Luxury Vacations in Hungary

If, at mention of Hungary, the mind’s eye drifts towards Budapest, it has good reason to. The Hungarian capital has always been one of Europe’s great cities. It looks the part – the Danube curving through in a decadent arc, the spires of the national parliament reflected in its surface, the dome of St Stephen’s Basilica behind.

On the west side of the river, the towers of the Fisherman’s Bastion supply a note of whimsy, as the communal spaces of the Gellert Baths hint at both Ancient Rome and the old rigours of the Communist days. But Budapest is not the sole note to the Hungarian melody. Exploration brings rewards. Lake Balaton is the biggest such water feature in Central Europe, equal in beauty to any of Italy’s outstretched Alpine fingers. And the plains of the east roll low, partly protected as Hortobágy National Park – not far from the city in distance, utterly removed in spirit.