Friendly and beautiful
Hungary has a very rich history which, because of its location, is a time-line melting pot of a great range of people and their cultures.
The country has 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites and 11 more on the UNESCO tentative list. There are also 25 other official Hungaricums, which are products, customs and animals that are unique to Hungary, such as the Hungarian grey cattle, dancehouses, gulash soup and palinka. Hungary has several national parks that preseve a wide variety of natural landscape and wildlife. The most famous of these is Hortobágy, the largest continuous natural grassland in Europe. However, there are many popular places for outdoor recreation that offer multiple activities and sites. Lake Balaton, the largest fresh water lake in Europe offers a surprising variety of activities. It is so large, that it is sometimes called the Hungarian sea and the landscape ranges from steep cliffs to marshes, from natural preserves to fully-developed beaches.
Hungary is relatively small, but eclectic. During its history, fine arts and architecture developed in strong interaction with European art, but they have retained a strong character of their own, as well. It is quite easy to visit any of Hungary’s breath-taking cities: they are nothing more than a short train-ride or an even shorter drive away from Budapest. Even in the short distance between Budapest and the Slovakian border, there are many beautiful small cities. The wooded hills of Pilis, Visegrád and Börzsöny together, with the meandering Danube create a wonderful landscape that has become nature lovers’ paradise.
