Hungary

Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The capital and largest city is Budapest.

Budapest is the capital of Hungary; it the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. Cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, its extensive World Heritage Sites include the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes' Square and the Millennium Underground Railway, the second oldest in the world. Other highlights include a total of 80 geothermal springs, the world's largest thermal water cave system, second largest synagogue, and third largest Parliament building.

Things to See & Do

* Budapest
* Old Village of Holloko and its surroundings
* Caves of Aggtelek
* Hortobágy National Park - the Puszta
* Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape

General Information

Cruise Season – March to Dec
Currency – Forint (HUF)
Language – Hungarian
Land Area – 92,340 km²
Population – 9,979,000 approx.
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC plus one hour
International Country Telephone Code – + 36

Port Location – The River port in Budapest called the Wiking dock, is located on the Buda side of the Danube. It is approximately 5 kms from the city centre.

Travel Links - Hungary's international airports are Budapest Ferihegy Airport in Budapest, Airport Debrecen in Debrecen (non operating in winter 2008-2009) and FlyBalaton Airport in Sármellék (non operating in winter 2008-2009).

Budapest is an important railway hub for the whole of Hungary and a large part of eastern Europe, with frequent trains from Austria, Germany, Czechia and Slovakia. There is at least one train daily from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Serbia, Switzerland and Ukraine, as well as through cars from Poland and seasonal through sleepers from Bulgaria and Montenegro.

Several international bus lines go in or through Hungary. You can find timetables and book tickets on the homepage of Volánbusz, which is the national bus company and also the local Eurolines representation. Alternatively, Orangeways bus company offer services on routes between Budapest and Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.