Places you can reach in the morning and leave in the evening. Public transport first; the car only where it really helps.
Szentendre
Small Danube town north of Budapest with a Baroque main square, artists' museums and Hungary's biggest open-air village museum (Skanzen). Easy half or full day for culture lovers and families; reachable by suburban train in 40 minutes.
How to get there
- Train · MÁV-HÉV (BKK tariff) · 39 minFrom Batthyány tér (HÉV H5)
Departures: every 20 min on weekday mornings (e.g. 09:18, 09:38, 09:58 on Wed 14 Oct 2026); Saturday also runs at :18
Fare: Budapest single 500 Ft or 24-hour Budapest travelcard 2,750 Ft covers only the section inside the city (to Békásmegyer); add a suburban railway ticket for Békásmegyer-Szentendre (distance bands 400-600 Ft for 10-30 km; exact band for this section not verified). Alternative: H5 suburban railway tour ticket 6,200 Ft, valid all day Békásmegyer-Szentendre for up to 10 people travelling together (BKK and MÁV tariff, checked 2026-10)
Buy the suburban/extension ticket before boarding (MÁV app, MÁV ticket offices and machines, BKK sales points); inspectors do not sell the tour ticket. A Budapest pass/ticket alone is not valid beyond Békásmegyer.
- Ferry · MAHART PassNave · 1 h 30 minFrom Vigadó tér pier 5 (also Batthyány tér pier 2)
Departures: 29 Jun-30 Aug 2026 only, Tue-Sun: 10:30 (Tue-Wed), plus 08:30/14:00 Thu and 08:30/10:00/14:00 Fri-Sun; return from Szentendre 12:30-18:00
Fare: HUF 5,000 one way / 7,000 return adult (MAHART site, checked 2026-10)
Summer only. MAHART also notes that low Danube water suspended its Szentendre/Visegrád/Esztergom lines 13 Jul-18 Oct 2026; check before relying on the boat.
What to see
- Fő tér (Main Square) and old town lanes. Baroque merchants' houses from the post-Ottoman resettlement; 60-90 min walking the lanes.
- Margit Kovács Ceramic Collection. The town's best-known museum, among Szentendre's many art museums; about 45 min. Opening hours not verified 2026.
- Hungarian Open Air Museum (Skanzen). Rebuilt village houses from across Hungary; 2-4 hours. Open Tue-Sun 9:00-17:00 in season (to 31 Oct), closed Mondays and in winter.
Closed days
Hungarian Open Air Museum (Skanzen): open Tue-Sun 9:00-17:00 from 31 Mar to 31 Oct, closed Mondays; closed for winter from 1 Nov except 14-15 Nov (skanzen.hu). The town itself is open all year.
Best time to go
all year for the town; Skanzen 31 Mar-31 Oct; Mahart boat only late June-August
By car
Public transport is the better way to go here. Not needed: frequent direct HÉV H5 service.
Good to know
- Skanzen is closed on Mondays and from 1 November for winter (except the St Martin's Day festival, 14-15 November); plan the town centre only on those days.
- Buy the HÉV ticket for the section beyond Békásmegyer before boarding; a Budapest ticket or 24/72-hour card is not enough for Szentendre.
- The town is busy with day-trippers and souvenir shops near Fő tér; the side lanes and the museums are quieter.
- Group of friends: the 6,200 Ft H5 tour ticket covers up to 10 people for the outside-Budapest section all day.
Esztergom and Visegrád (Danube Bend)
Hungary's largest church on Esztergom's castle hill, then the royal palace ruins and hilltop citadel of Visegrád above the Danube Bend. A full day for history lovers; both towns are on the same (right) bank and linked by bus 880.
How to get there
- Train · MÁV · 1 h 5 minFrom Budapest-Nyugati
Departures: roughly hourly on weekdays (e.g. 07:21, 08:21, 08:51, 10:21, 11:51 on Wed 14 Oct 2026); about every 2 hours on Saturday afternoon (13:51, 15:51)
Fare: Single fare not verified 2026. Day tickets in MÁV tariff valid from 12 Jun 2026: Dunakanyar day ticket 2,499 Ft (seasonal tourist ticket for the Danube Bend region; sale days vary) or Magyarország24 day ticket 4,999 Ft (all MÁV trains, HÉV and Volánbusz in Hungary)
Z72 train. Esztergom station is south of the centre: Volánbusz 880 (about 11 min) or 863 connects to Béke tér (Bazilika)/the centre.
- Bus · Volánbusz · 38 minFrom Visegrád, nagymarosi rév
Departures: not verified 2026 (one sample: 13:50 on Wed 14 Oct 2026)
Fare: not verified 2026
Line 880 links Visegrád and Esztergom, Béke tér (Bazilika), so the two towns can be done in one day in either order.
- Bus · Volánbusz · 1 h 15 minFrom Budapest, Újpest-Városkapu (M3)
Departures: hourly at :35 on weekdays (06:35-12:35 and on)
Fare: 745 Ft one way (menetrendek.hu, checked 2026-10)
Line 880 to Visegrád, nagymarosi rév; also reachable via HÉV H5 to Szentendre then bus 880. Good return route from Visegrád to Budapest.
- Ferry · MAHART PassNave (Bíbic hydrofoil) · 1 h 30 minFrom Budapest (Vigadó tér)
Departures: only selected weekends 2026 (1-3 May, 23-25 May, 26-28 Jun, 24-26 Jul, 20-23 Aug, 18-20 Sep): Budapest 09:30, Visegrád 10:30, Esztergom 11:00; back from Esztergom 16:30, Visegrád 17:00, Budapest 18:00
Fare: Budapest-Esztergom HUF 13,000 one way / 17,000 return; Budapest-Visegrád 11,000 / 15,000 (MAHART site, checked 2026-10)
Advance booking required; no ticket office in Visegrád. MAHART suspended Danube Bend lines 13 Jul-18 Oct 2026 due to low water, so some listed dates may not have run.
What to see
- Esztergom Basilica. Largest church in Hungary, seat of the Catholic Church in Hungary; nave free, plus crypt, treasury and dome lookout (combined ticket 5,600 Ft). 1.5-2 hours.
- Visegrád Royal Palace (King Matthias Museum). Remains of King Matthias Corvinus's Renaissance summer palace; Tue-Sun 9:00-17:00, closed Mondays, adult 2,200 Ft. About 1 hour.
- Visegrád Citadel (Fellegvár). Medieval hilltop castle with Danube Bend views; allow 1.5 hours including the climb. Opening hours and price not verified 2026.
Closed days
Esztergom Basilica: liturgical space daily 8:00-17:00 (Oct-Dec 2026), crypt/treasury 9:00-17:00, dome 9:00-16:30; crypt, treasury and dome closed 12 Jan-27 Feb 2026 (bazilika-esztergom.hu). Visegrád Royal Palace closed Mondays (visegradmuzeum.hu). Visegrád Citadel hours not verified.
Best time to go
all year (basilica); Apr-Oct for views and longer hours; hydrofoil only on selected weekends May-Sep
By car
Public transport is the better way to go here. Not needed: Esztergom and Visegrád are both on the right bank and linked by Volánbusz 880; train to Esztergom and bus back via Visegrád covers both. No official source checked for car times or tolls.
Good to know
- Do Esztergom first by train, then bus 880 to Visegrád and bus 880 back to Újpest-Városkapu (M3).
- Avoid Mondays if you want the Visegrád Royal Palace (closed Mondays).
- Esztergom Basilica crypt, treasury and dome were closed 12 Jan-27 Feb in 2026; in winter only the church interior was open.
- The basilica dome lookout ticket sales end earlier than the church (15:30 in spring 2026); go there first.
- The Mahart hydrofoil is a summer-weekend extra and was suspended for low water from mid-July 2026; do not plan on it outside its listed dates.
Gödöllő Royal Palace
Large Baroque Grassalkovich palace, later the royal residence loved by Queen Elisabeth (Sisi), with restored state rooms and a big free park. An easy half day, good for history fans and Sisi enthusiasts.
How to get there
- Train · MÁV-HÉV (BKK tariff) · 45 minFrom Örs vezér tere (M2, HÉV H8)
Departures: every 30 min (some trips change at Cinkota), e.g. 09:03, 09:33, 10:03 on Wed 14 Oct 2026
Fare: Budapest ticket/pass valid to the city boundary plus a suburban railway ticket for the section outside Budapest (400-600 Ft by distance; exact band not verified). H8/H9 suburban railway tour ticket 6,200 Ft for up to 10 people (BKK, checked 2026-10)
Get off at Gödöllő, Palotakert, the stop next to the palace.
- Train · MÁV · 39 minFrom Budapest-Keleti
Departures: every 30 min (09:05, 09:35, 10:05, 10:35 on Wed 14 Oct 2026)
Fare: MÁV-palace combined ticket: Pest Megye24 day ticket + adult palace entry 5,490 Ft; Magyarország24 + entry 9,490 Ft (on sale from 7 Apr 2026 in the MÁV app, ticket offices and machines)
S80 train. Gödöllő station is about a 25-minute walk from the palace (BudapestGO planner); the HÉV H8 stops closer.
What to see
- Permanent exhibition (royal apartments). Rooms of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth plus the Grassalkovich era; 1.5-2 hours. Adult 5,000 Ft weekdays, 5,400 Ft weekends; audioguide 1,000 Ft.
- Palace park. Free entry; 30-60 min walk. Temporary open-air photo exhibition on Hungary's great trees from 6 Aug 2026.
Closed days
Palace open Monday-Sunday 10:00-18:00, ticket office closes 17:00 (kiralyikastely.hu, checked 2026-10). Events can affect access.
Best time to go
all year
By car
Public transport is the better way to go here. Not needed: two direct rail options. The palace charges for parking 9:00-18:00 daily (550 Ft/hour).
Good to know
- Take the HÉV H8 to Gödöllő, Palotakert for the shortest walk; the MÁV S80 is faster but stops farther away.
- Weekend tickets cost a little more than weekday ones.
- Cloakroom is free but compulsory for bags, backpacks and coats.
- The MÁV-palace combined ticket (5,490 Ft with a Pest Megye24 day ticket) is usually cheaper than buying travel and entry separately.
Tihany and Balatonfüred (Lake Balaton)
Lake Balaton's north shore: the 1055-founded Benedictine abbey high on the Tihany peninsula, and the old spa town of Balatonfüred on the water. A long full day by train for lake views and history; best from spring to autumn.
How to get there
- Train · MÁV · 1 h 50 minFrom Budapest-Déli (also stops at Budapest-Kelenföld)
Departures: every 2 hours (07:05, 09:05, 11:05, 13:05 from Déli on Wed 14 Oct 2026)
Fare: Single fare not verified 2026. Magyarország24 day ticket 4,999 Ft covers the train and the Volánbusz to Tihany (MÁV tariff valid from 12 Jun 2026)
Direct train to Balatonfüred; return the same way.
- Bus · Volánbusz · 12 minFrom Balatonfüred vasútállomás
Departures: about hourly (e.g. 09:10, 10:10, 11:10, 12:10, 13:10 on Wed 14 Oct 2026); 12-24 min depending on routing
Fare: 400-450 Ft one way (menetrendek.hu, checked 2026-10)
Get off at Tihanyi apátság stop by the abbey.
- Ferry · BAHART (Balatoni Hajózási Zrt.) · 20 minFrom Balatonfüred pier
Departures: seasonal: from 28 Mar 2026; autumn 2026 (7-27 Sep, then weekends 3-4, 10-11, 17-18, 24-25 Oct) departures 9:30, 11:10, 12:40, 16:10 to Tihany
Fare: not verified 2026
Scheduled boats do not run in winter; use the bus.
What to see
- Tihany Benedictine Abbey. Founded 1055 by King Andrew I, whose tomb in the crypt is the only surviving grave of a medieval Hungarian king; Baroque church and abbey museum. Adult 3,400 Ft. About 1 hour.
- Tihany village and views. Walk around the abbey hill for views over the lake; 1 hour.
- Balatonfüred lakefront. Spa town and pier where boats leave for Tihany; 1-2 hours.
Closed days
Tihany Abbey museum and church open daily: Oct 2026 Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, Sun 11:15-17:00; 1 Nov 2026-18 Jan 2027 Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00, Sun 11:15-16:00 (tihanyiapatsag.hu).
Best time to go
Apr-Oct (boats 28 Mar-25 Oct 2026, October weekends only); abbey open all year
By car
Public transport is the better way to go here. No source checked for driving; train plus local bus covers both places.
Good to know
- Check the abbey museum hours: services, weddings and funerals can limit visits; Sunday opening starts 11:15.
- The abbey opens until 17:00 in October 2026 and 16:00 from November (cash desk closes 30 min earlier).
- Boat to Tihany from Balatonfüred runs only weekends in October and not at all in winter.
- Trains are every two hours; plan your return train before you set off.