Szentendrei Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum

Here is the English page: https://skanzen.hu/en

I have been, it was interesting but I went on St. Martin's day and there was a bit more going on.

You have two days? You have never been to Budapest? Not sure that once you get here you will want to go to Szentendre.

I have bias when the topic is Budapest. I've visited three times but each visit was a part of travels to somewhere else - once Prague, once Bucharest and once Amsterdam. At the conclusion of each Budapest visit, I scolded myself for not budgeting more time, there. I love the place, and I believe my fondness is for all the right reasons. I have visited Szentendre's open air museum and spent some time in the town as well - a wonderful artist's community. I took the train up and floated back on a boat - especially beautiful if you can arrange your day to arrive in your return at sunset with the city lights glowing. The difficulty is - there is so much to do in Budapest, a Szentendre adventure would take up the majority of one full day, although it would be a wonderful one. I should mention that I have great interest in open air museums and I have had the good fortune to visit quite a few. My bias would be to encourage a Szenrtendre visit.....when I recollect my various Budapest adventures, my day, there is at the top of my memories.

blue439, that's beautiful.

Not too many years ago I had a friend fly in from Tehran. Her flight arrived about 10am so I hired a driver and met her at the airport. We went straight from the airport to Szentendre (the diver dropped the luggage in Budapest for us). Szentendre was everything it always is, then we boarded the boat to Budapest. To this day my friend says that one of the most moving experiences of her life was entering Budspest by boat, rounding Margrit Island and seeing the Parliament rise before her. Spectacular.

I also have Hungarian ancestry, and finally visited the Open Air museum on my 5th visit to Budapest; not that it wasn't important to me, and I always visit Szentendre, but the added bus trip out and back always gave me pause. It shouldn't have, it was quite easy as the bus stop is right behind the train station at Szentendre, the ride is 30 minutes, but going back you want to keep an eye on the posted schedule as I recall there was perhaps a 30 minute wait between buses. It is like visiting a series of villages in rural Hungary, quite spread out, but I really enjoyed going into all the little houses and shops and getting a feel for how life was when my great-grandparents lived in the little village of Tata in the late 1800s. There's a lot of walking, and I saw people on bikes that can be rented, but I spent about 3 hours there before needing to get back to Budapest.

Szentendre is always worth a half-day visit, but with your short time you might find a visit to the newly constructed but still full of fabulous things Neprajzi Muzeum (Museum of Ethnography) at the edge of the Varosliget (City Park, end of Andrassy ut on metro line 1) quite gratifying--it is full of exhibits on daily life in the Hungary of the past, wonderful artifacts and displays, some excellent special exhibits (one visit it was shoes, glorious shoes!) and while I much preferred the atmospheric old building it was previously in, just across from Parliament, the displays and learning opportunities make it a museum I try to visit each time I get to Budapest.

This sounds lovely! How long is the boat ride back?
Thanks for such a lovely description of your day.

45 minutes. Leaves Szentendre at 5pm. https://mahartpassnave.hu/hu/menetrend/budapesti-indulasu-jaratok-a-dunakanyarba/budapest-szentendre-budapest

The train up from Budapest is on your public transportation pass + about $1.50. Or free if you are over 65.

I forgot,I did this some time back. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/trip-report-day-1-833-szentendre-day-trip

I would say it is worth it, especially because of your Hungarian family connection.

The open air museum gives a really nice picture of traditional Hungarian life, with houses and buildings from different regions. Since your mom was Hungarian, it could feel much more personal than just another sightseeing stop in Budapest.

Because you only have two days, I would only do it if that cultural and family connection really matters to you. Otherwise, Budapest easily deserves the full two days. But if this part of your trip is about feeling closer to your roots, Szentendre and the museum are a great choice and very easy as a day trip.

Szentendre itself is also lovely, so the trip never feels like “just a museum.” You can walk around the old town, have lunch, and make a really enjoyable day of it.

Also, if you enjoy that kind of evening entertainment, I would personally recommend checking out some local casino options back in Budapest. For some people it is a fun way to end the day after museums and walking around, especially if you like the atmosphere and nightlife. Some options are listed here, so you can pick something in advance if it interests you: https://somagyarkaszinok.com/kaszino-bonuszok/ Personally, I think in your situation the museum would be more memorable than simply adding a few more hours in Budapest.

Today is my fifth day in Budapest. Tomorrow is my sixth and last day. I've kept tomorrow open for a trip to Szentendre, or as a day to play catch-up with anything I haven't had time for in Budapest. And I'm still unsure what I will do.

I'm not a fan of open-air museums, so I would be going just to enjoy the town.

Things I haven't done yet that I'd do if I spend the day in Budapest:

• Holocaust Memorial Center
• Vajdahunyad Castle
• House of Terror
• Museum of Ethnography
• Shopping

All the other main sights that interest me I've done (or am doing today).

What would be your choice?

My choice. The fact that its a bit cooler today and tomorrow makes these nicer than Szentendre as well. For me at least.

Holocaust Memorial Center
Vajdahunyad Castle
House of Terror
Museum of Ethnography (outside, inside not my cup of tea)
Shopping

Then take a tram to its end stop and walk home. (the 47/49/ or 4/6)

Lane, I’d really say it’s a matter of what you are in the mood for. Are you feeling done with city? Or do you want to split the difference and do a half day of Szentendre, plus a couple of the things on your second option? Or do you want to feel like you saw everything in Budapest you wanted to?

I might opt for the second option, if the weather is feeling chilly and a bit grey.

I took some tourists to Tihany on Lake Balaton today. It turned out to be warm enough. Great day in fact.

My problem with Szentendre today or tomorrow is that so much of the charm of the trip is tge boat ride back and it wouldn't be good weather for that.

It's been a week now, but I woke up last Saturday still not sure what I was going to do. In the end, I settled on visiting Szentendre, if for no other reason, because it was just one place to go, rather than flitting across Budapest from one location to another.

I loved it.

There are three museums in Szentendre that really appealed to me. The Ferenczy Museum, close to the train station, before you get into the heart of town, has a great collection of representative works by artists who lived and/or worked in Szentendre. The Kmetty Museum, right in the main square, has an ongoing exhibition of paintings by Jenő Barcsay, and I loved his work. One of my favorite Hungarian painters I discovered during my trip. And the Margit Kovács Ceramic Museum, just a block off the main square, has a large collection of her work. I love ceramics, and I loved seeing the variety of themes and techniques she employed in her work.

Other than that, I walked to the north end of town, and decided to return by train rather than boat just because of the timing. It was a beautiful day weather-wise, a little chilly in the morning, but it warmed up, and by midday I shed a couple of layers. I stopped for a light lunch at Cafe Lex, eating in a pleasant, quiet courtyard. Friendly servers and good food.

YMMV, but for me, this was the perfect way to spend my last day in (not) Budapest.