Hungary, Europe
Budapest's day trips follow the Danube north to artist towns and royal castles, and east to a baroque wine town. The nearest are a short suburban-train ride.
| Where | Getting there | Why go |
|---|---|---|
| Szentendre | About 40 min by HÉV suburban train | A small riverside town of cobbled lanes, baroque churches, and galleries, long settled by Serbian merchants and now an easy artists' day out. |
| The Danube Bend | About 1 to 1.5 hr by train or boat | The stretch where the Danube turns sharply south, with the hilltop citadel at Visegrád and the vast basilica at Esztergom, Hungary's religious capital. |
| Eger | About 2 hr by train | A baroque town with a castle that held off an Ottoman siege, plus the Valley of the Beautiful Women, a cluster of cellars pouring the Bull's Blood red. |
| Gödöllő | About 45 min by HÉV suburban train | The royal palace most associated with Empress Elisabeth (Sisi), a large baroque residence with restored state rooms and gardens. |