If you are visiting Budapest and have some additional time in the city, why not consider a trip to two cities near Budapest? Visegrád and Szentendre are two towns located less than 1 hour by public transport from the centre of Budapest. So keep reading to find out more about the perfect day trip from Budapest.
Visegrád and Szentendre are two small cities, but lovely 🥰! If one offers amazing views over the Danube river, the other is perfect to roam its streets and enjoy the cute small houses.
Before I start explaining how you can have this day trip from Budapest, I’ll share with you a map with the location of Visegrád and Szentendre, so you know where both cities are located.
Throughout this post, I will give you tips on how to get to both Visegrád and Szentendre independently, as well as what to visit in both cities. All so you can plan your day trip from Budapest! However, if you find it more interesting, there are also several organized tours to visit these cities:
My suggestion is that you depart from Budapest towards Visegrád and then towards Szentendre, returning to Budapest at the end of the day. Both Visegrád and Szentendre are small towns, so easily half a day is enough to see each of the towns.
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Day trip from Budapest – Visegrád
» How to get from Budapest to Visegrád?
The first option for getting to Visegrád involves using a train and a ferry. At the metro and train station Nyugati pályaudvar, you can take one of the trains towards Visegrád (Z70 or G70).
There are several train options. However, the Z70 is faster and takes about 40 minutes to reach your destination. The price of the train ticket is 1200 HUF (~2.8€) and the train timetable can be found here.
Once in Visegrád (station name: Nagymaros-Visegrád), simply take the ferry at Penztar Cassa (about 1.5€). This is necessary as Visegrád is located on the other bank of the river. The trip is very short but beautiful!
The second option is to travel by bus from Volanbusz. There are direct buses that connect the city of Budapest to Visegrád, however, the journey takes a bit longer. You can check the available timetables as well as where the bus stops here.
» What to visit in Visegrád?
The main point of interest in Visegrád is the Castle and its unbeatable views over the Danube river. At the top of the castle, you feel an incredible silence and mystique that can hardly be explained in words.
The visit is especially magical on sunny days. But, despite visiting the castle on a cloudy day, I still loved it.
📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: A visit to Visegrád Castle costs 1700 HUF (~4,25 €). You can find the most up-to-date information about the price and opening times here.
In Visegrád, we asked at the tourist point how we could get to the castle. Apart from a taxi, the best option is really to get there on foot. The path is still relatively steep and through the middle of the vegetation, taking about 30/40 minutes.
Along the way, we will find several signs pointing the way to the castle (they usually say “Fellegvar”, i.e. castle in Hungarian).
💡 EXTRA TIP: If you want to spare this climb, you can opt to take a Volanbusz bus that stops next to the Visegrád Toboggan Park (Visegradi Bobpalya).
While in Visegrád, you can also take the opportunity to visit the Royal Palace or be a little adventurous at the Visegrád Toboggan Park. The park has an alpine rollercoaster and bobsleigh in the summer.
📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: You can check the prices and opening hours of the Park here and the Royal Palace here.
Two other interesting options are the Miklós Bertényi Botanical Garden and Solomon’s Tower, which was part of the castle.
Day trip from Budapest – Szentendre
» How to get from Visegrád to Szentendre?
To get to Szetendre via Visegrád, you just have to take a bus. The company that offers this service is Volanbusz. The bus route is the same as the Budapest – Visegrád trip. More information here.
The journey is still relatively long (40 to 50 minutes) and tickets can be purchased directly from the driver.
» How to get from Budapest to Szentendre?
If for some reason you prefer to start this day trip in Szentendre instead of Visegrád, it is also possible to reach this city from Budapest.
The easiest way to get from Budapest to Szentendre is to go by train – direct train: Szentendrei HÉV (H5, purple line), which takes about 40 minutes. You take the train in Batthyány tér or in Margit híd, which connects with the Budapest metro.
💡 EXTRA TIP: The individual tickets or public transport passes we use in Budapest can’t be used on this trip, and you need to buy an extension ticket for 310 HUF. You should purchase the “suburban railway extension ticket (15 km)”.
It is also possible to travel between Budapest and Szentendre by bus from Volanbusz. The bus number is 880-889 (the same one that connects Budapest to Visegrád) and you can check the most updated version of the timetable here. However, I do not recommend this option as the bus departure station in Budapest (Újpest) is a bit far from the city centre.
Finally, you can also go for the more stylish option and do the journey by boat. However, this service is usually seasonal. You can request more information from the company offering this service.
» What to visit in Szentendre?
Szentendre is a lovely town and what steals our hearts is the historical centre with the colourful small houses. A stroll through the historic centre alone makes you sure that this trip to Szentendre was already worthwhile.
In the historic centre, apart from the many souvenir shops, don’t miss the main square – Fő tér, where you will find the most original street lamps, the Blagovestenska Orthodox church or even a pillory.
Explore the narrow streets in the city, getting lost in the historical centre of Szentendre. This really is the best way to enjoy the city!
Also take the opportunity to walk along the river – Danube Promenade, where you can find some colourful pebbles right on the bank.
Another must-visit in Szentendre is Templom Square (Templom tér), which is located on a higher level, thus offering very nice views.
And speaking of beautiful views, the best view over the Danube in Szentendre is located here.
And finally, for those who are interested, you can always explore one of the city’s many museums:
- Ferenczy Museum: a collection of paintings, and sculptures by Szentendre, but also has temporary exhibitions of international artists
- Retro Museum to appreciate various pieces and objects from the 70s
- Hungarian Open Air Museum showing life in Hungary in the past (however, this museum is located on the outskirts of Szentendre)
- Cukrászda Museum: to learn about marzipan and see marzipan creations
- ArtMill: museum of contemporary art
And the list of Szentendre’s museums does not end here. You can find more information here.
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