Esztergom and Visegrad: Two Beautiful Hungarian Cities for Backpacking

With the summer being very close, and after I have written a post about what to look for when going backpacking in Budapest, I thought that I would write a post about cities that are close to Budapest, but that offer plenty to see. These are all lovely little settlements that have a rich cultural and economic heritage, that is worth experiencing. But you can only do that if you visit them. Without further ado, here are my three favourite cities that are close to Budapest.

Esztergom

Esztergom is one of the oldest settlements in Hungary, and we know that it was the first one that became a city. It was established over a thousand years ago, and it was the first capital city of Hungary when the country became a christian kingdom. The city ceased to be the capital in 1249, when Buda became the capital of the kingdom. 

Esztergom is the centre of the Catholic church in Hungary. This also goes back to the time when the country became a christian kingdom, because that was when the St. Stephen, the first king of Hungary requested a crown from the Pope. The country has been the capital for the Hungarian Catholic church ever since. Alexander Rudnay built the famous Basilica in 1822, which serves as the "office" of the archbishop of Hungary, and it remains to be the biggest and tallest building in Hungary up to this day.

Esztergom is also the capital of Hungary's rugby life. The sport is not popular in Hungary, in fact there are only a few teams in the country, but the Hungarian national team plays their games in Visegrad. The games are usually free, and they are a great spectacle. You should definitely go catch one if you happen to be in the city.

Visegrad 

Visegrad used to be an ancient settlement, that has a magnificent castle overlooking from a hill. The castle was built in 1009, and it served the kingdom well until it fell during the Mongolian invasion in the middle of the thirteenth century. The castle was rebuilt between 1250 to 1260, when two walls were added to the castle. However the best era of the castle was in the second half of the fifteenth century, when King Mathias made it one of his most frequented residencies, and the town of Visegrad became a burgeoning economic powerhouse of a town.

The surrounding forests are rich in deer and wild boar, which makes Visegrad a popular destination for hunters. The river Danube is rich in carp, catfish, and perch, so the city is also very popular among fishermen. The forest has multiple campsites, where you can spend a few nights either in your RV, or your best waterproof tent.

Visegrad became a popular vacation destination of the wealthy groups of the Hungarian society in the nineteenth century. Even today many own weekend townhouses in the area, and use it as a resort where they can retire and relax after a hard week's work. 

Conclusion

I hope the post got your blood pumping, and you are excited about visiting either Esztergom, or Visegrad, or both. They are well worth it, the scenery of the towns is truly amazing, I can recommend them wholeheartedly to anyone who likes travelling. If you happen to be backpacking in Hungary, you should check out these cities.