Official language: Hungarian
Capital: Budapest
Currency: Hungarian Forint. Hungary is currently preparing to adopt the euro.
Population as % of total EU: 1.9
Joined EU: 2004

Did you know?

• Hungary has the highest VAT rate in the world (27%).
• Budapest is home to mainland Europe’s oldest underground train, which is also the third oldest in the world. The Millennium Underground Railway line first ran in 1896 and is only beaten by the Tünel in Istanbul, and the London Underground.
• Elvis Presley was granted posthumous Hungarian citizenship in 2011. The reason for bestowing the honour was Presley’s support of the ill-fated 1956 Hungarian Revolution against the country’s Soviet government, demonstrated through dedicating a performance of Peace in the Valley on American TV to the Hungarians’ struggle. Elvis Presley Boulevard was also named in his honour following an online poll.
• Buildings in Budapest are not allowed to exceed 96 metres in height, with only a few exceptions for those serving an industrial purpose. Two key buildings in the city currently stand at the maximum height: St Stephen’s Basilica and the Hungarian Parliament Building. This parity apparently signifies that neither religion nor government is more important than the other.
• The Hungarian alphabet has 44 letters and includes letters we might think of as being ‘made up’ of other letters (e.g. ‘dzs’ and ‘gy’).

Looking back and dreaming ahead

I spent a few days in Budapest as part of my first big trip abroad when I was 18. It was a solo Interrailing adventure that started in a country I was familiar with (Italy), progressed to countries where there were friends of friends offering welcoming homes or meals (Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany) and then culminated in a couple of weeks completely out on my own. Aside from a curiosity about different countries and cultures, the trip was theoretically a way of forcing myself out of my shell before going to university; I’d been beset by crippling shyness since childhood and I knew that starting out in a new city would require greater reserves of confidence than ever before.

Hungary was one of the first countries I visited “out on my own”, and it was also a kind of turning point. My trip had thus far been relatively smooth – the trains were easy, the hostels were friendly and the languages at least vaguely familiar. When I arrived into Budapest on a sunny summer evening, it was to discover that my pre-booked accommodation had no record of my reservation and only rooms of an extortionate price left available. This being back before smartphones and free roaming were really a thing, I was faced with the problem of finding somewhere new to stay with only a guidebook and an old-fashioned map to guide my way.

I eventually found a hostel to take me in – they said they had no beds they could show me to immediately, but that I could leave my bags, take a key and come back later. The offer, though short of ideal, coincided with another guest suggesting we go out for a drink and a wander around the city, so I decided to embrace spontaneity and let the evening take its course.

The first part of the night was fun: my new companion and some others that joined us were French and we didn’t have much language in common, and the bulk of the evening was spent at a bizarre sort of outdoor funfair. To be honest, much of it is a bit hazy now; what stands out in my memory is the return to the hostel. We were greeted by a very flustered receptionist who said they were very sorry, but they had sold too many beds and some people were going to have to sleep on the floor. I was granted a bed because I was female (hooray for sexism); my French companion fared less well. I have a vivid memory of picking my way to a bunk bed across a floor covered with sleeping forms, including one man snoring loudly with no clothes on.

Somehow, I managed to get some rest – but the fun continued in the morning when it became apparent that the proprietors had absconded with everyone’s deposits. There was no one manning the ship, a British man was in a panic as he’d broken his ankle and didn’t know how to get medical help, and I exhaustedly packed my bags as another night in the same place didn’t really seem like a good idea. I don’t remember where I stayed next – probably because it was much less eventful.

This reminiscence is a very lengthy preamble to say that, while I have certainly been there, I don’t really have any travel tips for Hungary. But it holds a special place in my memory as somewhere that I learnt to embrace a little bit of chaos and think on my feet, pushed by necessity to start building up some of that much-sought-after confidence.

But Hungary is a country I would love to return to. In compiling the ‘fun facts’ at the top of this post, I discovered many more interesting titbits – did you know that the Rubik’s Cube was invented by Hungarian sculptor and professor Erno Rubik in 1974? And that the humble biro was patented in 1938 by Hungarian journalist László Bíró? Bíró is an especially intriguing character: he fled the Nazis by moving to Argentina in 1943 and made a great success of himself, to the extent that Argentina’s Inventors’ Day is celebrated on his birthday (29 September).

And, now a week into lockdown in the UK, it’s difficult not to daydream about potential future travels. So, to round off this entry and make it slightly more travel-focussed, below are my starting ideas and inspiration for a ‘maybe one day’ trip to Hungary. Please drop me a line if you have any to add.

• Sampling Hungarian wine: a visit to the Tokaj wine region in the country’s north-east. Wine has been produced there since the fifth century and it is most famous for a sweet wine called Tokaji Aszú. Declared a World Heritage Site in 2002, the region is nestled by the Zemplén Mountains and offers lots of atmospheric cellars to be explored.
• Paprika, paprika, paprika: take a guided tour and enjoy some spicy samples at the Molnar Paprika Museum in the village of Roszke. Apparently more than 1,000 tonnes of paprika are produced in Hungary each year and it was once even traded as currency.
• An unusual train journey: take a ride on Budapest’s Gyermekvasut Railway, which traverses the Buda hills between Széchenyihegy and Hűvösvölgy. The railway is unique in that it is almost exclusively run by children from local schools. The stations along its route are great starting points for short hikes and it takes in the city’s highest point at Jánoshegy.
• Explore Budapest’s ‘ruin bars’: have a drink or visit a cultural event at a bar in a repurposed derelict building or open space. The ruin bars, known as kerts, are clustered around the capital’s Jewish Quarter, look delightfully ramshackle and are a great example of residents reclaiming unloved or unutilised parts of the city.
• Kick back in a thermal spa: relax at one of Hungary’s many spa complexes. Spas have been a big thing in Hungary since Roman times and just a simple Google returns a wealth of tempting recommendations.

Hope everyone’s hanging in there and staying safe. Here’s to dreaming about better times to come.