Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungarian: Fertő-Hanság Nemzeti Park) is a national Park in North-West Hungary in Győr-Moson-Sopron county. It was created in 1991, and officially opened together with the connecting Austrian Neusiedler See National Park the same year (both parks are attached to Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő). The park covers 235.88 km2, and consists of two main areas.
Lake Fertő is the third largest lake in Central-Europe, and the westernmost of the great continental salt lakes of Eurasia. Because of the shallow level of water and the prevailing wind, the size and shape of the lake changes very often. The area gives home to various kinds of birds, like the great egret, purple heron, common spoonbill and greylag goose. During the migration season species of the family Scolopacidae appear. Rare birds include red-breasted goose, white-tailed eagle and hen harrier. The lake is inhabited by weatherfish, northern pike and ziege. On the meadows west from the lake vegetation of rare plants like the yellow lady's slipper, fly orchid, the Hungarian iris and Iris pumila and various butterfly species can be found, while the eastern puszta areas are covered by Puccinellia peisonis, Aster tripolium, A. pannonicum and Suaeda maritima.
Getting there
There are many ways to get to the national park. The easiest way to reach the park is by car. The drive from Budapest is just short of 2 hours. The drive from Vienna is even shorter and will take around 1.5 hours. Both cities have large international airports and plenty of flights from other European cities.
When to visit
The national park sees the most activity during summer. There are plenty of visitors and the small towns will be teaming with life. There are still visitors during spring and autumn but there will generally be less visitors. The national park is not frequented during winter because of the drop in temperatures.
Map of Fertő-Hanság National Park
Image gallery of Fertő-Hanság National Park
Visitor/Information centres in Fertő-Hanság National Park
Most national parks have an associated visitor centre to help visitors. They are usually open most of the year but some close in the off-season. You will often be able to find information on all the activities in the national park. A visit to the visitor centre is often recommended before venturing into the park.
Wildlife in Fertő-Hanság National Park
These sections shows you some of the characteristic wildlife to the national park.
Mushroom hunting in Fertő-Hanság National Park
The opportunities for mushroom hunting in the national park is very limited. It mostly consist of open meadows and a lake. These are not the most popular places to forage mushrooms. You will still be able to find some species of mushrooms in the meadows. They usually grow in late summer and autumn.
Make sure to check with the local authorities where you are allowed to forage. You should always be 100% sure in your identifications before using mushrooms in the kitchen.
Camping rules in Fertő-Hanság National Park
The national park is one of the smaller parks and consists largely of the lake. There are few wild areas in the park and they are mostly meadows. Therefore camping is primarily done in private camping sites.
Bears in Fertő-Hanság National Park
No bears in the park
This national park has no bears and you do not need to take precautions.
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