Day trips from Budapest

Three of the five trips lie along the Danube Bend north of the city, with Szentendre, Visegrád and Esztergom within an hour or so. Eger is a long day in wine country and Lake Balaton is a summer excursion. Train times are timetable estimates for the fastest ordinary trains from sources listed under each trip; car times are estimates from a routing engine on OpenStreetMap data and assume free-flowing roads, so allow more on a Friday evening.

Szentendre

40 minHÉV suburban railway H5 from Batthyány tér (metro M2), every 10 to 30 minutes
about 28 min

A small town of Baroque houses and steep lanes on the Danube, settled by Serbian, Greek and Dalmatian newcomers. It has art galleries, a marzipan museum and a market square that is pretty in an almost theatrical way.

Tip: This is the easiest day out from Budapest. Take the HÉV from Batthyány tér and buy a ticket for the distance at the station; the city pass does not reach this far. Walk up the lanes behind the main square for the churches and the views, and keep the afternoon for a river-side walk. Arrive on a weekday to avoid the crowd from the cruise boats.

Weather: Szentendre

Visegrád

about 1 h to 1 h 15 mintrain from Nyugati to Nagymaros-Visegrád and the ferry across, or the bus from Újpest-Városkapu
about 51 min

A hill town at the narrowest point of the Danube Bend. The citadel on the ridge overlooks the river in both directions, and below it stand the ruins of the Renaissance royal palace of King Matthias.

Tip: Climb to the citadel in the morning, because the view is better in clear light and the path is steep in the heat. If you came by train, the ferry across the river is part of the trip. Look up the last bus and ferry back before you sit down to lunch.

Weather: Visegrád

Esztergom

about 1 h 10 mintrain from Nyugati station
about 1 h 1 min

The first capital of Hungary, with the largest church in the country on a rock above the river. The green dome of the basilica can be seen from far up the Danube, and the town sits right on the Slovak border.

Tip: Climb the basilica dome if the sky is clear and walk through the Castle Hill museums if it rains. The bridge across the river leads to the Slovak town of Štúrovo, so the walk over the water is part of the day.

Weather: Esztergom

Eger

about 1 h 55 min to 2 h 20 mindirect train from Keleti station, or change at Füzesabony
about 1 h 37 min

A baroque town in the hills of northern Hungary with a castle that held out against the Ottomans in 1552. It is better known for its Bull's Blood red wine, which you can taste in the cellars of the Valley of the Beautiful Women.

Tip: This is a long day, so go on an early train and book a hotel for the night if you plan to try the cellars properly. Climb the castle first, then walk down through the baroque centre. Do not drive to the wine valley if you intend to taste.

Weather: Eger

Lake Balaton

1 h 20 min to 1 h 29 minfast train from Déli station to Zamárdi on the southern shore; Siófok is a few stops earlier
about 1 h 14 min

The largest lake in Central Europe, shallow and warm in summer, with a string of resort towns along the south shore and the Tihany peninsula on the north side with its abbey. In July and August the shore is full of Budapesters on weekends.

Tip: Go between June and early September for the swimming, or in May for the quiet and the cycling. Siófok is the loud party town, while Tihany, reached by ferry from Szántód, is the calm and pretty one. Look up the last train back before you settle on a terrace.

Weather: Siófok Tihany

Timetables for trains and buses in Hungary