Where we guide
Budapest first, and then four places within a day's reach of it. Each one below says honestly how long the travelling takes — that is usually the deciding factor, and it is the thing most listings leave out.
Budapest
Two cities that merged in 1873 and still feel like two. Buda is the hill, the castle and the quiet streets; Pest is the grid, the boulevards and the noise. Most of what you came for is within an hour of walking.
Getting thereYou are already here.
Szentendre
A small riverside town on the Danube Bend, north of the city. Serbian Orthodox churches, ochre houses and a long history as an artists’ colony. Close enough that it works as a half day.
Getting thereHÉV suburban rail from Batthyány tér, about 40 minutes.
Lake Balaton
Central Europe’s largest lake, and where Hungary goes in summer. The northern shore has the hills, the abbey at Tihany and the wine; the southern shore has the shallow water and the crowds.
Getting thereAround 1.5–2 hours by car each way, depending on which shore.
Tokaj
The wine region in the north-east that gave the world Tokaji aszú, and a UNESCO landscape of volcanic hills and cellars cut into the rock. A long day, and worth it if wine is the point of your trip.
Getting thereAbout 2h15 by car each way. This is a full day, not a half day.
Somewhere else in mind?
Eger, Pécs, Hollókő, the Danube Bend villages — if you can reach it and back in a day, ask. We'll tell you whether it's worth the driving.