danube towns. It was a lovely taster to the village life and some amazing cultural sights too.

I hope my posts on Hungary will inspire you to make a trip to this wonderful small country.