Esztergom Things to Do

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Watertown (or Vizivaros) is the beautifully quaint ramshackle old part of the town that sits underneath the Basilica along the Danube waterfront. Its two most prominent buildings are the twin spired Parish Church and the Primate's Palace next to it, but the collection of little houses that fill the narrow streets below the Basilica are also very pleasant.

When I was in the town, the was major renovation work being conducted on the streets of Watertown, so everything was dug up. With all the pavement and tarmac removed, it looked like how I imagined it would have done when this part of the town was originally constructed. If it wasn't for the workers, their vehicles, and the drainage tubes lying about, the scene would have been perfect.

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For nearly fifty years the two towns of Esztergom and Sturuvo have been separated on either side of the Danube, one Hungarian the other Slovakian. The split happened at the end of World War 2, when retreating German troops blew up the bridge connecting the two communities. It was rebuilt in 2001 with the help of EU funding, as part of the two countries preparations for joining the club. The bridge is now busy again with people and cars, as the two two communities can now easily mingle and work together.

The bridge is a sight in itself, sitting grandly over the Danube, but its best value to tourists is that it allows you to cross easily to Slovakia. For those wanting to get the perfect view of Esztergom and its Basilica, this best views are from the Slovakian side of the bridge. For those shallow people, like me, who just want to tick another country off their list, then you can add Slovakia with a ten minute walk from Estzergom. Remember that you can cross into Slovakia without a passport, but if you want to exit the bridge and enter Sturovo, you will need one.

I don't know if this is a year long problem, but when I crossed the bridge I found myself being assailed by sticky threads of spider webs dangling from the iron girders above. Thankfully I didn't find any spiders attached to the webs.

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Esztergom's Basilica is the biggest church in Hungary, and one of the biggest churches in the world. In fact, at over 100m, it's the tallest building in Hungary too. It's wider than it is tall, however, and it's just plain enormous. Sitting as it does on a rocky outcrop above the Danube, with the tiny houses of Esztergom scattered at its feet, the Basilica looks even bigger than it is. It would be a major attraction in any city in the world, but here it is possibly more important than the town itself.

Its vast size can be appreciated from all over the town, but you only really understand the perspective when you get close up. The doors and arches which appear like they may be human sized from a distance, turn out to be many storeys tall when you get near them. The huge cupola on top also allows in a great deal of light, which shows off the lavish detail of the interior in a fantastic heavenly light.

The interior of the Basilica is divided up into various parts. The central nave underneath the dome is free to enter. To enter the Egyptian style vault where the Archbishops rest costs about two euros to enter, the belltower another euro, and to walk up to the cupola itself is another two euros. There's also the museum by the main entrance which shows off the treasure the church has collected over the years.

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On our Viking Cruise, we did not have a stop here, but it was such an amazing sight---the sun was trying to come out with a little blue sky and we sailed past....What a view!

check out Micahel Palin's dvd from this area to see the inside views of this Hungarian Religious Mecca---!

Danube is among my favourite rivers because of its beauty and glorious past. The best way of enjoying its views is hiking a hill. Esztergom castle is perfect with its location and sights of two countries.

Esztergom is situated at the part of the Danube they call the Danube bend where the river turns suddenly to the south in the direction of Budapest. It is much cleaner here than it is in Budapest and the countryside is scenic.

There are also cycle paths here which I myself haven't seen but it seems like a great place to go on a bike trip. You can even go from one town on the Danube bend to another. There is info in English, Hungarian and German on a board at the Train station about the bike routes which sound like they are well taken care of.

It takes an hour and a half by train or bus from Budapest although I'm sure it would take a lot less by car. It makes a perfect day trip but it is not worth staying longer as there isn't that much to do.

If you come by train you arrive a little way out from the centre, but you can easily walk (there is a map by the bus stop outside) or you can catch a bus. It is an easy and quick walk: about 15-20 minutes. The walk takes you through quiet residential streets for the most part.

when you see the church in the photo you know you are near. The yellow dome shaped church is called Szt. Anna (St. Anna's).

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Apart from being on the banks of the famous Danube (Duna in Hungarian) it is also on the banks of the Kis-Duna (little Danube too). It certainly isn't as impressive as the Duna itself but It makes for a really pleasant walk under the leafy trees, especially in autumn, as you can see from the photo.

On the Kis-Duna you will see a few boats and even some houseboats, although it is very shallow looking.