Welcome to the Beautiful City Esztergom

We began our day in this cosy place which served a wide range of freshly made breakfast and delicious coffee. It was a great place to start your day.
Opening hours: Monday - Friday: 07:30 - 15:00 Saturday: 09:00 - 14:00 Sunday: closed

Our destinations were very close to each other, so we decided to leave the car in this car park. The city was beautiful and discovering it on foot was a great experience. Let’s begin.

This monumental square was situated in front of the basilica at the top of Castle Hill. In the middle, a huge artificial ramp led to Várhegy which divided the space into three parts. Under the ramp, we found a huge cellar system, including a tunnel called Dark Gate.
As I was standing in the middle of the square I was surrounded by resplendent historical buildings with beautiful architecture such as the royal castle and basilica on the west, the canonical buildings on the north and south, and the auxiliary bishop's palace on the east. Looking at these buildings, I immersed myself in the history of old Hungary.

Next, our journey brought us underground. The dark gate, a passage under the huge artificial slope of Castle Hill, which was built in front of the basilica. It was built at the same time as the Esztergom basilica in 1824 by Alexander Rudnay. The vaulted structured passageway is 90 metres long and has a classicist style. It followed the line of the former rampart in front of the eastern castle wall. The purpose of the tunnels was to provide a connection between the canonical houses and the priest's school and also to ensure quick access to the Szentgyörgymező district.
It got its name from the fact that there is not enough lighting in the tunnel. The dark gate was also the main location of the events of the 1956 revolution. As a result of the volley firing, 14 residents lost their lives, which also aided to its name.
Today, the larger tunnel was illuminated in the evening and a one-way street goes through. And in the other tunnel, there was a restaurant and a wine tunnel. Walking through this place gave us a unique experience and atmosphere.

Our next destination was one of the districts of Esztergom called Szenttamás, which was an independent large village before 1895. It was named after the Archbishop of Canterbury.
As we were climbing the hill, we came across six stations. Here, coloured stone-carved reliefs and wooden sculptures represented the stages of Christ’s suffering.
A baroque-style сalvary which was built in 1781 leads to the chapel at the top of St. Thomas Hill. The chapel was built in 1823 in a classicist style by John Benyovszky, who was a titular bishop and canon. He offered the building in honour of the Sorrowful Virgin.
The architecture was beautiful. It contained wooden pillars, triangular vaults, and a small facade tower. In front of the chapel, we discovered the monumental calvary sculpture group, which dates from 1781. They featured the Virgin Mary, Saint John, and Mary Magdalene.
A relic of Saint Thomas Becket was placed inside.

After the beautiful walk, it was time for lunch. We chose a restaurant located in the historical surroundings of the Esztergom Basilica and the Royal Castle. The restaurant specialized in traditionally cooked dishes made from ham. I have to say, it was delicious.
Opening hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 12:00 - 21:00 Monday: closed
Book your table here.

It was time to learn more about Esztergom’s history, so our path led to the castle and its museum.
The story of the castle began around 971 with Geza when he chose the castle hill of Esztergom as his seat during his principality. Later, the Esztergom castle was also the central place of the reign of King Szent Stephen.
In 1198, King Imre renounced the royal castle and donated it to the archbishop. Then Esztergom was gradually transformed into the archbishopric centre.
The Renaissance constructions began from the mid-1400s until the Mohács disaster. During this time, the castle received a huge round tower which was built on the rock, hot and cold baths, terraced gardens and a small chapel. After that, fortification works were carried out.
In 1543, however, the Turks occupied the castle. From then on, the condition of the castle began to decline. Finally, in 1761 Maria Theresa returned the castle to the archbishop, who began the development of a baroque residence. The cathedral was built in the early 1800s.
Today the castle reflected its 16th-century form with the remains of the bastions, roundels and defensive walls on the very edge of cliffs rising above the Danube. Excavations took place almost continuously since the 1930s.
As we wandered around the Royal Castle, we gained an insight into the life of people of the past ages. Inside a small labyrinth of alleys, passageways, arches and gates we found the Castle museum which documented the history of the building and Esztergom. The exhibition featured historical costumes and a collection of weapons. We also discovered the knight's hall and the palace chapel, which were embellished with frescoes from the 1100s to the 1300s. Inside the palace, one of the rooms was decorated with beautiful Hungarian Renaissance paintings that have only just been restored.
Opening hours: 1st November - 31st March Tuesday - Sunday: 10:00 - 16:00 Monday: closed
1st April - 31st October Tuesday - Sunday: 10:00 - 18:00 Monday: closed
More information can be found here.

The castle hill in Esztergom has played an important role in Hungarian history since the foundation of our state. Thanks to its picturesque location and buildings, it's been used as a secular or ecclesiastical center.
According to sources, the very first church in the country was built nearby, where our founding king, St. Stephen, was also baptized. St Stephen was the first who built a church on the site of the basilica, which was completely destroyed by fire in 1180.
With its 100-meter height, the main cathedral is the largest in Hungary and one of the largest basilicas in Europe in terms of dimensions. It was built between 1822 and 1869 in a classicist style. The building was consecrated in 1856. For this occasion, Francis Liszt composed the Esztergom’s Mass (Missa Solemnis) which he conducted personally and was performed for the first time.
The sanctuary is located in the western part of the building, facing the Danube. The floor plan of the building has a Greek cross shape.
We began to explore the huge colonnade, admiring the stone coats of arms and statues. Then we continued our discovery inside, where we found the sub-church, the cathedral treasury, the panorama hall, and the dome viewpoint.
While we were walking around this incredible building, we gained an insight into the different periods of the cathedral's construction and history, we then admired the Danube panorama, and finally, we climbed up to the viewpoint where a beautiful view opens up to the city, to the Mária Valéria bridge, to Párkány, and Danube Bend. If the weather is clear, the peaks of the Tatras on the horizon can be seen.
Opening hours may vary seasonally. Please check them while planning your trip in advance via this link.

After the great experience in the Basilica, our next destination was a statue which was a commemoration for King St Stephen. It was situated on the northern round bastion of the Esztergom castle. It was created by Miklós Melocco.
The huge, nearly twelve-meter high creation depicted King Stephen in double life-size as the crowning bishop places a crown on his head. The whole work was framed by a Romanesque arch, which symbolized the crown itself. On the top, we saw a cross leaning to one side. It was inaugurated on the 15th of August 2001, the anniversary of István's death.

Next, we collected our car and continued our journey to Visegrád.

Today we visited another unique restaurant which brought us back 500 years in time. The Renaissance Restaurant offered a great range of dishes. We chose a food speciality, which was a selection of King Matthias’ favourite roasts. It was delicious, and we experienced an unforgettable medieval feast.
Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday: 12:00 - 21:00 Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday: 12:00 - 22:00 Saturday: 12:00 - 23:00
You can book a table and find more information here.

After the delicious dinner, we checked into our hotel, which was located near the Castle. It was also surrounded by a romantic landscape with a forest and a stream. First, we occupied our room then we tried its indoor wellness such as the indoor jacuzzi, a heated outdoor pool and a Finnish sauna. Finally, we went back to our room and enjoyed a relaxing evening.