I visited Budapest in 2023 and 2024, and also took in Veszprém and Lake Balaton this year.

Hungarian Cities

• Budapest – 6/10 (2023, 2024)
• Balatonfüred – 5/10 (2024)
• Veszprém – 5/10 (2024)
• Lake Balaton – 5/10 (2024)

I can’t say I’m particularly thrilled with Hungary. The locals come off as dour and surly; I sometimes got the impression they inherited German authoritarianism and Slavonic dysfunction, uncharitable as this is. They have the lowest level of English language comprehension in the EU, while Hungarian is obviously completely foreign to Anglo-Germanic, Latinate, and Slavonic ears alike.

There is no Uber and the local taxi lobby is known for its scamminess. Infrastructure quality is closer to Romania than Poland, a stark illustration of how Hungary went from being an economic leader in CEE under goulash socialism to a relative laggard today. Not that this will even delay multiculturalism much, since Budapest – like Polish cities and even Belgrade – is now full of SE Asian and subcon Gastarbeiters. Lake Balaton came off as a typical Eastern European bathing hole populated by overweight proles drinking beer and naked toddlers running about. Dime a dozen thing around Moscow. Not that it’s bad, but nothing to write home about – just folks who can’t afford the Mediterranean holiday.

I don’t want to go overboard on the criticism. Budapest does have its charms, the girls in particular having a very specific kind of high cheekbones foxy physiognomy I find quite attractive and which goes well with their fondness for tattoos (but tastes differ). Transportation is cheap and convenient. And like much of CEE your money will go further than out west, though much less so than a few years ago. If I had to downshift in this region, I would probably go for Warsaw or Belgrade, but Budapest is competitive.