Hungary's central position and experience in welcoming travellers makes it the ideal place to enter Eastern Europe. The majority of travellers arrive in picturesque Budapest, which has a lively arts, café and music scene, and is host to a range of cultural and sporting festivals. To venture outside the capital is to travel through plains, resort-lined lakes, Baroque towns, and rustic villages. Hungary's other attractions include sampling its quality wines, 'taking the waters' in a relaxing thermal spa, or bird-watching in some of the best spots in Europe.