day trips train

A very easy and enjoyable day trip is by HEV train (a local rickety little train line) to Szentendre, about 30 minutes or so from Budapest and situated on the Danube. Others recommend taking a boat ride for the return but I didn't do that. You take the metro to Batthyani Ter station and then buy a ticket to Szentendre--be sure to ask for a return one as well, if not taking the boat back. Very cheap.

Rick's Budapest book covers it in great detail and I thoroughly enjoyed spending about 5 hours there on a warm summer afternoon. It's a quick walk into the little town, I was there on a day when there was a street fair going on with all kinds of wonderful hand-made crafts (it's an artist's colony) and delicious food, and there are several restaurants with outdoor seating. Little twisty lanes lined with shops and churches, very pretty and peaceful. I found some excellent souvenirs there, and something for me in an antique shop. You can tour the churches and just wander the charming little streets, and the highlight for me was visiting the little Margit Kovacs museum, she was the first female Hungarian artist to receive wide acclaim for her whimsical paintings and pottery figures.

There are other towns to visit, of course, and I loved Budapest so much that I'm planning a return trip next spring and will be taking the train--so far in my tentative planning--to Pecs, Gyor and Tata as I recently discovered my ancestors came from there and there's several sites of interest in the town as well.

The "classic" daytrip from Budapest is Szentendre. I liked it, but it's very crowded with tourists. I much preferred Vac, which is actually faster to get to and had few visitors. The main plaza is recently restored, and during the restoration they found mummified bodies which are now on display (along with their clothes, etc) - fascinating. I found out about it in Frommer's Budapest (it's not in Rick's book), which details other attractions there, like the synagogue.

There are three kinds of trains from Budapest to Vac: the express along the Danube taking 25 minutes, the local along the Danube taking 45 minutes, and the inland route going through lots of small villages taking 90 minutes. Of course, on my way there I thought I got on the 25 minute train, and actually got on the 90 minute one. Make sure you get on the one you want.

thanks for info on Szentendre..will review more on this. thanks for info on trains too...

Worldinbetween you had better be right. We are heading to Vac on the 21st and stopping to see the bears on the way back into town.

What bears are you going to see? And with the train disruptions are we going to be able to do our day trips by train? Thank you for all of your help!

http://www.medveotthon.hu/

my inclination would be to stick to trains leaving from Nyugati (Vac) or the suburban trains (Szentendre) or at a minimum board the trains that leave Keleti at one of the small suburban station stops.