Top 10 Places To Visit in Hungary - Travel Guide - Ryan Shirley

What's up guys, my name is Ryan and I recently returned from traveling across the country of Hungary and I want to share with you my favorite places so here's my Hungary top 10. Located in central Europe, Hungary is an incredible country that I was excited to visit. From mystical castles overlooking the Danube River to Europe's most famous thermal pools, Hungary has so much to offer. Let's start this video off at Budapest. When people think of Hungary, Budapest is often the first place that comes to mind. It's the nation's capital and largest city. Originally, Budapest was two separate cities named Buda and Pest and it was divided by the Danube River until they were unified in 1873. When I was here, I was just excited to walk around the city. The first place we went to was the Fisherman's Bastion. It's located on the hill overlooking the Danube and it's famous for its pointed lookout terraces. Right next to the bastion is the incredible Matthias Church which has one of the most colorful roofs I've ever seen. After we walked over to the Buda Castle, the area was under a little construction but I think it has one of the most incredible views of all of Budapest. After we walked down to the Chain Bridge, I think this is the most iconic bridge in the city. It spans over the Danube and it was just fun to walk across. From the bridge, we could see the Hungarian Parliament Building. It was opened in 1902 and it's the third largest parliament building in the world. Another famous place in the city is the Hero Square. It was a decent walk from the Chain Bridge to get there. This square was a huge area and has statues of the seven founders of Hungary. While we're still in Budapest, we're going to visit one of the most famous places in Hungary, the Széchenyi Thermal Bath. Built in 1913, Széchenyi is the largest medicinal bath in Europe. This place is huge and has three outdoor pools and then 15 indoor baths. To get in, it costs about 30 euros a person. Make sure you bring your own flip-flops and a towel. We came in the morning and the place looks so epic with the morning steam against the rising sun. The main pool outside was super warm and had a temperature of 38 degrees celsius. After we went to check out the baths inside, there were just so many of them, ranging from cold pools to hot tubs, reaching up to 40 degrees celsius. I got a little overwhelmed with all the choices. There's also tons of saunas and a salt room. Overall, I really enjoyed experience there. It's definitely a must if you're in Budapest. After, we're going to visit Lake Balaton. Located about a two hours drive from Budapest, Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Central Europe. It's absolutely huge and it felt like an inland sea. Around Lake Balaton, there's a lot of beautiful towns on the shore. One of the main reasons I wanted to come here was to visit Dihon. It's located on this peninsula and it's this beautiful village with lots of shops and places to walk. The main attraction of Dihon is its abbey. It was first built in the 11th century and the churchy city day was rebuilt in 1754. It has one of the most amazing views of the lake. I really enjoyed just walking around the abbey. There were some nice paths that gave incredible views of Lake Balaton. Another impressive place near the lake is Siegfried's Castle. It's located about a 45 minute drive from Dihon. It's this fascinating fortress that's over 700 years old. It costs a few euros to enter and it was an uphill walk to reach the castle. It started to pour rain while we were up here but it was fascinating to walk around the fortress. While we're still in the area, we're going to visit Lake Hiviz. Located on the western side of Balaton, Lake Hiviz is the largest swimmable thermal lake in the world. You can swim here year-round. During summer months, it reaches up to 36 degrees celsius and then in the winter it gets down to 25 degrees. Romans used to bathe in the lake nearly 2,000 years ago and it has been used throughout the centuries for its medicinal purposes. After, we're going to visit the Visegrad Castle. Located about an hour's drive from Budapest, I'd say Visegrad is one of my favorite castles in the country. It's perched on this hilltop and it has incredible view overlooking the Danube River. During the 13th century, Hungary and much of Europe was attacked by the Mongols and as a result, heavily fortified castles were built. Visegrad's castle was constructed in 1245 AD and it was added on to throughout the ages. I love walking around the castle. I was so impressed by its massive protective walls and different layers of the fence. I definitely would have felt safe here during medieval times. There were some nice display rooms and I really enjoyed the views overlooking the Danube. If you're in Hungary, this castle is definitely worth visiting. If you keep heading up the Danube River, you'll reach the city of Esztergom. The crowning feature of the area is its basilica. It's the largest church in Hungary and it's absolutely massive. It's built on this hill which has had churches on it for over a thousand years. The church that you see today was completed in 1869 in a neoclassical style. About an hour's drive from Esztergom is the beautiful town of Tata. It's built on the shores of Lake Oreg and I think it's such a tranquil area and town. One of my favorite features of the area is the Tata castle. It was built in the 14th century and it was used as a film location in the Witcher TV series. Another interesting place nearby is the Balkoti floating village. It's located about a 30 minute drive from Tata and it's this artificial lake that has floating houses on it. The lake was originally built to supply cooling water to the nearby power station and as a result the water here didn't freeze during the winter and it was a good place for fishing. Today the power plant has been shut down but the floating fishing cottages remain. It's such a peculiar place and worth checking out if you're in the area. Our next destination is the historic city of Pec. Located about a two and a half hours drive from Budapest, Pec is the fifth largest city in the country. Pec's origins date back to ancient times. It began as a Roman settlement and during the medieval period Hungary's first university was founded here in 1367 and is still in operation today. In the 1500s the city fell under Ottoman rule which lasted for about 150 years. To date many Turkish buildings and Ottoman architecture remain. I particularly love the main square which features a historic Turkish mosque. Another one of the city's most notable features is its cathedral. It dates back to the 11th century and it's framed by four prominent towers. Afterwards we're going to visit the Hortobai National Park. Located on the great Hungarian plain in the eastern part of the country, Hortobai is this vast area rich in culture and wildlife. It's not only Hungary's first national park but also the largest protected area in the country. One of my favorite things about the park is its iconic animals especially the Hungarian grey cattle. I think they're such beautiful creatures with their long elegant horns and striking white coats. Afterwards we're going to head to the town of Lillefjord located about two and a half hours drive from Budapest. Lillefjord is this little town nestled in the Buk mountains. The area here is just beautiful. There's this little lake and when we were here the fall colors were starting to come in. The crowning feature of the area is its hotel. It's this luxury estate that was built in 1929 and it's known as one of Hungary's nicest resorts. I enjoyed walking around the hotel's grounds. I wish I would have spent the night there. There's also this really nice waterfall nearby and some beautiful gardens. Overall it was such a tranquil and beautiful area. Afterwards we're going to head up north to visit the Baradla Cave. Located about an hour's drive from Lillefjord, the Baradla Cave is part of the Aktelek National Park. The area is famous for its 280 caves. The Baradla Cave is 26 kilometers long and you can also access it from Slovakia through the Domica Cave. You can do a tour throughout the caverns. It's quite cold inside so make sure you bring some warm clothes. The rock formations are incredible. It's definitely worth checking out if you're northeastern Hungary. For our final destination we're going to visit the mountain of Kekes. Located about a 90 minutes drive from Budapest, Kekes is the highest place in all of Hungary with an elevation of 1014 meters. It's fairly easy to reach the peak. You can drive the mountainside and then it's a short walk to the massive TV tower which is 178 meters high. I enjoyed just walking around up here. The nature was beautiful and the overall scenery of the mountain was just so scenic. There was also some ski runs and lifts and it would be so fun to come here in the winter. Well that is it for my Hungary top 10. I was pleasantly surprised by the country and I need to come back for part two. Let me know where your favorite place is in the comments below. It's Ryan and we will see you later.