REGIONS IN HUNGARY

Western Transdanubia lies across the Danube, stretching west and southwest to the borders with Austria and Slovenia. It’s a region of hills and plains with historically important towns and castles. It is the richest and most developed parts of the country.

Highlights include:

Kőszeg: picturesque downtown, historic castle

Fertőd: the lavish EszterházyPalace

Nagycenk: historic Széchenyi Manor

Sárvár: the magnificent NádasdyCastle and famous Thermal Spa

Pannonhalma: Benedictine Abbey

Győr: Herm of László reliquary at the Cathedral

Sopron: a charming medieval town

Lake Balaton Region includes the largest body of freshwater in Europe (outside Scandinavia) – 78km long, 15km wide

Highlights include:

Veszprém: Castle Hill

Tihany: AbbeyChurch

Keszthely: FesteticsPalace

Hévíz: Europe’s largest thermal lake

Sümeg: picturesque hilltop castle

Southern Transdanubia is bordered by the Danube to the east, the DrávaRiver and Croatia to the south and west, Lake Balaton to the north. It’s mainly flat with the Mecsek and Villány Hills riding from the plains.

Highlights include:

Pécs: the early Christian cemetery (a UNESCO World Heritage Sight since 2000), Zsolnay and CsontváryMuseums, Zsolnay Quarter, the brand new cultural facility

Villány: wine cellars

Gemenc forest: a ride on the narrow-gauge train through the forests

Harkány: thermal baths

Siklós: historic castle and excellent thermal spa

The Great Plain, an enormous prairie that stretches for hundreds of kms east and southeast of Budapest (resembling the Australian Outback)

Highlights include:

Kecskemét: Art Nouveau architecture and the Museum of Naïve Artists

Szeged: hot and spicy fish soup, River Tisza and the MóraMuseum

The Hortobágy Region: a fantastic national park with an iconic bridge. Bird watching and horse riding.

Debrecen: remarkable Calvinist church

Bugac: horse show

LakeTisza: cool waters

Northern Uplands: Hungary’s mountain region, foothills of the Carpathians that roll eastward from the Danube Bend almost as far as Ukraine. The highest peak, Kékes is also located here.

Highlights include:

Balassagyarmat: the PalócMuseum houses a rich collection of folk art

Eger: historic castle, historic stage

Hollókő: the restored castle and living folk traditions (World Heritage Site)

Miskolc, Lillafüred: narrow-gauge railway, beautiful scenery

Tokaj: Rákóczi cellar, where you can taste the country’s most celebrated sweet wine

Zemplén Hills: enjoy the sunset from historic BoldogkőCastle

Aggtelek karst Region with stunning caves (World Heritage site since 1999)

Northeast: this northeast corner encompasses just one administrative county (Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg) and is bordered by Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania. A region of gentle hills formed by sand blown from the TiszaRiver Basin.

Highlights include:

Nyírbátor: Gothic Calvinist church and bell tower

Máriapócs: iconostasis and the weeping Madonna at the Greek Catholic Cathedral

Szatmárcseke: ancient cemetery with boat shaped grave markers

Tákos: folk Baroque painted wooden ceiling at the CalvinistChurch

(based on: Hungary by Lonely Planet)