A Taste of Hungary: From Eger to the Bükk & Mátra Mountains
Visitors to Central Europe usually focus on the "Grand Three" Imperial Cities Vienna, Budapest and Prague and hardly visit places outside of the capital cities. In the case of Hungary, tourists may go on a day trip to Szentendre, Visegrad and Esztergom along the Danube Bend, but few tend to venture further afield. Yet Hungary has many more highlights to offer, including the European City of Culture for 2010, PECS, in the Southwest or the many resorts and thermal spas around Lake Balaton. Further East and Southeast of Budapest, the Hungarian Puszta beckons with stereotypical images of horsemen, dusty farms and tasty Hungarian goulash. The town of Eger, about 1.5 hours East of Budapest, may not quite as easily be grasped by cultural stereotypes, yet offers one of the most scenic pedestrianized inner cities in Central Europe. Eger also marks as the gateway to both the Eger Winemaking Region and the scenically appealing Bükk and Mátra Mountains. For that reason, this quaint town of 60.000 inhabitants ranks among our main Treasures off the Beaten Track destinations in all of Central Europe.
Even the drive to Eger from Budapest is scenic, albeit hardly spectacular. Upon leaving the sprawling outskirts of Pest, buildings give way to lush green rolling hills with occasional villages and small towns along the way. Here we pass quite near to historic Gödöllö, known for its famous 18th century palace, where Elizabeth "Sissi" of Austria & beloved Queen of Hungary used to spend time. Near Gödöllö we may also opt to stop at a horsefarm en route to Eger - particularly the Lázár Equestrian Park, http://www.lazarlovaspark.hu, beckons with a neatly landscaped and well-maintained estate, impressive horsemanship performances and delicious local cuisine. As we continue on the M3 Motorway in the direction of Debrecen, we soon turn onto local highway 25 for the last 30 km to our destination, the famous small town of Eger. Here we also get to enjoy thermal spring waters, as the city boasts among the nicest and most affordable thermal pool facilities in all of Hungary.
Upon check-in at our local hotel, we first set out to discover the inner city of Eger, including its scenic pedestrian zone, catholic Cathedral and central square, DOBO TER. From here, it is only a short ascent up to 13th-century Eger Castle, where one of the most heroic victories of Hungarian history took place in the 1552 "Siege of Egger". It was here that only about 2000 men, women and children defended the town and castle from what some sources claim was up to 80000 Ottoman Turkish invaders, a feast of Hungarian resolve and pride that until today has been the subject of Hungarian history books and immortalized in the literary piece "Eclipse of the Crescent Moon" (1899) by Hungarian author Gárdonyi Géza. Between Dobo Square and Eger Castle, we also find numerous local vending booths and souvenir shops - it IS a tourist town after all, but within very tasteful and dignified proportions.
In the evening we set out to taste some of the wonderful local food and wine - the Eger region is famous for its red "Bull's Blood" brand (Egri Bikavér), best consumed at a wine cave or tavern in the nearby "Valley of Beautiful Women", the "Szépasszonyvölgye". Here we find a plethora of tasty local eateries, wine taverns and caves catering to visitors eager to enjoy the famous Goulash & Wine. Again, although a profoundly tourist experience, it is a far cry from the commercialized folklore dinners around Budapest or the tacky souvenir shops of Szentendre on the Danube Bend.
The Eger region also invites us to explore the surrounding Mátra and Bükk mountains. We particularly enjoy the half-hour drive to nearby SZILVASVARAD on the edge of the Bükk National Park. This small community of 1500 inhabitants is famous for its spectacular scenic location and horse breeding, particular Lipizzans. From the village of Szilvasvarad a small forest railway (kisvasut) runs along the Szalajka Valley up to the famous Veil Waterfalls. Numerous hiking trails and a unique open-air forestry museum are among the main attractions here. Following a day of hiking through the Bükk mountains, we then return to Eger to soak our tired muscles in the famous healthy radioactive spring waters of Eger's thermal bath.
Even the drive to Eger from Budapest is scenic, albeit hardly spectacular. Upon leaving the sprawling outskirts of Pest, buildings give way to lush green rolling hills with occasional villages and small towns along the way. Here we pass quite near to historic Gödöllö, known for its famous 18th century palace, where Elizabeth "Sissi" of Austria & beloved Queen of Hungary used to spend time. Near Gödöllö we may also opt to stop at a horsefarm en route to Eger - particularly the Lázár Equestrian Park, http://www.lazarlovaspark.hu, beckons with a neatly landscaped and well-maintained estate, impressive horsemanship performances and delicious local cuisine. As we continue on the M3 Motorway in the direction of Debrecen, we soon turn onto local highway 25 for the last 30 km to our destination, the famous small town of Eger. Here we also get to enjoy thermal spring waters, as the city boasts among the nicest and most affordable thermal pool facilities in all of Hungary.
Upon check-in at our local hotel, we first set out to discover the inner city of Eger, including its scenic pedestrian zone, catholic Cathedral and central square, DOBO TER. From here, it is only a short ascent up to 13th-century Eger Castle, where one of the most heroic victories of Hungarian history took place in the 1552 "Siege of Egger". It was here that only about 2000 men, women and children defended the town and castle from what some sources claim was up to 80000 Ottoman Turkish invaders, a feast of Hungarian resolve and pride that until today has been the subject of Hungarian history books and immortalized in the literary piece "Eclipse of the Crescent Moon" (1899) by Hungarian author Gárdonyi Géza. Between Dobo Square and Eger Castle, we also find numerous local vending booths and souvenir shops - it IS a tourist town after all, but within very tasteful and dignified proportions.
In the evening we set out to taste some of the wonderful local food and wine - the Eger region is famous for its red "Bull's Blood" brand (Egri Bikavér), best consumed at a wine cave or tavern in the nearby "Valley of Beautiful Women", the "Szépasszonyvölgye". Here we find a plethora of tasty local eateries, wine taverns and caves catering to visitors eager to enjoy the famous Goulash & Wine. Again, although a profoundly tourist experience, it is a far cry from the commercialized folklore dinners around Budapest or the tacky souvenir shops of Szentendre on the Danube Bend.
The Eger region also invites us to explore the surrounding Mátra and Bükk mountains. We particularly enjoy the half-hour drive to nearby SZILVASVARAD on the edge of the Bükk National Park. This small community of 1500 inhabitants is famous for its spectacular scenic location and horse breeding, particular Lipizzans. From the village of Szilvasvarad a small forest railway (kisvasut) runs along the Szalajka Valley up to the famous Veil Waterfalls. Numerous hiking trails and a unique open-air forestry museum are among the main attractions here. Following a day of hiking through the Bükk mountains, we then return to Eger to soak our tired muscles in the famous healthy radioactive spring waters of Eger's thermal bath.
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