Imperial Legacy and Folk Traditions
Hungary is known as the home of piquant cuisine, and its people can’t be described as bland, either. Their capital on the Danube, Budapest, is filled with lovely 18th and 19th century buildings, elegant public monuments and opulent public baths. Their language and ethnicity are unique among humans, their red wine is rich and sweet, and their country is becoming more and more popular.
Why Travel with MIR to Hungary
- Over two decades of Hungary travel experience
- Travel programs such as Harvard and Stanford have chosen MIR to guide them to Hungary
- Twice named one of National Geographic Adventure’s “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth”
- On-the-ground support and quality you can trust
- Personalized travel planning from start to finish
- Guides and tour managers that clients rave about
Signature Experiences
We regularly garner applause from our travelers for the inspired opportunities we provide to help them get to know the local people, distinctive art, architecture and accomplishments of Hungary. Below is just a sampling of the Hungary experiences MIR has designed to take our clients far from the familiar.
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Sample sweet Hungarian winesRead More
Sample an array of wines in Tokaj, heart of the Hungarian wine country, where storks sit atop telephone poles and horse-drawn wagons bring traffic to a halt....Sample sweet Hungarian wines
Tokaj, Hungary
Sample an array of wines in Tokaj, heart of the Hungarian wine country, where storks sit atop telephone poles and horse-drawn wagons bring traffic to a halt.
Next Steps
- Start to design your own custom trip
- Read more information about this region
- Find out how Custom & Private Travel works
- Contact a Private Journeys Specialist with any questions
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Find living folk traditions in a UNESCO-listed villageRead More
Spend some time in the UNESCO-listed village of Hollokö, where, on Sundays and holidays, the inhabitants of the stepped-roof peasant houses may emerge...Find living folk traditions in a UNESCO-listed village
Hollokö, Hungary
Spend some time in the UNESCO-listed village of Hollokö, where, on Sundays and holidays, the inhabitants of the stepped-roof peasant houses may emerge wearing their hand-made embroidered costumes.
Next Steps
- Start to design your own custom trip
- Read more information about this region
- Find out how Custom & Private Travel works
- Contact a Private Journeys Specialist with any questions
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Admire the extravagant Parliament Building on the DanubeRead More
Admire Budapest’s Parliament Building, a neo-Gothic extravaganza featuring spires, courtyards, sculptures, frescoes, a sixteen-sided 300-foot...Admire the extravagant Parliament Building on the Danube
Budapest, Hungary
Admire Budapest’s Parliament Building, a neo-Gothic extravaganza featuring spires, courtyards, sculptures, frescoes, a sixteen-sided 300-foot rotunda and 88 pounds of gold leaf.
Next Steps
- Start to design your own custom trip
- Read more information about this region
- Find out how Custom & Private Travel works
- Contact a Private Journeys Specialist with any questions
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Explore a village of artists filled with galleries and shopsRead More
Wander little Szentendre, known as a town of artists, browsing the galleries and shops for Hungarian crafts and traditional items, like strings of dried...Explore a village of artists filled with galleries and shops
Szentendre, Hungary
Wander little Szentendre, known as a town of artists, browsing the galleries and shops for Hungarian crafts and traditional items, like strings of dried red paprika peppers and handmade lace.
Next Steps
- Start to design your own custom trip
- Read more information about this region
- Find out how Custom & Private Travel works
- Contact a Private Journeys Specialist with any questions
Ways to Travel to Hungary with MIR
Hungary is an essential stop for anyone interested in getting to know Central Europe. We’ve slept in castle-hotels, ridden horses across the puszta, quaffed the Bull’s Blood wine of Eger and danced with the villagers of Hollokö. Would you care to join us?
Take a look at your options, from luxury rail journeys to custom and private travel:
Small Group Tours
We currently don’t feature any small group tours to this destination. Check out our custom and private travel opportunities.
Rail Journeys by Private Train
New Year’s in Vienna by Private Train
Budapest and Central Europe Aboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express
Travels to: Central and East Europe, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
9 Days / Departures in December 2019
Rail Journey by Private train land tour from $7,495
See Trip
New Year’s in Vienna by Private Train
Budapest and Central Europe Aboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express
Travels to: Central and East Europe, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
9 Days / Departures in December 2020
Rail Journey by Private train land tour from $7,695
See Trip
Budapest to Venice by Private Train
A Balkan Rail Odyssey Aboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express
Travels to: Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Central and East Europe, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia
10 Days / Departures in June 2020
Rail Journey by Private train land tour from $8,595
See Trip
Central European Classics by Private Train
Budapest to Prague Aboard the Golden Eagle Danube Express
Travels to: Central and East Europe, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia
8 Days / Departures in July 2020
Rail Journey by Private train land tour from $6,895
See TripCustom and private travel is our specialty. We’ve been designing unforgettable custom itineraries across the hills and plains of Hungary for over 25 years; a majority of our guests travel on custom itineraries.
For ideas, peruse one of our Regional Travel Planners, a roundup of the must-sees from our savvy staff.
Read more about how to design your own trip and also, consider this: You can customize one of our small group tours of Central Europe to match your preferred dates of travel.
Design Your Own Custom Trip
Traveling privately on a custom program means flexibility:
- You set the dates, the focus and the level of accommodations.
- You are met on arrival and seen off at the end of your trip.
- Your in-country transportation is pre-arranged hassle-free.
- Your own expert local guides ensure that you get the most out of your visit.
- And the best part? You travel at your own pace on an itinerary exclusive to you.
Check out just a handful of our Hungary signature experiences below and then get in touch with a MIR Private Journey Specialist to craft an itinerary that suits your travel goals, budget and style. Or get started planning now.
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Raise a toast to “Bull’s Blood” wineRead More
Make your way to the wine country northeast of Budapest, where the town of Eger is renowned for its beautifully preserved architecture and its deep red "Bull's Blood" wine....Raise a toast to “Bull’s Blood” wine
Eger, Hungary
Make your way to the wine country northeast of Budapest, where the town of Eger is renowned for its beautifully preserved architecture and its deep red "Bull's Blood" wine.
Next Steps
- Start to design your own custom trip
- Read more information about this region
- Find out how Custom & Private Travel works
- Contact a Private Journeys Specialist with any questions
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Let your spirit soar at an organ concertRead More
Attend an organ concert in the lovely Mathias Church, originally built in 1255....Let your spirit soar at an organ concert
Budapest, Hungary
Attend an organ concert in the lovely Mathias Church, originally built in 1255.
Next Steps
- Start to design your own custom trip
- Read more information about this region
- Find out how Custom & Private Travel works
- Contact a Private Journeys Specialist with any questions
Suggested Itineraries for Private Travel
Whether you’re looking for a compact trip with all the highlights or something a little roomier with some of the extras, MIR’s Private Journeys department can suggest places to see and things to do based on our local knowledge, and design a one-of-a-kind itinerary for you, your family or your group of friends.
Find out more about our custom & private travel expertise or connect with a Private Journey Specialist to get started.
Essential Central Europe
Highlights of Czech Republic, Slovakia & Hungary
Travels to: Central and East Europe, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia
Departures in August, September, October, November, December 2019
This itinerary available as a private journey
See Trip
Weather
Spring (April-May) is glorious in Hungary, with daytime temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and nighttime between 40 and 50 degrees. The Hungarian summer days from June-August are warm, sunny and unusually long, with the daily average hovering around 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit and nighttime in the 50s. Autumn, specifically September, is beautiful, particularly in the hills around Budapest and in the Northern Uplands, with temperatures comparable to those of spring. November is one of the rainiest months of the year, and the winter can be cold and snowy.
Please remember, weather at all times of year has an element of the unpredictable. This information comes from weatherbase.com and is based on data from previous temperatures on record. It is always advisable to check with weatherbase.com closer to your departure date for current conditions and forecasts for the specific region of Hungary you will be visiting.
Our Favorite Places in Hungary
Budapest
Budapest, built in the grand style of the Hapsburgs, has a legacy of fine baroque, neo-Classical and Art Nouveau buildings and broad avenues. From the Castle Hill district to the sophisticated Vaci shopping street, the urban energy is palpable. Tour the “Paris of the East” including the Royal Castle, the Church of Saint Matthew, and the Fisherman’s Bastion on the Buda Hill side of the Danube. Continue to the Pest side of the river to admire Hero’s Square, the Cathedral of Saint Stephen and the Parliament.
View trips that travel hereJourneys that travel to Budapest
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Eger
Up in wine country northeast of Budapest, Eger is renowned for its beautifully preserved architecture and its red wine, Egri Bikaver (Bull’s Blood of Eger). The origin of the town’s name is still unknown; however one suggestion is that it was named after the égerfa plant that grows so abundantly along the banks of the Eger Stream. Enjoy a walking tour that includes the Castle Museum, the Cathedral, the Minaret, the Minorite Church, Dobó Square and Széchenyi Street.
View trips that travel hereJourneys that travel to Eger
Contact a MIR Private Journeys Specialist at privatejourneys@mircorp.com or 800-424-7289 to plan a custom & private trip to Eger.
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Danube Bend Tour
About 25 miles north of Budapest in Hungary’s most beautiful river valley, the Danube Bend towns preserve the relics of Hungarian medieval culture. Drive first to Esztergom to visit the Basilica, the oldest Hungarian royal and ecclesiastical residence. The capital of Hungary for more than 250 years, and the birthplace of the first Hungarian king, St. Stephen, Esztergom’s Castle Hill is a testament to Catholic Budapest.
Next, continue on to Visegrad, the residence of kings in the Middle Ages. From the citadel on top of the hill one can see the striking panorama of the Danube Bend. The Royal Palace of Visegrad is the largest building ensemble of medieval Hungary.
Traveling on to Szentendre, known as a town of artists, visit the main square with its cobbled streets, narrow alleyways, brightly painted houses, and Serbian Orthodox churches. Hungary’s largest ethnographic collection is embodied in the open-air Ethnographical Museum.
View trips that travel hereJourneys that travel to Danube Bend Tour
Contact a MIR Private Journeys Specialist at privatejourneys@mircorp.com or 800-424-7289 to plan a custom & private trip to the Danube Bend Tour.
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Tokaj
The south and southeast slopes above Tokaj, in the northeast corner of Hungary, are perfect for growing wine grapes. The area has a microclimate that is friendly to the Botrytis cincerea strain of grape mold that, under the right conditions, concentrates the natural sugars in white grapes left on the vines. This fungus is the reason that Hungary’s late-harvest dessert wine is so sweet and rich that King Luis XIV called it “the wine of kings, the king of wines.” The Hapsburgs for centuries owned a large winery in Tokaj.
View trips that travel hereJourneys that travel to Tokaj
Contact a MIR Private Journeys Specialist at privatejourneys@mircorp.com or 800-424-7289 to plan a custom & private trip to Tokaj.
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Hollokö
The little village of Hollokö is a living stronghold of Hungary’s largest ethnic group, the Palóc. This village of about 400 people near the Slovak border above Budapest continues the Palóc traditions of architecture, costume, cuisine, song and dance. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hollokö is an example of authentic rural life before the 20th century. On Sundays and holidays the inhabitants of the stepped-roof peasant houses may emerge wearing their hand-made embroidered costumes.
View trips that travel hereJourneys that travel to Hollokö
Contact a MIR Private Journeys Specialist at privatejourneys@mircorp.com or 800-424-7289 to plan a custom & private trip to Hollokö.
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Aggtelek Caves
The most explored cave system in Europe, the Aggtelek Caves in northeast Hungary reach up into Slovakia through the karst foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Excavations in the caves show that humans have used this system as shelter for over 7,000 years. Today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Aggtelek cave system is the biggest in Hungary, and the largest – and arguably most beautiful – stalactite cave system in Europe. The array of red and black stalactite dripstones and stalagmite pyramids in their galleries and enormous chambers is incredible.
View trips that travel hereJourneys that travel to Aggtelek Caves
Contact a MIR Private Journeys Specialist at privatejourneys@mircorp.com or 800-424-7289 to plan a custom & private trip to the Aggtelek Caves.
XWhen to Travel to Hungary
Budapest Spring Festival, Budapest (March-April)
The most prestigious cultural festival in the country, the Budapest Spring Festival presents a large range of artistic performances of music and dance. There are a series of symphony concerts and ballet performances in addition to the open-air events and an Operetta Festival. The performances take place in the capital’s most important concert halls and theaters and often near historic monuments. Over the years a number of other towns have begun to hold their own spring festivals, including; Debrecen, Gödöllö, Györ, Kaposvár, Kecskemét, Sopron, Szentendre and Szombathely.
May Day, Budapest (May)
Hungarians celebrate Labor Day along with many other European countries on the first of May. May Day celebrations take place in public parks all over Budapest and feature craft markets, street performers, street food and beer tents. Visitors can enjoy these attractions or take their cue from the locals and have a dip in the local thermal bath or swimming pool, which is another popular May Day activity.
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