Szentendre
City of Living Art

The picturesque town of Szentendre sits at the foot of the Pilis Hill, on the Danube bank north of Budapest.

Its closeness to the Hungarian capital make it an ideal daytrip destination for visitors coming to Budapest.

Tip: During summer flock of tourists flood Szentendre so if you don't like crowd time your visit during autumn or spring but and you'll love this town even in winter.

 

The cobbled stome Main Square of Szentendre with the Plague Cross in the middle

Getting there
Map of Szentendre
Main Attractions
Shopping in Szentendre
Restaurants in Szentendre
Nearby Attractions

Map of Szentendre and its Neighbourhood

Find the best Szentendre deals, compare prices and read what other travelers say at Tripadvisor.

Getting to Szentendre

By car

From Budapest No. 11 Motorway takes you to Szentendre.

By Suburban railway (HÉV)

The suburban raiway service departing from Batthyány Square in Budapest (M2 red metro line) and takes you to Szentendre in 40 minutes. Trains depart in around every 10-15 minutes in high peak.

By bus

Buses depart in the direction of Szentendre and Esztergom from Árpád Bridge coach station. The journey takes about 30 minutes.


By ship

Mahart, the Hungarain Shipping Company operates boat services between Budapest and Szentendre eevry day in the tourist season (30th April-30th Sept). See the timetable and ticket prices here.

By bike

A bycicle route runs along No. 11 motorway.

Back to Top.

Map of Szentendre

 

Main Attractions of Szentendre

In Szentendre you'll experience a Mediterranean atmosphere that few other Hungarian settlements can offer you. No wander that lots of artists come to find inspiration and work here. Let this unique aura enchant you too.

You can explore the town on horse carriage (it's the best option if you hate walking on cobbled stoned street waering high heels)

A Bit of Szentendre History

Szentendere was part of the limes the Eastern frontier of the Roman Empire under the name Ulcisia Castra from the 2nd centuty AD.

The Mongols in the 13th century than the Turks in the 15-16th century destroyed the town. It was rebuilt in Baroque style in the 17th century and has preserved the townscape since than. After the Turks left mainly Serbian refugees settled down than Hungarians, Slovaks, Germans, Greeks and Romanians. Each ethnic group had establsihed its own town part adding a versatility to the townscape.

Szentendre boasts a well-preserved 18th century Baroque townscape. Start you exploration from the Main Square (Fő tér) where the Baroque cross was erected in 1763 to commemorate the lucky fact that plague avoided the town. Winding streets lead off from the Main Square packed with architectural masterpieces, museums, restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops.

Old but well-kept merchant houses encircle Main Square like the block on the eastern side of the square (2-5. Fő tér) that was rebuilt under the same roof after a fire. On the ground floor the Szentendre Gallery (open: Tue-Sun: 10.00-18.00) provide exhibition opprotunites for artsists working in the town.

Out of the 9 churches of Szentendre the Baroque-Rococo Greek-Orthodox Blagovestenska church is the best known, built in the mid 18th century by settlers living in the Greek quarter next to the church. Above its wooden gate frescoes of St Helene and St Constantine greet you while inside you can admire the remarkable iconostase. The church is open daily during the tourist season.

Rococo iconostase by Mihály Zsivkovics inside Blagovestenska church

Pozarevacka Serb-Orthodox church

The House of Prisoner Ráby (Rab Ráby Ház) stands on the Rab Ráby Square a centre of the former Dalmatian quarter.

The Austrian Emperor sent Mátyás Ráby to look into local corruption issues. He lived in this modest Baroque house built in 1768. He found out tax evasions and other unlawful acts commited by the local noble men who tried to bribe Ráby. After refuring bribery he was imprisoned. The famous Hungarian writer, Mór Jókai wrote an epic about his story.

Stroll down Görög utca form Main Square lined with apartments of Greek families and you'll reach the peaceful promenade on the the Danube bank.

.

 

Back to Top.

Szentendre so many museums that we thought they deserve a separate page. Click to browse our list of museums in Szentendre.

Shopping in Szentendre

The crooked coble-stoned streets abound in shops (try Bogdányi street for example)offering all sorts of souvenirs, embroidered tablecloths and shirts, pottery, wines, paprika, that you can take home to your loved ones.

For Hungaricum (Hungarian food and beverage specialities pop in the Paprika Ház in downtown Szentendre where you can buy Tokaji wine, pálinka (Hungarian fruit brandy, Hungarian paprika powder, and goose liver.

 

Back to Top.

Where to Eat in Szentendre?

Szentendre, being a very popular tourist destination, boasts very good value reaturants and cafés that are on par with Budapest's restaurant scene.

Aranysárkány (Golden Dragon) Restaurant
Address: Alkotmány utca 1/a
Tel: (+36) 26 301 479

Prices: soups: 800 HUF, main dishes: 2500-3000 HUF

Traditional home cooking, attentive staff makes Aranysárkány one of the best places to dine at in Szentendre.

Elisabeth Restaurant & Cafe
Address: Alkotmány utca 1/a
Tel: (+36) 26 311 175

Prices:

Two air-conditioned rooms in a Baroque building with a nice patio. You can taste oth Hungarian and International specialities.

Fa Inn Restaurant
Address: Kossuth Lajos utca 22.
Tel: 06 20 252 2029, 26 303 388

Prices: soups: 470-600 HUF, main dishes: 1500-2000 HUF

Jazz, blues and piano evenings

Régimódi Vendéglő
Address: Dumtsa Jenő utca 2.
Tel: (+36) 26 311 105

Prices: soups: 600-1400 Main dishes: 1800-4000 HUF

Some vegetarian dishes, wide choice of fish dishes

Labirintus Restaurant in the National Wine Museum
Address: Bogdányi utca 10.
Tel: (+36) 26 317 054

You can dine in three different rooms: in the Tokaji Room in the cool cellar, in the Kupa Room on the ground level, or in the air-conditioned Vadász(Hunter's) Room on the firts level. The shed was altered to an idiylic terrace

In The 220 year old cellar system you can taste fine wines and buy the ones you like in the wine shop.

Bárczy Fogadó
Address: Bogdányi utca 10.
Tel: (+36) 26 310 825

Housed in a 18th century baroque building Bárczy Fogadó offers Hungarian specialities and gypsy music.

Chez Nicholas Restaurant
Address: Kigyó utca 10.
Tel: (+36) 26 311 288

A nice, terraced restaurant with view of the Danube in old Szentendre.

Rab Ráby Restaurant
Address: Kucsera Ferenc utca 1/a.
Tel: (+36) 26 310 819

Housed in a former 18th century smithery this very popular restaurant offers traditional Hungarian fare. A pleasant dinner in the patio on a summer evening offsets the slightly chaotic interior decoration. For coffee pop in the cozy Dorothea Café (Fő tér 15.) opposite Rab Ráby restaurant

Cafés & Confectioneries

Try the cakes, tortes and icecreams in one of the the Confectioneries run by the Surány family at Rózsa utca 2., and at Kálvária utca 49.

Back to Top.

Attractions Nearby Szentendre

Royal cities like Visegrád and Esztergom are the best known sights of the Danube bend but the neighbourhood has some other lesser known attractions

Opposite Szentedre an island lies on the Danube. A ferry service from Tahitótfalu connects the island with the main land. Popular holiday resorts attract water lovers at Horány and Surány.

Hiking

The idylic riverside village Leányfalu north of Szentendre became a chic holiday resort with beaches, a thermal bath, campsites and Mediterranean villas.

You can see remains of a Roman Watch Tower from 370 AD. From the beach next to the port red tourist track leads you up to the Vöröskő (red stone) at 521 m passing by the Gyulai Pál rest and the Csaba well. From the top you can see the Hills of Börzsöny and Cserhát and look as far as the Great Plain in clear weather.

You can have an unforgettable bathing experience at the terraced beaches of Lepence, near Visegrád. The thermal water lessens inflammations.

Back to Top.

---

 

Return from Szentendre to Homepage of Hungary Tourist Guide.