
The Kazan Straits is a wonder and splendour in every sense. I had the great pleasure of exploring the area for three and a half very full days this summer. All I had beforehand were picturesque impressions from various chronicles and very limited tourist information. But my greatest asset pre-arrival was a promising hotel that indeed provided all I needed to set me up, so regardless of all else I took my leave by overnight train from Budapest to Orșova, the “Kazan Capital” in south-western Romania, which overlooks not only these rare and significant peaks but also the majestic and equally grand River Danube.

Liszt Ferenc passenger numbers close to 1.3 million in July
Passenger numbers at Liszt Ferenc International climbed to 1,294,608 in July, operator Budapest Airport said in a monthly bulletin.

Batumi plays a winning hand
The World Travel Awards are called the “Oscars” of tourism, the industry's most prestigious accolades, and to host the annual ceremony rewarding the very best of the best is a much-desired honour. Next year the distinction will fall to Batumi, thus recognising the Georgian ...
More News

Tourism agency: June guest nights top pre-pandemic levels
The number of guest nights in June grew by 15 percent compared with record-breaking 2019 numbers, the National Tourism Agency (MTU) said on Tuesday, citing figures from the national tourism data supply centre (NTAK).

“Welcome to the Hotel Kazan-fornian”
Mai Danube Pensiunea awaits your arrival… at any time of year
If you want great adventure and something entirely different, make your way to the Kazan Straits. This is either a 500-kilometre overland trek from Budapest or a 700-kilometre ride on the equally splendid River Danube until end stop Orșova, the Kazan capital, in Romania.

Searching for the original Dracula
Should you be in Romania and have an interest in Dracula but wish to avoid the tourism boom of Transylvania with its overly spooky Castle Bran and the flutter of its obvious vampire clichés, especially when at the souvenir shops, there is an alternative ...

Hungary receives prestigious tourism awards from China
Hungary has received four prestigious awards granted by China's national tourism board for its "outstanding performance" in the sector, the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTU) said on Monday.

Air China to re-launch Beijing-Budapest flight
Air China will re-launch its direct flights between Beijing and Budapest on July 7, the Hungarian foreign minister said on Sunday.

Beyond the obvious in Montenegro
Bluest of water, greenest of terrain in land of the “black mountain”
Hungarans love their “inland sea”, and rightly so, but for the real thing – for the tang of salt air and a limitless blue, blue horizon to further excite the senses – there is a world beyond Balaton and it’s necessary to press on ...

Government condemns Ryanair’s ‘unfair ticket pricing’
The government condemns low-cost airline Ryanair's "unfair ticket pricing", the ministry of economic development said on Friday. Marton Nagy, the minister, has launched an investigation with a view to protecting consumers.

Hunguest Hotel Sun Resort, Herceg Novi, Montenegro
A Hungarian welcome in splendid Montenegro
Sensibly, hotels like to promote themselves as a “home away from home” to attract guests. And the Hunguest Hotel Sun Resort in Montenegro has something of a head start when it comes to enticing Hungarians visiting this scenically outstanding country. As a property owned ...
Most read articles Travel

A symbolic impression of Ukraine's second city in suburban Pest
Little Kharkiv tucked away in Thököly Road
A place I was fortunate to travel to this year between pandemic lockdowns was Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the east of the country. And it's interesting that since my return to Budapest there have been certain moments back home when things suddenly spring ...

Tower top matches famous Hollywood film
A touch of “Vertigo” at Polish church
With all respect to the Polska Parafia Personalna w Budapeszcie, which translates as the Polish Personal Parish in Budapest, whenever in line of sight of this Kőbánya landmark it is the tower top that gives the surreal but impulsive take I always have here ...

Szolnok with an unexpected Estonian twist
A tale of two Tallinns
This wintery, restricted-action January I yearned for a day out. It did not matter where. In haste, I took the first train out of the city and went to Szolnok. I had no real aim in mind other than to be the mere tourist ...
Most commented articles Travel

Travel writers organisation returns to the road
Promoting tourism in post-plague times
It was a case of “worth the wait” when the Croatian sector of the Fédération Internationale des Jounalistes et Ecrivains du Tourisme (FIJET, World Federation of Travel Journalists and Writers) held its annual Marco Polo awards ceremony in Zagreb on December 9, having had ...

Szolnok with an unexpected Estonian twist
A tale of two Tallinns
This wintery, restricted-action January I yearned for a day out. It did not matter where. In haste, I took the first train out of the city and went to Szolnok. I had no real aim in mind other than to be the mere tourist ...

A symbolic impression of Ukraine's second city in suburban Pest
Little Kharkiv tucked away in Thököly Road
A place I was fortunate to travel to this year between pandemic lockdowns was Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the east of the country. And it's interesting that since my return to Budapest there have been certain moments back home when things suddenly spring ...