Hungary, as piquant as the paprika it's famous for and as romantic as the Roma music that inspired Bela Bartok, offers visitors a taste of Europe's heart and soul - but at half the price of anywhere else in Western Europe. Budapest is the star attraction, fabulously located on the Danube and rich in Art Nouveau and baroque architecture. Outside the capital, there are ruined castles, rejuvenating spas, Roman and Turkish remnants and exquisite lake and vine country. Now that Hungary has joined the EU, the time is more than ripe to experience Magyarorszag.

Best time to visit

May to September

Essential experiences

Soothing away those aches and pains in one of Budapest's thermal baths; letting loose at a resort on Lake Balaton - Hungary's inland sea; strolling around the Castle District in Buda; cycling along the banks of the Danube.

In a few words, Hungary is

Goulash; Salami; Rubik's cube; water polo; Nobel Prize winners; Zsa Zsa Gabor and Roma music.

Did you know

Hungarian surnames appear before Christian names as in Asian cultures and the burial place of Attila the Hun and his lost treasure is said to be somewhere in Hungary.