#1. Szeged
Remnants of the Körös culture suggest that these goddess-worshipping people lived in the Szeged area 4000 or 5000 years ago, and one of the earliest Magyar settlements in Hungary was at Ópusztaszer to the north.
By the 13th century what is now Szeged was an important trading centre, helped by the royal monopoly it held on the salt shipped in via the Maros River from Transylvania. Under the Turks, Szeged was given some protection since the sultan’s estates lay in the area, and it continued to prosper in the 18th and 19th centuries as a royal free town.
Is it the shady, gardenlike main square with all the park benches or the abundant s treetside-cafe seating in a pedestrian area that seems to stretch on forever? Maybe it’s the interesting architecture of the palaces in the old town.
Then again, it could be the year-round cultural performances and lively university-town vibe (students marched here in 1956 before their classmates in Budapest did). Szeged – a corruption of the Hungarian word sziget (island) – sits astride the Tisza River, with a thermal-bath complex and park opposite the old town. Another thing that makes the city unique is the unusual Szeged accent in Hungarian (eg 'e' is pronounced as 'ö'), which sounds strange in a country with so few dialectical differences.