Imperial Legacy and Folk Traditions

Hungary

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.

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
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Rail Journeys
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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

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

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Custom 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
Suggested Itineraries
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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.

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

Essential Central Europe

Highlights of Czech Republic, Slovakia & Hungary

Travels to: Central and East Europe, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia

Departures in June, July, August, September, October, November, December 2019

This itinerary available as a private journey

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Our Favorite Places in Hungary
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.

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Journeys that travel to Budapest

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Hungary

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.

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Journeys 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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Hungary

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.

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Journeys 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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Hungary

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.

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Journeys 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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Hungary

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.

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Journeys 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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Hungary

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.

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Journeys 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.

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When to Travel to Hungary

Budapest Spring Festival, Budapest (March-April)

Gala at a Hungarian opera house

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.