There is more than enough to do in Budapest to spend a week or more there, easily. However, if you’re in the mood for a day trip, we’ve compiled our 3 favorites for you to check out.
Probably the most famous day trip from Budapest, Szentendre is an easy 14 miles north of Budapest along the Danube River, and is a great place to check out for a day or more!
You can get to Szentendre by car or by bike if you choose. We highly recommend biking if you are able to, as you spend most of the ride going along the Danube which is super scenic. Szentendre itself is a quaint little town, which makes it feel extra special if you are wanting a little bit of time out of Budapest. You will inevitably spend time ambling around the cute tourist area passing through Fő tér.
2. Eger
Despite being a good deal further away from Budapest than Szentendre, Eger is not to be missed! The city is known for a few things, but most notably its castle and its wine,
Egri Bikaver. Egri Bikaver, or Bull’s Blood wine, is very distinctive in its taste. It is a strong and very full-bodied red wine, packed with flavor. As for the origins of its name… legend has it that when the Ottoman Empire was invading Eger, the defenders of the city were holed up in the castle, rapidly running out of food, and their captain gave them this wine to energize them to continue the fight. When the Hungarians stormed out to fight the Ottomans after drinking this wine, they fought with such ferocity that the Turks assumed that the Hungarians had been drinking bull’s blood instead of wine, which had spilled into their beards. This story has propagated and made Egri Bikaver legendary.
3. The Valley of Beautiful Women
Relatedly, if you are interested in wine, we highly recommend you take a taxi to the Valley of Beautiful Women. (Yes, we know… it is actually called that though!) to taste other authentic Hungarian wines. This unique location has tons of wine cellars for you to choose from, and tasting a glass of wine is super cheap! We paid 50 cents for a big glass of wine each. You could easily spend all day here walking between wine cellars talking with the owners and tasting the excellent wines, and it’s very light on the pocket.
Have you been to any of these places? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!
