Where do Hungarians spend New Year’s Eve?

Trivago.hu website concluded a chart about the most popular New Year’s Eve destinations. The list is based on the search data about the period between 29 December 2017 and 2 January 2018. On the contrary to the other V4 countries and Serbia, Hungarians prefer staying within the borders for the last days of the year. It is proven by the fact that 13 of 20 searches are related to destinations within the country, according to Turizmus.com.

The chart is led by Budapest with an average price of 128 euros. It is not a surprise, as the capital offers a large variety of opportunities for culture, bathing and attending parties.

Prague ranked on the second place with an average price of 205 euros. The third entry is Hajdúszoboszló, a Hungarian city famous for its enormous bathing complex, which is one of the largest in Europe. It can be clearly seen that the value of thermal water and wellness increases in the winter: it is probably the reason why Hévíz is the 4th, Zalakaros is the 13th and Bükfürdő is the 20th on the list.

Though accommodation can even be 50 percent more expensive around New Year’s Eve, most hotels are already fully booked.

Szallas.hu also made a list of the most popular destinations: Budapest, Eger and Szeged lead the Hungarian competition. The heaviest traffic can usually be expected on the first day of the new year due to the masses returning home. The most significant factors in choosing the program for New Year’s Eve are the performing celebrities, food and programs for children.

Szallas.hu’s data shows that the longest booking at the time of New Year’s Eve is for 30 days, while the reservation for the most people counts 34 guests.

The cheapest booking is around 205 euros and the most expensive exceeds 3855. The average booking price is approximately 220 euros, which is 13 percent more than last year.

Most people travel from Budapest, Kecskemét and Győr to celebrate somewhere else. The largest crowd at New Year’s Eve events can be expected in Budapest, Eger, Szeged and Hajdúszoboszló.  Those who are planning to travel abroad for the last weekend of the year usually do not go far, as the most popular destinations are Poland and Slovakia. More precisely, Zakopane, Krakow and Bratislava are the most visited cities.

In this period, hosts often do their best to attract guests: they mostly provide performers and music bands, clinking glasses together at midnight, traditional dishes and programs for children.

A new attraction that gained increasing popularity in the past couple of years is the magic show, as it can entertain both children and adults. Speaking of children: many hotels are prepared with playhouses and animators to occupy children while the parents are celebrating with the other adults. Fireworks and champagne at midnight are the basic accessories of every New Year’s Eve celebration in Hungary.

Source: Turizmus.com