Car Rental - Hungary
Car rental in Hungary takes you to medieval towns full of ancient wooden churches, soothing spas where you can soak in restorative waters and art nouveau and baroque buildings seemingly around every corner.
It's a true balm for the senses.
Many visit the landlocked country just to see the evocative capital, Budapest, and while that fine city is definitely worth the journey alone, there’s much more to see and do here, all made easier with car rental.
We have pick-up locations in the top cities, including Budapest but also Debrecen, Pecs, Gyor and more. Hungary is a great place to explore by car, so we’ll help you get on the road in your vehicle of choice without delay. Pay online in advance or on collection – either way there are no hidden charges.
Top Locations in Hungary
A Quick Guide to Hungary
Experience Hungary by car and you’ll find its landscape soothing – this isn’t a place of drama and jagged mountains. No, the Hungarians save the drama for their cities, where you can barely turn your head without seeing another art nouveau masterpiece or something that seems from another era entirely.
Lakes, baths, churches, museums, parks and rib-sticking food – this is a relaxing and fascinating country to visit. Take advantage of car rental in Hungary and see all that it has to offer.
A Tale of Two Cities
Split into two – literally ‘Buda’ and ‘Pest – Budapest is a city whose history is not hard to discern. The old town, the Jewish quarter and the palaces all tell a story of Hungary’s past. And other places speak to Hungary’s present – not least their continued predilection for unwinding in thermal baths.
Join the locals at the Szechenyi, a Baroque building with indoor and outdoor pools, in addition to numerous steam rooms and saunas. Or you could try the Gellert, open since 1918 and with a lavishly ornate interior for soaking in style.
Tick off the big tourist attractions with a visit to St. Stephen’s Basilica and the Great Synagogue. The interior of the former is dark and brooding but stunning, while the latter contains some unique Jewish artefacts spanning the ages.
Finish your trip to Budapest with something completely different – the House of Terror. This building once housed the Secret Police and tells the story of repression during the Fascist and Communist eras.
Pecs and the City
Pecs may be only the fifth-largest city in Hungary, but it’s possibly the most visited after Budapest. It’s laidback, with great cafes and restaurants, and its wide-open spaces and Roman ruins can make it feel more like the Mediterranean than Eastern Europe.
The 12th century cathedral stands proud in its center – converted to a mosque by the Turks in the 16th century, it was later reclaimed by Christians.
There’s a similar tale at the Mosque of Pasha Qasim, although that was built by the Turks in the 16th century before Christians took it back in the 19th century. It retains many Islamic and Ottoman elements.
The Whole of Hungary
There’s much to explore in this charming country. The vineyards of Eger are a superb place to drive, while the town boasts Ottoman minarets and a 13th century castle.
The shores of Lake Balaton are speckled with places to stay and relax, with shaded woods nearby. Head to Szeged to see the palaces and – unsurprisingly – even more thermal baths – or the second city of Debrecen.
The huge Great Church here is a gold (or yellow, depending on your viewpoint) hulk of a building, and there’s a wonderful view from the top. This city is the perfect place to try traditional Hungarian cuisine, such as goulash, halaszle and other dishes imbued with a reddish hue from the liberal use of paprika. Ikon is the city’s best restaurant, with traditional dishes brought up to date.
The Menu 30km – with hearty but refined dishes like pike perch cheek with courgette and dill, or goose breast with sour cherry jus – only contains food sourced within that radius.
Driving in Hungary
Hungary is an attractive and friendly place to drive, with well-maintained highways and scenic rural roads for you to explore. Most of the driving rules will be familiar if you’ve visited Europe before – driving on the right-hand side, compulsory seatbelts and zero tolerance for cell phone use and alcohol.
Speed limits typically range from 50km/h (31mph) in built-up areas (with some lower speed zones clearly marked) to a maximum of 130km/h (80mph) on freeways, but always check the signs for the route that you are on.
There are also a couple of quirks to look out for – you’re required to use dipped headlights outside of built-up areas during the day, and you must have a sticker or ‘vignette’ in order to use the many toll roads. Our team can advise you on how to purchase one and will also ensure you have all the other essentials you need in your rental car.
Another feature of mainland Europe is that roads often have two names – the local one, and one beginning with ‘E’ that indicates it’s part of a longer, pan-European road that may pass through several countries. For example, the M5 that runs south-east of Budapest to Kecskemet is also called the E75, and continues as the latter over the border into Serbia.
Most of the main roads fan out from Budapest, which is very much the country’s focal point. The E70 heads south-west and skirts the huge and gorgeous Lake Balaton on the way to the Croatian border. Balatan is Europe’s largest freshwater lake, and the nearby Lake Heviz is one of the biggest thermal lakes in the world.
Follow the E73 and you’ll plunge south-west past the Kiskunsagi Nemzeri Park on to Paks and Szekszard. The E71, meanwhile, opens up the east of Hungary, before it heads off to the north, while the M3 continues on to Polgar and Nyiregyhaza.
Top Cities in Hungary
