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The West
The lake Balaton in the west is a popular holiday region, with its sandy beaches and shallow waters, and surrounding countryside.
Székesfehérvár
It is located between lake Balaton and Budapest, and has a 17th-century Town Hall in the Baroque style, as well as the Zichy Palace and the Garden of Ruins, the open-air museum.
Siófok
Located to the south shore of lake Balaton, it has some of the sandiest beaches and best facilities for tourists.
Keszthely
It is a pleasant old town containing the Georgikon, the first agricultural college in Europe founded in the 18th century, the Helikon Library; and the Balaton Museum.
Balatonfüred
It is a well-known health resort with 11 medicinal springs.
Veszprém
Located 10km (6 miles) north of Lake Balaton on five hills, is a pretty town with cobbled streets. It is the home of the Var Museum, an Episcopal Palace and the 15th-century Gizella Chapel.
Szombathely
Claiming to be the oldest town in Hungary, this town and Zalaegerszeg has superb examples of Romanesque stonework.
Sopron
Close to the Austrian frontier, it is built on its old Roman foundations. The main attractions of the area are the Fire Tower, the Liszt Museum and the ancient quarry at Fertörákos. Nearby is the spa town of Balf and the Baroque castle of Fertöd, recently restored to its original condition.
Budapest-Vienna highway
Two other towns worth visiting in this region are located on the main Budapest-Vienna highway, and are namely the walled town of Köszeg and the riverside town of Györ. About 18km (11 miles) southeast of Györ is the ancient hilltop monastery of Pannonhalma.
The Great Plain Area
This region covers more than half the country and contains thousands of acres of vineyards, orchards and farmland.
Kecskemét
Located 85km (53 miles) southeast of Budapest, it is the home town of the composer Zoltán Kodály. It preserves some fine examples of peasant architecture and crafts in the Native Artists and Katona Jozsef Museum. There is an artists' colony that is a centre for folk music. Outside the town is the Kiskunság National Park with the Shepherd Museum showing how animals and people lived in earlier times with horse shows held quite often.
Szeged
It is the economic and cultural centre of this region and is famous for its Festival of Opera, Drama and Ballet held in July and August.
Baja
It is a small, picturesque town on the banks of both the Danube and Sugovica rivers, which has many small islands, old churches and an artists' colony.
