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Hungary, an intricate gem of Eastern Europe, boasts a flourishing capital, 20 wine-producing districts, 11 national parks, copious charming cities and an extensive historical and cultural heritage including castles, churches, and thermal baths.
A capital city of dual identity, Budapest is split by the grand Danube, creating the historic, hilly Buda and Pest, the pulsating commercial and cultural centre. A magical mosaic of mushrooming museums, medieval monuments, squares, bridges, parks and a dozen thermal bath complexes, Budapest possesses an adventurous aura, one that values the old and embrace the new.
Budapest, reachable from virtually all capitals of the world by airplane, has two airports, around 25 kms from the city center and 2.5 kms apart: Ferihegy 1 for budget airlines between European cities, and Ferihegy 2 for international airlines (www.bud.hu). For the easiest and quickest way to the town center from both airports, choose one of the numerous Minibus Services on the spot, or the 93 bus to Kőbánya-Kispest, followed by the Blue Metro Line (M2). For domestic travel, take advantage of Hungary’s elaborate train lines. The three large international railway stations in Budapest are Nyugati Station, Keleti Station, and Déli Station. For train schedule see www.elvira.hu.
Lake Balaton, Europe’s largest freshwater lake and Hungary’s favorite lake-side resort-region is just two hours from the capital (by trains, bus or car) or a few minute car or bus ride from the West Balaton Airport. Besides bathing and copious water and land-based sports - like sailing, biking, horseback riding -, Balaton also beckons travelers to visit picturesque villages such as Keszthely, Siófok, Balatonfüred and Tihany. Hungarian style fish soup (halászlé), the zesty Badacsony wines, and the rejuvenating thermal spas of Héviz are also a must.
Pécs, a stunning academic town located in the south-west of Hungary near the Croatian border, is best reached by train from Budapest (taking around 3 hours) or by plane from Vienna to the recently opened Pécs-Pogány Airport. A city steeped in history, Pécs’s touristy cornerstones includes well-preserved masterpieces of Muslim architecture, domed Turkish baths and mosques, and the factory-museum of the gaudy Zsolnay ceramics.
Highlights of Hungarian wine include the Tokay Aszu and the Tokaj Szamorodni, the noblest desert wines of the world, which can be found in the Tokaj-Hegyalja wine-district in northeastern Hungary, just three hours from the capital by any transport-type. In the same region, Eger, a baroque town in the heart of the Tokaj-Eger wine-district producing the famous Bull’s Blood (Bikavér), features The Valley of Beautiful Women (Szépasszonyvölgy), a year-round wine extravaganza in a basin dotted by local wine cellars.
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