Hungary Tour by Adventures Abroad: Landlocked Hungary, located on the fringes of Eastern Europe, has been at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries and under numerous rules throughout the ages.

The famous Danube, the longest lake within the European Union (2nd in European continent after the Volga) was once the passageway for the Roman Empire who were among the first to rule in Hungary. While today most visitors will only feel the lasting impressions of the Roman Empire'™s 2,000 year history while sipping their way along the 30 km Villany - Siklos wine route, one can also appreciate the Romanesque motifs in Budapest'™s concert halls or in the baroque Ulcisia or Wolf Castle of Szentendre.

Over the years, the Hungarian territory we know now would fall to the hands of numerous influences. Years of war would create the need for many stone fortresses, which can be found all over the country. The gently rolling hills made the landscape easy for empires to strike, everyone from the Visigoths to the Ottomans, even the Mongols.

On any Hungary tour, it is hard to pull oneself away from the capital Budapest. The capital is actually made up of three regions but named after two: Buda and Pest. Both facing the mighty Danube, the river forms the physical and spiritual centre of the Hungarian capital. It is its centrepiece, its heart, and its pulse. Its relationship with the city is even more intimate than that of the Seine with Paris or the Arno with Florence.

From the banks of the river, one can enjoy many of Budapest's most famous landmarks including the neo-Gothic Parliament building with its slender towers, spacious arcades, high windows and vast central dome.

Following WWII, where Hungary fought as part of the Axis of Powers and lost, Hungary was either a satellite of the Soviet Union, occupied by the Soviets or struggling with their communist state. It wasn't until 1990 that free and fair democratic elections took place, through a peaceful transition period.

The complicated history of the 20th century is still on display at many of the museums in Hungary, or in the sprawling Liberty Square (Szabadsag ter). In the square's center remains a gold hammer and sickle atop a white stone obelisk, one of the few monuments to the Russian 'liberation' of Budapest in 1945.

With communism firmly in the past, Hungary has seen a rise in culinary exuberance. While many believe that Hungary's food is one of the most sophisticated of Eastern Europe, the full bodied red wines of Egar and Villany are also worth noting.

Out of the capital, our Hungary tour takes in the best of the countryside. The Tihany Peninsula is known for its historical monuments, beautiful panorama and its Mediterranean climate, as well as 18th century villas of Balatonfured near Lake Balaton, famous for the curing mineral waters.

An unforgettable aspect of any Hungary tour is the wonderful array of architecture. From the medieval castles, to buildings influenced by baroque, neoclassical and art nouveau designs, to historic cathedrals, synagogues, mosques and fourth-century Christian necropolis like the UNESCO-designated necropolis of Pecs, there are endless reasons to visit Hungary.