Hungary <div style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em"> <table cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="border: 1px solid #9866FF; background-color: #f3f3ff" width="200"> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid #C9AFFF; background-color: #ddddff">Flag</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; padding: 2px">Image:hu-flag.png</td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center; border-bottom: 1px solid #C9AFFF; border-top: 1px solid #C9AFFF; background-color: #ddddff">Quick Facts</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Capital'''</td><td>Budapest</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Government'''</td><td>parliamentary democracy<br/></td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Currency'''</td><td>forint (HUF)</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Area'''</td><td>''total:'' 93,030 sq km <br>''water:'' 690 sq km <br>''land:'' 92,340 sq km</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Population'''</td><td>10,075,034 (July 2002 est.)</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Language'''</td><td>Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8%</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Religion'''</td><td>Roman Catholic 67.5%, Calvinist 20%, Lutheran 5%, atheist and other 7.5%</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Calling Code'''</td><td>36</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Internet TLD'''</td><td>.hu</td></tr> <tr><td valign="top" style="padding-left: 2px">'''Time Zone'''</td><td>UTC +1</td></tr> </table> </div>  '''Hungary''' (''Magyarország'') is a  country in Central Europe. Member of the European Union since 1 May 2004. The country offers many diverse destinations: relatively low mountains in the north-west, the Hungarian Great Plain|Great Plain in the east, lakes and rivers of all sorts, and many beautiful small villages and hidden gems of cities. Top this all with Hungary's great accessibility in the middle of Europe, a vibrant culture and economy, and you get a destination absolutely not worth missing if you're in the region. ==Cities== Image:hu-map.png|frame|Map of Hungary * Budapest — the capital * Pécs — a pleasant university town known for its champagne * Szekszard * Erd * Gyongyos * Debrecen * Szeged * Eger ==Other Destinations== * Miskolc-Tapolca - cave bath * Aggtelek - beautiful caves * Hollóko - an old preserved village * Balaton - the major lake of Hungary and the biggest lake in Central Europe. ==Understand== The country is not very different from most other European countries: 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. Some people think that this country is "red" (communist), some other think it's the "country of gypsies". It isn't. Hungary had probably the softest socialist regime, and in its last 20-30 years there wasn't much "redness" in the country apart from the Russians, who left the country a bit late, around 1992. Since then the country has elected governments, and the economy is based on the laws of marketing (and miracles). Recent years have even seen a conservative backlash. In some areas there is a significant Roma population ("gypsy" is considered a slur for these people) which reaches 5% according to some census. However, 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, many ethnic and cultural Hungarians live in bordering countries, as well. ==Get in== Hungary is now a part of the European Union, which means that entering from other member countries has become easier, while a rather more thorough check awaits those entering from elsewhere. Citizens of most countries are free to enter with passport for normal travel, usual length of stay is 30 days without any additional permit. ===By plane=== Hungary's international airports are [http://www.bud.hu/index.nfo?tPath=/english Budapest Ferihegy Airport] in Budapest and [http://www.airportdebrecen.hu/ Airport Debrecen] in Debrecen. The Hungarian national carrier is [http://www.malev.hu/ ''Malév'' (Hungarian Airlines)]. There are also several low cost carriers operating to Budapest. ===By train=== There are direct connections to Hungary from all the immediate neighbors: Austria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Ukraine. There are also direct trains from countries slightly further afield: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland and Russia. ===By car=== When driving into Hungary, ensure that the border crossing on the route you choose allows the passage of foreigners; a number of smaller crossings are only open to local residents. Also some smaller crossings close in the afternoon for the night. ===By ship=== It is possible to enter Hungary by international shipping lines on Danube (Duna) or Tisza rivers. ==Get around== === By plane === Hungary presently has no scheduled domestic flights. As Budapest lies in the center of the country and pretty much any point can be reached within three hours by train or bus, there isn't much need for them either. === By train === The Hungarian national train company is [http://www.mav.hu/ '''MÁV''']. The train network is star-shaped, fanning out from the centre at Budapest. This is caused by :WikiPedia:History_of_Hungary|history because half of the once complete train system went to the neighbor countries after World War I. If none of the start or endpoint is Budapest, expect to travel for a ''long time''. Intercity (IC) trains are the fastest, and they're well maintained and cleaned (so you pay more). Other trainlines usually are not that fast, and not always cleaned up to the high standards, and often vandalised. Prices are similar to bus lines. MÁV has a useful online schedule and pricing site called [http://www.elvira.hu/elvira.dll/index?LANGUAGE=2 Elvira]. === By bus === Bus lines often are more complete than train lines, the prices and the speed is quite similar. Buses are often clean but they're not always in top quality: many lines don't have (working) air conditioning in the summer (sometimes the central information can help you knowing that beforehand). === By boat === These are not used very often (since Hungary has limited amount of waterways). There are some ferries on Danube and Tisza but you're advised to avoid them due to the undetermined working hours. You can trust the ferry on Lake Balaton, though, for a modest price. ===By car=== Roads of Hungary are in good shape, and usually you can travel by using a map and the road signs. Highways are not free, but there are no other toll roads or tunnels. Don't count with Western European travel times though: if you travel by normal roads the speed limit is 90 km/h between cities and 50 km/h inside, which slows you to the average around 60km/h. Roads have often high traffic (especially main roads like #8 to the west, #6 to the south and #4 to the east). Take into account that there are only a few bridges crossing the Danube outside Budapest. There are some ferries available though. Keep in mind that you always have to use the headlights of your vehicle driving on the open road even at daytime! ==== Highways ==== There are 4 highways, each of them starts from Budapest: * Government arranges payments: for normal cars you expect to pay '''2000 HUF''' for 10 day ticket, or '''3400 HUF''' for monthly ticket for all of the four highways below (all data from oct, 2004, see [http://www.autopalya.hu/pdf/f1925_an.pdf prices (PDF)] for full chart). ** M1- connecting to Vienna (west) ** M3- connecting to Miskolc (east) ** M7- connecting to Lake Balaton (south-west) ** M5- going towards Kecskemét and Szeged (south-east) (Was privately owned and most expensive but this was changed in 2004 when the government took it over.) ==Talk== The metro and tram systems in Budapest are easy to negotiate, but the language is not. Hungarian phrasebook|Hungarian (''Magyar'') is unrelated to any European language other than Finnish phrasebook|Finnish, Estonian phrasebook|Estonian, and the far northern Sámi — it belongs to the Finno-Ugric language group, so cheating with high school Romance or Germanic languages isn't possible here. On the plus side, Hungarian is written with the familiar Latin alphabet, with the addition of some accented characters (OoUu, which are the same sound as ÖöÜü but longer, plus áéíóú, which are long vowels). In the west of the country many people understand German phrasebook|German, and English is usually handled with more or less success. The younger population usually speaks either English, German, French or some other major language. While the entire population took mandatory Russian language classes under the socialist system, very few bothered to keep up with their studies after the Iron Curtain fell, and attempts to use Russian may meet an icy reception. ==See== Hungary has several [http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31 '''World Heritage sites''']. These are *Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue *Old Village of Hollóko and its Surroundings *Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst *Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment *Hortobágy National Park - the Puszta *Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs (Sopianae) *Ferto/Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape *Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape There are also some amazing things to see. *'''Tiszavirágzás'''. In mid-June the Tisza produces swarms of mayflies which are likened to flowers. Once decimated by pollution, the population is rebounding. (They're famous for living only for 1-2 days.) ==Spend== 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 and 200 HUF denominations, coins are 200 (withdrawn from circulation, since some of them had higher value because of their silver content), 100 (two colored, similar to €2), 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1 HUF. The exchange rate is approximately 250 HUF = €1. A lunch in Budapest is from 1000 to 8000 HUF per person, and half or third of that outside Budapest (chinese fast food menu is around 500 HUF). 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. ==Eat== Image:Szentendre_Goulash.JPG|thumb|A fancy serving of ''gulyás'' soup 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 rather tasty 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 ''csirke paprikás'', 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. 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''), the primary Hungarian contribution in this field being an unusual type of small couscous-like pasta called ''tarhonya''. ===Vegetarian food=== Vegetarians will have a tough time in Hungary and strict vegans will starve to death. 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). If one self-caters from supermarkets or local shops and markets, however, the selection of fruits and vegetables is quite good, especially in summer. ==Drink== ===Wine=== Hungary has several famous vine regions, most known are Villány, Eger, Badacsony, Tokaj, Szekszárd. Prices are reasonable. *'''Egri Bikavér''' (Bull's Blood of Eger) is a strong red Hungarian wine which supposedly saved a clever Hungarian girl from her fate with a Turkish sultan. During the time of the Turkish occupation, it is said a young girl was summoned to become a member of the local sultan's harem. Not wanting this fate for his daughter, her father gave her a bottle of Egri Bikavér to take to the sultan. He told her to tell the ruler it was bull's blood, and would make him invincible. The sultan, being Muslim, was unaccustomed to alcohol, and proceeded to pass out, leaving the daughter unharmed. That's a story - but in real life, be careful with Egri Bikavér. It's excellent, but strong stuff! * '''Tokaj''' is known for its sweet dessert wines (''Tokaji aszú''), which acquire their distinctive taste from grapes infected by the "noble rot" ''Botrytis cinerea''. The favorite tipple of aristocracy, past fans of Tokaji include Louis XIV, Beethoven, Napoleon III and Peter the Great — which is still reflected in the steep pricing of the best varieties. Almost uniquely among white wines, tokaj keeps very well for long periods. ===Liquor=== In Hungarian, ''pálinka'' denotes any strong brandy-like liquor distilled from fruit, wine, corn or pretty much anything. Perhaps the best known is ''barackpálinka'', made from apricots. *'''Unicum''' is a strong ''digestif'' made from a secret mix of over 40 herbs. It comes in small bottles and has a very strong and unusual taste. Try it at your own risk. ===Beer=== Hungarian beer is poor compared to other Central European countries like Germany and the Czech Republic. The most common beers are Dreher, Borsodi, and Arany Aszok ("Golden Ace"), available in the styles ''világos'' (lager) and ''barna'' (brown). Imported beers like Pilsner Urquell and Budweiser (the Czech variety) are widely available in bars and markets for not much more than the ubiquitous Hungarian brands which cost about 150 Forints at a store and 300-360 at a bar. ===Coffee=== Cafe culture is alive and well in Hungary, although it may never recover the romance of its turn-of-the-century intellectual heyday. The coffee drinks are strong and espresso-based, and one drink will buy you hours of time at the table. ===Tea=== Hungarians usually do not drink tea unless they're sick and don't expect they'll know how to make a decent tea. ==Sleep== Prices vary greatly. For the cheapest room in a youth hostel in Budapest expect to pay between 10 and 12 Euros. ==Learn== ==Work== ==Stay Safe== Watch your baggage and pockets, especially when you travel by public transports. In large cities (especially Budapest) avoid walking in the night outside main, well-lit roads. There is the danger of pickpockets, and some even slash bags on crowded buses and trains. ==Stay Healthy== Food and water is almost always safe. Private health care providers are good quality but relatively expensive and limited in scope. Public health care is free for qualifying (insured) people but cheap in quality, inefficient and often corrupt. The country joined the EU, so basic coverage is present for EU citizens, but check before entering the country how far are you insured and what you have to pay for. Do not expect that the local doctor knows the EU rules, prepare to provide info. The infamous E-111 forms are required from EU citizens applying for free treatment under this regulation. You'll need a single E-111 copy for each case, so bring more copies with you if you're cautious or expect to need medical help more than once. Pharmacies are everywhere, you may expect high prices (compared to local incomes) but good pharmaceutical coverage. The only problem might be communicating with the pharmacist as most of them speak only Hungarian. Even some rusty Latin might come handy quite unexpectedly. ==Links== * [http://www.magyarorszag.hu/angol/orszaginfo/alapadatok Hungary's official info page] WikiPedia:Hungary {{msg:stub}} de:Ungarn fr:Hongrie ro:Ungaria First page | Prev | Next | Last page |

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