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Places to go

agentrickard's picture
Submitted by agentrickard on Mon, 06/09/2008 - 15:47.

I am looking for recommendations from locals. My wife and I are planning to spend some extra time in Hungary.

We are arriving and departing from Budapest, of course, and in Szeged during the conference. Our instinct is to head to Eger and the wine country instead of the Balaton lake region.

Any advice for the absolute must-see places in Hungary -- aside from Budapest and Szeged -- is appreciated.

We have about 4 extra days and expect to travel by train inside the country. Our preferences are for indoor activities, food, and trying to blend in with the locals.

‹ Is there a camping in Szeged? London - Szeged on the train ›
lorikemese's picture

Eger

Submitted by lorikemese on Thu, 07/10/2008 - 17:47.

In Eger, you have several possibilities to have a good time.
There's a bath, with thermal pool, massage pool, swimming pool, and some other pools. The bath is open: 8:30-19:00, and the ticket for adults is 1250 HUF (~5,5 EUR).
There's also a village, near Eger, called Egerszalók, where you can also find a thermal bath. The 'thermal bath' is open: 9:00-20:00, and it has a 'beach bath', which is open: 18:00-01:00. If you stay in more, than 5 hours, you have to pay 4000HUF (~18 EUR). For 3 hours, the price is 2400 HUF (~11 EUR).
The Cathedral of Eger also worth visiting, as well, as the Dobó square.
You can also visit the Castle of Eger, of which you can see some pictures here.
For closing your day in Eger, I suggest visiting Szépasszonyvölgy (~Beautiful Lady Valley). Here you will find several wine caves, so you can't miss out Egri Bikavér, and of course you can taste other wines of Eger too.

andremolnar's picture

I'll second Eger, Szépasszonyvölgy and Szentendre

Submitted by andremolnar on Tue, 07/15/2008 - 23:55.

I'll second Eger and Szépasszonyvölgy.

There are several 'attractions' in Eger. Basically its a historic town with most things to see within walking distance. Szépasszonyvölgy (being close by) is a nice bonus.

Szépasszonyvölgy is essentially a park in a tiny valley with wine cellars built into the hillsides. I would recommend cellar #5 for wine tasting. Cellar 5 is not at all fancy/decorated like many of the other cellars, but it has some of the best wine there. (My guess is since the owner spends more time fussing with the wine rather than the 'look' of his cellar).

But, its best to sample from several of the cellars. The wine available for sampling is good and very inexpensive... so be careful or you may need someone to carry you out of there.

Someone also mentioned Szentendre. It too is a nice place to visit while you're in Budapest and reasonably easy to get to. It has several art museums and local artists, jewellers, potters with their goods for sale. Its a bit touristy - but if you're a tourist...

Speaking of touristy: If the weather is nice, its worth taking an evening cruise on the Danube when in Budapest. There are several companies that run evening cruises some with dinner. The draw is that as the sun sets and the city lights up its all quite beautiful.

andre

lorikemese's picture

Szentendre

Submitted by lorikemese on Thu, 07/10/2008 - 18:16.

Near Budapest, you find a nice town, called Szentendre. You can get there by HÉV, or by boat.
Szentendre is a nice place to have a walk, to get to know to Hungarian specialities, culture, and there are also interesting museums to visit, for example the Szamos Marzipan Museum.
In Szentendre, there's an open-air museum, called Skanzen. It is open 9:00-17:00 (except Monday), the price is 1000 HUF (~4,5 EUR).

lorikemese's picture

Lake Balaton

Submitted by lorikemese on Fri, 07/11/2008 - 17:50.

Around the lake Balaton, you'll find tons of nice places to visit. On the north shore, there's an abbey in Tihany, which is worth visiting. Also on the north shore, in Révfülöp, you should look for Kál-Vin. Unfortunately their web-page is not available in English, but they have a wine tasting programme for 1500 HUF (~7 EUR), for which you can taste 8 types of wine, and they also serve cheese and home made cakes, so I think it's really enjoyable. On the south shore, I suggest Balatonboglár, which is known for it's wine, and there's gonna be a grape harvest festival 19-24 august, with concerts, and other events. You can also check for other wine festivals, and information of the lake Balaton. Siófok is also a well-known place on the south shore. But, stop at any town or city around the lake Balaton, you'll surely find a beach to have some cool minutes in the hot summer days.