Hungary Travel Guide: Costs, Transport and Where to Go

Hungary pays you back fastest if you treat Budapest as the base and give the rest of the country at least two nights. Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe, it has been in the European Union since 2004 and the Schengen area since 2007, and it uses the forint (HUF), not the euro. That last point catches people out every year: prices are quoted in forints, cards are widely accepted, and the euro is not legal tender.

This guide is the front door to our Hungary coverage. It answers the practical questions first, then points you at the page that goes deeper, whether that is the 4-day Budapest itinerary, the driving rules and vignette prices or the full list of places worth the trip.

Hungary quick facts

The facts you need before booking are listed below.

• Currency: Hungarian forint (HUF, written Ft). Hungary has not adopted the euro.
• Capital: Budapest
• Size: 93,030 km² (35,920 sq mi)
• Population: about 9.5 million, and falling year on year
• Language: Hungarian. English is common in Budapest and thin outside it.
• Time zone: Central European Time, UTC+1
• Power: 230V, plug types C and F, so pack a universal adapter if your plugs do not match
• Driving side: right
• Phone code: +36
• Emergency number: 112
• Tap water: drinkable across the country. Budapest tap water is fine and locals drink it.

For the longer list of national holidays, national days and closures, see our page on Hungarian holiday dates. For the quirks, inventions and record-holders, see the facts about Hungary.

Do you need a visa for Hungary?

Most short-stay visitors do not need a visa for Hungary, because Hungary is part of the Schengen area. EU and EEA citizens can stay as long as they like. US, Canadian, Australian and UK citizens can stay 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa.

Two border systems have changed since older guides were written, so check both before you fly.

1. The EU Entry/Exit System is live. The European Commission confirms the EES has been fully operational across every Schengen country since 10 April 2026. On your first arrival after that date your fingerprints and a facial image are recorded, which adds a few minutes at the border.
2. ETIAS is coming, not here. The European Commission has scheduled ETIAS to start in the last quarter of 2026. It is a travel authorisation, not a visa, and you cannot apply for it yet. If a site is selling you one, it is selling you nothing.

When is the best time to visit Hungary?

The best time to visit Hungary is May, June, September and early October, when days are long and warm without the July and August heat. Hungary has four distinct seasons and a continental climate, so summer regularly pushes into the 30s °C (upper 80s °F) and winter drops below freezing.

• May to June: warm days, cool evenings, festival season opening, and the Tihany lavender in bloom.
• July to August: the hottest and busiest months, and the most expensive. This is when Lake Balaton fills up and the Sziget festival takes over an island in the Danube.
• September to October: harvest and wine season, thinner crowds, still warm enough for the outdoor thermal pools.
• November to March: cold and often grey, but this is thermal bath weather, and the Budapest Christmas markets run from mid-November into early January.

Our festivals in Hungary page has the events worth planning a trip around.

How do you get to Hungary?

You get to Hungary by air into Budapest for almost every long-haul route, and by train or coach if you are already in Central Europe. Hungary has one airport that matters for scheduled international traffic, and good rail links to every neighbour.

By plane. Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport is the country’s main gateway and handled a record 19.6 million passengers in 2025. Ryanair, Wizz Air and easyJet run cheap short-haul routes from across Europe, and transatlantic services run seasonally, so from North America you will often connect through London, Paris, Amsterdam or Frankfurt. Check flight options and prices here.

By train. Direct trains reach Budapest from Vienna, Munich, Prague, Bratislava, Zagreb and Belgrade, and Vienna to Budapest is the easy one at under three hours. Sleeper services still run on the longer routes. You can look up train routes and prices from within Europe before you commit to a flight.

By coach. Long-distance coaches reach Hungary from France, Germany, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Croatia, Romania, Slovenia, Poland and Italy. Coaches are the cheapest way in and the slowest, and they nearly all terminate at Budapest Népliget.

By car. The M1 from Austria at Hegyeshalom is the main western approach. Buy your motorway e-vignette before you cross the border, because the toll network is enforced by camera and there is no barrier to warn you. Our driving in Hungary page has the 2026 prices.

How do you get around Hungary?

You get around Hungary by train for the main city-to-city runs and by coach for everything the railway misses. Hungary’s network radiates from Budapest, which makes the capital an easy hub and cross-country journeys slower than the map suggests.

Trains are run by MÁV, coaches by Volánbusz, and both sit inside the same MÁV-Volán Group and the same ticketing system. The single most useful thing to know: a Magyarország24 day ticket costs 4,999 Ft (about €14, $16, £12) and covers unlimited travel on MÁV trains and Volánbusz coaches nationwide for one calendar day, which beats almost any long single fare. The details, the passes and the airport transfer options are on our transportation in Hungary page.

You do not need a car in Budapest, where parking is paid and the metro, trams and buses go everywhere. You do want one for the Danube Bend, the Balaton uplands, the wine regions and the national parks. Compare rental cars for Hungary here, and read our guide to renting a car in Hungary first if you have not driven in Central Europe before.

Where should you go in Hungary?

You should go to Budapest first, then pick one region to pair with it rather than trying to cross the country. Hungary splits into seven statistical regions, and each one has a different reason to visit.

A few anchors to build a trip around:

1. Budapest. Split by the Danube into hilly Buda and flat Pest, with Buda Castle, the Parliament, the Fisherman’s Bastion and St Stephen’s Basilica. Start with whether Budapest is worth visiting, then the 4-day itinerary, and check whether the Budapest Card pays for itself on your plan.
2. Lake Balaton. The largest lake in Central Europe, shallow and warm in summer, with Balatonfüred, Tihany and Keszthely on the north shore and the party beaches on the south. See the beaches in Hungary if swimming is the point.
3. Eger. A baroque town under a fortress that held off an Ottoman siege in 1552, and the home of Egri Bikavér red wine. Our Eger guide has the castle and cellar practicalities.
4. Szeged and Debrecen. The two big provincial cities, both easy train runs from Budapest. Read Szeged and Debrecen.
5. The castles. Hungary has real ones, not just palaces, and the good ones are spread across the country. Our castles in Hungary page ranks them.

The full list, with what each place is actually for, is on places to visit in Hungary.

Are Hungary’s thermal baths open?

Hungary’s thermal baths are open, but Budapest lost its most photographed one and older guides have not caught up. Gellért Bath closed on 1 October 2025 for a full renovation and its own website expects it to reopen in 2028. If a guide tells you to book Gellért, that guide is out of date.

What is open in Budapest:

• Széchenyi, the big neo-baroque complex in City Park, with 2026 tickets at 13,200 Ft (about €36, $42, £31) Monday to Thursday and 14,800 Ft (about €41, $47, £35) Friday to Sunday, locker included. Nobody under 14 is admitted.
• Rudas, the 16th-century Turkish bath under Gellért Hill, open 06:00 to 20:00 most days and to 22:00 on Mondays. The Turkish bath section is women only on Tuesdays and men only on Wednesdays, so check the day before you go. Under-14s are not admitted here either.
• Lukács, the local favourite, quieter and cheaper than either of the above.

Outside the capital, Lake Hévíz is the largest biologically active natural thermal lake in the world and you swim in it outdoors all year. In the northeast, the Miskolctapolca Cave Bath reopened on 20 August 2026 after a September 2024 fire shut the cave section for nearly two years, and it now runs 09:00 to 19:00 daily. Listings sites still show it as temporarily closed, which it is not.

Where should you stay in Hungary?

Stay central in Budapest and stay on the lake at Balaton, because in both places the walk from your door is most of the value. Booking.com is my go-to for hotels, guesthouses and bed and breakfasts in Hungary because the filters let me pull out the short list that actually has what I want, and if you are hunting accommodation across the country you can check there. When I want an apartment with a kitchen instead, I look on Vrbo.

For the capital specifically, we have picked apart the districts and the properties on where to stay in Budapest.

What should you eat in Hungary?

Eat the paprika dishes first, because paprika is the thread running through Hungarian cooking rather than a garnish on top of it. Hungarian food is heavier than most of Europe’s and better in winter than in August.

• Gulyás: the national dish, a paprika soup with beef and potato. Not the thick stew sold abroad as goulash.
• Pörkölt: chunks of meat braised in paprika and onion, thick sauce, usually served with nokedli egg dumplings.
• Halászlé: river fish soup, sharp with paprika, and the Szeged version is the one to order.
• Lángos: deep-fried dough, sour cream and cheese, sold at markets and lake beaches.
• Főzelék: a thick vegetable dish between a soup and a stew, and the everyday lunch you will not find in guidebooks.
• Kürtőskalács: chimney cake, spit-baked over coals, and a December market staple.
• Dobos torta: layered sponge with chocolate buttercream and a hard caramel top.

Our page on Hungarian food covers the rest, and Budapest’s restaurants and bars cover where to sit down.

How much does Hungary cost?

Hungary costs less than Western Europe and more than it did five years ago, and the gap between Budapest prices and provincial prices is wide. A Budapest single public transport ticket is 500 Ft (about €1.40, $1.60, £1.20) and a coffee in a provincial town is a fraction of a Vienna one, but central Budapest restaurant prices have caught up with the rest of the EU.

Two habits save real money. Pay in forints, not euros, whenever a card terminal offers you the choice, because the shop’s conversion rate is worse than your bank’s. And carry some cash: the card economy is broad, ATMs are everywhere in towns, but markets, small cellars and rural buses still want notes.

Our prices in Hungary page has the current numbers for meals, drinks, transport and entry tickets.

Do you tip in Hungary?

Yes, you tip in Hungary, and 10% is the normal figure in a restaurant. Tipping is customary rather than compulsory, and some places now add a service charge to the bill, in which case you do not add more on top. Check the bill before you reach for your wallet. The full breakdown of who expects what is on our guide to tipping in Hungary.

Is Hungary safe?

Hungary is a safe country for visitors, and violent crime against tourists is rare. Hungary’s risks are the ordinary urban ones, concentrated in the parts of Budapest that see the most visitors.

• Pickpocketing happens on the busy tram and metro lines, in the Christmas markets and around the Parliament. Front pockets, zipped bags, nothing in a back pocket.
• Taxi overcharging is the classic. Only use a marked taxi from a dispatcher or an app, and never one that approaches you.
• Drink spiking has been reported in Budapest’s bars, and the UK Foreign Office flags it by name. Buy your own drinks and keep them in sight.
• Carry your passport. Hungarian police can ask for identification and a photocopy is not accepted.

Getting online in Hungary

You get online in Hungary on your own EU plan or on a local eSIM, and both are cheap. If your SIM was issued in an EU country, roaming in Hungary costs no extra, which is why I have never bought a Hungarian SIM on my Belgian Mobile Vikings plan.

If your plan is not an EU one, an eSIM is the simple fix: it installs on the phone before you fly, with no shop visit and no physical card. Check out Airalo for Hungary day passes and monthly data plans. An eSIM suits one phone. If several of you need to share one connection, a pocket Wi-Fi device is the better shape of product.

What should you pack for Hungary?

Pack for the season you are actually going in, because Hungary’s summer and winter are 30 degrees apart. Pack light layers in spring and autumn, when a warm afternoon turns into a cold evening.

Summer: light clothing, sunglasses, sunscreen, walking sandals, trainers for cobbles, swimwear for the baths and the lake, and a reusable water bottle you can refill from the tap.

Winter: a windproof and waterproof coat, a warm jumper, a scarf, warm waterproof shoes, and merino socks, which are the one upgrade that changes a cold day of sightseeing.

Spring and autumn: layers plus something lightweight and water resistant. A heavy winter coat is overkill.

If you are heading into the Bükk or the Balaton uplands and want to drink from streams, a squeeze filter such as this LifeStraw weighs almost nothing. You do not need it for tap water anywhere in Hungary.

Do you need travel insurance for Hungary?

You need travel insurance for Hungary the same way you need it anywhere, because the things it covers are the things you cannot plan for. I have carried a rolling policy since I started travelling: a cancelled connection, a bike accident or a stolen laptop costs far more than a year of cover. EU citizens should also carry the European Health Insurance Card, which covers state medical treatment but not repatriation, not private clinics and nothing at all that is not medical.

A short history of Hungary

Hungary dates its founding to 895, when the Magyar tribes settled the Carpathian Basin, and to the year 1000, when Stephen I was crowned as its first Christian king. Hungary spent the next thousand years as a frontier: devastated by the Mongol invasion of 1241 and 1242, defeated by the Ottomans at Mohács in 1526 and partitioned for a century and a half afterwards, then absorbed into Habsburg rule.

The 1848 revolution failed but is still the national touchstone, marked every 15 March. The Austro-Hungarian compromise of 1867 gave Hungary its half of a dual monarchy until the empire dissolved after the First World War. Hungary allied with Germany in the Second World War, was occupied by the Soviet Union from 1945, rose against it in 1956 and saw the last Soviet troops leave in 1991. Hungary joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

The people behind the history are on our page about famous Hungarians.

Hungarian phrases worth learning

Learn six phrases and you will get further than you expect, because Hungarian is unrelated to its neighbours and nobody assumes a visitor has tried. The words below use the same rough English sounds Hungarians will recognise.

And a warning about place names: Székesfehérvár defeats most visitors, including me. Point at the map.

Frequently asked questions

Does Hungary use the euro?

No. Hungary uses the Hungarian forint (HUF) and has not adopted the euro. Some hotels and tourist shops will take euro notes at a poor rate, but prices, tickets, fines and fares are all set in forints.

How many days do you need in Hungary?

Four days covers Budapest properly. Seven days lets you add either Lake Balaton and the north shore, or Eger and the wine country, or the Danube Bend towns, without rushing any of them.

Is Budapest expensive?

Budapest is cheaper than Vienna, Munich or Amsterdam and no longer cheap. Public transport, museum entry and provincial food are good value; central restaurant meals, cocktails and the flagship thermal baths are priced for visitors.

Can you drink the tap water in Hungary?

Yes, tap water is safe to drink throughout Hungary, including outside Budapest. Bring a refillable bottle rather than buying plastic ones.

Is Hungary good for a road trip?

Yes, once you are out of Budapest. The motorway network is good, distances are short, and the Balaton uplands, Danube Bend and northern hills reward having your own car. Buy the e-vignette first and read our driving guide.

WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips

Five things we would tell a friend flying to Budapest next week are listed below.

1. Stand on the right of the escalator, walk on the left. Budapest’s metro escalators run two lanes of traffic and the locals enforce it without saying a word. The M1 and M3 escalators are long enough that getting this wrong annoys a lot of people at once.
2. Do not plan a day around Gellért Bath. It closed on 1 October 2025 and its own site expects 2028. Széchenyi and Rudas are the working alternatives, and neither admits anyone under 14, which catches families out at the door.
3. The airport bus that goes to the centre needs its own ticket. A standard Budapest single ticket is not valid on the 100E Airport Express. It takes a dedicated 2,500 Ft (about €7, $8, £6) ticket, and a normal ticket will get you fined.
4. Refill from the tap. Hungarian tap water is good across the country, and the older advice to avoid it outside Budapest is out of date. A bottle you refill saves money every day of the trip.
5. Decline the card machine’s euro conversion. When a terminal offers to charge you in euros instead of forints, that is the merchant’s exchange rate, not your bank’s. Always choose HUF.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, who travels Europe on an EU SIM and a rolling insurance policy and has spent years working out which Central European capitals reward a long weekend. The team covers Hungary for independent travellers, including the Budapest hotels, thermal baths, rental cars and packing gear worth booking, and updates this page when prices, dates and rules change.