Hungary, 2nd (Bradt Travel Guide Hungary)
Hungary, 2nd (Bradt Travel Guide Hungary) Review
Bradt has long been known for publishing detailed guides to obscure countries and regions few other publishers bother with – their guides to several countries in Africa or the Balkans are the only ones available.
Hungary is very different though: It is one of the most visited countries in Eastern Europe, already covered by all major guidebook publishers. So I was quite curious to see what Bradt could make of it – all the more so as it is my homeland, actually!
I first saw the book in a store in Singapore, and immediatey found it so good that I decided to order a copy once back home to be able to read it more thoroughly.
In the end, I have concluded that this is probably the best guide to Hungary ever published abroad! It is very comprehensive, covering more places than the competition (Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, etc.). It excels in covering less standard attractions such as ecotourism, birdwatching and nature reserves. It contains lots of useful and insightful background information, often in boxed texts scattered throughout the guide. All this comes with most of the practical info you could expect: details on places to stay from campsites to five-star hotels, recommended places to eat, details on getting to the places described by public transport, including its frequency.
And to top it all, the style is perhaps the most entertaining of all Bradt guides I have read: it is opinionated, amusing and conveys an obvious fondness of the country.
OK, now for the shortcomings – surely no book can be perfect, right?
1) Coverage of budget accomodation options is limited, for some places noting none, for others only one or two. This, and maybe the next thing I mention, makes Lonely Planet perhaps the better choice for budget travellers (only!).
2) For public transport, fares and length of journey are rarely given. Of course you can easily find these details out once in Hungary.
3) All that witty background info is not always correct! As examples, the authors try and exaggrate the “exoticness” of Hungarians by claiming their language is unrelated to others in Europe (dismissing the well-proven, long-known fact that it belongs to the Finno-Ugric group like Finnish and Estonian) and by claiming that the Hungarians’ ancestral homeland lies in “Central Asia” between the Volga River and the Urals – anyone with at least elementary knowledge of geography or a map on hand will see that the area mentioned is in European Russia, not in Central Asia! 
But the positives well and truly outweigh these shortcomings (which will hopefully be corrected in the next edition), and for most people planning to visit Hungary I can only recommend this book most highly!
The only guidebook I found even more comprehensive is the locally published, encyclopedic Out and About in Hungary which covers even more places with great photos, but has none of the practical info. That book is widely available in good bookstores in Hungary, but not on Amazon.
Hungary, 2nd (Bradt Travel Guide Hungary) Feature
- ISBN13: 9781841622859
- Condition: New
- Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Hungary, 2nd (Bradt Travel Guide Hungary) Overview
With increasing airline coverage of Budapest, keen foreign interest in the local property market, a weak currency, and significant recent investment in hotels and other visitor facilities, Hungary’s tourist industry is booming. The first edition of Bradt’s Hungary won the Best Guide Book Award from the British Guild of Travel Writers; this thoroughly updated second edition further strengthens the guide, offering expanded coverage of Lake Balaton (which now has its own airport and is a popular resort destination), new walking trails in the countryside, details of the best thermal baths, information on dental and medical tourism, and much more.
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