Looking for Budapest side trip suggestions

I have visited the little town of Szentendre on 4 of my 5 trips to Budapest--it has a charming artsy vibe and the architecture is more Baroque, runs along the Danube and is easily reached from Budapest by HEV train from Batthyany ter metro station in about 45 minutes. Lots of outdoor eating options, art galleries, interesting twisty little cobbled streets to explore and more than just the usual typical tourist shops--I always visit a little antique shop and the proprietress knows me by name now. There's also a wonderful small museum devoted to the life and works of Hungary's first important female artist, sculptress Margit Kovacs. I usually spend 3-4 hours there, and last spring I took the bus from the station out to the Hungarian Open Air Museum (Skanzen) for a few more hours, it's basically houses and villages from various parts of Hungary, fascinating if you are of Hungarian descent like I am, perhaps less so if not.

I also visited Godollo via HEV to tour the little palace used by Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) who was much beloved by the Hungarian people--I became intrigued with her story after visiting Vienna and touring Schonbrunn and seeing exhibits at the Hofburg. The palace feels more like a big house and was one of the more intimate and interesting palaces I have toured. HEV is about 40 minutes, probably a 4 hour total time commitment as the town itself did not seem to have anything else I wanted to see.

I may be mistaken because I haven't been there, but I think Godollo is also known for folk architecture.

Edited to add: Never mind. I was thinking of Hollókő.

Acraven, I think you are thinking of Skanzen. OP if you go to Szentendre, take the boat back to Budapest.

No, that was sort of a linguistic hiccup. I was thinking of Hollókő. I should never have posted about a place I hadn't been when I was out of town without access to my trip-planning notes!

Sorry about the confusion.

I very much liked Kecskemet, much more than Szentendre (maybe because there weren't a lot of tourists). It was about 80 minutes by train from Budapest. I stayed overnight but it's possible to see it on a day trip - if there are trains at suitable times.

I keep meaning to visit Holloko but can never seem to find the time or an easy way to get there, so Skanzen was a good option that fit in nicely with time in Szentendre.

Five Worth-Visiting Places In The Capital Budapest That Has Offered It An Identity Of One Unified City:

Buda’s Most-Popular Attraction:

Buda Castle or Budapest Castle, The Royal Palace In The Castle District: A chief and grand residence of the Hungarian empires for centuries. Standing on the peak of the impressive castle hill in the castle district. For its uncommon architectural wonder, UNESCO has declared it, its superb ‘World Heritage Site’. Castle’s height is highly spectacular. From the top, the entire capital Budapest view looks unique along with the skyline view. The castle in history was the witness of many ruling dynasties’ rise and fall. Historians believe that the first original castle construction was in the 12th century, raised to prevent Mongolian attack.
The second phase of the castle’s establishment from 14th till 20th century was the time when many extensions were added in the reconstructed castle. These together are reflecting unique excellence of the whole castle landscape even today. In the present time, the castle is the house of three significant defenders of history ‘Budapest History Museum’, ‘National Gallery’, and ‘Hospital inside the Rock Museum’ etc.

The castle district is a wide cobblestone street and the main residence of Buda castle. It was the construction of the 14th-century Baroque style. The land limit of the district is slightly small but is the house of many most-visited popular attractions. Besides Buda Castle, the castle district is the home to Matthias Church, Fisherman’s Bastion, Cafe Ruszwurm (confectionary of the 19th century), Funicular Railway or the cable car ride of 19th century and most impressive Buda Castle Labyrinth (an immense cave of maze under the Buda Castle. It is nearly 12th meter below the castle’s surface, spreads out in the dense dark area of around 1,000m).

http://greatjourneyto.com/capital-budapest/

Heroes’ Square: A famous historical site to visit in the capital Budapest. From Buda Castle, the distance of Heroes’ Square is approximately 3 to 4 km. Heroes’ Square is not directly situated to the side of Buda. But is towards the west bank of Danube River. It is an immense square made up of tar and concrete.

Here, most stunning and worth-seeing attractions are the statue of holy ‘Archangel Gabriel’ atop of the Millennium Monument’s column. Just at the center of the square, a large engraved stone called ‘cenotaph’ is present in front of the Millennium Monument inside the strong and designing iron gate, and the parallel row of six columns with the statues of brave Magyars from different Hungarian tribes on the right and the left side of the monument.
Heroes’ Square is an immense specific square of the past martyrs, who fought for the independence of Hungry and its capital Budapest during World War II. It is an entrance of the impressive City Park or Városliget. This square has been the part of UNESCO’S World Heritage Site since 2002. It was intended to build in 1896 to celebrate 1000 years of Hungary’s independence.

Hello from Wisconsin,
The coffee houses of Budapest. Kafe Muvesz across the street for the opera house. New York Cafe if you want the opulence.

Statue Park is a thought.

And a day trip or over night stay in Eger. You can take a bus or train to this enchanting place.

wayne iNWI