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Travel guide · Thermal Budapest

Travelling to Hungary

Budapest and its thermal baths, the illuminated Danube, Lake Balaton and wine villages. We tell you when to go, what to see and what to eat.

Updated 18 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • All year round
  • Where to eat: the étkezde (a canteen-style eatery)
Photo: Unsplash

Hungary in 30 seconds

  • Any time of year is good to travel to Hungary: our data shows no months with weather, closure or crowd warnings.
  • Baths: bring flip-flops.
  • To eat like a local: the étkezde (a canteen-style eatery). Don’t leave without trying: Gulyás, Lángos, Chicken paprikash.

Hungary in November

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Hungary. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month. In November: Christmas markets.

More destinations for November

When to travel to Hungary

Any time of year is good to travel to Hungary: our data shows no months with weather, closure or crowd warnings.

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb no warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun no warnings
  7. Jul no warnings
  8. Aug no warnings
  9. Sep no warnings
  10. Oct no warnings
  11. Nov no warnings
  12. Dec no warnings

Festivals and special moments

  • November, December

    Christmas markets

    Stalls with vin chaud, crafts and lights in the squares of the centre.

What to see in Hungary

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • Budapest
    Budapest

    Budapest

    Parliament on the Danube, Buda Castle, the thermal baths and the ruin bars.

    • Parliament
    • Széchenyi
    • Buda Castle
    • Ruin bars
    Budapest guide
  • Szentendre

    Szentendre

    An artists’ town on the Danube, a train ride from Budapest.

    • Plaza Mayor
    • Marzipan Museum
    • Serbian Orthodox churches
    • Skanzen
    Szentendre guide
  • Eger

    Eger

    A castle, a minaret and the Valley of the Beautiful Women, full of wine cellars.

    • Eger Castle
    • Minaret
    • Valley of the Beautiful Women
    • Basilica
    Eger guide
  • Pécs

    Pécs

    A Mediterranean-feeling city in the south, with a mosque turned church and early Christian tombs.

    • Mosque of Pasha Qasim
    • Early Christian Necropolis
    • Zsolnay Quarter
    • Cathedral
    Pécs guide
  • Lake Balaton

    Lake Balaton

    The “Hungarian sea”, the largest lake in Central Europe, with summer resorts and vineyards.

    • Tihany
    • Siófok
    • Keszthely
    • Badacsony
    Lake Balaton guide
  • Hévíz

    Hévíz

    A natural thermal lake where you can swim all year round, with water lilies.

    • Thermal lake
    • Bathhouse
    • Water lilies
    • Spas
    Hévíz guide
  • Debrecen

    Debrecen

    The second city, gateway to the great Hortobágy plain.

    • Great Reformed Church
    • Nagyerdő Park
    • Déri Museum
    • Hortobágy
    Debrecen guide
  • Szeged

    Szeged

    The city of sunshine, paprika and salami, on the River Tisza.

    • Votive Church
    • Reök Palace
    • Pick Salami Museum
    • Open-air festival
    Szeged guide
  • Győr

    Győr

    A baroque city between Budapest and Vienna, where three rivers meet.

    • Baroque old town
    • Cathedral
    • Pannonhalma Archabbey
    • Rivers
    Győr guide
  • Sopron

    Sopron

    A medieval town near the Austrian border, with its Firewatch Tower.

    • Firewatch Tower
    • Old town
    • Lake Fertő
    • Esterházy Palace
    Sopron guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From Budapest

From Szentendre

From Eger

From Pécs

From Lake Balaton

From Hévíz

From Debrecen

From Szeged

From Győr

From Sopron

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What to eat in Hungary

To eat like a local: the étkezde (a canteen-style eatery), and order gulyás or lángos from a street stall. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Gulyás

    Beef soup with paprika, the real thing.

  • Lángos

    Fried dough with soured cream, cheese and garlic.

  • Chicken paprikash

    Paprikás csirke, with nokedli (small dumplings).

  • Kürtőskalács

    A spit-roasted pastry spiral with sugar and cinnamon.

  • Dobos torte

    A layer cake topped with caramel.

  • Tokaji

    A sweet wine famous around the world.

The typical dish of Hungary, at home

Gulyás
Photo: Ralf Roletschek · GFDL 1.2

Gulyás

Real Hungarian goulash is a soup (gulyásleves), not a stew: beef, onion, potato and plenty of sweet paprika. Herdsmen (gulyás) cooked it in a cauldron over the fire.

  • Serves 6
  • 2 h 30 min

Ingredients

  • 800 g diced beef shin
  • 2 onions
  • 2 tablespoons of lard or oil
  • 2 tablespoons of Hungarian sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tomato and 1 pepper
  • 3 potatoes and 2 carrots
  • Salt

How to make it at home

  1. Soften the chopped onion in the lard until golden.
  2. Take it off the heat, add the paprika (without letting it burn) and the meat, and stir.
  3. Add the caraway, garlic, tomato, pepper and 1.5 litres of water. Simmer gently for 1½ hours.
  4. Add the diced potatoes and carrots and cook for 30 minutes more.
  5. Serve with bread and, if you like, homemade pinched noodles (csipetke) or a little chilli.

The trick: Always add the paprika off the heat: if it burns, it turns bitter.

The typical food of each city, with a recipe

Curious facts about Hungary

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • Budapest is the capital with the most thermal springs in the world.
  • The Rubik’s Cube and the ballpoint pen are Hungarian inventions.
  • Budapest was born from the union of Buda, Pest and Óbuda in 1873.
  • Hungarian is nothing like its neighbouring languages: it’s a distant relative of Finnish.
  • Hévíz has the largest swimmable natural thermal lake in the world.
  • It uses the forint, not the euro.

Traditions of Hungary

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • December Christmas markets

    In Vörösmarty Square and at St Stephen’s Basilica.

  • 20 August St Stephen’s Day

    Fireworks over the Danube.

  • February (Mohács) Busójárás

    A carnival with wooden masks, on UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage list.

  • Thermal baths

    A daily habit for many Hungarians.

What not to do in Hungary

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t clink beer glasses when toasting: there’s an old tradition against it (though young people no longer follow it).
  • Don’t change money on the street or at airport bureaux de change.
  • Don’t forget to validate your public transport ticket.
  • Don’t go to the baths without flip-flops, or without a swimming cap if you’re using the lap pool.
  • Don’t trust taxis hailed on the street: book through an app.
  • Don’t leave the Parliament until the last minute: you need to book a tour.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

Frequently asked questions about Hungary

What people search for most before travelling to Hungary.

What’s the best time to travel to Hungary?

Any time of year is good to travel to Hungary: our data shows no months with weather, closure or crowd warnings.

What to see in Hungary in a week?

The essentials of Hungary: Budapest, Szentendre, Eger, Pécs and Lake Balaton. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in Hungary?

Gulyás, Lángos, Chicken paprikash, Kürtőskalács, Dobos torte, Tokaji. To eat like a local: the étkezde (a canteen-style eatery).

What is the typical dish of Hungary?

Gulyás. Real Hungarian goulash is a soup (gulyásleves), not a stew: beef, onion, potato and plenty of sweet paprika. Herdsmen (gulyás) cooked it in a cauldron over the fire.

What should you not do in Hungary?

Don’t clink beer glasses when toasting: there’s an old tradition against it (though young people no longer follow it). Don’t change money on the street or at airport bureaux de change. Don’t forget to validate your public transport ticket.

Is it worth travelling to Hungary in November?

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Hungary. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month. In November: Christmas markets.

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Guide reviewed 18 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, Unsplash. Budapest, Visions of Domino (CC BY 2.0). Szentendre, Stako (talk · contribs) (Public domain). Eger, Váradi Zsolt (CC BY-SA 2.5). Pécs, Takkk (CC BY-SA 3.0). Lake Balaton, Takkk (CC BY-SA 3.0). Hévíz, HTME (CC BY-SA 3.0). Debrecen, Pudelek (Marcin Szala) (CC BY-SA 3.0). Szeged, V.Mariann (CC BY-SA 3.0). Győr, Unknown authorUnknown author (CC BY-SA 2.5). Sopron, Zyance (CC BY-SA 3.0).