Hungary tourist regions
Tourist Regions
There are nine tourist regions in Hungary, and each one offers the tourist a different range of tourist products. The areas of competence of these regions differ to the areas of competence of public administration and of the statistical-planning.
Budapest and Central Danubian Region (Budapest and surroundings)
Budapest’s extensive World Heritage Site includes the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes’ Square and the Millennium Underground Railway.
Other important landmarks in Buda are the Gellért Hill and the tomb of Gül Baba and Rudas Baths built during the Ottoman rule of Hungary, ruins of Old Buda, the Coliseum in Nagyszombat Street and the ruins of Aquincum. In the Buda Hills are the Chairlift, the Children’s railway and Pálvölgyi caves with stalagmites and stalactites.
The most important landmarks in Pest are the Hungarian Parliament Building, the St. Stephen’s Basilica, the Inner City Parish Church, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Vigadó Concert Hall, the Hungarian National Museum, the New York Palace on the Small Boulevard, the Dohány Street Synagogue, the Grand Boulevard, and the Museum of Applied Arts.
Other important displays are at the Museum of Fine Arts, the Hungarian National Gallery, the Ethnographic Museum, the Budapest History Museum and Statue Park.
Important landmarks are Budapest’s oldest bridges, such as the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, the Margaret Bridge, the Liberty Bridge. The biggest parks are very popular, especially the City Park with Vajdahunyad Castle, the Széchenyi thermal bath, the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden and the Margaret Island.
Budapest holds many perennial events, for example Budapest Fair, Fireworks and Budapest Parade.
Northern Hungary Region
World Heritage Sites in this region
Old Village of Hollókő and its Surroundings (1987)
Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst (1995)
Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape (2002)
Matyó folk art – The embroidery culture of a traditional community (2012)
Northern Hungarian Plains Region
Hortobágy National Park – the Puszta
The park, a part of the Alföld (Great Plain), was designated as a national park in 1973 (the first in Hungary), and elected among the World Heritage sites in 1999.The Hortobágy is Hungary’s largest protected area, and the largest semi-natural grassland in Europe.
Health tourism, spa and wellness tourism
Lake Tisza tourist region
Hortobágy is an 800 km2 national park in eastern Hungary, rich with folklore and cultural history. The park, a part of the Alföld (Great Plain), was designated as a national park in 1973 (the first in Hungary), and elected among the World Heritage sites in 1999. The Hortobágy is Hungary’s largest protected area, and the largest semi-natural grassland in Europe.
Visitor Centers, sights: Hortobágy Great Fishponds, Hortobágy Herdsmen Museum, Máta Stud Farm, Hortobágy Wild Animal Park, Round Museum in village Hortobágy, the Western Inn (at route 33), Szálkahalom keeper’s-house, Folk house (Nagyiván), Meggyes Inn Museum (route 33, 60 km sign), Szélmalmi Fogadoház Pub (Karcag).
Some sights are located in Northern Hungarian Plains Region.
In the shallowest north-eastern area, in the Tiszavalk basin the Lake Tisza Bird Reserve was formed, which – as a part of the Hortobágy National Park – features on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Over 200 species of birds reside in the bird reserve, half of them are represented by breeding populations and the area is an important stopover site for migrating – 81 species and about 20 species wintering here.
Southern Hungarian Plains Region
Kiskunság National Park
In 1979 two third of the territory was declared a biosphere reserve by the UNESCO
The wetlands like the lake Fehértó in Kardoskút and the fishponds in Biharugra that have the status of a Ramsar site, got an outstanding role in the international migration of birds.
Cultural events
Every year a variety of festivals will be held like Szeged Open-air Festival, Lecso Festival in Szentes, International Onion Festival in Mako or wine celebration on St. Orban day in May and the Fish Soup Festival of Baja in July.
Products
Bács-Kiskun county: paprika powder from Kalocsa, Kalocsa folk art-drawing, embroidery, Halasi lace and peach palinka from Kecskemét.
Békés county: Csabai sausage, Gyulai salami and plum palinka from Békés
Csongrád county: typical food products are paprika powder from Szeged, red onion from Makó, Pick salami and the wines from Csongrad region.
Health tourism – medical and wellness spas
Village of wine cellar rows
Lake Balaton Region
Holidays: The Balaton region is one of the most popular destinations that offers wide range of opportunities for swimming, bathing and sailing. The north shore has deeper water, the south shore has shallow water.
Two popular and well known beaches are at Siófok and Keszthely.
Health tourism: Héviz health therapy spa and other spas are located in this region.
Cultural tourism: many churches, forts, monasteries, castles are located here.
Wine tourism: The five major wine region located here.
Western Transdanubia
The main attractions of the region are the monuments, small towns and villages with medieval and baroque churches, castles and many places still untouched nature and wide, clean air and mountain forests.
The Benedictine Pannonhalma Archabbey is a medieval building in Pannonhalma, one of the oldest historical monuments in Hungary. Founded in 996, it is located near the town, on top of a hill Saint Martin.
The present church of Pannonhalma, a crowning achievement of the early Gothic style, was built at the beginning of the 13th century. The small inner garden surrounded by the cloister was also called Paradisum metaphorically creating an earthly imitation of Biblical Paradise. The library was finished in the first third of the 19th century. The Pannonhalma Archives of the Benedictine Archabbey contains one of the richest and most valuable collections of documents from the first centuries of Hungarian statehood.
Fertő-Hanság National Park
In 1979 the territory was declared a biosphere reserve, since 1989 have the status of Ramsar site.
It was opened together with the connecting Austrian Neusiedler See National Park in 1994.The park covers 235.88 km², and consists of two main areas.
Lake Fertő is the third largest lake in Central-Europe, and the westernmost of the great continental salt lakes of Eurasia, about 20000 year old.
Health tourism, spa and wellness tourism
Cultural and gastronomic events
Central Transdanubia
Holidays: Lake Velence
Lake Velence is the third largest lake in Hungary. It is a popular holiday destination among Hungarians.
The lake has an area of 26 km2, one third of which is covered by the common reed. Because of the sunny climate of the area and the shallowness of the lake, it is one of the warmest lakes in Europe: its temperature in the summer may reach 26 to 28 °C.
Agard is the most popular destinations that offers wide range of opportunities for angling, sailing, canoeing.
Famous sight isthe Museumof Beethoveen in castle Brunszvik.
Tác (Gorsium)is a village in Hungary. In the time of Roman Empire it was known as Gorsium-Herculia. An open-air museum presents the ruins.
Other sights: castles, churches, arboretum in Zirc
Southern Transdanubia
Natural herigate
Cultural events
Health tourism, wellness tourism
Events
„Mohácsi Busó járás” a masked end-of-winter tradition
The tradition originated with the Croatian minority (sokácok) in Mohács, but today the busó is a general emblem of the city and a commemoration of the great events of its history. More than a social event, the carnival is an expression of belonging to a city, a social group and a nation. It plays an important social role by offering a chance for self-expression in a communal setting.
Harvest festival in Szekszárd
Wine festival in Villány
leányvásár in Pécsvárad
Spring Festival in Kaposvár
International Music Festival in Pécsi
Spring Festival in Pécs