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Full country name: Republic of Hungary
Area: 93,000 sq km
Population: 10.1 million
Capital city: Budapest (pop 2 million)
People:89.9% Hungarian, 4% Gypsy, 2.6% German, 0.8% Slovak & 0.7% Romanian
Language: Hungarian
Religion: 68% Roman Catholic, 21% Reformed (Calvinist), 6% Evangelical (Lutheran), 5% Other
Government: Parliamentary democracy
President: Ferenc Madl

GDP: US$75.4 billion
GDP per head: US$7,400
Annual growth: 5%
Inflation: 10%
Major industries: Mining, metallurgy & agriculture, construction materials, processed foods, textiles,chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles
Major trading partners: Germany, Austria, Italy, Russia
Member of EU: No

Events

Hungary's major celebration is the Budapest Spring Festival (March), a two-week cultural extravaganza of local and international performances, conferences and exhibitions. Other important events include: the Budapest Film Festival (February), which premieres new Hungarian films; Busójárás (Mohás; February also), the nation's top Mardi Gras; Sopron Festival Weeks (Sopron; June/July), showcasing ancient music and dance performances; the Folk Arts Festival (Nagykálló; August), one of the biggest and best events of the year; and Jazz Days (Debrecen; September), which is Hungary's top jazz festival.

Traveling Guidelines

Visas: Citizens of the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Asian countries and most European countries don't require visas; German and French citizens need only show their identity cards. Nationals of Australia require visas, which are valid for between 30 and 90 days. Visas may be purchased upon arrival.
Health risks: None
Time: GMT/UTC plus one hour (winter); plus two hours (summer)
Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Tourism: 20 million visitors per year

Ideal Time to Visit

Though it can be pretty wet in May and June, spring is just glorious in Hungary. The Hungarian summer is warm, sunny and unusually long, but the resorts are very crowded in late July and August. Like Paris and Rome, Budapest comes to a halt in August (called 'the cucumber-growing season' here because that's about the only thing happening).

Autumn is beautiful, particularly in the hills around Budapest and in the Northern Uplands. November is one of the rainiest months of the year, however. Winter is cold, often bleak and museums and other tourist sights are often closed. Animal lovers will also want to skip this season: half the women are draped in furry dead things throughout the winter.