Following a Celtic after c 450 BC and a Roman 9 BC - c 4th century period, the foundation of Hungary was laid in the late Ninth Century by the Magyar chieftain Árpád, whose great grandson István ascended to the throne with a crown sent from Rome in 1000 The Kingdom of Hungary existed with minor interruptions for more than 900 years, and at various points was regarded as one of the cultural centers of Europe It was succeeded by a Communist era 1945-1989 during which Hungary gained widespread international attention regarding the Revolution of 1956 and the seminal move of opening its border with Austria in 1989, thus accelerating the collapse of the Eastern Bloc The present form of government is Parliamentary Republic 1989- Hungary's current goal is to become a developed country by IMF standards, already being considered "developed" by most traditional measures, including GDP and Human Development Index world ranking 36th and rising
Hungary is one of the 15 most popular tourist destinations in the world, with a capital regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world 2 Despite its relatively small size, the country is home to numerous World Heritage Sites, UNESCO Biosphere reserves, the second largest thermal lake in the world Lake Hévíz, the largest lake in Central Europe Lake Balaton, and the largest natural grassland in Europe Hortobágy In terms of buildings, Hungary is home to the largest synagogue in Europe Great Synagogue, the largest medicinal bath in Europe Széchenyi Medicinal Bath, the third largest church in Europe Esztergom Basilica, the second largest territorial abbey in the world Pannonhalma Archabbey, the second largest Baroque castle in the world Gödöllő, and the largest Early Christian Necropolis outside Italy Pécs
You can expect to find safe food and water, good safety and generally political stability
Hungary doesn't attract terrorists and keeps drug and crime levels moderate
Hungary has been ethnically diverse since its inception, and while over 90% of the population are ethnically Hungarian, pockets of ethnic and cultural Slovaks, Romanians, Germans and others dot the country Due to the frequent border shifts in Eastern European history, over 2 million ethnic and cultural Hungarians live in bordering countries, as well
Temperatures in Hungary vary from -20°C to 39°C through the year Distribution and frequency of rainfall are unpredictable due to the continental clime of the country Heavy storms are frequent after hot summer days, and so do more days long still rainfalls in the Autumn The western part of the country usually receives more rain than the eastern part, and severe droughts may occur in summertime Weather conditions in the Great Plain can be especially harsh, with hot summers, cold winters, and scant rainfall
Hungarians are rightly proud of their unique, complex, sophisticated, richly expressive language, Hungarian Magyar pronounced "mahdyar" It is a Uralic language most closely related to Mansi and Khanty of western Siberia It is further sub-classified into the Finno-Ugric languages which include Finnish and Estonian; it is not at all related to any of its neighbours: the Slavic, Germanic, and Romance languages belonging to the Indo-European language family Although related to Finnish and Estonian, they are not mutually intelligible Aside from Finnish, it is considered the most difficult "European" language for English speakers to learn with the vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation being radically different So it is not surprising that an English speaker visiting Hungary understands nothing from written or spoken Hungarian Hungary did adopt the Roman alphabet after becoming a Catholic country in the middle ages, but most of the root words have nothing to do with Latin
English-speakers tend to find most everything about the written language tough going, including a number of unusual sounds like gy often pronounced like the d in "during" or as the j injury and ű vaguely like a long English e as in me with rounded lips, as well as agglutinative grammar that leads to fearsome-looking words like hozzáadottérték-adó value-added tax and viszontlátásra goodbye Also, the letters can very well be pronounced differently than in English: the "s" always has a "sh" sound, the "sz" has the "s" sound, and the "c" is pronounced like the English "ts", to name a few On the upside, it is written with the familiar Roman alphabet if adorned with lots of accents, and--unlike English--it has almost total phonemic orthography This means that if you learn how to pronounce the 30 letters of the alphabet and the digraphs, you will be able to pronounce almost every Hungarian word properly Just one difference in pronunciation, vowel length, or stress can lead to misinterpretation or total misunderstanding The stress always falls on the first syllable of any word, so all the goodies on top of the vowels are pronunciation cues, and not indicators of stress, as in Spanish Diphthongs are almost-nonexistent in Hungarian except adopted foreign words Just one of many profound grammatical differences from most European languages is that Hungarian does not have, nor need to have the verb "to have" in the sense of possession - the indicator of possession is attached to the possessed noun and not the possessor, eg Kutya = dog, Kutyám = my dog, Van egy kutyám = I have a dog, or literaly "Is one dog-my" Hungarian has a very specific case system, both grammatical, locative, oblique, and the less productive; for example a noun used as the subject has no suffix, while when used as an direct object, the letter "t" is attached as a suffix, with a vowel if necessary One simplifying aspect of Hungarian is that there is NO grammatical gender, even with the pronouns "he" or "she", which are both "ő", so one does not have to worry about the random Der, Die, Das sort of thing that occurs in German, "the" is simply "a" In Hungarian, family name precedes given name, the same as with asian languages And the list of differences goes on and on, such as the definite and indefinate conjugational system, vowel harmony, etc Attempting anything beyond the very basics will gain you a great deal of respect since so few non-native Hungarians ever attempt to learn any of this small, seemingly difficult, but fascinating language
Since English is now obligatory in schools, if you address people in their twenties, possibly carrying a schoolbag, you stand a good chance that they will speak English well enough to help you out
However, due to Hungary's history, the older generation had less access to foreign language tuition, so your chances are worse, and with people over 50 as good as zero A minority of Hungarians speaks Russian, which was obligatory in the Communist era, although most Hungarians are quite happy to forget it so try it only as a last resort German is also very useful in Hungary: it is almost just as widely spoken as English, and almost universally so near the Austrian border and especially Sopron, which is officially bilingual and has huge contacts with Vienna due to it being accesible by Vienna suburban trains In these areas, and with older people in general, German will most often take you a lot further than English
Basically, in Hungary, you will have a much better chance finding someone speaking a foreign language especially English and German in larger cities, especially in those with universities such as Budapest, Debrecen, Miskolc, and Szeged In rural areas the chance may be as good as zero, even with young people, except in southwestern region of Venvidék, where there is a strong Slovenian minority speaking Slovene
Hungary has several World Heritage sites These are:
Other major tourist destination is Lake Balaton, with winehills, thermal spa in Hévíz around
There are also some amazing things to see
Birdwatching
Hungary is an excellent destination for birdwatching aka birding holiday There are wooded hills, vast fish-pond systems and grasslands, the puszta Particularly good areas include the Kiskunsag and Hortobagy National Parks and the Aggtelek, Bukk and Zemplen Hills
Horse riding
Vast areas of open countryside coupled with the long traditions of horsemanship make Hungary an ideal country for riding Wide open plains in the south and forested hills in the north offer varied riding terrain
Thermal waters abound in Hungary with over 1000 thermal springs in the country many of which have been turned into baths and spas The most famous being the Szechenyi baths in Budapest There are, however, hundreds of individual baths all around the country The cave baths at Miskolc-Tapolca and the spa at Egerszalók are some nice examples
See Budapest#Baths, Nyíregyháza#Do for details More thermal bath and spa from Hungary: 32 33
The unit of Hungarian currency is known as the Forint HUF The Hungarian "cent" Fillér is long since obsolete Bills come in 20000, 10000, 5000, 2000, 1000, 500, 200until November 2009 HUF denominations, coins are 200 two colored, similar to €1, 100 two colored, similar to €2, 50, 20, 10, 5 HUF As of March 1, 2008, the 2 and 1 HUF coins have been withdrawn, too
Euro is now accepted at most hotels and some of the restaurants and shops Make sure you check the exchange rate though, sometimes even well known places like McDonald's will exchange at unrealistic rates Forint is scheduled to disappear around 2012-2013 in favor of Euro, but no date is fixed yet
You can use major credit cards EuroCard, Visa in major shops and larger restaurants, but never expect that without checking first Small places cannot afford to handle cards ATMs are available even in small cities, the coverage is good
While completing any monetary transactions, it is best to pay in HUF when you can Some restaurants and hotels charge a steep rate for Euro exchange and often due to the fluctuation in HUF, cost and services stated may vary drastically
When leaving Hungary after a vacation, it is best to exchange bills and use all Hungary Forint coins before leaving the country Outside of Hungary, it is very difficult to find a money exchange which will exchange the Forint
There are 227 forints to the USD and 279 forints to the EUR 14 June 2010
Exchange rates for EUR and USD are roughly the same within downtown at least in Budapest and Eger Rates will likely be much worse in airports and large train stations - so change exactly what you need to reach downtown A good habit is to compare the buy and sell rates: if they are drastically different, you're best going somewhere else Official exchange offices always give a receipt and normally have a large glass between client and a cashier making all steps transparent for client
Travellers report that unofficial money changers operating nearby an official money changing booth offer unfavourable rates--and recommend to use official exchange offices It's worth noting that such exchanges are illegal
If you arrive to Budapest at late nights or state holidays it is quite likely you won't be able to find any working bank or exchange office In this case you may attempt to exchange your money with any random taxi driver They will rip you off by 100-200 forints around 1 EUR, but it's better than nothing There is an ATM in the arrival hall at Budapest Ferihegy, and the rates for using ATMs with a card are often better than the bureau de change There are many banks machines in Budapest which will accept European and North American debit/credit cards, if it becomes necessary, it maybe in your best interest to draw a sufficient amount for your stay and it will often give a more much favorable rate
Adventurous locals in Budapest report they change EUR unofficially with Arabs on a train station, but they don't recommend it to unaccompanied travelers
Apart from classical tourist souvenirs like postcards and trinkets, here are some things unique to Hungary or just hard to find elsewhere
Main courses in menu are normally 25003000HUF in touristy places in Budapest, 15001800HUF outside it, or in towns like Eger and Szentendre March 2009
A lunch in Budapest is from 900 to 8000 HUF per person, and half or third of that outside Budapest Chinese fast food menu is around 500 HUF
In restaurants, a service charge is frequently included into bill, 10% or even 12%, but this has to be clearly pointed out on the menu If it's not mentioned, the place has no right to include a service charge in the bill
Even if there's no service charge, unless the service was preposterous most Hungarians tend to leave a generous tip 10% minimum Unlike in most western countries, tip is usually not left on the table, but rather the amount is specified to the waiting staff when you pay
There were some places mainly in downtown Pest that tried to rip off drunk tourists at night by charging ridiculously high prices for drinks Most of these places are closed now, but it's still a good idea to always check the prices on the menu before ordering
In major cities and next to the highways you can find restaurants of the major international chains such as KFC, McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway and TGI Friday's
Hungarians are quite proud of their cuisine Magyar konyha, and most of the time not without a reason Food are usually spicy but not hot by general standards, and it's tasty rather than healthy — many dishes are prepared with lard or deep-fried The national spice is paprika, made from ground sweet bell peppers and which actually has some flavor when fresh The national dish is, of course, goulash, but Hungarians call the thick paprika-laden stew known as goulash elsewhere by the term pörkölt and reserve the term gulyás for a lighter paprika-flavored soup
Less well known in the rest of the world are paprikás csirke, chicken in paprika sauce, and halászlé, paprika fish soup often made from carp
Goose is also quite popular in Hungary While tourists gorge on goose liver libamáj, still cheap by Western standards, probably the most common dish is sült libacomb, roast goose leg Stuffed töltött vegetables of all kinds are also popular, and Hungarian pancakes palacsinta, both savoury and sweet, are a treat Common snacks include kolbász, a Hungarianized version of the Polish kielbasa sausage, and lángos, deep-fried dough with a variety of toppings mostly sour cream, cheese and/or garlic
A Hungarian meal is almost always — even at breakfast — accompanied by Hungarian pickles called savanyúság, literally "sourness" These are often dubbed saláta on menus, so order a vitamin saláta if you want fresh veggies Starch is most often served as potatoes, rice or dumplings galuska' or nokedli, the primary Hungarian contribution in this field is an unusual type of small couscous-like pasta called tarhonya
It is worth to visit a "Cukrászda" if you are in Hungary These are very popular with delicious cakes and coffee Try the traditional Krémes with vanila cream, Eszterházy lots of nuts or Somlói Galuska You should visit Auguszt, Szamos or Daubner if you want the best! Daubner is a little out of the way, Auguszt Cukrászda is an absolute must They have a shop downtown near Astoria metro station, founded in 1969
Another favourite is Langos, it is basically deep fried bread, similar to "whales-tail or beaver-tail" but in Hungary, it can be served with any fillings imaginable If you do come across a Langos stand, there are usually a large number of options from pizza langos, or eggs with mayo or nutella and bananas
Vegetarians and Vegans will have about as much ease eating out as in any other western country Budapest is not a problem, as there is a wide variety of restaurants to choose from, but in an ordinary Hungarian restaurant the non-meat mains on the menu are pretty much limited to rántott sajt fried cheese and gombafejek rántva fried mushrooms
However, in recent years, Italian food has become a lot more popular, so as long as you don't mind a pasta heavy diet as a vegetarian you will find a wider choice
If one self-caters from supermarkets or local shops and markets, however, the selection of fruits and vegetables is quite good, especially in summer
There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan restaurants, and a lot's of healthfood stores that offer all sorts of vegetarian/vegan products including cosmetics Regular stores like Groby among other brands sell everything from vegan sausages to mayonaise A good place to start is looking at Budaveg34 and Happy Cow35 for specific information
Over all, apply the same rules as you do at home, and you should be well fed
Hungary has several famous vine regions, most known are Villány, Eger, Badacsony, Tokaj, Szekszárd Prices are reasonable
If new to Hungarian wine, be aware that both champagne "pezsgő" and wine, red or white, are quite likely to be sweet "Édes" If dry wine is your preference, look for the word "Száraz" on the label When buying bottled wine, don't bother with types cheaper than 6-700 HUF, as these are usually very low quality maybe not even produced from grapes In wine cellars, however, high quality may be available at surprisingly low prices
In Hungarian, pálinka denotes strong brandy-like liquor distilled from fruit Pálinka is a very social drink: just as the English drink tea, the Hungarians, especially in rural areas, will offer pálinka to guests upon arrival The best-known varieties are barackpálinka, made from apricots, körtepálinka from pears, and szilvapálinka made from plums Factory-made pálinka is widely available, but keep an eye out for homemade házipálinka Pálinkas usually contain around or above 40% of alcohol, often more for the homemade ones Pálinka bottles marked mézes will be heavily sweetened with honey HUF 3000 for something good
Unicum is a strong digestif made from a secret mix of over 40 herbs It comes in striking black bottles emblazoned with a red and white cross, and has a very strong and unusual taste Unicum Next has a lighter, citrusy flavor, and is rather more palatable Definitely worth trying, the bottle itself may also be used for decoration, and keeps very well for a long time
Hungarian beer is quite average compared to other Central European countries like Germany and the Czech Republic as it has long been a wine culture The most common beers are Dreher, Szalon, Borsodi, Soproni and Arany Ászok, available in the styles világos lager and barna brown They cost about 200-300 Forints at a store and 400-600 at a bar Some expensive club can charge up to 900 in Budapest
Imported beers like Pilsner Urquell, Staropramen and Budweiser-Budvar the Czech variety are widely available in bars and markets for not much more than the ubiquitous Hungarian brands If you have to try only one Hungarian beer, your choice should go for a brown Dreher, the best Hungarian beer for many
When offering a toast with beer, be warned that most Hungarians will politely refuse This is due to an old tradition due to remembering soldiers killed in the 1848 revolution, whereby it was decreed no Hungarian would toast with beer for 150 years It's been so long, however, that most Hungarians no longer know the origins of this tradition or that they've been free to make toasts over beer for the past ten years
Cafe culture is alive and well in Hungary, although it may never recover the romance of its turn-of-the-century intellectual heyday Unless asked, it's a good idea to specify what kind of coffee you prefer The word kávé means the strong, espresso like coffee to most Hungarians, although American-style coffee known as hosszú kávé in Hungarian, usually translated as "long coffee" is now also available at most places
Tea houses are now getting popular in cities, especially among the young There is a growing number of tea houses, mainly in Budapest and some bigger cities where people can buy several types of loose tea As it is quite fashionable to spend time in a tea house, more and more people will be able to serve good tea even at home The best teas to go for are the herbal and fruit varieties In restaurants and cafes, lemon juice is frequently served in a small bottle In traditional restaurants or cafes however, good teas are hard to find, as coffee and beverages are preferred
When you ask for a black tea in a budget cafe, frequently Earl Grey is served instead--remember to specify if that does matter for you
Widely available:
It should be noted though that as it is the case of most European countries, in Hungary, it is safe to drink tap water anywhere, even 'remote' settings
Prices vary greatly For the cheapest room in a youth hostel in Budapest expect to pay between €10 and €12, but the normal rate in a hostel is €20-22 per person
Village Tourism is popular and very well developed in Hungary, and can be a remarkable experience Start your research with 1Hungary 36, National Federation of Rural and Agrotourism 37 and Centre of Rural Tourism 38 Near Budapest it is also possible to find rural houses to rent, for instance the Wild Grape Guesthouse 39, what makes a good combination to explore the capital and a National Park while staying at the same accommodation
There are campgrounds available See the city guides, including the Budapest guide
It could be very difficult for an individual to seek legal employment in Hungary because of the complexity, cost and time involved Most foreign workers in Hungary have received their visas and other necessary documents through the company they are employed by It is hoped, however, that since the joining of Hungary to the EU a reduction will follow in the amount of red tape involved
Many students usually on a gap year work as second language teachers at one of Budapest's many language schools Be advised that a qualification is required ESL/TEFL/TESOL and that experience is preferred
An excellent option is to teach through the Central European Teaching Program 42 For a reasonable placement fee they will take care of all your paperwork and set you up in a school in Hungary teaching English Contracts are for one semester or a whole school year
See also Work section in Budapest article
| Meal in inexpensive restaurant | 1.11 HUF |
| 3-course meal in restaurant (for 2) | 6.58 HUF |
| McDonalds meal | 1.11 HUF |
| Local beer (0.5 draft) | 387.45 HUF |
| Foreign beer (0.33 bottle) | 442 HUF |
| Cappuccino | 342.43 HUF |
| Pepsi/Coke (0.33 bottle) | 277.42 HUF |
| Water (0.33 bottle) | 187.66 HUF |
| Milk (1l) | 202.4 HUF |
| Fresh bread (500g) | 168.69 HUF |
| White Rice (1kg) | 270.18 HUF |
| Eggs (12) | 436.38 HUF |
| Local Cheese (1kg) | 1.11 HUF |
| Chicken Breast (1kg) | 1.11 HUF |
| Apples (1kg) | 255.99 HUF |
| Oranges (1kg) | 293.09 HUF |
| Tomato (1kg) | 391.29 HUF |
| Potato (1kg) | 198.26 HUF |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 183.74 HUF |
| Water (1.5l) | 106.44 HUF |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 0.9 HUF |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 bottle) | 238.54 HUF |
| Foreign beer (0.33 bottle) | 316.83 HUF |
| Cigarettes | 0.94 HUF |
| One way local bus ticket | 388.5 HUF |
| Monthly pass for bus | 9.94 HUF |
| Taxi start | 499.05 HUF |
| Taxi 1km | 268.8 HUF |
| Taxi 1hour waiting | 4.42 HUF |
| Gasoline (1 liter) | 447.42 HUF |
| Utilities for a "normal" apartment | 51.94 HUF |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 2.21 HUF |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 60.97 HUF |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 52.17 HUF |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 133.22 HUF |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 99.9 HUF |
