Royal Seats in Esztergom, Visegrád

I visited Esztergom and its castle in November of 2024 on a day trip from Budapest by car. The direct driving distance between Budapest and Esztergom is a little bit over an hour, and most auto-enabled people will combine the visit here with at least one other place. In my case, I drove to Pannonhalma in the morning and then spent most of the afternoon in Esztergom.   

Esztergom Castle is located next to the Esztergom Basilica at the highest point in town. The part of the description related to the castle emphasizes its medieval architecture and artistic value, as well as the influence of the Italian Renaissance. A casual castle explorer will find features of note here or there, with a number of passages, chambers, and vaulted ceilings that reasonably impress. But it is hard to call anything here truly outstanding. It's a nice castle. I've seen better.

Small expositions, ranging from kitchenware to weaponry to crown and episcopal jewels, provide an additional measure of interest. The most impressive part of the castle may be its views from several terraces and elevated rooms, taking in the dome of the basilica, the banks of the Danube, the bridge connecting Esztergom with the Slovak town of Štúrovo on the other side of the river, as well as the rest of the town in the opposite direction.

Because I had a couple of other targets to explore in Esztergom - most notably, crossing the national borders on foot by walking …

Visegrad is a beautiful place little bit north of Budapest (the Hungarian Capital). It was the seat of the Hungarian Kings in the XI-XIV. Cent.

The ruins of the castle are on the top of a hill. It's quite interesting - especially for non-european visitors. The best thing I think is the view from the top, because the river Danube (Duna) takes a great sweep directly by the foot of the hill.

If you visit Budapest and want to make a trip to the nature, Visegrad is a good choice.