I'm traveling to Hungary for the first time to do an organized fiber arts tour in early May. I'm arriving five days early so I can see more of Hungary and thought I'd rent a car and head towards Miskolc (unless people would recommend elsewhere). I love getting off the beaten track, don't speak Hungarian but do okay with hand signals. The tour goes to Kecskemet, Nadudvar, Balmazujvaros, and Hortobagy so will see those. I'm going to try to stay on a farm with sheep (spinning) or goats (cheese). The info on farm stays is in Hungarian and I'll find someone to translate. Any suggestions/comments on driving around Hungary and the farm thing would be hugely appreciated.
Posted by
WA, USA
330 posts
Hello,
There are so many beautiful towns to visit: Szentendre (is an art community , easy boat trip/train from Budapest), Eger, many towns with the hot spring spas, Lake Balaton is terrific.
Traveling by train is really easy, especially from Budapest. The ticket agents speak English and the ticket machines have English as a choice.
My husband and I drove to Lake Balaton a few years ago. We speak and read Hungarian so we didn't think we'd have any issues. My father, who is Hungarian, was also traveling with us. Asked the rental car company about any "toll roads" and they responded "no problems". Well, we ended up with a lovely ticket (via mail) because we didn't pay a toll. No toll booth was seen by us. Our Hungarian relatives said you had to have a sensor in your car. I don't know if things are different now with the toll roads.
I was there this past December, but I used the trains. Always buy your ticket prior to boarding, otherwise you can be charged triple the price.
Please PM me if you have any other questions.
Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
alameda, ca, usa
2602 posts
As someone who is passionate about the fiber arts (and Hungary!), I must ask--what is this tour you're taking?
I'm making a return trip to Budapest in mid-May and this time I will be venturing out to a couple of other towns by train--as Olga says, train is very easy to use--definitely to Tata in the northwest and not sure where else just yet, but I did spend a day in Szentendre (45 minutes from Budapest on the HEV train) in 2014 and it's a lovely little artist's colony, lots of wonderful hand-made items as well as little art galleries. I particularly enjoyed the Margit Kovacs museum just off the main square.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
17908 posts
Miskolc isn't one of the top ten places on most lists but there is an interesting castle and it is close to Eger, Tokaj and the wine region. Then just west is a little village called Lillafüred that has a wonderful old palace hotel on a lake, an old forest rail road and some interesting caves. Nearby Mad apparently has an interesting synagogue.
Posted by
OP
Portland, Oregon
5 posts
Olga, Christa and James, Thank you for your information. It's making me rethink renting a car. Christa, please email me and I'll tell you about the tour. James, I thought the thermal caves were near Miskolc and they looked pretty amazing and the Lillafured castle hotel like something out of a fairy tale. Thank you again for your suggestions.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
17908 posts
There is nothing wrong about renting a car. It does open up some possibilities. In 20 years of traveling I have only rented a car once and it was a disaster that I don't want to repeat, but that's just me. In Hungary you reach a lot, but not all, of the sites by public transport and one of the problems with the public transport is so much of it goes through Budapest so reaching two towns fairly close might require a long trip back to Budapest and then back out again. Still there are great places you can reach by train like Gyro, Sopron, Pecs, Vac, Szentendre, Eger; and you can rent a car and driver for about 200 euro a day if you want to go in style.
Posted by
stevens point, wi, usa
1189 posts
Hi from Wisconsin,
Szentendre...skip it. I have been there several times...always hoping I would find something worth justifying wasting my precious travel time. Have never found anything. I think this place lives on a thirty or forty-year-old reputation.
Eger...now there is a place to visit. The Hotel Senator was a fine place to stay. Management was spectacular. I came back to the hotel with a fist full of flowers and before I could clear the lobby they handed me a vase, plus much more. Nice castle, wine caves, churches, good food, good art work. All in a cute little space.
Miskolc...been there, not going back. But anywhere you go rural, will be worth it, especially away from the great plains of Hungary, which are...a bit plain. Hungary is a beautiful country and the small towns and villages are an eyeful.
Budapest is a great city. I stayed at the City Comfort Hotel, which was called The Radio Inn a the time. It rents apartments for about $30 per night. Located in the embassy district a short, very short, walk off the Yellow Metro line. It splits the distance between the Opera House and City park. The hotel is a nice piece of work from probably the 1890s. Budapest deserves a few days itself. Don't short change it. And make sure to see a performance at the Opera House. Nose bleed tickets are under $10. Performacnce level is top notch.
I have a map of the city's main tourist site and the mass transit a person needs to know I can email you if you ask me for it at wmcca@hotmail.com
wayne iNWI