What to See in Hungary: Cities to Explore on Foot

Hungary is a Central European country shaped by the Danube, the Tisza and centuries of movement, conflict and cultural change. From Budapest’s grand architecture and riverfront to historic towns, Roman remains, castles and distinctive food, there are plenty of things to do in Hungary. Neywo offers free audio guides for 9 cities in Hungary, with 345 narrated places in total.

What to see and do in Hungary

Explore Budapest, the capital

Budapest is Hungary’s capital, largest city and cultural and economic centre. The Danube runs through the country’s centre and helps define the city’s setting, while Budapest’s architecture reflects the country’s long history and its varied artistic traditions, including Historicism and forms of Art Nouveau.

The city is a natural starting point for a Budapest visit. Its narrated places include the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Vajdahunyad Castle, the Dominican monastery on Margaret Island and Buda Castle. Budapest is also home to one of Europe’s largest medicinal baths and Europe’s largest synagogue.

Discover Hungary’s layered history

Hungary’s history reaches back well before the formation of a Hungarian state. Celts, Romans, Huns, Avars and Slavs all lived in the region before the Hungarian conquerors arrived from the Pontic-Caspian steppe as a confederation of seven tribes. Statehood began near the end of the first millennium, and in the year 1000 King Stephen I ruled a medieval Christian kingdom.

The country later endured major upheaval. After the Ottoman victory at Mohács, Hungary was divided into three regions for more than a century and a half. It was eventually reunited under Habsburg rule, although resistance continued. The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy followed a political compromise and remained a European great power until World War One. Modern Hungary’s borders were established by the Treaty of Trianon after severe territorial losses.

The 20th century brought another world war, communist rule and the unsuccessful revolution of 1956. Hungary later made a peaceful transition to a democratic parliamentary republic. Across these changes, the idea of Hungary endured.

Visit Eger and its castle

Eger is one of the Hungarian cities covered by Neywo. Its narrated places include the Castle of Eger, the Basilica in Eger, the Egri Road Beatles Múzeum and Város a város alatt. Together, they offer different perspectives on the city’s heritage, architecture and cultural life.

See Esztergom and the Danube region

Esztergom’s narrated places include Esztergom Basilica, the Chapel of Saint Thomas Becket in Szenttamás, the Bálint Balassa Museum and the Pauline Monastery in Pilisszentlélek. The city is one of the country’s destinations where religious, historical and regional heritage come together. You can explore its highlights through the Esztergom audio guide.

Visit Pécs’s Roman and architectural heritage

Pécs has 77 narrated places, making it one of the most extensively covered Hungarian cities on Neywo. Its highlights include Pécs Cathedral, the early Christian cemetery of Pécs (Sopianae), the Cella Septichora Visitor Centre and the Late Roman cemetery chapel.

The city’s Roman remains are part of Hungary’s long sequence of historical layers, linking the present-day country to the period when the region formed part of the Roman world. The Pécs guide helps place these sites within the city’s wider story.

Explore Sopron and Kőszeg

Sopron’s narrated places include the Paulian-Carmelite Monastery in Sopronbánfalva, Taródi Castle, the Central Mining Museum and the Esterházy Palace Forestry Museum. Its selection shows the range of heritage found beyond the capital, from religious buildings and castles to museums connected with mining and forestry.

In Kőszeg, Neywo covers the Bechtold István Nature Conservation Visitor Centre, the Black Saracen Pharmacy Museum, the Generals’ House and the Pharmacy to the Golden Unicorn. The Kőszeg guide is a way to discover the town’s historic and cultural places while walking.

See Szeged’s churches, museums and galleries

Szeged has 34 narrated places. The Franciscan Church in Szeged-Alsóváros, the Black House in Szeged, the Votive Church of Szeged and Kass Galéria are among its main highlights. This combination brings together religious architecture, local history and art.

The Szeged audio guide is useful for exploring the city’s places in sequence, without needing to follow a group itinerary.

Discover Keszthely and Visegrád

Keszthely’s six narrated places include Festetics Palace, the Balaton Museum, Balaton Színház and Keszthely Synagogue. The town provides another view of Hungary’s architectural and cultural variety.

Visegrád has four narrated places: Visegrád Castle, Salamon torony, the Castra of Visegrád-Gizellamajor and the royal palace of Visegrád. Its sites reflect the importance of the town in Hungary’s historical landscape. The Visegrád guide covers these places as part of a walk through the town.

Understand Hungary through its landscape and culture

Hungary is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin. Broad lowland plains dominate much of the country, but the landscape is not entirely flat. The Danube runs north to south through the centre, while the Tisza helps define the country’s eastern geography. Hungary is commonly described through three great areas: Transdanubia, Tiszántúl and Duna-Tisza köze, the land between the two rivers.

Transdanubia becomes hillier west of the centre, with low mountains and the eastern reach of the Alps. The Little Hungarian Plain lies in northern Transdanubia. Summers are generally warm, with low humidity and frequent rain showers, while winters are cold and snowy.

Hungary calls itself Magyarország, meaning the country of the Magyars. Hungarian is the official and predominant language and belongs to a relatively small group of European languages outside the Indo-European family. Music is another important part of the country’s cultural identity: traditional folk music stands alongside the work of composers such as Franz Liszt, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály.

Food offers an equally direct introduction to Hungary. Paprika is closely associated with Hungarian cooking and is made from ground red peppers. Gulyás, or goulash, may be served as a stew or soup, while thick sour cream known as tejföl is often added to soften a dish’s flavour.

Explore Hungary with Neywo’s free audio guides

Download Neywo to explore Hungary independently. The app covers 9 cities, with 21 walking tours and 345 narrated places in total. Narration is available in 11 languages.

Each story plays as you reach the place, at your own pace: no group and no schedule. Download the app, choose a city and let the audio guide tell the story of each site as you walk.