On the banks of the Danube River lies the picturesque town of Szentendre, Hungary.
History and architecture come together to make this town a tourist destination famous to everyone who visits the country. Today, Szentendre, unforgettable excursion from Budapest.
Szentendre
It is on the banks of the Danube River, about 40 minutes from Budapest by public transport. The fact that it is so close is part of its incredible success in recent decades. If you don't like mass tourism, then it's not for you. If you don't mind or you go in the low season or on a rainy day, then don't miss it because it is a truly beautiful place.
As we said, It is easy and fast to get there using public transport. The cheapest way of all is to take the train, HÉV suburban line, which is taken from Batthyány or Margit híd budai hídfo stations. You must use two tickets and buy them from the machines at the stations.
On the trip you will be able to see the remains of a ancient roman city known by the name of aquincum, his old man aqueduct and old train stations. Another way to get there is by water, on a boat. It is a slower way but it has its charm. In the warmer months, between May and October, you can take a pleasure boat on the Danube. The boats depart from Vigado tér or Batthyány tér, in Budapest. It takes two hours to arrive and between 60 and 70 minutes on the return.
The views when I arrive in a new place often disappoint me. I am naturally negative and start to question the trip and whether I am going to have a good time. Szentendre is no exception. The area around the train station is rather unimpressive. Don't take that for granted and head towards the old town that everything is beautiful there.
What can you know about this Hungarian village before you set foot there? You'll see the Cyrillic alphabet everywhere and that's because In the 17th century, Greek, Damacian and Serbian immigrants settled here., all fleeing from the advances of the Ottoman Empire.
King Leopold I of the House of Habsburg granted religious and civil liberties to the inhabitants of this small town, and so the place began to grow little by little. By the 6th century it already had XNUMX inhabitants, many Serbian schools, eight Orthodox churches and a local economy based on trade and winemaking, taking advantage of the Danube as a means of communication.
When the Balkan region was liberated from the Ottomans at the beginning of the 20th century, the local group of Serbs returned to their homeland in their entirety. A curious case in history, isn't it? So today you won't see many Serbs or descendants of Serbs around here, very few of them are left. The Orthodox churches are deserted and many have been converted to Catholic or Calvinist worship. The former trading town was converted into a day trip from people in Budapest, mainly, or from other countries after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
But What can we see and do in Szentendre? Know museums can be a good first choice. If you leave the train station following Kossuth Lajos utca you will reach the centre, and there, on the left, is the Ferenczy Museum, as the heart of all local museums.
On the outside terrace there is a nice café, Adria Café, or around the corner there is another one, Folt Café. In both you can eat and drink something, maybe have breakfast, to recharge your batteries before starting the tour.
El Kmetty Museum It has a small exhibition on the first Hungarian Cubist painter, János Kmetty, although there are sometimes works by other artists. In the downtown area you will also see many old houses, with pink marble bases, that once belonged to wealthy Serbian merchants.
Also in the area of the square, the heart of the old town, is the old Blagovestenska Orthodox ChurchIts icons, so characteristic of Orthodox Christianity, are beautiful. There is an entrance fee every day except Mondays.
Another museum that you can visit is the Kovács Margit Ceramics Museum, the most visited museum in SzentenderCurious, striking, colorful, you may not like everything but it is undoubtedly a curious collection.
You will see that the terrain starts to get steeper if you go up a narrow little path called Váralja lépcso. It leads to the top of a small hill crowned by a Catholic church, the oldest building in Szentendre, with parts dating back to the 13th century.
The views are very nice from up here, but the place also works Bela Czobel Museum, with the life and work of the Hungarian artist belonging to the same movement as Matisse, Vlaminck and Derain, the avant-garde pictorial movement known as Fauvism.
Szentendre is actually a very art-friendly place. After the Second World War, it became a favourite place for artists, after the borders were closed. In fact, not far away there is another art museum, the Vajda Museum, dedicated to the surrealist and abstract art painter, Jewish, Lajos Vajda.
La Belgrade Cathedral It is the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Archbishopric of Hungary. The church is open from Friday to Sunday and has a beautiful garden with walnut trees and a tower that can be seen from the other side of the hill.
If you are Jewish or want to know what happened to local Jews during the Nazi era, you can visit the Szantó Memorial, just a few steps away. The Jews here were mostly sent to Auschwitz and the memorial commemorates them all. There is also a synagogue which is the smallest synagogue in the world.
If you like cemeteries you can visit the Serbian Cemetery, old, somewhat neglected, with tall grass, witness to a now closed chapter of local history. If you go, keep in mind that it opens between 7 am and 6 pm.
Tourists also stroll among the residential houses of Szentendre. They arrive at the Czobel Park, with many statues. Not far away is a mill converted into a show venue and the MANK art studios.
Finally, we cannot fail to mention the Danube river. The sea wall The main one is called Jeno Dumtsa and is bordered by restaurants and gift shopsIf you like marzipan, don't forget to visit the area, Marzipan House.
The truth is that marzipan, the classic almond and sugar paste, It is very popular in Hungary. Mátyás Szamos, a native of Szentendre of Serbian origin, was a pioneer in marzipan craftsmanship to the point that today the national chain of Szamos bakeries is extremely popular.
In addition to marzipan, you can take advantage of your visit to Szentendre to try other things: beer, pancake (Hungarian stuffed crepes), pljeskavica, cevapi (roasted meats), ajvar… You already know, if you are visiting the Hungarian capital and you have at least half a day free you can face the visit to Szentendre, unforgettable excursion from Budapest.