Budapest itself is an amazing city, I fell in love with it even though my short stay. But if you have more time in the Hungarian capital why not take the time to explore the surrounding area or even another beautiful European capital. Take a look at these three-day trips ideas to fill out your wanderlust.
Szentendre
Szentendre is a small, charming riverside town in Pest county, Hungary on the Danube bank north of Budapest. The closeness to the Hungarian capital makes it a wonderful day trip idea. The town is interesting for its museums, Mediterranean atmosphere, and lovely streets and shops.
Hot to get from Budapest to Szentendre
The easiest way tends to be by the suburban train (HEV). It departing from Batthyany subway station. The journey takes around 30-40 minutes. Trains depart every 10-15 minutes in a high peak.
Other ways to get there is by bus, ship, car, or bike. The buses depart from Arpad Bridge Station. In the tourist season, there are boat services operate between Budapest and Szentendre.
READ NEXT: Things to do in Szentendre
Visegrad
Visegrad is another small town in Pest County. It is located north of Budapest on the right bank of the Danube river. Visegrad is known as a castle town and is famous for the palace of King Matthias and the medieval citadel. From there you can enjoy a spectacular view of one of the bends of the Danube river.
How to get from Budapest to Visegrad
By train: The trains are leaving from Budapest Nyugati Railway Station and arriving at Nagymaros – Visegrad. They are running every hour and the ride takes about 50 minutes.
By bus: You can get a direct bus to Visegrad from Budapest, Ujpest Varoskapu Metro Station.
Vienna
The beautiful Austrian capital has a lot to offer. The city is modern, vibrant, charming, artistic, and occupied with amazing architecture. Two of Europe’s most beautiful capitals are just a short distance apart. The distance between the cities is around 250 km and it takes 3 hours to ride by train and 2 hours and a half by car. To get the most of Vienna in one day you have to plan carefully, some of the best places to visit are the Belvedere Palace, the St. Stephan Cathedral, to eat the worldwide famous Sacher cake, etc.
Apart from being one of the most beautiful European capitals, Vienna is also gay friendly and has a thriving gay scene.
How to get from Budapest to Vienna
The easiest way to travel between the two cities is by taking the train. The modern Austrian Railjet trains link the both leaving every hour or two throughout the day. From Budapest, the train leaves from the Budapest Keleti Station and arrive at the Vienna Hauptbahnhof. Some of the trains continue to Vienna Meidling. You can get off at whichever station is more convenient for you. To get a cheaper ticket book in advance. The prices start at 13 euro for the 2nd class and from 29 euros for the 1st class.
Budapest has a lot to offer, but the day trips are an excellent way to get to know more about a certain country and see more of it, so hop on the train to one of these destinations when visiting the Hungarian capital.
However, if you have limited time, let’s say just 2 days in Budapest, then I would advise you to skip the day trips and see as much as you can of the city.
READ NEXT: The Best Things to do in Budapest
Thanks for reading,
Bilyana
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