Hungary itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Nights below are a starting split, not a rule. Every leg is reachable by train or bus, and Budapest is the junction for all of them, so a route that looks like a loop is usually two trains with a change in the capital.

Give Budapest four nights. That covers Parliament, Castle Hill, one bath session and one evening in the ruin-bar district without rushing, plus a half-day for the Danube Bend if you want it. Book Parliament tours online days ahead; they sell out.

Then take the train to Eger for two nights: castle, a walk in the baroque centre and an evening in the Valley of Beautiful Women cellars. Finish with one night in Tokaj for the sweet-wine cellars, then return to Budapest, which is where you fly out from.

If you are travelling in June, July or August, swap Eger and Tokaj for Lake Balaton: three nights on the north shore, with Tihany and the wine hills, is a better use of a hot week than inland towns.

A fortnight lets you stop treating Budapest as the only base. Keep five nights in the capital, then work west and south: Danube Bend, Lake Balaton, Pécs, and a final night in Budapest before the flight.

The Danube Bend is usually a day trip from Budapest — Szentendre, Visegrád and Esztergom sit on one line — but one night in Szentendre or Visegrád slows it down usefully. Balaton deserves three nights on the north shore, which is easier by car; Balatonfüred, Tihany and Keszthely are the usual bases.

Pécs takes two nights: Ottoman mosques, the early Christian tombs and the Zsolnay quarter. Trains and buses both run from Budapest, and you can continue to Balaton or back to the capital from there.

Three weeks is enough to cross the country without long days in transit. After Budapest and the Danube Bend, head east to Eger and Tokaj, then on to Debrecen and the Hortobágy plain — Hungary's steppe, with birdlife and horse shows, best reached from Debrecen.

From the east, drop south to Szeged for the Art Nouveau centre and paprika, then west to Pécs, and finish with four nights at Lake Balaton before one last night in Budapest. This is a loop, but expect to change trains in Budapest on at least one leg.

Use the extra days for slower things: a second bath in Budapest, a full day on Balaton rather than an afternoon, and a wine-cellar visit in Tokaj or Eger that is not squeezed between trains.

Trains are the backbone and Budapest is the hub, so build the route around the capital rather than trying to skip it. Regional buses fill gaps the rail network leaves, especially around Balaton and to smaller wine villages.

Check the Gellért Baths before planning around them — they closed for a long renovation. Parliament tours need booking days ahead. In July and August, book Balaton accommodation early; in the shoulder months, April to June and September to October, Budapest and the wine towns are at their best.

Prices, timetables and opening hours change; confirm times and fares with the operator before you book. For money, tipping and entry rules, see the country pages linked below.