Travel Guide to Hungary

Hungary: Why go

For glorious architecture, rich folk tradition and over 1,000 thermal hot springs, Hungary's where it's at. One of Europe's oldest nations, it is similar in size to neighbour Austria, yet it remains relatively under the radar in travel terms (except for the capital, Budapest). Communist for 4 decades, its history is one of invasion and war, until it finally became an independent democracy in 1989. Today, it has a vibrant economy and high levels of foreign investment, but outside the main cities, traditional cultures and lifestyles still rule: agricultural work, regular folk festivals, plenty of paprika and Palinka (potent fruit wine) and everything closing at 10pm. As for their language, even natives say it's weird, complicated and really hard to learn; good luck with mastering even the basics.

For now, we're concentrating our focus on Budapest.