Hungarian folk art will cost considerably more if you buy it in a shop in the Vaci Utca shopping area in Budapest than it will if you buy it from a Transylvanian peasant on the street. Keep in mind that some of the fancy embroidery is not authentic—choose the simple red-on-black felt designs if you want the real thing.
Hungary produces outstanding porcelain, the most famous brands being Herend, Zsolnay and Hollohaza—all of which have shops in the Vaci Utca area. If you visit Pecs, it's well worth your time to take a tour of the Zsolnay factory and museum. The company once produced the finest art-nouveau porcelain and tiles in eastern Europe—including the famous tiles at the Gellert baths. Also look for peasant-style Korond pottery, often sold by the same Transylvanians pushing embroidery near the tourist areas.
Shop for lace, dolls in national costume, wine, carpets, copper and brassware, and wooden articles. Paprika, a favorite spice in Hungarian cooking, is another nice souvenir, sold in decorative tins, as is red wine from Villany or Tokay wine. There are some wonderful dried peppers sold along many country roads. If you choose to buy them, be aware that customs may take a dim view of your importing them back into your home country, so don't get too attached to them.
Poke around used bookshops and antiques stores (regiseg bolt) for fantastic treasures. Used bookshops often stock ancient prints, maps and photographs, as well as some great finds such as art books and old postcards. Hungary is one of the best places in Europe to shop for antiques because the market has not been nearly so picked over as in the West. Look along Falk Miksa Street, near the center of Budapest, and at the flea market, Ecseri Ut (on Nagykorosi Road). Get there early—by 9 am, the best pieces are already halfway to Vienna. If you buy antiques, keep the receipts to show customs.
Shopping Hours: Monday-Friday 10 am-6 pm, Saturday 10 am-1 pm. Many food stores have longer hours Monday-Friday, and malls are open later on Saturday and Sunday.
Day By Day
Hungary is filled with cultural and historical attractions, as well as tranquil peasant towns. The following would be a bare-bones minimum visit:
Day 1—Arrive Budapest. Stroll along the Danube embankment. Take in the Buda hills, the bridges and the castle.
Day 2—Budapest. Take the funicular up to the Castle District and spend the day wandering around. Take in a steamy thermal bath in the evening.
Day 3—Day trip to Esztergom and Visegrad. Take a riverboat to Visegrad. Then head to Esztergom to visit the Basilica and the Archbishop's Palace Museum.
Day 4—Day trip to Holloko and Eger. Spend the morning in Holloko, one of Hungary's most traditional villages and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue on to Eger and taste some red wines in Szepasszonyvolgy (The Valley of the Beautiful Women).
Day 5—Spend the day in the Lake Balaton area. Visit the baroque and rococo abbey on the Tihany Peninsula or head to the volcanic hills of Badacsony, on the northern side of the lake, to taste the white wine.
Day 6—Pecs. The Csontvary Museum, the Zsolnay Museum and the lovely pedestrian streets are highlights of this southern town in a region called the Hungarian Mediterranean.
Day 7—Return to Budapest. Spend the day seeing the sights in Pest, such as the Parliament, Vaci Utca, the old Jewish quarter and the Basilica.
Day 8—Depart Hungary.
If time permits, spend the night in Eger instead of seeing it only on a day trip, add another day in the Lake Balaton area and spend several days in the Great Plain and Hortobagy. If possible, when driving around the country, plan your routes so that they pass through the picturesque towns of Gyor, Kecskemet, Koszeg, Pecs, Sopron, Szeged and Veszprem.
Hungary also ties in well with a trip to Vienna, Austria. If you're starting from Vienna, travel to Budapest by car, by train (three hours) or (in the summer) by hydrofoil up the Danube. Driving straight through can take as few as four hours, but we recommend planning about nine hours and stopping to see some of the sights in Sopron, Koszeg and Gyor. Alternatively, you could spend the night in Gyor and drive on to Budapest via Esztergom and Visegrad the next day.
