Hungary is a great country for budget travel. Budapest in winter on your own, review Holidays in Hungary in spring

And it’s completely unfair, because this city is distinguished by its magnificent architecture, original and special atmosphere, which is difficult to find anywhere else. What is especially surprising is that Budapest is especially beautiful in winter, in the cold, before Christmas.

Therefore, when thinking about where to go on your winter holiday, be sure to consider visiting the Hungarian capital.

During the snowy months the city becomes even more beautiful than usual. As numerous reviews about Budapest say, in winter, beautiful views begin from the airport itself. The fact is that the Hungarians only clear the runways. Everything else is covered with puffy snow caps, so the only things visible through the terminal windows are planes taking off from a sea of ​​snowdrifts. All this looks fantastically beautiful and puts you in a festive mood. Another attraction that Budapest can be proud of in winter is the Danube River. It freezes very, very rarely; on the contrary, it is from December to February that the water here becomes especially stormy. Small crusts of ice, light frost and the entire embankment, shining with cleanliness and freshness - all this is definitely worth seeing. In summer the river looks completely different. Another mandatory place to visit - fairs. The capital's central market is good at any time of the year. The famous seasonal fairs before Christmas help you find the New Year's mood and feel the holiday before it arrives.

Stroll through the aisles with all kinds of goods, try traditional pastries, buy Christmas tree decorations and souvenirs self made- this is what you should go to Budapest for in winter.

New Year in the capital of Hungary

The Christmas holidays are the center of the entire winter season. New Year and Christmas can transform any city, and Budapest is no exception. Therefore, planning a vacation just in time for the holidays will be very, very useful. Both wide avenues and small streets are decorated with lights, and sales begin in stores. And after long walks, you can treat yourself to something pleasant by going to the famous baths, the water of which comes directly from the Warm Pond under

The open winter sky will be remembered for a lifetime. So you can visit Budapest in winter at least for a visit to the bathhouse. On New Year's Eve, residents gather in the main squares with glasses of champagne, tourists and local residents having fun until the morning at parties in bars and restaurants. The hotels also have festive dinner programs, so even those who prefer quiet evenings will be able to find an option to their liking. Be sure to try the national cuisine. Delicious goulash or thick soup with paprika, hot wine and delicious sweets with marzipan are ideal for cold weather. Therefore, Budapest in winter will certainly not disappoint even the pickiest gourmet. Marzipan candies are also good as a souvenir, so don’t forget to buy them for your loved ones when going home from vacation.

Winter in Hungary is quite short and relatively warm. The influence is felt Carpathian Mountains, holding back cold air currents from the north and northeast. Open to warm air currents from the west and northwest into winter period, Hungary differs from countries located to the east in higher temperatures. The average temperature in January does not fall below minus 1°. In the mountainous areas of the northeastern part it is slightly colder - up to minus 4 °. Typically, the passage of cold fronts is accompanied by heavy snowfall, although such events are quite rare. Stable snow cover can last from 30 to 40 days, but it does not always form on the plains. In mountainous areas, winter is colder, there is more precipitation, and the mountains are covered with snow for all three months (December, January, February). Frosts are possible from November to April.

The Danube is especially beautiful in winter, which is particularly high-water and powerful during this period. Only occasionally, when air temperatures reach record lows, does the river become covered with a thin crust of ice.

Thermal springs

During periods of snowfall and frost, Hungarian nature is under the warm protection of thermal springs. There are a lot of them in Hungary, about 1300 - different in temperature, chemical composition And medicinal properties waters persistently making their way to the surface from the depths of geological faults. More than a hundred such springs are located in the area of ​​the Hungarian capital, Budapest. The largest and most famous balneological resorts in Hungary are located in the area of ​​Lake Balaton and Lake Heviz, on the basis of the thermal healing springs of Margaret Island, as well as at Mount Gellért, near Miskol-Lillafüred, and in Alfeld (Hajdúszoboszló). Particularly unique in this regard is Fr. Heviz, whose waters even in the most severe frosts warm up to a temperature of +23 - +24 ° C. In winter, the lake is hidden in a cloud of thick steam formed as a result of a sharp temperature change.

Winter Budapest

In winter, the Hungarian capital is transformed into a sea of ​​bright lights and garlands. At this time of year the famous Christmas markets take place here. In the very center of the city, another fabulous city appears for several months, with numerous shopping arcades and concert venues. Here you can buy various souvenirs, Christmas sweets, decorations, or simply find yourself in a whirlwind of traditional folk festivities, various attractions, and see performances of nativity scenes and puppet theaters.

Active winter holidays

Holidays in Hungary in winter are full of romance and vivid impressions. The best place for ski slopes is considered mountain range Matra. Snow lies here for up to a hundred days, which is ideal condition for lovers winter species sports Interesting for winter holiday ski slopes on the slopes of the Bükk massif. Resorts and recreation centers in the mountains are equipped with cozy wooden houses, from the terraces of which there are magnificent views of the surrounding mountain landscapes.

In winter, before Catholic Christmas, heading to fabulous Prague, we also visited Budapest.
Budapest is the capital of Hungary, and, according to travelers, is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Let's check if this is true :)

Flight to Budapest

We were lucky: we managed to find tickets to Budapest for our dates at truly low prices. As always, we booked tickets on the Aviasales website - a convenient interface, you can subscribe to the newsletter about price changes. The most important thing is that you can immediately see what luggage is included in the price. If you are flying with a low-cost airline, this is important :)

We flew from Larnaca on an evening flight with Wizz Air. It is worth paying attention to Wizz Air's hand luggage requirements in advance. and print boarding pass, since excess baggage and printing a ticket at the airport cost a lot of money. There is no food on board.

Transfer from airport to Budapest

How to get from Budapest Airport to the city center? From international airport Ferenc Liszt (Ferihegy Airport) you can get to Budapest by bus, taxi or choose a group shuttle transfer

We arrived in Budapest late at night, and the hotel we booked is located in the center of Budapest. So we booked and paid in advance group transfer from Budapest airport to the city center.

How to book airport transfer to Budapest?
Booking a transfer from Budapest Airport to your hotel is easy.

• On the MiniBud website you need to select the date and flight, as well as your hotel in Budapest. For us, the cost for two was 4900 forints.
• Upon arrival, go to the MiniBud counter, show your printed confirmation, and in return you will be given a boarding ticket.
• Next you are looking for a bus :)
  This is the most interesting! Once every 5-10 minutes, a driver runs into the waiting room and collects clients from the list. Each bus goes in a certain direction, that is, each driver goes to a specific area of ​​the city. We waited for almost half an hour: a driver approached us, who had our hotel on his list. The journey from Budapest Airport to the city center takes 20 minutes.

How to find a hotel in Budapest

Budapest is a favorite of tourists of all ages and nationalities. There are a great variety of hotels to suit every taste and budget in the city. We liked the Thai style hotel :) Why not?

Andrassy Thai Hotel located next to St. Stephen's Basilica on Andrassy Avenue:

What is absolutely incredible is that the Andrassy Thai Hotel occupies part of the building palace XIX centuries! The walls breathe history. Some rooms are decorated in Thai style, some in Hungarian style. I can definitely say that we made the right decision when choosing a hotel in Budapest. Cool place!

The first morning in Hungary was planned to be free sightseeing tour in Budapest.

Free tour of winter Budapest

Did you know that in many cities around the world you can book a free city tour?

Free tour format we fell in love back in . Such excursions are paid for by donations at the end of the excursion. When everyone leaves as much money as they want, if at all. The guides are interested in the success of the business, so usually the excursions are fun and interesting. Free excursions are almost always walking.

For some reason, this format does not attract Russian-speaking tourists - during three excursions we never saw our compatriots. As a rule, the British, Americans, Canadians, and Asians sign up for free tours. Tours are conducted in English.
Our tour was led by the cheerful Hungarian Angie :)

Angie took us through the sights of winter Budapest. We started from the embankment.

Tram route No. 2 goes through the most tourist places in Pest - from the Parliament and along the Danube embankment to the central market and beyond. They say that on Christmas the tram is decorated in a special way, but we didn’t see anything like that. A tram is like a tram.

Bronze statue on the Danube embankment in Budapest. And no, this is not a clown boy, as you might think, but a princess girl (Kiskirálylány) :)

In general, the Hungarian language (or Magyar) is just tough. It is not like anything else: continuous hissing abrupt sounds. Langosh, Goulash, Paprikash, Kyooseonyoom, Indulaash, Shegichen and thousands of other scary and incomprehensible words...
The guide told us that there is a version about the Asian origin of the language and taught us a few words in Hungarian.

We make our way through the Christmas market at St. Stephen's Basilica:

The smell of fried sausages and mulled wine and Christmas songs can be heard from everywhere. It's December 23rd. We have never heard as many Christmas songs as in Budapest and Prague these days anywhere.

Hungarians are very fond of unusual sculptures - they can be found all over Budapest.

As in many countries of Eastern Europe, in the 20th century in Hungary was inherited by the communists. In addition to various things that led to hostility towards this regime today, the communists gave the Hungarians a dish called lángos - a flatbread with garlic and sour cream sauce. True, Wikipedia says that lángos came to Hungarian cuisine from the Turks :)

And here is another example of the Hungarian street food with an unpronounceable name. Among the neighboring Czechs, such a tube is called trdelnik.

Having passed Chain Bridge, we find ourselves on the Buda side, zero kilometer and funicular.
Queue for the funicular:

The climb up the mountain to the Royal Palace of Budapest will take about two minutes, but the queue for the funicular will take about 10 minutes.
View from the Royal Palace of the Danube, Szechensky (Chain) Bridge and Pest:

On the left is the Hungarian Parliament building, lost in the fog on this winter day.

In fact, this weather is quite typical for Budapest in winter. Above zero, but chilly and humid, cloudy, no sun. In December-January in Budapest, almost all days are like this. Bright sunny days a rarity in Budapest in winter.

From here we moved to our next point in Budapest, Fisherman's Bastion. From the hill along the road there is a view of one of the fashionable quarters of Budapest. Angie said that ordinary Budapest residents call the rich residents of this area lucky bastards :)

St. Matthias Church, located on Buda Hill next to the Fisherman's Bastion:

The snow-white church was built in the Gothic style.

The fishermen's bastion and seven conical towers, which symbolize the seven tribes that founded the Hungarian state:

And again hungarian parliament floating in the winter fog:

🔥 So, here's a link to a free tour of Budapest! 🔥
You can book a free tour of the city on this website.

From Széchenyi Bridge you can walk to the main market of Budapest in about 20 minutes. It's simple: cross two bridges to the south and you're there. It's worth a walk along the way pedestrian street Vaci.

Located in a building similar to a train station. There was no authentic or Christmas atmosphere, just a noisy indoor market.
On the first floor shopping arcades with products:

There are a lot of rows with fresh meat. The spectacle is not for the faint of heart. Either a dead pig will be dumped on the counter, or a skinned head of a goat with dark glasses on - to attract attention. A couple of photos:

In one of the guidebooks, preparing for a trip to Budapest, I read that “In the central market of Budapest you can eat your fill just by walking from stall to stall” and trying all sorts of goodies. So, this is not true :) They won’t just give you anything to try at the Budapest market, and there’s nothing special to try. In addition to trays with frozen meat, the market has fruit counters, paprika products (all in packages), and a couple of counters with baked goods (buns and pies). There are also sausage counters, where you can try a slice of sausage, but you’ll hardly be able to get enough of it.
On the second floor of the market in Budapest there are souvenirs and a food court.

Advice: there is no point in going to the Budapest market. Eat lunch elsewhere. Prices at the Budapest market are high, but there is nowhere to sit: you will have to eat while standing in front of people scurrying back and forth. We bought two goulash, a small bottle of water and a fried sausage with paprika, and it cost us about 25 euros. For this money in Budapest you could have a tasty and tolerable lunch even on the tourist street Vaci, in a warm cafe with Wi-Fi and comfortable chairs, and not in a cold market :)
All in all, Central Market Budapest was a waste of time.

It's better to have a snack somewhere on the streets of Budapest. Fortunately, there are a lot of interesting establishments in the city :) We wanted to go to Icebar, but we were too cold to sit on the ice chairs.

From the market we head towards the Hungarian Parliament. Both of these places are located on the Pest embankment, which means you can get there by tram number 2.
We buy a ticket:

Hungarian Parliament building(in Hungarian Országház) - business card Budapest. This is the same huge white building in the neo-Gothic style with a crimson roof that looks at you from all the postcards.

Near the parliament building in Budapest there is another monument, unusual and sad.

This shoes on the Danube embankment- monument to victims of the Holocaust. Budapest had one of the largest Jewish communities that suffered greatly during the Nazi occupation in 1944-1945. At this place, on the banks of the Danube, the Nazis shot the unfortunate people. They put several dozen people in a row, forced them to take off their shoes (a scarce product, the shoes were then sold or for the needs of the fascists themselves), they chained people together and fired a bullet at one of them. The man fell into the water, dragging the others with him...

We walked from the embankment to the hotel, as we were pretty cold. On the way we stopped again at the fair at St. Stephen's Basilica. The evening lights have already come on here:

In general, our route around Budapest that day looked like this:

By the way, there are a lot of homeless people and beggars on the streets of Budapest, especially in the central part. At night they sleep right on the sidewalks. They may come up and tug on your clothes.

After a walk around winter Budapest, it’s time to head to the baths for which this city is famous. Let's go to the famous Széchenyi Baths.

The Széchenyi Baths in Budapest are beautiful and ancient, open until 10 pm and have outdoor pools with hot water. Surely you saw them in photographs when planning a trip to Budapest.

We arrived at the baths at 7 pm (it was Friday) and bought an evening ticket with a separate cabin, one for two. The cost of visiting the Széchenyi baths totaled about 10,000 forints for two.
The opening hours of the Szechenyi Baths and the cost of visiting can be checked on the official website of the baths.

The Szechenyi Baths in Budapest are located at the Hősök tere metro station next to the zoo. As you approach the baths, you notice clouds of steam billowing from behind the building:

After changing clothes, the first thing we did was to explore the outdoor pools of the Széchenyi baths.
There are three of them: with warm water and centrifugal flow, a pool with hot water (38 degrees) and a swimming pool.

Széchenyi Baths in winter- this is extraordinary! Take the time to visit them if you find yourself in Budapest.

You sit in hot water, and steam swirls around you. There are silhouettes of people around in the fog :) It seems warm, but the top of my head is cold. After serving the required number of minutes (each pool has a sign with recommendations for visiting), you need to get out into the cold, put your feet in icy wet slippers and quickly run to the next pool or inside the bathhouse.
The stones around the pool are icy and slippery, you need to walk carefully. If you want to visit Széchenyi's outdoor pools in winter, try not to catch a cold.

💙 To visit the Szechenskie Baths in Budapest you will need: swimsuit, slippers and towel. You can buy or rent. We took towels from the hotel and disposable hotel slippers. Of course, plastic slippers are more comfortable. The cap is only needed for the swimming pool. At the swimming pool, in a booth, an employee keeps an eye on the vacationers.

💙 Which cabin should I take? When visiting the Széchenyi Baths, you can take a private cabin. We paid for one private cabin for two and took turns changing there. They did not take valuables (camera, etc.). The cabin is locked with an electronic bracelet, like in a water park. We left the towels in the cabin. Some took towels and robe with them and wrapped themselves in them as they ran from one pool to another. But keep in mind that terry clothes quickly get wet and become icy in winter, so in this case the towel will be disposable 🙂 You won’t be able to dry yourself with it.

💙 Money and payment. You pay for the changing cabin along with the ticket. You cannot pay with a bracelet in the Széchenyi baths, as in water parks, for example. It only serves to close the booth. There is a buffet at the outdoor pools, and you will have to go back to the locker room for money.

In interior spaces We liked the Széchenyi baths; they had a large sauna, a pool with ice water to plunge into after the sauna, like in an ice hole, and also slides of snow inside for rubbing. Very good!
The sauna was open even after 7 pm.
The water in the Szechenyi Baths comes from thermal springs more than 1200 meters deep!

The next morning we were scheduled to leave for Prague.

Report on a trip to Prague in winter:

If you have questions about the free free tour in Budapest or visiting the Széchenyi Baths, ask them in the comments below.

Travel time: February 1-13, 2015. We didn’t regret that we went in winter - the weather was good, the grass was green, there were a lot of sunny days.

Flight cost : very cheap if you book in advance (RUB 16,738 for two round-trip) by airline wizz air - cheap airline, where you have to pay extra for everything (baggage, large hand luggage and so on.).

Accommodation: for 12 days 17100 rub. (RUR 1,175 per day plus site fee). The apartment was booked on airbnb - the site has been checked more than once, the apartment has reviews. While choosing, we noticed that it is fashionable for them to have a bed on the second level - under the ceiling. We decided to see what it was like. They also looked at the availability of wireless Internet (to communicate with home, plan routes for the next day) and seating besides the bed. We took an apartment closer to the center, but it turned out that the terrain was also important. The city is located on a river and one of the banks (Buda) is high - we took an apartment there, and it turned out that we often walked uphill, which could have been avoided if we had taken an apartment in the lower part of the city (Pest).

Honey. insurance: 1321 rub. for two at Tinkoff. We took it online and simply printed out the papers - it was fine for a visa.

Visa: 35 euros per person plus 2600 rub. for service visa fee. I had to go to Moscow. All documents can be given by one relative, but it is necessary to have the original (and a copy) of the document confirming the relationship (marriage certificate).
We bought a three-day card in advance Budapest map (Budapest card, 4074 rub. for two) [hereinafter referred to as “card"] - there was a discount on it when purchasing online. Unfortunately, there are few places with free admission, mostly small discounts, but for the sake of free travel It’s not a bad idea to take one (although a travel card is available separately).

Car rental: 8500 rub. for 4 days plus 35.56 euros for driving on motorways ( toll roads). 900 euros were blocked for the duration of the rental, but were returned on time. The car was booked with Enterprise. There are also local car rental companies, but they have very negative reviews (for example, they charge extra money for minor scratches). Gasoline cost 85 rubles at that time. liter and 1200 km. we spent approximately 7000 rubles.
Business lunches - about 300 rub. The average bill per person when ordering local cuisine and alcohol is 1000 - 1500 rubles.
In the end it didn't work out cheap. Tickets to museums and excursions - from 500 rubles.
But we were very pleased, because Budapest is a beautiful European city, with good weather, helpful people who speak English. And plus a great bonus - THERMAL SPRINGS.

There is a free tour in Budapest , however, in English. More details:http://www.triptobudapest.hu/v2/tours/the-original-tour/ . We recommend going! We learned a lot about the history of the city and the country, and also got our bearings in the city. At the end of the tour, the guide asks if we would like to give some money. The guides are excellent, so you can give them. According to the map there are two separate free excursions- in Buda and Pest.

Website public transport - specify the addresses of the place of departure and arrival and the route is drawn on the map indicating transport, final and intermediate stops:http://www.bkk.hu/en/timetables/ . The cost of 1 journey is 80 rubles. But all the main attractions are within walking distance - we recommend walking. For trips, it is better to take passes for a day or a couple of days.

Briefly about the sights and our impressions of them:

1. Fisherman's Bastion - very beautiful building and SUPER view of the city day and night!


2. Historical Museum - free with a map, nothing special, but the palace in Buda, where this museum is located, is worth a stroll.


3. Hungarian National Gallery - this is a must for art lovers! Located in the same palace as the Historical Museum in Buda.


4. Matthias Cathedral - It’s very beautiful from the outside, but we haven’t been inside.


5. Labyrinth - it's worth going, but take a flashlight!


6. Funicular - expensive and no card discount.


7. Parliament - there are 2 daily excursions in Russian - worth going, although expensive - 1000 rubles. per person.


8. St. Stephen's Basilica - it’s worth coming in, walking around, looking. We also went to an organ concert - nothing special.


9. Opera theatre - you can go inside and see how beautiful it is for free.


10. Great Synagogue - we entered the territory for free, looked in, but did not go inside - there is a fee there.


11. Adrashi Street - you can take a walk.


12. Miniversum (mini layout Railway and towns "from Hungary to Austria") - we really liked it, it was interesting for both adults and children


13. House of Terror - it didn’t touch us, and without an audio guide (for an additional fee) there’s nothing to do there - there are very few worthwhile exhibits.


14. Heroes Square - interesting, if with history and explanation (on excursions they take you there on a map and tell you about it).


15. Városliget - beauty! Inside is the Museum of Agriculture - the entrance is expensive.


16. Gul Baba's grave - a unique structure, and there are very picturesque residential neighborhoods around. You can look there on the way to the Baths of St. Lucas, which is free with a map.


17. Margaret Island - nothing special, not worth your time.


18. Mount Gellert - stunning views, but it’s not worth going to the Citadel. It’s worth climbing the mountain only if you have extra time.


19. Cave church in Mount Gellert - funny, but expensive.


20. Statue Park - few statues, not very picturesque and far to get to.


21. Vintage car museum - Yes Yes Yes! A huge number of luxury American cars! You can take pictures. Far from the center.


22. Oceanarium and tripicarium - small and nothing special. Far from the center.


23. Samlekhedi and Palveldi caves - very picturesque caves, worth a visit! If you buy a ticket to visit both at once, it will be cheaper, and between them it will be a 20-minute walk.


24. Cafe with cats (Budapest, Damjanich utca 38, 1071) - you can stop by after visiting the Szechenyi Baths. An anti-cafe type cafe - you pay to be there and get tea and a piece of pie. Just four lazy but helpful cats.

Trip around Hungary
We rented a car and went to 4 directions. We left in the morning and returned to Budapest in the evening. You can park your car near the house for free from 18:00 to 8:00 (this is not everywhere, check with the locals), there were also free places on the river embankment.
Having a navigator, enter the address there “tourinform” of the corresponding city, come there. You pay for parking your car - all parking is paid and the fine for violation is large! Come inTurinformpoint, ask for any information in Russian/English (maps, brochures), ask what to visit in the city and after 10 minutes you have a clear plan where to go!
We highly recommend visiting the following cities:

North of Budapest:

1. Szentendre (tourinform address: 2000 Szentendre, Dumtsa Jenő u. 22) - a cute town with the most famous Marzipan Museum, perhaps worth a visit!


2. Visegrad (tourinform address: 2025 Visegrád, Fő Street 81) - a picturesque but small castle high on the mountain. Very beautiful view to the Danube River and the surrounding area from the castle walls.


3. Esztergom (Basilica address: 2500, Esztergom, Szent István tér 1) - giant cathedral, excellent view of beautiful city and the river, to the bridge-border with Slovakia. And also to the Slovak city. The border is open, you can cross.

1. Eger (addresstourinform: 3300, Eger, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Endre 9) - a beautiful fortress on a hill in the city center, walked along the walls. On the outskirts of the city, the Valley of Beautiful Women (Kulacs Csárda Panzió), a place where representatives of wineries come to sell their products, we tasted and bought Hungarian wine (sold by the glass).


2. Miskolc (addresstourinform: 3525 Miskolc, Városház tér 13) - the city itself is not very interesting, but the Barlangfürdő bathhouse in the suburb of Miskolc-Tapolca (http://www.thermal.hu/miskolc-tapolca/ ) is very worth a visit! It's a cave bath!

West of Budapest (towards Lake Balaton):

1. Tapolca (addresstourinform: 8300, Tapolca, Fő tér 17) - a city with a lake underground - you can take a boat ride (http://www.tavasbarlang.hu/index.php/en ) - unforgettable experience! Before this, you really have to walk around the museum (a la local history museum) - it’s a good museum, and they show a film in 3D, but the total visit time increases to an hour (of which about 20 minutes by boat). Still in the same city beautiful lake with an old water mill.


2. Keszthely (addresstourinform: 8360, Keszthely, Kossuth Lajos u. 30) - a city on the shore of Lake Balaton, where it is most convenient to approach the shore and touch the water, admire the lake and ducks.


3. Heviz (addresstourinform: 8380, Hévíz, Rákóczi utca 2) - town and swimming lake! Small thermal lake, where in winter the water temperature is 24C. On the shore of the lake there was an indoor swimming pool and a park - very beautiful!

1. Gyor (addresstourinform: 9021, Győr, Baross Gábor út 21) is just a city where all the sights can be visited in 1 hour.


2. Sopron (addresstourinform: 9400, Sopron, Liszt Ferenc utca 1) - you can climb onto the old fire station observation tower and admire the charming old town. You can walk along the old fortress walls. Nice, but nothing special.

1. Goulash soup ( Gulyas leves- they read “guyash”) - delicious meat soup, a lot of meat, large portions


2. Goulash


3. Fish soup ( Halasz leves) - usually brought in a pot and with a ladle, you serve it yourself, very tasty


4. Fried goose liver ( Rantott libamajszeletek, Libamaj) - a la foie gras, tasty, but expensive


5. Pancakes ( Palacsinta) - they are pancakes in Africa too


6. Lecho ( Lesco) - without meat, there is often a lot of meat in this dish, and very tasty


7. Langos - their “fast food” is a dough fried in oil with a diameter of 20 cm and a thickness of 1.5 cm on which they put the filling as desired - we recommend just sprinkling with cheese!


8. Pleskavica be sure to drink


9. Tokaj ( Tokaji) - buy in any stores, try, very tasty wine.

Many tourists say that they like to visit Hungary in winter. At this time of year the weather is not as severe as in ours northern country, and seeing Budapest painted with New Year's lights is a special pleasure.

Hungarian climate

Due to the geographical location of the country (the center of Europe), the climate here is temperate continental. The mountains of the Alps and Carpathians protect the state on all sides from the influence of cold winds.

The hottest days come, of course, in the summer. The temperature reaches +27° C. In spring, these values ​​are slightly lower, but it still warms up much faster here than in Russia.

Autumn differs from ours in less rainfall and pampers residents with moderate warmth. Still going on in September beach season. And only November becomes rainy.

And here winter weather– a real gift not only for tourists, but also for all local residents. The temperature in Hungary in winter rarely drops below -1° C. There is little snow, and even if the high humidity begins to feel cold, frequent thaws quickly correct the situation.

Temperatures in Hungary in winter

All this makes the Hungarian winter almost a continuation of autumn and creates favorable conditions for the New Year holidays.

New Year holidays in Hungary

The weather in Hungary for the New Year is very comfortable. That's why many people spend it outside: skating, walking around the city, meeting friends.

During the New Year holidays, the capital is decorated with festive lights, fairs are held, and holiday discounts are offered in stores. Heart " old Europe"is transformed and amazes with its fabulous atmosphere.

New Year holidays in Hungary they are celebrated according to local traditions. As throughout Catholic Europe, Christmas Eve here falls on January 25th. Christmas trees are decorated with colorful balls and sweets called “salontzukor”. They are sweets in a chocolate shell.

Christmas is traditionally a family holiday. All relatives gather at the table, the main dish of which is Christmas carp. Several scales removed from this fish are placed in purses. According to local beliefs, they will bring wealth and prosperity to their owner.

The day before New Year's Eve According to the old Hungarian tradition, it is customary to burn straw effigies of goats. This symbolizes getting rid of the problems of the old year.

If you're in Budapest on the night of December 31st, don't miss the fireworks display that takes place around midnight. You can see them from the banks of the Danube or from a ship that cruises along the river that night to give its passengers the opportunity to fully enjoy the luxurious spectacle.

During the winter holidays, be sure to visit the thermal baths, which are located in the center of the Budapest city park. Where else can you swim in winter?

Városliget Park – perfect place for winter holidays. Here you can have a great rest with your children: skating rinks are open, several cozy cafes, Botanical Garden and a zoo.

There are many nearby that acquire special beauty in winter (for example, Vajdahunyad Castle). Nearby is the famous Gundel restaurant, where you can warm up after a walk and try original Hungarian dishes from the most famous chefs in Budapest.

Ski resorts

Although the mountains in Hungary are not very high, tourists still come here with pleasure to ride alpine skiing.

Popular ski resorts Hungary are Mátra, Magas Hill, Bükk and Nograd. The last track is the only place where international competitions are held. And the Matra slopes (146 m high) will delight children with a specially equipped sled run.