( CNN ) -- Slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Indiana , and with a slowly decreasing population of just under 10 million ( 1.7 million of whom live in the capital , Budapest ) , Hungary is a land in thrall to its history . The horse is still revered here , Franz Liszt is huge and goulash is a soup not a stew . You may find yourself overtaken in a revolving door , but you 'll be made to feel thoroughly welcome -- as long as you do n't clink your beer glass . More : Guide to Hungary 's signature dishes . 1 . It has Central Europe 's largest lake . At almost 80 kilometers ( 50 miles ) long , and covering an area of almost 600-square-kilometers ( 230 square miles ) , Lake Balaton is so big it 's known as the `` Magyar tenger '' or the Hungarian Sea . The lake is a favorite vacation destination for Hungarians -- the southern shore , and especially the city of Siófok , is something of a party spot . The annual Balaton Sound summer music festival is held in the nearby town of Zamárdi . Families with kids prefer the relatively quiet northern side . 2 . Swimsuits are necessities . Hungary has hot water to spare . There are more than 1,000 natural springs in the country ( and the world 's largest thermal lake at Hévíz , near Lake Balaton ) , with 118 in Budapest alone . On the Pest side of the river in the capital , Széchenyi Thermal Baths ( Állatkerti körút 9-11 , 1146 Budapest ; +36 1 363 3210 ) claims to be the biggest thermal bathing complex in Europe . Another good Budapest bathing spot is the art nouveau Gellért Baths and Hotel ( Kelenhegyi út 4 , 1118 Budapest ; +36 1 466 6166 ) , at the foot of Gellért Hill . 3 . Hungarians are smart ; just ask the people at Nobel . The country has one of the highest rankings , per capita , for Nobel laureates , with 13 winners going back to their first , in 1905 ( for physics ) , and the most recent , in 2004 ( for chemistry ) . Hungarians have also invented many things , from the biro ballpoint pen ( named for inventor László Bíró ) to computer science ( János Neumann ) to Rubik 's cube . As minister of state for economic strategy Zoltán Cséfalvay recently said : `` I am very proud to be able to say that everything was invented by a Hungarian . '' He was joking . Sort of . 4 . Franz Liszt is still huge . The composer is such a big deal here that , although he was born in what is now Austria , spoke German and French but no Hungarian and died in Germany , they renamed Budapest International Airport in his honor for the anniversary of his 200th birthday , in 2011 . The reason ? The village he was born in was Hungarian at the time , and he described himself as Hungarian . Liszt Ferenc ( in the Hungarian naming convention , the family name always goes first ) also has a square named for him in Pest . Surrounded by trendy cafes and restaurants , it 's extremely popular in summer . 5 . The 'little gate ' is a way of life . Forty years of communism left Hungarians expert at finding what they call `` the little gate , '' an alternative way in , a work around . They 're reputed to be the only people who can enter a revolving door behind you and emerge ahead . They also have an opinion on everything , so much so that it 's said if you have three Hungarians in a room , they 'll form four political parties . 6 . Goulash is n't what you think it is . The signature national dish is gulyás , which you probably know as goulash . What 's served in Western restaurants , however , is usually a stew , while what you get in Hungary is a soup . Everyone claims to have the best recipe , with an annual goulash festival held each September in Szolnok ( 120 kilometers southeast of the capital in central Hungary ) . The version at one of Budapest 's best known restaurants , Gundel ( Gundel Károly út 4 , 1146 Budapest , next to Budapest Zoo entrance ; +36 1 889 8100 ) , will set you back HUF 3,800 ( $ 17 ) . Around the corner , you can get a great bowl for HUF 1,900 at Bagolyvár ( Gundel Károly út 4 , 1146 Budapest ; +36 1 468 110 ; website in Hungarian ) , which is owned by Gundel but specializes in home-style cooking . 7 . Hungarians are addicted to a red powder . There 's one element of Hungarian cuisine that 's present in every kitchen , from Grandma 's to that of the country 's first Michelin-starred restaurant , Costes ( Ráday utca 4 , 1092 Budapest ; +36 1 219 0696 ) : paprika . The powdered pepper is used to spice up just about every dish -- especially goulash . It 's so important it was national news when spice and sauce maker Univer announced in late October that its paprika-based condiments would continue to be made from 100 % Hungarian produce , despite a poor harvest . 8 . Clinking beer glasses is frowned upon . Walk along Budapest 's answer to London 's Soho -- the pedestrianized Ráday utca teeming with bars , restaurants and galleries in the center of Pest -- and you 'll hear little clinking of beer glasses . When the Hungarians lost the 1848-49 Revolution and War of Independence , Austrians executed 13 of the most senior Hungarian generals , and supposedly celebrated by drinking beer and clinking their mugs . Hungarians vowed not to clink beer glasses for the next 150 years . Although that period ended in 1999 , the `` ban '' is still widely observed , especially among more elderly people . It 's fine to clink wine and spirit glasses . 9 . Tokaji is the Wine of Kings . Tokaji is so good that Louis XIV of France called it the `` Wine of Kings , the King of Wine . '' If you want to take a bottle of the sweet dessert wine home you 'll find it in most wine shops -- Bortársaság ( Wine Society ) has locations across Budapest and the country . Tokaji is measured by its sweetness , shown by the number of `` puttonyos . '' A good example of the topaz-colored wine is Tokaji Aszú -- look for four puttonyos or more ( the scale goes up to six ) . The best Tokaji ( also rarest and most expensive ) is the Essencia style . 10 . Hungarians are sports mad . Hungarians love sports and are extremely proud of the fact that , per capita , the country has one of the highest tallies of Olympic medals ( 482 across both winter and summer games ) . They continue to do well at fencing , swimming , gymnastics and kayaking , but the men 's water polo team is exceptional -- you 'll find Hungarians gathered around TVs everywhere when the latter are playing . If you want to get a feel for the Hungarian love of sports ( and beer ) , Champs Sport Pub ( Dohány utca 20 , 1074 Budapest ; +36 1 413 1655 ) , in Pest , is a good venue for watching sport among Hungarians . But be warned , it gets packed for big events . 11 . Equestrian traditions are very much alive . The Hungarians rode into the Carpathian Basin -- the central European territory they conquered -- on horseback and have been in love with things equine ever since . Their famed light cavalry gave English the word Hussar ( from the Hungarian `` Huszár '' ) . The current coach-driving world champions are the Lázár brothers , who hold regular horse shows at the Lázár Equestrian Park in Domonyvölgy ( Fenyő utca 47 , 2182 Domonyvölgy ; +36 28 576-510 ) , about 35 kilometers from Budapest . There are plenty of other places throughout the country to take riding lessons or simply go for a hack . A good choice is the Hilltop Riding Farm ( Repülőtéri út 0117/ 15 hrsz , 2100 Gödöllő , Hungary ; +36 30 636 8553 ) , in the town of Gödöllő , outside Budapest . CNN Travel 's series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries and regions we profile . However CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports . Read the policy . Robin Marshall is a journalist and editor based in Hungary . He 's the former managing editor of the Budapest Sun .
Hungary has one of the highest the Wine of Kings prize counts per capita . Hungary is of national importance . Here , goulash is a soup , not a stew . Per capita , the country has 118 of the highest tallies of Olympic medals across both summer and winter games .