Eger

126km (78 miles) NE of Budapest

Eger (pronounced Egg-air) is the third-most visited city in the country and the most visited of Northern Hungary. It is a small baroque valley city between the Matra and Bükk mountains. Eger's fame is based on three things: its castle, its wine, and the brave struggle of its 16th-century women. When the Turkish army attacked in 1552, there were only 500 equestrians and an equal number of soldiers inside the fortress. The battle against 80,000 Turks was a little imbalanced to say the least. Those in the fortress, including the girls and women, stood up to the Turks to defend themselves and were remarkably victorious. The exuberant triumph is documented with golden letters in Hungarian history. Today, you can visit the exhibitions of the István Dobó Fortress Museum within the walls of the castle.

From the fortress, you can see a number of church towers defining Eger as a once-important church center for centuries, starting with an archbishopric since 1804. But alas, the Turks eventually succeeded in occupying the town and the minaret, 40m (131-ft.) high with 14 sides, is a reminder of their 100 years of Turkish rule from 1596. The view from the top of the minaret will delight you with a wonderful vista of the town's surroundings.

Today Eger's landscape presents a harmonious blend of old and new. The ruined castle, one of Hungary's proudest symbols, dominates the skyline. Eger is convincingly known as the city of baroque. In its historic city center many beautiful and valuable baroque and late-baroque buildings fill each street. If you wander beyond the confines of the old section, you'll find a small modern city.

One of the most widely known and prestigious wines produced in this city is the claret, Eger Bull's Blood. Its distinctive traits are spiciness, fieriness, and relatively high acidity. In the Valley of the Beautiful Women, the most important outer part of town, wine producers are always ready to receive travelers to offer and sell them wine. Many of the wineries are out of the center of town, making it difficult to access without a car.

If you don't want to rent a car, but want to enjoy the wines of the region, another option may be one of the festivals. Festivals include: Eger Spring Festival, an art festival of all mediums in late March to early April; The Feast of Eger Bikavér, a wine and food extravaganza in July; Wine Tasting, when wine producers present the wines of Northeastern Hungary in August; Agria International Folk Dance Festival, a convention of folk dance troupes in August; The Benediction of Wine on the day of St. John, the traditional celebration of new wine and wine exhibitions in late December.

Essentials

Getting There -- Eger is a 2-hour direct train ride from Budapest. Daily trains depart Budapest's Keleti Station every hour. Tickets cost 2,810 Ft ($15/£8).

If you're driving from Budapest, take the M3 motorway east to Kerecsend, where you pick up Route 25 north to Eger. There is a toll and toll tickets will be going up in price in the near future, so check at all MOL Petrol stations.

Visitor Information -- For information, visit or contact Tourinform, at Bajcsy-Zsilinszky u. 9 (tel. 36/517-715). The office is open in summer Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm and on weekends from 9am to 1pm; during off season, the office closes an hour earlier on weekdays and is closed on Sunday. For private-room booking, try Eger Hotels at www.egerhotels.com or Egertourist, at Bajcsy-Zsilinszky u. 9 (tel. 36/510-270). The office is open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Note that the telephone city code for Eger is 36, the same as the country code for Hungary. To call from abroad, you would use 36/36 and then the local 6 digit number.

Exploring Old Eger

Eger's main sites are fairly concentrated making them within easy walking distance of each other and of Dobó István tér. Like many European cities and villages, life revolves around the town square. This one is particularly lovely in the center of old Eger. The Minorite Church sits on Dobó István tér with many believing it to be one of the most beautiful baroque churches in Europe. It is in razor-sharp contrast to the nearby solemn edifice of the friary. One of the greatest masters of European baroque, Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer, designed the church.

In the center of the square, there is an impressive statue of the town defender Dobó, flanked by a knight and a woman. Erected in the 1960s, it was created by Alajos Strobl, one of the country's leading turn-of-the-20th-century sculptors. Strobl's execution of the work did not hold back on his feelings about the battle against the Turks. Strobl's other works include the statue of King Stephen on Buda's Castle Hill and the statue of poet János Arany in front of the National Museum in Pest.

The reconstructed ruins of Eger Castle, visible from just about anywhere in the city, are easily reached by walking northeast out of the square; take the path out of Dózsa György tér. You can wander around the grounds free of charge daily from 8am to 8pm in summer and daily 8am to 6pm in winter. You can also explore the two museums on the premises. Walking the ramparts is a lovely stroll in warm weather and provides a nice view of the old town area. The István Dobó Castle Museum (tel. 36/312-744), as the name implies, offers the castle's history along with displays of some Turkish artifacts. The Eger Picture Gallery display pieces from the same 19th-century Hungarian artists who are featured in the Budapest museum. The museums are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 5pm, and until 4pm in winter. Admission to each separate museum is 1,000 Ft ($5.50/£2.75).

Just to the west of the castle, on Harangönto utca, is Eger's most visible reminder of the Turkish period, its Minaret at Knézich u. 1 (tel. 36/410-233). The minaret survived, though the mosque under it was destroyed in 1841. The minaret is 14-sided, 33m (108-ft.) tall, and in good enough condition that for an admission charge of 200 Ft ($1/50p), you can climb to the narrow top. It is open from April to the end of October, Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm. If you suffer from claustrophobia, I warn against it. The scramble up is steep, on a cramped spiral staircase, but because the space is so narrow, you can't turn back if anyone is behind you. Those who are successful, however, are justly rewarded with a spectacular view.

You can't miss the massive basilica (tel. 30/337-2398), it is the second-largest church in Hungary, the largest being Esztergom's basilica and it competes in size with the basilica in Pest. You just need to walk a few blocks south on Eszterhazy tér. It is the only classicist building in Eger. Ordered by Archbishop Pyrker József, it was designed by architect József Hild, who was one of the architects of St. Stephen's Basilica in Pest. He completed this church in 1837 in the grandiose neoclassical style of the time. It's open daily from 6am to 7pm. If you are visiting in the high season, wander in at 11:30am Monday through Saturday or at 12:45pm on Sunday for a free organ presentation. Admission is free to the church at other times.

Next you will find the Lyceum at Eszterházy Square 1 (tel. 36/325-211) built in late baroque style. Count Eszterházy Károly ordered it to be built as a university at the end of the 18th century. It is now a college. (Colleges in Hungary generally offer 4-year degrees, while universities require 4 to 6 years of more specialized study.) The Lyceum houses the nationally famous diocesan library (kö nyvtár) on the first floor with an impressive ceiling fresco of the Council of Trent by Johann Lukas Kracker and József Zach. The only original letter written by Mozart, in Hungary, is on display here. You can visit March 1 to September 30 Tuesday through Sunday 9am to 3pm, the rest of the year, on Saturday and Sunday only from 9am to 1pm. Admission is 350 Ft ($2/£1). Entrance to the balcony is free. Concerts are frequently performed in the yard of the Lyceum during July and August, so ask at Tourinform for the schedule and ticket information.

The Palóc Museum of Popular Arts, Dobó u. 12 (tel. 36/312-744) presents exhibitions of the folk arts of the Palóc, inhabitants of Northeastern Hungary. Wood carvings made by shepherds, including crooksand drinking spoons, and hand-woven fabrics of mainly household textiles, tent sheets, shawls, haversacks, male and female clothing, and ceramics, are displayed. The museum is open April 15 through September 30 Tuesday through Sunday 9am to 5pm. Admission is 100 Ft (55¢/30p).

If you missed visiting a spa or bathhouse in Budapest, check them out in Eger. Northeastern Hungary is rich in thermal waters; ask at Tourinform for a list of spas in the region. The one on Klapa utca is under reconstruction until 2009, but the Tourinform can direct you to other options.

Where to Stay

Eger has some lovely places to stay right in the center of the town. The Hotel Korona, Tündérpart 5 (tel. 36/310-287; fax 36/310-261), is a clean, cozy establishment on an extremely quiet residential street just a few blocks west of Dobó István tér. The hotel has a wine cellar and a shaded patio where breakfast is served in good weather. There are 40 rooms, all with private bathrooms. A double room goes for 80€ to 110€ ($104-$143/£55-£75). Rates include breakfast and the sauna. Credit cards are accepted. Bus no. 11, 12, or 14 will get you there from the train station; get off at Csiky Sándor utca and you're practically at the doorstep.

Another guesthouse is near the beginning of the Valley of Beautiful Women and only a 15-minute walk from the historical center of the town. The Bacchus Panzio, is located at Szépasszony völgy u. 29 (tel. 36/428-950; www.bacchuspanzio.hu). This hotel offers double rooms for 43€ to 54€ ($56-$70/£30-£37) in high season and 37€ to 43€ ($48-$56/£25-£30) in low season. Breakfast is 5€ ($6.50/£3.50).

For something peacefully removed from the downtown, try the Garten Vendégház, Legányi u. 6 (tel. 36/320-371; www.gartenvendeghaz.hu). Operated by the Zsemlye family, this guesthouse is located on a quiet residential street in the hills overlooking the city. The view from the gorgeous garden is splendid. The price of a double room is 40€ ($52/£28) in high season and 30€ ($39/£21) in low season. Rates include breakfast in high season only, otherwise it is 5€ ($6.50/£3.50).

Travelers on a tighter budget should consider renting a private room through Egertourist or Tourinform. Rates in Eger are as low as 5,500 Ft ($30/£16) for a bed with a shared bathroom and as high as 11,000 Ft ($60/£31) for an apartment with bathroom and kitchen.

Where to Dine

The Fehér Szarvas Vadásztanya (White Stag Hunting Inn), located next door to the Park Hotel at Klapka u. 8 (tel. 36/411-129), a few blocks south of Dobó István tér, is one of Eger's best-known and best-loved restaurants. The menu offers a full range of Hungarian wild-game specialties. Award-winning regional wines are featured. A piano and bass duet plays nightly amid the kitschy hunting lodge decor. The restaurant is open daily from noon to 11pm, and reservations are recommended. Credit cards are accepted.

Where to Sample Local Wine -- The best place to sample local wines is in the vineyard country just west of Eger, in the wine cellars of the Szépasszony-völgy (Valley of the Beautiful Women). More than 200 wine cellars are located here, each offering its own vintage. Some cellars have live music. Although the wine cellars don't serve food, you can grab a meal at one of the local restaurants. Generally, the cellars open at 10am and close by 9 or 10pm.

The easiest way to get to the Szépasszony-völgy is by taxi, though you can also walk there from the center of town in 30 or 40 minutes. You could also take bus no. 13 to the Hatvani Temeto (Hatvan Cemetery) and walk from there; it's a 10- to 15-minute walk.

An Excursion to Bükk National Park

Just to the northeast of Eger lies the Bükk mountain range, a lush, rugged terrain of cliffs and forest land. Established in 1976 this region encompasses the Bükki Nemzeti Park (Bükk National Park; tel. 36/411-581). This mountainous national park presents a different persona with each season. If you visit in the spring, the palate of colors from countless wildflowers covering the backdrop will be your reward. The park is 43,200 hectares (106,750 acres) of which 97% is covered with forest. There are several unique and rare wildlife species in the mountains; more than 900 caves are known to exist. There are also numerous hiking trails. In the village of Szilvásvárad, you will discover where the world-famous Lippizaner horses are bred. The Lippizaners have more than 400 years of history in this area. You are able to discover the area by horseback. On the Szilvásváradi rail line, you can take a narrow gauge train along a 5km (3-mile) railway line through the mountains going through trout ponds and ending at Veil Waterfall, where the water falls 17m (56 ft.) and resembles a gauzy veil. From here, you can hike to the prehistoric Istállóskö Cave or to the Bükk Plateau.

A public bus from Eger stops here. The area has several pensions and hotels, as well as private-room accommodations. Egertourist or Tourinform (in Eger) will be able to help you book a room. Cartografia publishes the best area map, called Bükk hegység (Bükk Hills); it shows all the area hiking trails in good detail. You can find the map in most area bookstores and map stores.