ESZTERGOM – WALK BETWEEN HUNGARY AND SLOVAKIA
Esztergom was the capital of Hungary from the 10th till the mid-13th century (now the capital is Budapest)
Its cathedral, ‘Esztergom Basilica’ is the largest church in Hungary.
LOCATION
Located in the Northern part of Hungary, 46 kilometers (km) northwest of Budapest, and 2.43 km from Slovakia´s southernmost town, Štúrovo, and these two cities are connected with The Mária Valéria Bridge which you can walk on and go between the two countries.
GET THERE
Easy, inexpensive and fast
From Budapest ->
Bus: Go to Árpád híd metro station (on M3 the blue line Metro), from there go to the Árpád híd bus station which is 5 minute walk, from the ticket office you can get an adult one-way ticket which costs HUF 930 (€3) or a student ticket at only HUF 465 (€1.5) and then take the Volanbusz 800 . The way takes about 1h20min, keep looking from the window, plenty of sceneries to see.
Boat: organized boat trips from Budapest to Esztergom is organized by Mahart Passnave which also pass by Vác and Visegrád (you might want to have a tour in those cities as well), their schedule and prices are listed on the website as well as their exact stop locations, however, the round journey to Esztergom might cost HUF 8,000 (€ 24) the money can be worth it if you would like to ride and see all the way in the Danube River.
From Bratislava -> as it is very easy access from Slovakia as well, transportation is easy between Bratislava and Štúrovo, I haven’t personally tried so you need to do a little search, once in Štúrovo you can easily walk on the bridge to Esztergom.
ACCOMMODATION
You can for sure book a place on Booking.com (use the link for a 10% refund on your booking), nevertheless if you are staying in Budapest you don’t actually need an accommodation in Esztergom, one is enough.
MY BEST OF ESZTERGOM
THE MÁRIA VALÉRIA BRIDGE
Copied from my diaries:
Štúrovo, Slovakia 4th June, 2017
I have never imagined a day would come that I will be crossing a bridge that takes from one country to another on my feet; it is the Mária Valéria Bridge. I was filled with pleasure walking this way, I am by myself and I'm not sad to be solo, I am grateful enough to be able to write this experience from where I am sitting.
On the other side of the river stands an amazing Basilica, the Esztergom Basilica, the biggest church and tallest building in Hungary. There are the green hills filled with red rooftops of small houses in the Hungarian towns.
Between the Basilica and me there lays the Danube, wide enough to amuse me every time I look at it. It is hot and sunny, I am waiting for a cloud to pass by to make it easier for me to write, but the blowing wind is making it suitable to enjoy the place and the view.
My back is facing the Slovakian town Štúrovo, I walked a bit around, it has a nice centre, colorful, looks similar to Esztergom, its neighbour town on the Hungarian side.
To my right is the bridge, that led me here, its huge, green, and has the Slovakian flag in the middle from one side and the Hungarian from the other side.
ESZTERGOM BASILICA
It is huge and remarkable.
The architecture is amusing, I haven’t been in the treasury but it is also recommended on the websites when I was reading about the city. Its website has all the information needed from opening hours to prices and facilities.
THE BASILICA PANORAMIC VIEW
It is just what you need; if you are in a bad mood or a good one, romantic status or even solo, it is what you need to see. The river is so wide but also seems so tiny, you are seeing another country as the view and understand how simple things could be in life if they were exactly like this view.
HAVE LUNCH IN ŠTÚROVO AND COME BACK
“Want to go have Lunch in Slovakia?” it is an awesome message, I suggested that to my friends while living in Budapest, it sounded great for a Sunday and we found this place which actually makes really nice chicken and also an impressive setting called Restaurant Sir Percival, check more reviews in the link.
If one day you want to escape the city or coming to Budapest for a long time and would like to see around, Esztergom is a good option for a one day trip, Have a great time and remember the walk.