TRAVEL

Hungary beyond Budapest…

The western part of this European country is distinctly different

The Jurisics Tér is the city’s heart, and one of the most beautiful squares in Hungary [Photo: Vickey Maverick]

Budapest is Hungary’s capital and largest city. It is by far the most visited city in the country, with millions of tourists landing every year. It also happens to be one of my most favorite cities. That being said, I am a traveler and not a tourist.

As such, every time I plan to travel, the idea is to go beyond the usual. In the case of Hungary, it is no different. Every occasion I venture out to this beautiful European country, I behave very unlike me. I make at least a couple of impromptu decisions during every vacation, and this attitude has helped me explore a lot of the country. This trip was no different.

For starters, on this occasion, I had not landed in Budapest and planned further. Instead, I was on my way to the hitherto unexplored western part of Hungary, having flown in to neighboring Austria. While I landed at Vienna, it was not going to be my base for the next few days. On the contrary, I had towards Sopron.

In the eight days that followed, I ended up exploring Sopron, Szombathely, Kőszeg and the surrounding countryside in the Győr-Moson-Sopron County and the Vas County. All the cities I ended up visiting also have a German name. So it is Ödenburg for Sopron…