Andrássy Avenue
The elegant Andrássy Avenue is one of Budapest’s major cultural hubs with a range of museums, exhibition halls, and beautiful buildings. The 2.5 kilometre long Andrássy Avenue connects City Park (Városliget) with the centre of Budapest. The wide main road starts at Heroes’ Square (Hősök tere) and stretches almost as far as the St Stephen’s Basilica. The Oktogon Square at Grand Boulevard (Nagykörút) divides Andrássy road into two sections.

Due to its historic and cultural blend Andrássy Avenue is aUNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002. The avenue received its name after Count Gyula Andrássy, Hungary’s Prime Minister from 1867 to 1871 who supported the building of the road along with other major reconstructions in Pest at the time.

Museums
Budapest is packed with museums and galleries, and there are plenty of temporary exhibitions, particularly in summer. If you come to the Hungarian capital for more than a couple of days, make sure you visit some of the interesting exhibitions offered all the year round in over 100 Budapest museums. Budapest has some big museums offering large-scale exhibitions but there are a good number of smaller, more intimate museums too. Some of the famous museums include the Hungarian National Museum, Hungarian National Gallery, Museum of Fine Arts, House of Terror etc.

Music and Dance
Traditional Hungarian music is one of the most entertaining aspects of Hungarian culture. Despite its size, Hungary has played a major role in the world with classical music and composition.Liszt and Bartok are famous names who have redefined Hungarian music. Two of Hungary’s most prolific composers, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, are known for using folk themes in their music. All forms of classical, folk and gypsy music styles are popular and played throughout the country. Budapest has a new tempo towards jazz, and the city now holds jazz festivals in the summer alongside the year-round jazz clubs that have made their way onto the scene.

Festivals
Festivals are a big part of Hungarian culture and you should experience at least one during your visit. Budapest hosts several cultural festivals, sport events and concerts. There are a couple of events that are organised regularly each year like the Spring Festival and the Cafe Budapest contemporary art festival in autumn, the Sziget Music Festival at the beginning of August, the Festival of Folk Arts around August, the Wine Festival in Buda Castle, the Christmas Market, or the Mangalica Food Festival in February. Besides these major events, Budapest has several others gastronomic festivals too.

Fine Arts
Throughout Hungary’s varying historical influences, fine arts developed in strong interaction with European art, and though they reflect European tendencies, they retained a strong character of their own. Hungarian art follows diverse trends, from Romanesque wall paintings and architectural sculpture, to Gothic and Renaissance miniatures, winged altarpieces and carvings, baroque, classicist and romanticist period works. These started at the end of the 19th century and concluded with an abundance of great artists and artworks in the first half of the 20th century. In spite of the great quantity of invaluable artworks, Hungarian fine arts are somewhat underrated outside the country.

Budapest International Circus Festival
The Budapest International Circus Festival is held twice a year over a period of five days from the end of January into February. This celebration of circus acts draw performances from all over the world to the capital. Fire-eaters, clowns, dancers, acrobats, jugglers, trapeze artists and more present 30 shows over a five-day event, ending in a gala performance featuring famous talents.

Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix
In early February the town and motor racing circuit of Mogyoród come alive for the annual Formula 1 Grand Prix race. Car enthusiasts from all over Hungary and Europe fill the hotels in Mogyoród and spill over into Budapest some 12 miles (20 kilometres) away. The streets are crowded with fans of the various drivers.

Budapest Spring Music Festival
This legendary musical event draws visitors from all over the world to its 200 concerts in March. World-class artists in opera, classical, jazz, rock and folk perform in great buildings such as the Hungarian State Opera House and the National Gallery, as well as in basilicas, churches and less exalted venues.

Valley of Magic Festival
This much-loved summer festival kicks off in June and runs through July around Lake Balaton and its little towns of Pula, Kapolcs, Öcs and Monostorapáti. More than 50 venues in Hungary host over 800 individual events of all kinds, attracting local and international visitors to this beautiful setting.

The Danube Carnival
Multi-cultural, exciting, and full of music, the Danube Carnival takes place in Budapest’s Vörösmarty Square and other venues every June. Professional and amateur contemporary dancers, folk musicians and artists from across Hungary and Europe join in for 10 days of performances, street entertainments, concerts and parties.

Budapest National Gallop
Lovers of horses and riding will want to be a part of this September event, which is a yearly occurrence over three full days which feature the superb Hungarian stallions. A celebration of the Hussar culture and its military traditions showcase many assorted events which end with the impressive National Horse Race in Hero’s Square, with riders from villages, towns and cities all competing for the big prize.

Budapest Pálinka (Hungarian Brandy) and Sausage Festival
Foodies will love this event, held every October on Castle Hill. It features at least 20 different varieties of the famous Hungarian brandy – pálinka. The makers are on-hand to explain their details along with the makers of the enticing Hungarian sausages. Street entertainment, music, dance performances and general merriment are all part of the fun.

Budapest Christmas Fair and Festival
Despite the cold weather, Budapest is a magic place to be at during Christmas, with carollers, pre-Christmas parties and the largest Christmas Fair in the country held in Vörösmarty Square. Loved equally by locals and visitors alike, gifts, local artwork, paintings, crafts, Christmas decorations, traditional food and drink and mulled wine are in plenty.

Buda Castle
Buda Castle is amongst the most iconic historic sites in Hungary. A huge palace in Budapest’s Castle district, it is home to museums like The Budapest History Museum and the National Gallery.

The Budapest History Museum (Budapesti Történeti Muzeum) records the history of the city, Buda Castle and the region as a whole. The Budapest History Museum covers a range of eras which include pottery and ceramics from prehistoric times to the late Bronze Age including Roman Hungary as well as pieces from the middle ages, including Gothic art.

The Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria) in Budapest contains several historical art collections including medieval and gothic pieces, such as stonework, sculptures and altars.

Located within Buda Castle, the Hungarian National Gallery is also home to the Habsburg Palatinal Crypt (Nádori kripta), the burial place of the Hungarian line of the Habsburg Dynasty.

Danube Palace
The Danube Palace is a concert hall in Neo-Baroque style, completed in 1885 as part of Budapest’s massive expansion for the millennium. The Danube Palace was built to commemorate a thousand years of Hungary in 1896 by the Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph I. It was built between 1894 and 1897. The Danube Palace has always been a place for entertainment. The beautiful halls and rooms of the building provide an excellent opportunity for several events.

Aquincum
One of the lesser known but still fascinating historic attractions in Hungary is Aquincum, a large Ancient Roman site in Budapest housing the ruins of an important military base and city. Today, the site of Aquincum has much to offer visitors and history enthusiasts alike, including the ruins of a city wall, an amphitheatre (one of two in Budapest), temples, homes and burial grounds.

Budapest Museum of Military History
The Museum of Military History (Hadtörténeti Múzeum) in Budapest holds a series of collections relating to Hungary’s warfare from medieval times to the world wars and more. As the Museum’s exhibits of weaponry, armour, flags, uniforms and coins is impressive, it is a must do for the military enthusiast. However all of the explanations are provided only in Hungarian language.

Christian Necropolis of Pécs History
The Christian Necropolis of Pécs is a fourth century Roman grave in Hungary, and these ruins are UNESCO listed.The remains of the Roman town of Sopianae can be seen here. An aspect which makes the Christian Necropolis of Pécs special is its unique architecture. The site is made up of two levels, with deep tombs and above-ground chapels.Visitors to the Christian Necropolis of Pécs can see the ruins as well as several fascinating funeral murals.

Dohány Synagogue
The Dohány Synagogue “Dohány utcai zsinagóga”, also known as the Dohány Street Synagogue and The Great Synagogue, is the world’s second largest synagogue. Originally built in 1854 and completed in 1859, the Dohány Synagogue was bombed by the right-wing Arrow Cross Party in 1939 and restored in 1996. It has a distinctive Moorish exterior and ornate interior. It is open to the public and is the place from where tours of the Jewish district of Budapest begin. Next door to the Dohány Synagogue are the Budapest Jewish Museum and the birthplace of Theodor Herzl, the Hungarian journalist, playwright, political activist, and writer.

Fisherman’s Bastion
The Fisherman’s Bastion (Halászbástya) along the eastern part of Budapest’s Castle Hill is a beautiful set of footpaths and terraces built between 1895 and 1902. Its stunning turrets and towers would not look out of place in a fairytale. The Fisherman’s Bastion is one of the city’s most iconic sites. It has seven towers in all, each representing one of Hungary’s tribes. It is also a part of Budapest’s UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Heroes’ Square
Heroes’ Square “Hősök tere” is a symbolic monument in Budapest built in 1869 to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of the origin of Hungary in 869AD. This memorial, known as the Millennial Monument, consists of a semicircle of Greek columns, several statues representing important historical Hungarian figures and a tower topped with a statue of the Archangel Gabriel. Also located at Heroes’ Square is the Hungarian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

House of Terror
The House of Terror “Terror Háza” is a moving memorial museum about the two extreme regimes which ruled Hungary in the twentieth century, the pro-Nazi Hungarian Arrow Cross Party and the Soviet Political Police. Today, the House of Terror stands as a commemoration, with exhibitions about its history, its owners and its victims. The House of Terror is located within Budapest’s UNESCO World Heritage listing area.

Hungarian National Museum
The Hungarian National Museum exhibits a complete collection of historic artefacts, documents and works of art. Its collections are incredibly diverse, ranging from bone tools from the Primitive era to twentieth century posters related to major political, social and cultural events. The museum’s archaeological department oversees exhibits for the Palaeolithic era, the migration period of the early Middle Ages and a general overview of the Middle Ages and the Hungarian Conquest. The Hungarian National Museum also houses an impressive Roman collection which displays alternately,65,000 artefacts including an incredibly large mosaic from Balácapuszta from the third century. The Roman collection also includes Roman gravestones, sculptures, milestones and statues of Roman gods.

Hungarian Parliament Building
The Hungarian Parliament Building “Országház” is one of the oldest in Europe and was built in the nineteenth century in the Gothic Revival style. It is reminiscent of the UK’s Houses of Parliament with peaked towers, an ornate limestone exterior and a magnificent dome. Today, the Parliament is home to the National Assembly of Hungary as well as a popular tourist attraction. Visitors can enjoy the many works of art both inside and outside this incredible building, from frescoes and stained glass to statues throughout. The Parliament can only be visited by way of a guided tour. It is part of the main Budapest UNESCO World Heritage site.

Matthias Church
Matthias Church (Mátyás Templom) is an ornate medieval structure which has been the location for royal weddings and coronations. The name Matthias Church is actually a reference to the monarch Matthias Corvinus who was married here twice. Its official name is the Church of Our Lady. The diverse and often turbulent history of Buda is reflected in the design of Matthias Church, which includes a gothic dramatic exterior and a vibrant interior with mentions of the various rulers of the city, including the Ottomans.Upstairs in Matthias Church is a religious museum and, in the basement visitors can view its crypt. It is part of Budapest’s UNESCO World Heritage listing.

St. Stephen’s Basilica
St. Stephen’s Basilica (Szent István Bazilika) is Budapest’s largest church. Its construction began in 1851 and completed in 1905, St. Stephen’s Basilica was consecrated in the name of the canonised King, Stephen I of Hungary (reign 1001-1038). One of the king’s relics, his right hand – known as the Holy Right and symbolic of his incorruptibility – is housed within the church. The tower of St. Stephen’s Basilica is also a good place to enjoy views of the city.

The Iseum
The Iseum, also known as the “Isis Szentély Romkertje”, in Szombathely is a restored 2nd century AD Roman temple site dedicated to the Egyptian Goddess Isis. Excavated since the 1950’s, the ruins of the two temples of the Iseum can be seen today and part of the site has been rebuilt. The remains of the original site, some of which have undergone modern restoration, are now contained within a wider museum complex.

Bollywood Movies shot in Hungary

• “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam” (1999), directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
  • The Danube River and various locations around Budapest: About fifty percent of the film was shot in Hungary
  • Széchenyi Chain Bridge: Climax Scene
• “Aks” (2001),directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
  • Széchenyi Chain Bridge: Bridge shown when Amitabh asks to change the plan
  • Heroes’ Square: Shown during the scene when the cars are moving towards the bridge
  • Royal Castle: Shown as Ministry of Defence, Budapest, Hungary

Some notable Hollywood films shot in Hungary include, Munich (2005), Transporter 3 (2008), Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol(2011), A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) to name a few.

Lake Balaton – The Largest Freshwater Lake in Central-Europe
Lake Balaton is the largest freshwater lake in Central-Europe and covers almost 200 square miles at the foot of basalt cliffs of extinct volcanoes. The north, mountainous region is a popular wine region, and the flat southern shore is known for its beautiful resorts.Local wine makers claim that the taste of Balaton wine is due to its pristine climate. The lake has many shallow swimming areas as well as many restaurants in its surroundings. Moreover, Europe’s largest natural warm water lake in Héviz is next door to the Balaton. The same water is accessed by the pools of the Hotels by the lake. Sárvár, also renowned for its medicinal water, is just a few miles from here.

The Thermal Spas – The Home of the Healing Waters
A visit to Hungary provides a unique combination of cultural experiences and medical, health or wellness treatments. An abundance of hot springs gushing out medicinal waters makes Hungary the Home of Miraculous Healing Waters. Thermal waters are recommended for a wide variety of conditions like stress, joint pain, gynaecological and skin complaints, kidney metabolic disorders and gastric complaints.

The key to Hungary’s thermal culture is its location on the Carpathian Basin. The earth’s crust is very thin here, allowing water to rise easily to the surface. Thus it is a land of more than 1,000 hot springs. The ancient Romans prized the healing effects of Hungarian thermal waters and developed the bathing culture in Hungary more than 2000 years ago. During the Turkish occupation in the 16th century, the Turks added their own beautiful Turkish Baths, some of which are still in use today.

Budapest is known as the ‘City of Baths’ as it remains the only capital city in the world, rich in thermal waters with healing qualities. Some Spas in Budapest are housed in beautiful old buildings in Classical or Turkish style dating back anything from 100 to 400 years. The largest spa complex is located in Hajdúszoboszló. Another natural wonder is Lake Hévíz, with an annual average water temperature of 25 °C (77 °F).

Tourists enjoy the sensation of swimming in a huge, warm lake, even on a cold wintry day. Hungarian spa hotels also offer cosmetic and beauty treatments of the highest quality, combining the benefits of healing thermal water and the latest treatment methods.Some of the other noteworthy springs are at Eger, Sárvár, Zalakaros and Szeged.

Wine Districts
Due to the diverse climate and soils, Hungary produces a wide range of wines in 22 wine-growing regions. Out of these,Tokaj and the Sopron Regions are also World Heritage Sites. Tokaj, Villány & Szekszárd, Eger and the wine regions around Lake Balaton (Badacsony, Balatonfüred, Csopak) are most suitable for wine excursions. These regions are within easy reach of Budapest, offer excellent quality of wines and have a well-developed infrastructure. In addition, the wineries and cellars in several towns and villages are conveniently clustered together. If you are touring the Hungarian countryside, other wine regions such as Pannonhalma, Somló, Sopron and Neszmély are definitely worth a detour. Many of Hungary’s wine regions are within a few hours’ drive from Budapest.

National Parks
Hungary has 10 national parks, 36 landscape-protected areas and 142 nature-conservation areas. Its different habitats include lowland plains, bogs and marshes, wetlands, pasture land, forests and grasslands. These landscapes are home to a number of native flora and fauna, and modern facilities such as visitor centres, exhibition sites and nature trails allow you to experience these.

Aggtelek National Park is located in the Aggtelek Karst region. It is popular for the largest stalactite cave near Baradla-Domica cave, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.The whole cave is approximately 25kilometres long.The oldest rock formation can be found in the Jósvafő section. Hungarian Grey cattle can be seen at the National Park of Hortobágy, glimpsethe colourful birds of the Lake Tisza Bird Reservation, watch the buffalo at the Buffalo Reserve of Kápolnapuszta and climb the mountains of Pilis.

Nagycsarnok
Nagycsarnok is Budapest’s biggest market. It is a tourist magnet since its renovation in 1996. The 1st floor has Hungarian folk costumes, dolls, painted eggs, embroidered table cloths, carved hunting knives and other souvenirs. Foodies will appreciate the treats available at a fraction of what they’d cost in the shops on nearby Váci utca street – shrink-wrapped and potted foie gras, garlands of dried paprika, souvenir sacks and tins of paprika powder and as many kinds of honey as you’d care to name.

XD Design & Souvenir
A great place to look for contemporary and traditional Hungarian handicrafts, XD Design & Souvenir showcases the work of a number of novel enterprises. For instance, Matyo Design, which preserves the art of embroidery with intricate hand-stitched designs, and Folqa which produces a line of wooden figurines that humorously depict the many faces of the nation. Great prints, fashion pieces and jewellery as well are on offer here.

Ecseri Piac
This is one of the biggest flea markets in Central Europe, selling everything from antique jewellery and Soviet army watches to Fred Astaire–style top hats. Saturday is the best day to visit this market. There are direct buses that can take you there.

Bálna (Whale)
The Bálna, Budapest’s newest state-of-the-art cultural, entertainment and shopping centre opened in 2013. Located on the banks of the River Danube near Liberty Bridge and the Central Market Hall, the Bálna is the place to be. It offers galleries, exhibitions, shops, cafés, restaurants and much more.The contemporary design is combined with two beautifully restored historic warehouses from 1881. Due to its shape it is called Bálna (whale) in Hungarian.

Festive Xmas Markets in Budapest
Budapest has a couple of fairs during the Advent period (Pre-Christmas season), the best known and the largest is the one at Vörösmarty Square in the city centre. The market at St. Stephen’s Basilica has the most romantic Christmas ambience among all the holiday markets.

Cuisine
Hungarian food is often spicy, due to the common use of hot paprika. Hungarians are especially passionate about their cuisine and the Goulash is an internationally appreciated traditional recipe. Other characteristics of Hungarian cuisine are soups, desserts, pastries and stuffed crepes. Hungarian cuisine uses a large variety of cheeses, but the most common are Túró, a type of cream cheeses, ewe-cheese (Juhturó), Emmentaler, Edam and the Hungarian cheeses Trappista, Pálpusztai and Pannonia cheese.

Halászlé
Halászlé or Fisherman’s soup will appeal to the taste buds of the Indians. It is a Hungarian cuisine dish and is a paprika-based river fish soup. It is hot, spicy and bright red in colour. The hot soup is prepared by adding sufficient amounts of paprika-based river fish and carp. It is particularly prepared in the Danube and Tisza river regions.
Halászlé, an emblematic Hungarian dish is one of the best hot and spicy dishes of the European continent.