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Hungary is a land with a long
tradition of riding vacations. But since rides can be purchased
at so many locations, it is essential to know ahead of time that
the horses and guides will meet one's quality standards. Our
programs assure just that. We work only with reputable partners,
partners who furnish outstanding horses and guides. Hungarians
are a friendly people known for their enjoyment of life.
Colorful celebrations and folk dances are forms of expression of
this life-affirming attitude, as is the pride that is manifested
in the creation and maintenance of beautiful villages and
cities. The horse is celebrated as an integral part of Hungary's
past and present. Huge herds of horses still roam the
countryside, just as they did at the time of the "Hussars". |
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Regional General Information
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Updated for 2006 |
The Great Plain Area
 This
region covers more than half the country and contains thousands of acres
of vineyards, orchards and farmland. Kecskemét, 85km (53 miles)
southeast of the capital, is the home town of the composer Zoltán Kodály.
Although an industrial town in many respects, there is still an artists’
colony and a centre for folk music there. It also has some fine examples
of peasant architecture and of crafts in the Native Artists and
Katona Jozsef Museum. Outside the town the Kiskunság National
Park preserves parts of the Danube Tisza Floodplain of
Central Hungary in seven disconnected areas including swamps, alkali
plateaus and lakes. The famous Bugac Puszta stretches out here as
well. Szeged is the economic and cultural centre of this region,
housing Hungary’s finest Greek Orthodox (Serbian) church. Baja is
a small, picturesque town on the banks of both the Danube and
Sugovica rivers with many small islands, old churches and an
artists’ colony. Further east is the Hortobágy National Park, the
‘Hungarian Puszta’, the alkali plains which begin the Asian steppes.
The Northern Highlands
 Miskolc,
Hungary’s second-largest city, is situated near the Slovak border.
Primarily industrial, the city nevertheless has several points of
interest, including medieval architecture and the warren of man-made
caves in the Avas Hills near the city centre. Nearby are the
beautiful forested Bükk National Park, part of the Northern Hill
Range, which is also an area of karst topography including the country’s
deepest caves at Lillafüred; many traces of Neanderthal man have
been found here. North of Bükk, the Aggtelek National Park is
part of the Gömör Torna Karst area of cave systems which extends
into the Slovak Republic. Caving, fishing and riding are popular, and
there are many cultural monuments, masterpieces of folk architecture,
ruins recalling the atmosphere of the Middle Ages, old churches,
graveyards and locally surviving farming techniques. Eger, one of
the country’s oldest and most colorful cities, has nearly 200 historical
monuments including its 14-sided Minaret; just west of the town
are the vineyards of the Szépasszony Valley where visitors can
sample the famous Bikavér (Bull’s Blood) wine. Due east is
Tokaj, the equivalent of Champagne as a wine-producing area. Halfway
between Tokaj and the Slovak border is the spectacular Sárospatak
Castle, one of Hungary’s greatest historical monuments.
The West & Lake
Balaton
 Sopron,
close to the Austrian frontier, is built on old Roman foundations, and
reminders of the region’s history are still very much in evidence in the
town’s 240 listed buildings. Among the sights here are the Firewatch
Tower, Storno House showing Roman, Celtic and Avar relics as
well as mementoes of Franz Liszt, the Gothic Goat Church and the
gargoyled Church of St Michael.
ELSEWHERE: 27km
(17 miles) away is the Baroque Esterházy Palace at Fertöd,
designed to rival Versailles; Josef Haydn was music master here at the
end of the 18th century. Nearby is the spa town of Balf. The
walled town of Köszeg and the riverside town of Györ, on
the main Budapest–Vienna highway, Szombathely (which claims to be
the oldest town in Hungary and has much excellent Romanesque stonework)
and Zalaegerszeg
are also attractive towns to visit. Located between Budapest and
Lake Balaton, Székesfehérvár boasts a Baroque Town Hall,
as well as the Zichy Palace and the Garden of Ruins – an
open-air museum. Fertő-Hanság National Park, the main areas of
which are Lake Fertő, the westernmost steppe lake in Eurasia, and
the Hanság, an area of wetlands, adjoins the Austrian National
Park Neusiedlersee-Seewinkel. Birdwatching, cycling and hiking are
popular, and there is a permanent wildlife and ethnographic museum at
Öntésmajor.
LAKE BALATON:
Lake Balaton is a popular holiday region because
of its sandy beaches (strands) and shallow waters. The
surrounding countryside consists mainly of fertile plains dotted with
old villages.
Siófok, on the south shore of the lake, has some of the sandiest
beaches and best facilities for tourists. Keszthely is a pleasant
old town – the Balaton’s best – including the Festetics Palace
with its Helicon Library, and the Balaton Museum. Hévíz,
Europe’s largest thermal lake, is a short bus ride away. Balatonfüred
is a well-known health resort with 11 medicinal springs. Tihany’s
Benedictine Abbey was founded in 1055; Belsô-tó Lake and the
Aranyház geyser cones are nearby. Veszprém, 10km (6 miles)
north of Lake Balaton, is a pretty town with cobbled streets, built on
five hills. It is the home of the Var Museum, an Episcopal
Palace and the 13th-century Gizella Chapel.
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