Budapest guide
Beyond Budapest
Szentendre
A riverside town of painted houses, cobbled lanes and small galleries half an hour north of the city. It is the easiest and cheapest day trip from Budapest, and the most rewarding: quiet, walkable and genuinely picturesque, it feels like stepping back seventy years or more.
Getting there by bus (cheapest and usually quickest): routes 880 and 889 leave from Árpád híd bus station on metro line M3 and take 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. A single ticket is roughly 400 to 500 HUF. The stop for the old town is not obvious, so ask the driver where to get off for the centre; they are used to the question.
Getting there by HÉV train: line H5 from Batthyány tér on metro line M2 takes about 40 minutes. Your Budapest travel pass covers the journey as far as the city boundary; buy a small extension ticket, about 310 HUF, for the rest.
Our founder's pick. Prices and hours checked September 2026.
Visegrád
A hilltop citadel above the Danube Bend with sweeping river views. Reach it by bus, or by boat in summer.
Esztergom
Hungary's largest basilica, towering over the river at the Slovak border. About an hour by train.
Gödöllő Royal Palace
The summer home of Empress Elisabeth ("Sisi"). Reachable by HÉV.
Eger
Baroque town, castle and Valley of the Beautiful Women wine cellars. About two hours by train.
Lake Balaton
Central Europe's largest lake, with beaches, vineyards and the Tihany peninsula. Best in summer.
Prices and opening hours checked September 2026. Confirm with official sites before you travel.
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