Hungary
5
 DAYS IN 
Hungary

On my second solo trip of the year, I covered Austria and Hungary - there’s no better place to celebrate Christmas than with the Habsburgs. I kid. Austria has been on my bucket list for the longest time, and visiting Austria during Christmas is a dream. Many of my friends had high praise for Hungary, and since I had a bit more time, I added that to my itinerary. 

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On my previous solo trip, I enjoyed Peru, immersing myself in nature. For this trip, my focus was on small cities. Austria and Hungary made it ideal with their mix of small and large towns.

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Hungary was hard to plan because there were so many cities. I started doing my research based on this list of cities in Hungary. My initial plan was to visit Pecs, which was highly rated among my friends. After some thought, I changed it to Győr and Sopron, which was much more convenient since it was en route to Austria. Although they were tiny and weren’t life-changing in any way, they fit my small cities agenda, and I enjoyed being immersed in these town-like cities so profoundly influenced by the Habsburg empire.

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TRANSPORT | Hungary (the major cities at least) was highly convenient. I used the Budapest GO app to look for routes and purchase my tickets within cities. I could also buy tickets from local transport in other cities through the app. Between cities, I used the MÁV app to search for train schedules. While buying tickets on the MÁV app was also possible, it was much simpler to purchase at the ticket machines at the train station.

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DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY | I focused on exploring as much of Hungary as possible. I squeezed in a day trip from Budapest to Esztergom and Visegrad, but it was too much of a touch-and-go for many of these places. Since I only spent 2 days in Budapest, it would be better to explore Budapest for another day.

‍HIGHLIGHTS | Budapest, Sopron

Day 2: Budapest - Buda

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Rudas Thermal Bath

Citadella

Matthias Church

Fisherman's Bastion

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House of Terror

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Can’t start the day in Budapest without Rudas Thermal Baths! I spent the morning walking up the Citadella. Unfortunately, the Citadella was closed for renovations. There was a beautiful city view from the Citadella, but I would skip it since the view is better at Fisherman’s Bastion! In the afternoon, I did a walking tour of Buda that covered the history of Buda Castle and its charming area. Don’t worry; there’s no overlap in the information shared during the pest tour.

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Although this was a Buda day, I had some time in the evening, so I went to the House of Terror on the Pest side as I was interested in learning about the communist era in Hungary.

Day 2: Budapest - Buda

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Rudas Thermal Bath

Citadella

Matthias Church

Fisherman's Bastion

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House of Terror

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Can’t start the day in Budapest without Rudas Thermal Baths! I spent the morning walking up the Citadella. Unfortunately, the Citadella was closed for renovations. There was a beautiful city view from the Citadella, but I would skip it since the view is better at Fisherman’s Bastion! In the afternoon, I did a walking tour of Buda that covered the history of Buda Castle and its charming area. Don’t worry; there’s no overlap in the information shared during the pest tour.

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Although this was a Buda day, I had some time in the evening, so I went to the House of Terror on the Pest side as I was interested in learning about the communist era in Hungary.

Day 3: 

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Esztergom

Basilica of Esztergom

Castle of Esztergom

Mária Valéria Bridge

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Visegrad

Visegrádi fellegvár

Visegrádi Királyi Palota

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I struggled to decide between spending another day in Budapest or venturing out and exploring what Hungary had to offer. In the end, I decided to go to Esztergom and Visegrad. They were both too short to do as a day trip, but they fit nicely together as a day trip. Two places in a day! However, the logistics were extensive and not worth it unless there was nothing else to explore in Budapest. I wish I had stayed in Budapest, taken a more relaxed approach to exploring the city, even done something outside like caving, or considered a day trip to Eger.

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Esztergom was a charming small town that was easy to get to - it was an hour's direct train from Budapest and a short bus ride from the Esztergom train station. There was a basilica, a castle, and a bridge to Sturovo in Slovakia. Going there was more like a small town than looking at certain attractions.

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Visegrad was also easy to get to from Esztergom - an easy bus ride from the city center. The hard part was getting back to Budapest!! It was a boat ride across the river, a short walk to the train station, and then the train back that took over 2 hours overall. It would be a different story to visit these places by car, but spending more time in transit via public transport than on the cities themselves was not worth spending more time in transit via public transport.

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For Visegrad, the highlight was the panoramic view of the Danube River from Visegrádi fellegvár - it was beautiful and easily accessible through a 25-minute hike from the bus stop. The trail can’t be found on Google Maps, but there is a starting point and a direct path to the top. (If you’re going to Austria, a one-hour train will take you to Bratislava, Slovakia, where you will get the same beautiful sights and more!)

Day 4: Gyor

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Szechenyi Square (Széchenyi tér)

Győri Bencések Loyolai Szent Ignác temploma

Frigyláda szobor

Basilica of Győr

Püspökvár-Toronykilátó

Győri Kármelhegyi Boldogasszony templom

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I want to start by saying that I didn’t pick the two best cities I could find - I chose those that were convenient to get to en route to Austria. I don’t think these cities were for everyone, as they weren’t very tourist-centric, but I enjoyed them overall. I started with a list of cities to explore. According to my online research and friend recommendations, Keszthely, Szeged, and Pécs seemed to be at the top. However, they were not as convenient for me, and Keszthely, where Lake Balaton is located, is primarily a summer destination.

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Gyor and Sopron were relatively minor cities with a small walkable city center - I enjoyed them because I felt immersed in the Hungarian culture - there were few international brands (of course, there will always be if you look hard enough). It felt like a bubble of its own. However, I felt out of place as the only non-European (and possibly the only non-Hungarian), so two days spent in towns were enough for me.

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I have to say, there were some fantastic food options in Györ - crepes at Tésztanya, coffee at Csücsök and Kapucziner Kézműves Kávépörkölő, and a burger at Westy Király BRGR. 

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I STAYED AT Apaca 30 Apartman, designed and run by a lovely couple. It was a beautiful, fully-equipped studio, and I could have stayed there longer. It was a 15-minute walk from the train station, but it placed me beside Szechenyi Square, which was very convenient.

Day 5: Sopron

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Main Square

Fire Tower

Múzeumnegyed

Storno House

Blessed Mary Benedictine Church (Soproni Nagyboldogasszony templom)

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There wasn’t much in Sopron, but it was an experience to walk through its cobblestones and learn about the city that has withstood numerous oppositions. It’s also where Franz Liszt (or Ferenc Liszt) learned the piano!

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Sopron is known as a wine-producing region, and it can be fantastic if you play your cards right! I went in December, and it was not the season for any wine.

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I recommend visiting Sopron by car. There is much more to explore with a car, especially vineyards outside the city center, like Luka Pincészet and a chocolatier, Harrer-Chocolat Ltd. It would also provide access to Széchenyi-kastély and Esterházy-kastély in the nearby towns.

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The city center was relatively small, and half a day was sufficient to cover the area. When I was there, I learned about the Esterhazy palace (technically in Fertőd) and decided to go for it. It was a 1.5-hour bus ride from Sopron to the palace and back. If you go there, please take your time, as the bus is not frequent. On the way back, it was a 50-minute wait for the bus in a city with no taxis. I got help from a kind resident who gave me a lift to the train station to return to Sopron.

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I STAYED AT Zachar Apartman and it was pretty amazing. It was similar to Gyor’s Apaca 30 in that it was beautiful and fully equipped with two main differences - it was more spacious and themed! Zachar managed a couple of units, all with beautifully different themes, and I was a fan of them. The location was perfect - the middle of the train station and the city center, only 3 minutes to either side. I didn’t get to meet Zachar, but from what I know, she also runs a winery, which I wish I had gotten to experience.