Protecting the historic building and rebuilding the Baroque center of the city awarded Győr with a Europe-award. Make sure to take a walk in the city to see the corner balconies and narrow streets.

Győr is surrounded by nature, and as the river runs through the city, and it feels its presence. Rich in culture and thermal waters, the surrounding areas are also worth a visit. To have a relaxing afternoon, make sure to organize a picnic on Szigetköz water-land or visit the Pannonhalma Hills.

The famous Rába-Quelle Bath was opened to the public recently.

Besides Budapest, which is the most populated, each region of the country has its bigger cities. In the west, we can find Győr, home to WRO 2019 Final. Pécs (also known as Sopianae in the ancient times) and Szeged are the biggest cities in the southern region, while Debrecen in the east is the second most populated city.

Language

Hungarian is the official language of the country, but the language itself stands alone in the region. Belonging to the Uralic language family, it is related to Finnish but uses its unique characters like the letters: ő and ű. Among the neighboring countries, none of the spoken languages resemble Hungarian grammar.

When Hungary joined the European Union, the language became an official language of the EU. In and out of Hungary, the language is spoken by approximately 13 million native speakers.

Geography

Hungary's geography is defined by its two main waterways, the Danube and the Tisza. The country is home to the world’s most extensive thermal water cave system and the second biggest thermal lake called Hévíz in Hungarian, the largest lake in Central Europe, Lake Balaton, and Europe’s largest natural grasslands – The Great Hungarian Plain or „Alföld” in Hungarian.

Travelling to Hungary

The main airport of Hungary is Liszt Ferenc International Airport. Thanks to its central location, the country is easily accessible from most major cities in Europe, but the American continent is also reachable with one-stop connecting flights.

International flights are also arriving in Debrecen, the second busiest airport in Hungary. Other close airports to the country are in Vienna and Bratislava.

Currency and money

Hungary uses Hungarian forint (HUF) as its currency. We highly recommend exchanging money at official money exchange offices since exchanging money on the street is prohibited by law and not safe. Most of the shops are accept the usual types of debit or credit cards. (MasterCard, Maestro, and Visa) Places that accept card payments have the card brands sticker on the door or window. However, we suggest always carrying some cash.

Based on the final digit of the total, if the payment does not end 0 or 5, it will be rounded in the following way:

Total ending in

1 or 2 or 8 or 9 rounds the numbers to 0.
(e.g., for 111 HUF and 112 HUF you will pay 110 HUF, and for 118 HUF and 119 HUF you will pay 120 HUF)

3 or 4 or 6 or 7 rounds the numbers to 5
(e.g., for 113 HUF and 114 HUF you will pay 115 HUF, and for 116 HUF and 117 HUF you will also pay 115 HUF)

Gastronomy

Typical Hungarian dishes are available at most Hungarian restaurants. Such as goulash soup ('gulyásleves'), fish soup with paprika ('halászlé') or chicken stew ('csirke paprikás'). However, in the last few years, the western gastronomic revolution reached our country as well. Many new street food places and international restaurants opened.

Hungary is famous for its amazing wine. The country is divided into 22 wine regions, which is often argued that it is far too many for the size of the country. We still keep the 22-wine region system, because it is well-known and always referred to within Hungary. Famous wine regions are near Lake Balaton, in the west near Pécs and the most famous one in Tokaj, which is the home of the worldwide famous Tokaji Aszú, the wine that has been called” Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum”, meaning” Wine of Kings, King of Wines”.

Other famous Hungarian drinks include Unicum, a herbal liqueur or bitters, drunk as a digestif and aperitif.

Pálinka is a Hungarian traditional fruit brandy. It can be factory-made, but several Hungarian families also have the rights to home-brew it.

Culture

Hungary is home of many large European festivals. Budapest is rich in museums, exhibitions, and historicizing architecture. The Parliament (Országház) is regarded by many as a symbol of the capital city of Budapest. Europe’s largest synagogue can be found in the capital. It is called the Great Synagogue (or Dohány Street Synagogue).

Traditional Hungarian folklore is represented by numerous beautiful village museums around the country.

World Heritage Sites

Despite the country's small territory, Hungary has eight UNESCO World Heritage sites. Perhaps, the most famous is Budapest including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle, Quarter and Andrássy Avenue. Favored by many the Caves of Aggtelek Karst with its magnificent small lake (called Tengerszem Lake) or the Hortobágy are no less of breath-takers either.