A renaissance of thought and expression is evident throughout today’s Hungary but is nicely encapsulated in the posture and attitude of its capital city. Considered the “Paris of Central Europe” Budapest has a unique style and atmosphere that attract a steady stream of international guests. Unlike its French counterpart, however, this city of 2 million has conquered the physical destruction of World War II and decades of postwar oppression to rebound as a metropolis with cosmopolitan flair, swathed in classical designs and enveloped in proud culture and tradition.

Luxury hotels, upscale restaurants and a legion of ATMs have done little to detract from Budapest’s charms. Among the plazas, squares bazaars, pedestrian zones and souvenir stands, students hawk tickets to reasonably priced classical and folk performances while fleets of tour boats with a revolving consignment of dinner guests patrol the Danube. Ox tongue, goose liver and veal ragout are served to the more adventurous palate, and, when complemented by a dram or two of palinka, a Hungarian brandy, give a taste of local fare. For the less daring, food more in line with conventional American tastes are an option. Either way, one can dine well for less than $20. The much derided Gypsy is often on hand to add zest and vigor to the dinner atmosphere.

An abundance of hot springs has made “taking the waters” a popular and relaxing pastime in Budapest and throughout Hungary. Clean, well-kept spas are prominent in most cities and are frequented by bathers of all ages. Even those for whom going to spas is not part of a daily regimen will find a couple of dollars well spent to repose among the palm fronds, gargoyles and generally regal air of Budapest’s Gellert Bath. An ambience heightened by colonnades, balconies and statuary has given it a reputation as one of Budapest’s finest.

The impressive dome and spires of Hungary’s Parliament building is one of Budapest’s more remarkable images. Viewed from the sweeping, elegant Chain Bridge, the most intricate and ornate of the several spans across the Danube linking Buda and Pest, the stately building is worthy of an afternoon tour. Grand stairways, halls and chambers recall a gilded age.

Budapest offers an affordable opportunity to delight in old-world splendor. A late-season visit provides abundant accommodation options; a clean, simple room en suite and breakfast for as little as $35 per night. Further distinguishing Budapest are the very real scars evidencing a torturous and tormented past. The communist shackles have not been totally dissolved by swank dinner cruises and an air of bon vivance. Occupation and civil unrest linger in the minds of the elderly who willingly recall their German conquerors and Soviet dominance. Scarred and pockmarked buildings reveal a less than civil past while acres of Stalinist-era apartment blocks show a recent history incongruous with a present vision.

Although Budapest easily could dominate a Hungarian itinerary, it should not preclude a sampling of the cities and rural towns and villages sprinkling its varied topography. Americans are few and English is rare; hardly impediments, however, to appreciating the Great Plain dominating much of Hungary’s east and southeast.

Critical to the region is the Southern Plain’s capital city of Szeged. Approaching the border with Yugoslavia, Szeged is prominent as one of Hungary’s southernmost cities and enjoys the culture and lively ambience of a university town. A colorful market highlights traditional crafts, linens and hand-woven items amid a jumble of bartering and activity. Unlike their Eastern European peers, the old market women here understand the value of their craft and drive a hard bargain. The enchanting and recently renovated Hotel Tisza is, at about $25 per night, a central location from which to explore the museums, cathedrals and monuments of this modest, manageable city.

Szeged’s handiness to the rural hamlet of Zsombo is an inviting opportunity to appreciate Hungary’s pastoral farmlands and plains. Suspicious regard from the locals should not discourage the visitor from enjoying a couple of days ambling through fields and exploring country paths. With marked inconsistency, however, a subdivision, a relatively new concept in Hungary, eventually shares the landscape, a stark reminder that the city and greater Western influences are encroaching.

Like much of Europe, Hungary is not without its castles. In the more rugged terrain of the Northern Uplands, perched on a craggy hilltop, the partially restored ruins of a 14th-century stronghold overlooks the village of Sirok. Accessible by a moderate hike, the site commands a superior view of the villages below and the impressive skyline of hills and Slovakian mountains. From behind the castle, the visitor can continue along a trail that clings to ridges and hillsides and affords a striking panorama of the Matra Hills region.

With a population of about 2,400, Sirok mirrors the pastoral tranquillity of Zsombo. The isolation of its Gypsy population to a small corner is a stark reminder that prejudices are not solely a function of close-quartered urban environments.

Eger, also in the Northern Uplands, is a storybook city whose narrow, winding, cobbled lanes meander from broad plazas embellished with fountains and statuary to the footings of its most heralded attraction. Figuring in a 16th-century defense against the Turks, the fortress now has assumed a critical role in Eger’s identity. With a solitary minaret as one of the few reminders of a vanquished past, Eger now, by contrast, teems with lively pedestrian zones lined with shops, boutiques and elegant restaurants.

Equaling the Hungarians’ passion for “taking the waters” is their love of wine; making it, drinking it and mixing it with anything from soda water to, bizarrely enough, Coke. Eger’s proximity to the “Valley of Beautiful Women” complements the passion. Visitors lured by the name are likely to be disappointed if their expectations are of anything other than wine. A cul-de-sac of cellars and wineries, the “Valley” boasts tasting houses, small restaurants and local talent.

“The west is good, the east is bad and the middle is 50/50” sums up Ende, proprietor of a modest “spare bed house” in Sirok. Assessing the present European economic climate, Ende just as easily could have been speaking metaphorically about a “middle” whose social and cultural environment is neither east nor west but a blend of both. Today’s Hungary is just such a middle, reviving the notion of Central Europe; a Europe that, decades ago, evaporated into the fabric of a cold war that forced the compromise of national and societal identities for geopolitical stability.

Reflecting while exploring the decaying ruins of Recsk, formerly Hungary’s most notorious forced labor camp, Ende confirmed the present reality that Hungary is no longer a Soviet satellite, but clearly a country enjoying successes while charting its own course.

If you go

Plan a trip to Hungary in late August or early September. The weather is still comfortable and it is the end of the tourist season. Airfares can be all over the map but could be in the neighborhood of $1,000; easily offset by the availability, everywhere, of inexpensive but acceptable accommodations. The cost of dining and entertainment is significantly less than American standards but is of equal quality.

Plan a loose itinerary and don?t hesitate to call on Tourinform offices. They are part of the Hungarian National Tourist Office and are located throughout the country. The student staffers are friendly, helpful and speak excellent English.

If language skills beyond English are nonexistent, plan on buses, as opposed to trains, to get around. They are convenient, inexpensive, go everywhere and require few transfers consequently requiring fewer questions.

Most importantly, meet the people. They are friendly, open, happy to help and just generally interested in getting to know you.