Hungary Basic Travel Info

Population: 10 million or so.

Ethnic groups: 93-95% Magyar (Hungarian), 2-7% Roma; the rest German, Romanian or Slovak.

Language: Hungarian. The Roma speak Roma. The tiny German, Romanian and Slovak minorities speak their own languages.

Religion: 50% Catholic, 30% atheist, 16% Calvinist, 3% Lutheran, 3% Greek Catholic. One of the most religious countries in Eastern Europe, which is kind of like saying the soberest parish in Ireland.

Government: Parliamentary Republic. The Socialists (ex-communists) are currently clinging to a narrow majority; ironically, they’re stronger in favor of economic liberalization than the Fidesz, the main opposition party. Fidesz is conservative economically (which means more communistic in Hungary) but, unlike the socialists they’re overtly nationalistic. Control of Parliament has gone back and forth between the two every few years since 1990.

Getting there and away:

The most important international airport is the one in Budapest, which has flights from all over the world. If you are flying from somewhere within Europe, however, you might be coming into Sarmellek Airport, near Lake Balaton. Hungary is linked to all neighboring countries by rail. Hungary’s trains are amongst the fastest and best-equipped in Eastern Europe, which isn’t saying much, but at least they don’t feel like they’re going to fall apart like Romanian and Slovak train cars often do. The rail links to Austria and Slovakia are well-maintained and well-traveled; can’t say the same for the lines heading towards Romania.

Getting around:

Travel between destinations in Hungary, and into neighboring Romania, is very cheap, if you know where you’ll be going and buy the ticket for several places at once. In 2005, you could go from Debrecen to two cities in Romania and then back to Debrecen for about $10. The trains are slow and old, and the Romanian cars might or might not have doors, but that’s all part of the fun. They’re usually overcrowded, except for the ones headed into Romania, which are eerily empty. A valid student ID can get you a 2/3 discount.

Coming into Hungary by train from a European Union member, the border guards will just glance at your passport and stamp it. Sometimes you’ll have to change trains, sometimes you won’t. They’re more thorough at the Romanian border, since Romania has only just joined the EU.

The train stops, they’ll take your passport and run a check on it, they might even search you if you’re not dressed well enough or your skin is suspiciously dark. Needless to say, don’t think about bringing anything illegal to Romania unless it’s hidden deep in your colon.

Like most of Europe, Hungary is well-served with public transportation. Every town big enough to have more than one church has busses and a tram; Budapest has a subway too. They run pretty late in most cities, and some routes in Budapest are all-night.

If you’re taking the subway, make sure you get a ticket. Unlike most of Central Europe, the subways in Budapest are well-patrolled, and the controllers like to target tourists who don’t know the rules, since they get a commission off the fines. It’s 10 euros if you’re caught, which isn’t much, but it’s more than the 50 cents you would’ve paid for a ticket.

Passport/visa requirements:

Hungary joined the European Union in 2004, so EU citizens just need a passport or other ID and can stay there as long as they want and work or buy property just like a Hungarian. Americans can stay for up to 90 days on just a passport, but they need a visa after that, and they need a work visa if they want to work. Work visas take awhile to obtain, and work is hard to find; it’s not usually worth it to work in Hungary anyway, unless you have a job all lined up.

When to visit Hungary: Budapest is great any time of year. The view of the city from the castle in the winter is beautiful when everything is covered in snow. Make sure to bring a coat and scarf and some warm shoes or boots—winters in Eastern Europe are milder than ones in the Northern US, but it can get windy, and you’ll be spending a lot of time walking around.

Lake Balaton, the most popular vacation spot in Hungary, is usually visited in the summer; there isn’t much to do here in the winter except ice fishing. Hungary isn’t a place people visit for the winter sports. Hundreds of thousands of Hungarians like to ski, but Hungary is a flat country, so they have to go abroad to do it.

St. Stephen’s Day, August 20th, is a big holiday, celebrated with parades and a huge fireworks show in Budapest. New Years’ Eve is also a big holiday here, like everywhere else in the world, celebrated with lots of drinking and partying, plus a New Years’ ball and concert at the State Opera House in Budapest.

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