The Danube Bend: Szentendre, Visegrád and Esztergom

Why go

The Danube Bend is the easiest escape from the city. Within an hour you swap trams for river views, forest trails and cobbled lanes. Summer boats from Budapest make the journey part of the day, and the views from Visegrád's citadel over the curving river are among the best in the country.

Szentendre

Szentendre is a small town of painted houses, Serbian Orthodox church spires and narrow lanes climbing a hill. It was settled by Serbian refugees in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, which explains its Balkan feel. Today it is known for galleries and museums: the **Margit Kovács Ceramic Collection** is a favourite, and there are small museums of marzipan and Serbian church art. Walk up to the **Church Hill** for rooftop views. Just outside town, the **Hungarian Open Air Museum (Skanzen)** has whole villages of rebuilt farmhouses, churches and workshops from every region, with crafts and festivals on weekends. Allow half a day for it alone.

Visegrád

Visegrád was a royal seat in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, when kings of Hungary, Poland and Bohemia met here. The ruins of the **Royal Palace** sit by the river, and above them the **Visegrád Citadel** crowns a steep hill with sweeping views of the Bend. You can hike up through the forest, take a local bus or a taxi. Nearby there is a summer bobsled track on the hillside that children love, and trails into the Pilis hills. Each summer the town hosts a palace games festival with jousting and medieval costume.

Esztergom

Esztergom was Hungary's first capital, where King Stephen was crowned around the year 1000. Its huge neoclassical **Esztergom Basilica** is the largest church in the country, with a treasury of medieval gold and a dome you can climb for views across the river to Štúrovo in Slovakia. The **Mária Valéria Bridge** links the two countries, and you can walk across for a coffee in Slovakia. The castle museum beside the basilica shows the remains of the medieval royal palace.

Nature and hiking

The Danube Bend is wrapped by the **Pilis** hills on the south bank and the **Börzsöny** on the north, both part of the Danube Ipoly National Park. Marked trails are well kept, and the walk from Visegrád to Dobogókő or along the ridge to Prédikálószék offers some of the best views near Budapest. Nagymaros, across the river from Visegrád by ferry, is a quiet base for walkers.

Getting there and around

The HÉV suburban train runs from Batthyány tér in Budapest to Szentendre and is covered by the Budapest pass for most of the way, so check the zone rules. Trains from Nyugati station reach Esztergom and Nagymaros. Volánbusz buses link Szentendre, Visegrád and Esztergom along the river road. From spring to autumn, Mahart boats sail from Budapest up the river; check the current timetable, as services vary by season and water level. Small car ferries cross the river at several points.

Where to stay

Most people visit on a day trip, but staying a night lets you see Szentendre after the crowds leave or hike in the morning. Visegrád has several spa hotels with river views, and Esztergom has small guesthouses near the basilica.

Practical tips

You cannot comfortably see all three towns in one day by public transport, so pick two, or hire a guided tour. Wear good shoes for the climbs to the citadel and the basilica dome. On summer weekends Szentendre gets busy, so arrive early.