Hungary Adventure Guide (Adventure Guides)

593 Pages·2007·161.67 MB·English

by  Dante Mena

Far More Detail Than Other Guides
(cid:1) The author lives in Budapest and knows the country intimately.
Hetakesusbehindthescenestodiscoverthesights,theplacesto
stayandeat,theshopping,andalltheactivities.
(cid:1) Hungary is a land of medicinal baths, mineral springs and
G d dventure Guide
healthspas.Uniquemixturesoflife-givingwatersbubbletothe v
u
surfaceinhundredsoflocations.Thisisaguidetothemall. id en
(cid:1) TheDanubeanditstributariesharbornumerousbirdsanctuar- e tu
r
iesandwildlifepreserves.Thesurroundingvalleysandmoun- e
tains are dotted with medieval castles and villages, artistic
treasures and breathtaking natural scenery. The author shows
H
howtoexplorethem.
(cid:1) Storks,eagles,wrens,blackbirds,woodpeckers,andflocksbythe
thousandsmaketheirhomeinforests,grasslands,andcliff-sides.
Majestic antlered stags and deer range the forest. Fresh springs
u
andcold,clearcreekstumbledownfromthemountains.
(cid:1) ThevolcanicsoilsandthemildclimatehasmadeHungaryoneof
thesupremewine-producingareasoftheworldforthousandsof
years. There are 20 major wine regions and thousands of small n
vineyards.Wetourthebestofthem.
(cid:1) SittingastridetheDanube,Budapest hasbeencalledthe“Paris
ofEasternEurope.”Therearethousandsofrestaurantsserving g
virtuallyeverytypeofcuisine.Hotelsandnightspotsarejustas
numerousandtheauthorguidesustothebestplaces.
(cid:1) AndHungaryisabargaincountrytovisit.Allcostsareremark- a
ablylow.
Lifeisanadventure–letHunterbeyourguide!
r
(cid:1)(cid:1)SSIIGGHHTTSSEEEEIINNGG
Sightseeing ThermalBaths DetailedMaps (cid:1)(cid:1)PPLLAACCEESSTTOOSSTTAAYY&&DDIINNEE
y
(cid:1)(cid:1)SSPPAASS&&TTHHEERRMMAALLBBAATTHHSS
Food&Wine Walking&Biking WheretoStay (cid:1)(cid:1)WWIINNEESS,,NNIIGGHHTTLLIIFFEE
(cid:1)(cid:1)HHIIKKIINNGG&&HHOORRSSEEBBAACCKKRRIIDDIINNGG
(cid:1)(cid:1)SSHHOOPPPPIINNGG
History&Culture Restaurants Shopping
Hungary
HunterPublishing,Inc. ISBN1-58843-576-8
130CampusDrive 978-1-58843-576-7
EdisonNJ08818
Printedonrecycledpaper
$22.99
(cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:3)(cid:3)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:5)(cid:2)(cid:8)(cid:2) (cid:5)(cid:9)(cid:9)(cid:1)(cid:1)
Dante Mena
HHUUNNTTEERR
www.hunterpublishing.com
dventure Guide
Hungary
Dante Mena
HUNTERPUBLISHING,INC.
130CampusDrive,EdisonNJ08818
732-225-1900,800-255-0343,fax[phone]
[email protected]
4176Saint-Denis,Montréal,Québec
CanadaH2W2M5
514-843-9447;fax[phone];[email protected]
TheBoundary,WheatleyRoad,Garsington
Oxford,OX449EJEngland
01865-361122;fax[phone]
[email protected]
ISBN978-1-58843-576-7
1-58843-576-8
©2007HunterPublishing,Inc.
Maps©2007HunterPublishing,Inc.
Coverphotograph:TakingabreakattheridingshowinPuszta
(©FANtravelstock/Alamy)
Interior photos courtesy of Hungarian National Tourist Board,
Hungarian Friends of Nature Association and other sources as
indicted.
Forcompleteinformationaboutthehundredsofothertravel
guidesofferedbyHunterPublishing,visitourWebsiteat:
www.hunterpublishing.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced,
transmittedorutilizedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicor
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any infor-
mationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwrit-
ingfromthepublisher.Briefextractstobeincludedinreviewsor
articlesarepermitted.
Everyefforthasbeenmadetoensurethattheinformationinthis
bookiscorrect,butthepublisherandauthorsdonotassume,and
hereby disclaim, liability to any party for any loss or damage
causedbyerrors,omissions,misleadinginformationorpotential
problemscausedbyinformationinthisguide,evenifsucherrors
or omissions are a result of negligence, accident or any other
cause.
4 3 2 1
Contents
Introduction 1 GellértHegy(GellertHill) 94
TheLand 1 TheTabán 99
Climate 4 TheCastleDistrict 103
Wildlife 5 History 103
Flora 8 WalkingtheDistrict 105
WhentoGo 9 BudaHills 115
TravelDocuments 10 Viziváros 120
HowtoGetThere 11 Óbuda 127
GettingAround 11 Pest 133
Accommodations 15 TheBridges 133
Dining 16 Parliament 141
Connections 22 KossuthLajostér 142
Language 22 NéprajziMúzeum 143
Telephones 22 Szabadságtér 144
Electricity 23 PostOfficeBank 145
Internet 24 St.Stephen’sBasilica 146
TimeZone 24 Roosevelttér 146
Health&Safety 24 Dunakorzó(Promenade) 148
Currency 25 VörösmartySquare 150
History 27 Váciút 151
InnerCityParishChurch153
HungarianCulture 32 Ferenciektere 154
Budapest 35 TheCoveredMarket 155
History 35 SerbianOrthodoxChurch156
PlacestoStay 37 UniversityChurch 156
PlacestoDine 47 Káolyikért 157
Pest 49 MuseumofAppliedArts 158
Ferenciektere 50 AndrássyBoulevard 159
BlahaLujzatér 56 Hõsöktere 166
Andrássyút 57 Városliget&theZoo 170
Andrássyút 61 StatuePark 171
Váciút 62 Adventures 171
Belgrádrakpart 65 IntheAir 171
TheNyugati 67 HotAirBallooning 171
BudaSide 67 TetheredBallooning 172
CastleDistrict 70 SightseeingbyPlane 172
TheCitadella 71 Helicopter 173
TheBottomlessLake 72 Caving 173
BudaHills 73 Labyrinth 173
ShoppingCenters 74 PálvölgyiStalactiteCave 174
FamilyPlaces 76 Szemlö-HegyCave 174
MargitIsland 76 MátyásCave 175
VárosLiget(CityPark) 78 OnHorseback 176
OutsideCityCenter 81 Sóskút 179
Movies 85 Gödöllõ 179
Nightlife 86 Tök 180
Concerts,Opera,Theater 86 Gödöllõ 180
Nightclubs&Discos 90 Budapest 181
Casinos 94 Galgamácsa 182
Itineraries 94 Monor 182
iv (cid:1) Contents
Zsámbék 182 SkirtingtheBorder 255
Tök 183 SouthSideofBörzsöny 258
Pusztazámor 183 Gödöllõ 262
Kisoroszi 184 Aszód 267
Budapest 184 Isaszeg 268
BudapestSurroundings 184 Csömör 269
WestofBudapest 184 Vecsés&Õcsa 270
Hiking&Biking 185 Monor 273
Hiking/CyclingTips 185 Pilis 274
TrailMarks 186 Nagykáta 274
Maps 187 Tápióbicske 275
Rules 188 Tápiószentmárton 276
AbsoluteWalkingTours 189 Cegled 278
HikingTrails 191 SouthwestBudapest 282
Bicycling 192 Százhalombatta 282
Spa&Baths 193 Budaörs/Wudersch 284
OntheWaterway 200 Adventures 285
HydrofoiltheRivers 201 OnHorseback 285
Dining&Sightseeing 201 Monor 285
Canoeing 202 Döbrönte 286
Gödöllõ 286
CentralDanubia 209
Gilgamácsa 287
PlacestoStay 214
Hiking&Biking 287
Pomáz 214
FavoriteHike 290
Szentendre 215
Spas&Swimming 292
Visegrad 216
Canoeing&Boating 295
Leányfalu 218
Golf,Tennis 296
Dobogókõ 219
Leanyfalu 220 LakeBalaton 299
HotelsEastofDanube 221 GettingtotheBalatonRegion 301
Göd 221 BalatonNorthernShore 302
Nagybörzsöny 221 GettingThere 302
Kemence 222 PlacestoStay 303
Cegléd 223 PlacestoDine 310
Monor 223 Balatonfüzfõ 310
HotelsSouthwestofBudapest224 Balatonalmádi 310
Százhalombatta 224 Felsõörs 310
PlacestoDine 224 Alsóörs 311
Pomáz 224 Balatonfüred 311
Szentendre 225 Tihany 313
Dobogókõ 227 Keszthely 313
Cegléd 227 Balatonfenyves 313
Nightlife 227 Örvényes 314
Itineraries 228 Csopak 314
WesternBankofDanube 228 FamilyPlaces 314
Pomáz 228 Nightlife 316
Szentendre 229 Balatonfüred 316
Leányfalu,Tahitótfalu 237 Itineraries 316
Visegrad 237 Balatonkenese 317
EasternBankDanubeBend244 Balatonfüzfõ 317
DunakeszitoFót 245 Balatonalmádi 319
Göd 248 Felsõörs 322
Vác 248 Alsóörs 322
Route12 251 Csopak 323
Duna-IpolyNationalPark 254 Balatonfüred 324
Contents (cid:1) v
Tihany 329 Mátraháza 401
Örvényes 332 Parádsasvár 402
Balatonudvari 332 PlacestoEat 403
KáliBasin 333 Tokaj 403
Badacsony 337 Miskolc 403
Tapolca 339 Eger 404
Szigliget 340 Hollókõ 405
Balatonederics 342 Nightlife 405
Keszthely 343 Itineraries 405
OtherSightsinKeszthely346 AggtelekNationalPark 405
Héviz 347 Szécsény-HubVillage 408
Adventures 348 Ipolytarnóc 413
Hiking&Biking 348 Hollókõ 413
Bicycling 352 Kelemér 416
WineAdventures 352 Gömörszõlõs 417
WaterAdventures 353 AggtelekCaves 418
Ice&SnowAdventures 354 BükkNationalPark 422
AirAdventures 355 Szilvásvárad 426
CaveAdventures 355 Bélapátfalva 428
OnHorseback 357 Eger 428
BalatonSouthernShore 359 Sirok 435
GettingThere 359 Mezökövesd-Szentistván 436
PlacestoStay 359 Miskolc&Surroundings 436
PlacestoEat 367 Diósgyõr 440
Siófok 367 Lillafüred,Hámor 441
Zamárdi 368 ZempléniMountains 447
Szántód 368 Sárospatak 448
Balatonszemes 369 Sátoraljaújhely 451
Nightlife 370 Tokaj 452
Itineraries 371 MátraMtns,Gyöngyös 455
Siófok 371 Mátrafüred 457
Zamárdi,Szántód 377 Mátraháza 458
Szántód 379 Parádsasvár 459
Balatonföldvár 380 Parád&Parádfürdõ 460
Köröshegy 382 Adventures 461
Balatonboglár 383 Hiking 461
Fonyód 383 RákócziTrail 461
Adventures 386 TheMetallurgist’sTrail 462
Hiking&Biking 386 Cycling 463
WineAdventures 387 MountainBiking 464
ThermalAdventures 387 OnWater 465
WaterAdventures 388 OnHorseback 467
OnHorseback 389 CaveAdventures 471
RockClimbing 472
NorthernHungary 391
IntheAir 474
PlacestoStay 391
Skiing 474
Jósvafõ 391
MiscellaneousAdventures 476
Tengerszem 391
CarDerby&AutoRaces 476
Szilvásvárad 392
Bird-Watching 476
Eger 394
Hunting 477
MiskolcArea 396
SpecialBoatTrips 477
Sárospatak 399
MountainForestTrain 477
Sátoraljaújhely 399
Tokaj 400 TheGreatPlains 479
Mátrafüred 400 PlacestoStay 479
vi (cid:1) Contents
PlacestoEat 488 Kunhegyes 548
Hortobágy 488 Sarud 548
Jászberény 488 Poroszló 549
Karcag 489 Abádszalók 550
Debrecen 489 PlacestoEat 551
Mezõtúr 489 Itineraries 552
Szolnok 490 Tiszaújváros 552
Kecskemét 490 Tiszacsege 553
Lajosmizse 490 Tiszafüred 553
Itineraries 491 Berekfürdõ 555
Jászberény 491 Karcag 556
Szolnok 494 Kunhegyes 557
Mezõtúr 496 Abádszalók 558
Túrkeve 497 DreamBeaches 558
Nádudvar 498 Tiszavalk 560
Hajdúszoboszló 499 Adventures 560
HortobágyNationalPark 500 Hiking&Biking 560
Hajdúböszörmény 503 OnWater 561
Debrecen 504 Spas&Baths 562
Nyírbátor 507 HorsebackRiding 563
Szabolcs-Szatmár 509 IntheAir 565
Vásárosnamény 510
Appendix 571
Szatmárcseke 512
StarRatings 571
Túristvándi 513
TourinformOffices 571
Kecskemét 514
WorldHeritageSites 576
KiskunságNationalPark 519
HungarianLanguage 578
Bugac 520
Ópusztaszer 522 Maps
Adventures 524 Hungary 26
Hiking&Biking 524 Budapest 34
Egyuek-Pusztakócs 525 BudapestDining 52
Hortobágy-Halásztó 525 BudapestMetro 55
WaterAdventures 526 GellértHegy 96
Debrecen 526 CastleHill 104
Jászberény 526 Viziváros 122
Hajdúszoboszló 527 Óbuda 128
Hajdúnánás 529 Pest 134
Hajdúböszömény 529 CentralDanubia 210
Cserkeszõlõ 530 BalatonNorth 298
Canoes&Kayaks 531 BalatonSouth 360
OnHorseback 533 NorthernHungary 393
GreatPlainsNorth 478
LakeTisza 541
GreatPlainsSouth 481
PlacestoStay 545
LakeTisza 540
Tiszafüred 545
Berekfürdõ 547
I
Introduction n
t
r
o
Amysteryshrouds d
the true origins of IN THIS CHAPTER u
c
man in the (cid:1) TheLand 1 t
i
regions of Hun- (cid:1) Climate 4 o
n
gary. When men appeared (cid:1) Wildlife 5
in the shadows of the Dan- (cid:1) Flora 8
ube valleys and the plains, (cid:1) WhentoGo 9
they inhabited the caves. (cid:1) Transportation 10
They spread out at first, (cid:1) Accommodations 15
gathering fruits, nuts and (cid:1) Dining 16
(cid:1) Connections 22
wild vegetables, and then
(cid:1) TimeZone 24
they began to hunt. They
(cid:1) Health&Safety 24
tracked roe deer, bison and
(cid:1) Currency 25
giant mammoths. When
(cid:1) MoreInformation 25
they came home, they
paintedtheirmemoriesundertheflickeringlightofthecave
wallsoftheregion,someofwhichyoucanseetoday. Thatwas
backaround50,000BC. ItwastheageofPaleolithicman.
But Paleolithic man’s dominance ended 20,000 years ago as
the cold glaciers of the last ice age retreated. The ambitious
and highly intelligent Neolithic man succeeded his cousin
somewherebetween5,000and4,000BC. Hedevelopedstable
communities and introduced farming and social structure,
thenestablishedterritoriesandseparatedintospecificareas
in the region. It was the basis upon which men would build
citiesandforwhichtheywouldmakewar.
(cid:1)
The land called Hungary today, though teaming
withwildlife,naturalfruits,vegetablesandgrains,
wasanaturalbridgebetweenEuropeandAsia.The
Great and Little Alföld (pronounced Allfurld), or
Hungarian plains, are a natural gateway to Europe, leading
totheMoravianGateinthenorth,alow-lyingpassagealong
the Danube River that offers passage into Western Europe.
History would see the land absorb the incursions of war-like
tribes. These tribes often left settlements behind and min-
2 (cid:1) TheLand
gledtheirstrainsintothelocalcultures. Butthemysteryof
HungaryisthatnooneknowsexactlywheretheHungarians
camefrom. It is the land of the Magyars(Hungarians),who
speak a tongue that is similar to Finnish. The Huns who
flowedacrossthelandinlateryears,wereanAsianstock,not
Hungarian. The rapacious Turks followed the Huns, and in
the 20th century, the Nazi Germans, and communist Rus-
sians,eachofwhomlefttheirownmarks. Thisextraordinary
mixhascreatedoneofthemostvariedandunusualcultural
blendsintheworld.
Itisalandofmedicinalbaths,mineralsprings,healthspas,
and public pools, for, owing to the volcanic mountain chains
thatsurroundthecountry,beneathitssoiluniquemixturesof
life-givingwatersthatbubbletothesurfaceinliterallyhun-
dredsoflocationsthroughoutthenation.
Hungary is dominated by the Great Carpathian Basin (his-
toricallyoneofthebesthorsebackridingareasoftheworld),
comprisedoftheLittleandGreatAlföld(Plains)ofHungary.
In fact 84% of Hungary is less than 650 feet above sea level
becauseofthisspecialgeography.Thesetwolow-lyingplains
areseparatedbythemodesttrans-Danubianmountains,only
recentlyformedingeologicalhistory.However,boththeLittle
and Great Alföld are alluvial plains, formed in considerable
partbytheDanubeandtheTiszarivers. Geologistsholdthat
thebasinformedduringtheTertiaryperiodastheAlpine(to
thewest),Carpathian(tothenorthandeast),andDinaric(to
thesouth)mountainchainsroseuptofolditin. Graduallya
marine trough formed, and in the Mesozoic era massive
depositsoflimestoneanddolomiteaccumulatedonthefloorof
this prehistoric sea. Today they form the bottom of the
CarpathianBasin.
DuringthePlioceneerathemassifinthecenterofthebasin
begantosubside,yieldingtotheinundationoftheprehistoric
PannonianSea. (ThenamePannoniaisattimesusedinliter-
ature and advertising in this region.) The Pannonian Sea
addedhugequantitiesofsandandclaylikesediment,insome
areas as much as 3,000 feet deep. It gradually transformed
into a series of freshwater lakes. Subsidence and uplift
changedthephysiology,dryingupsomepartsandeventually
formingtheriversystemsoftoday. TheDanubeandtheTisza
TheLand (cid:1) 3
riversandtheirtributarieshave,asaresult,notonlyincised I
n
the geography, they have brought down great quantities of t
r
fluvial sediment which has added hundreds of feet of river o
depositontopoftheoldPannoniandeposits. Becauseofthis, d
u
these are generally excellent agricultural areas, accounting c
forthefactthattoday54%ofHungariansoilisundercultiva- t
i
o
tion.
n
As the Danube river gradually migrated southward, the soil
dried, giving birth to fertile expanses of sandy soil inter-
spersedwithdunes. ItturnedtheGreatAlföldintoagrazing
paradise,withexpansesofflatgrassyland,suchastheTisza
floodplain and some areas along the winding Danube. This
areahasoftenbeencomparedtothePlainsStatesofAmerica,
completewithitsowncowboys,theCsikós,whosehorseback
ridingskillsarelegendary.
After the Danube enters the Little Alföld at the Moravian
Gate, the low-lying passageway near Bratislava, she mean-
ders and then carves a narrow gorge near Visegrád. Known
astheDanubebend,itisthesiteofafamouscastle,andahis-
toric center of knighthood and chivalry centuries ago. Here,
great vistas and picturesque views allow one to view the
river’scoursefromtheheightsofthesurroundingmountains.
OnthewestbankaretheCarpathianMountains,andonthe
East Bank are the Transdanubian Mountains, a recently
formed low-lying extension, the only fence left to the Great
AlföldintheCarpathianBasin. Fromhere,therivertakeson
its romantic, flowing character, sailing through Budapest,
whichitdividesintotwocities(PestandBuda). Tothesouth-
west stretch the plains of the Carpathian basin, the Great
Alföld.
The Danube and its tributaries, throughout their winding
path, harbor numerous bird sanctuaries, wildlife preserves,
castlesandoutpostsofdaysgoneby. Butinthenorthanar-
row band of hills commune with the lower Carpathians. To
thisarea,goingfromnorthwesterntonortheasternHungary,
aretheBörzsöny,Cserhát,Mátra, Bükk(homeofthefamous
Bükk National Park), and the Zemplén mountains. Just
north of these mountains, in the table lands of the lower
Carpathians,ahumpsticksuptoward Slovakia. Thisareais
primarilyMesozoiclimestoneformedabout150millionyears