Many tourists rent a holiday villa or self catering villa and visit the world heritage sites of Hungary. Budapest is the most famous heritage site. It is the capital city of Hungary and famous for three sites, Buda, Pest and Castle Hill. You will find the marvellous Royal Palace situated here. It is built in Gothic style. It has been built and modified for more than 300 years. In 1968, the castle was destroyed by the Christian army. In 1715, the castle was rebuilt once again. Buda Castle Labyrinth is another famous tourist attraction. It is the underground maze which stretches all the way to Castle Hill.

Most tourists rent a holiday apartment or cottage and use this as a base to explore the local tourist attractions. One that is not to be missed is The Great Synagogue in Budapest. This is the largest synagogue is Europe. It is stunning monument. The Szoborpark statue park is another favourite for tourists and is well worth visiting.

Most of the statues are of communists from the history of Hungary. As you walk around, imagine driving to your job every day and driving past these monumental statues on your way to remind you of the leader that you must honour and accept, no matter how much terror he brings to your country. The museum is an introduction to the spirit behind the Iron Curtain.

For lovers of shopping there is The Central Market Mall. This is situated in Budapest. The 19th century market is the largest in the city. This was built in the 1890s and was re-established in 1994. Budapest offers rented accommodation such as self catering apartments and holiday villas; you can arrange this through the home owner.

Another great attraction are The Great Plains as they can be used for horse riding at the weekends. These plains are also the home to various popular stud farms that are used for regular horse shows and exhibitions. You can book for horse riding lessons or go on excursions with various horse riding schools.

Hungary is a great place for both summer and winter holidays, whether you’re looking to rent a luxury villa with a swimming pool in the sun, or a ski chalet in the snow, Hungary is the perfect location.

Lovers of the outdoor lifestyle can rent a holiday cottage in the mountains, hiking, climbing, horse-riding, fishing and swimming are just a few activities that can be enjoyed. For people wanting to go on a fishing holiday, they can rent a villa with a swimming pool in one of the many villas around Lake Balaton.

Hungarian wine is now a growth industry and some holiday makers come on short breaks to Hungary and take trips around the local vineyards. Staying in a holiday home provides an ideal base to explore the village markets and sampling the home grown food.

Budapest is regarded as the ‘Paris of eastern Europe’ and is now a very popular tourist destination. It is a city full of great contrast in architectural styles with the new mixed in with the old. Many couples take a romantic break to Budapest and stay in one of the many fabulous self catering apartments.

Tourists to Budapest like to explore the local museums and many take a trip round its hilltop castle. They may then return to their holiday home rental before visiting one of Budapest’s many spas and thermal baths. The more energetic tourist may take one of the many walking tours of the city. Budapest is also famous for its pulsating nightlife and many couples visit for long weekend breaks staying in self catering holiday apartments.

It is said that the most beautiful stretch of the river Danube is the Danube Bend and many holiday makers come especially to visit it. It begins at Esztergom, and then twists and curves past Visegrad where it splits in two. The entire area consists of peaks, resorts and small towns along the river. Many people spend their vacation in one of the holiday cottages or villas with swimming pools that are dotted along the path of this famous river.

It passes Pilis Park Forest and the Borzsony Protected Area which is part of the Danubi-Ipoly National Park where the hills, forges and trails have much to offer. These trails are also popular with tourists who take hiking holidays and stay in small farmhouses that can be rented from their owners.

Lake Balaton is referred to as Hungary’s inland sea. This area has some fabulous holiday villas and cottages that can be rented as holiday homes. It is great for swimming, boating and fishing and many tourists are enchanted by its tranquil setting.

The Matra and Bukk mountains are in the North East of Hungary. Miles and miles of trails stretch through the forests and meadows of the mountains here. They are ideal for walking, mountain biking but especially horse riding. Just a short trip from Budapest brings you to this beautiful part of the country where many families come on their vacations staying in holiday homes.

Communist rule did no harm to the traditional techniques of wine making in Hungary. It could even be argued that Communism preserved the old

ways better than in the West.

In France, and to some extent in Italy and Spain, the big labels dominate the market. But in Hungary there are many small producers. The market

is more like it was in France in the 1950s. It makes it more difficult to read but it means that there are always some serendipitous discoveries to

be made in Hungary.

There is a tremendous uniformity about New World wine and increasingly so from French wine. This is great for the supermarkets who want to

stock their shelves with a product that remains the same year in year out but it is very dull for the wine lover who wants to be adventurous.

Choosing Hungarian wines demands that you know something about the different regions and the types of wine they produce. There are at least

20 different regions in Hungary and many different varieties of grapes. This tends to produce a great range of wines that reflect the soil conditions

and climatic variations of the country.

Tokay Aszu has always been one of the most famous of Hungary’s wines. It became popular among European aristocrats in the seventeenth

century. Louis XIV called it the king of wines and Voltaire wrote a poem about it.

It was thought to have healing powers. Who knows whether that is true? The wonders of red wine are only just beginning to be investigated by

scientists. Whether it cures all ills or not this is one of the best Hungarian wines to try.

The long warm moist autumn in this region allows the grapes to ferment on the vine. This is known as the noble rot. It produces a characteristic

wine that is allowed to age in small casks in tunnels cut into the volcanic rock of the region.

Tokay wine has been called the ultimate desert wine. But it can also be drunk as an aperitif like sherry.