Trips
outside Budapest City
THE DANUBE BEND
The Danube Bend (Dunakanyar) is
literally where the Danube River bends around some
small hills north of Budapest. The river takes an
almost right-angled turn
This is a beautiful part of Hungary and a trip to
the Danube Bend allows you take in
Szentendre, Esztergom, etc and maybe go on a Danube
Cruise either there or back.
SZENTENDRE (St Andrew)
Szentendre a picture postcard town north of Budapest.
Szentendre has gained fame as a tourist destination
as it became a favourite resting-place for painters,
sculptors, artists, etc. Now it is self-perpetuating
with tour buses and boat trips arriving by the minute.
Travel agencies in Budapest rate it as a must see
but it has probably deteriorated slightly in the face
of non-stop tourists. Better to enjoy Budapest first
and go to Szentendre and the Danube Bend if you are
staying in Budapest for a week.
Sentendre has tiny winding streets,
thousands of souvenir shops (almost all selling the
same wares) and a pleasant residential area away from
the souvenirs. There is a small square with lovely
18th century buildings, an unusual Plague Monument,
and a Greek Orthodox Church.
To visit Szentendre for a few hours as part of a
Danube Boat Trip or Tour of the Danube Bend,
means you do see the narrow winding streets and the
tourist shops. But try and include wandering further
afield in this lovely town, crossing the bridge over
the picturesque stream, walking up the hills to enjoy
the view, etc.
TRIP ON THE DANUBE (DANUBE BOAT CRUISE)
It’s almost a corny sightseeing thing to do
– take a boat trip on the Danube
while in Budapest. But do it. If you take a cruise,
it is a very restful few hours to recharge the batteries
before doing more sightseeing. Such a cruise can start
in Budapest and return there. An alternative is to
go to Szentendre by land and return to Budapest City
by boat.
VISEGRAD
Visegrad Citadel (built in the mid
13th Century) is high high on a hill with unsurpassed
views of the Danube Bend.
This fortress was ideally located
to guard the border – the Danube River –
from any further Mongol invasions. For some time the
Hungarian royalty alternated between Visegrad and
Buda but the town and palace was destroyed by a Turkish
invasion and the citadel damaged by cannon fire from
the Habsburg army. It was only in the 1930’s
that the ruins of the Palace were rediscovered.
ESZTERGOM (ESTERGOM)
Way back in time, this was the city where Marcus
Aurelius wrote his Meditations in the 2nd Century.
King Stephen 1st - later St Stephen,
was born and crowned here and the town was the royal
seat for many years.
Estergom is the now the ecclesiastical headquarters
of the Catholic Church in Hungary and Ezstergom
Cathedral is the largest church in Hungary and one
of the biggest in the world. It is neo classical in
style and was rebuilt in the 19th Century. There is
a large Crypt underneath the Esztergom Cathedral and
Cardinal Mindszenty was buried here
after his imprisonment by the communists and his long
sojourn in the American Embassy.
The Cathedral at Esztergom also has the Hungarian
13th Century Coronation Cross on display.
BUDAPEST TOP 10 ATTRACTIONS –
The sights below are “must do’s”
on any visit to Budapest. After you’ve been,
you’ll have your own list. Budapest has a wide
range of important sightseeing options
but many people go without a pre-prepared list of
what they want to see – this is wise because
around every corner in Budapest is something likely
to appeal to someone. Another point about sightseeing
in Budapest is that many people don’t have a
mental picture of the magnificent buildings
such as the Budapest Parliament Buildings, the Royal
Palace in Budapest, etc – despite the fact they
are stunning.
1. Spend some time on Castle
Hill, Buda Castle, Royal Palace, Obuda
2. Go to the Budapest
Citadella and The Freedom Monument
3. Walk up Andrassy
Street to Heroes Square
4. Grab a bit of Culture
in Budapest – Opera,
Concert, Folk Music, etc
5. Look at the wide Danube
River and cross over the Chain Bridge
6. Take a trip to somewhere outside
Budapest – Danube Bend, Visegrad,
Esztergom, Cruise on the Danube, Szentendre (St Andrew)
etc
7. Soothe your aches in a Thermal
Bath, visit Vajdahunyad Castle and
City Park (Varosliget)
8. Go on a trip to Statue’s
Park
9. Visit some Churches,
the Great Jewish Synagogue, St Stephen’s
Basilica, St Matthias Church
10. Admire the Houses
of Parliament but make sure to take a
tour of the
interior
