2012. október 31., szerda

Excursions - Szentendre

In the Excursion section we provide you with useful information regarding visiting beautiful places all around Budapest. The first spot is going to be about Szentendre. I love Szentendre, one of my best friends lives there, we went to fish there some days, also visited couple times with my girlfriend, every time we had a great time there. It has a certain kind of atmosphere that you can feel only there. It's very romantic with its old downtown, narrow streets, colorful houses, friendly restaurants, green surroundings, closeness of Danube, handcrafted goods in old merchant houses, and so forth. I could continue this list probably forever.:)

Let's take a look at what Lonely Planet says about Szentendre.

     Szentendre (population 24,000) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szentendre, Hungarian  for 'St Andrew', is the gateway to the Danube Bend, the S-shaped curve in Hungary's mightiest river that begins just below Esztergom and twists for 20km before reaching Budapest. As an art colony turned lucrative tourist center, Szentendre strikes many as a little too 'cutesy', and the town can be crowded and relatively expensive. Still, the many art museums, galleries and Serbian Orthodox churches make the trip worthwhile. Just try to avoid it on summer weekends (I have to tell you, that I cannot agree with the authors. It depends, if you like crowd, lots of people walking around on the streets and fill the town with vital life, kids are running around, couples are walking holding hands by hands, go there on weekends. I don't mind going into town on a sunny weekend day. It gives even better feeling when you can find streets without people just to steal a kiss from your girlfriend for example:). You know it can make the difference, be creative. Or you can go to Szentendre on weekdays, of course. Even on rainy days, you will find many people on the streets under colorful umbrellas. Whenever you go, you will feel the magic of Szentendre.)
Szentendre - http://goo.gl/3C9T2
Folklore shopping - http://goo.gl/851lY
Streets of Szentendre - http://goo.gl/yR0nU
Paprika House - http://goo.gl/oLpbN

    Right in the center of Fő tér, the colorful heart of Szentendre surrounded by 18th and 19th-century burghers' houses, stands the Memorial Cross, an iron cross decorated with icons on a marble base, erected in 1763 as an ex-votive. Across the square to the northeast is the Serbian Orthodox Blagovestenska Church (tel: 26-310-554; admission 250 HUF, open: 10am-5pm Tue-Sun), built in 1754. The church, with the fine baroque and rococo elements, hardly looks 'eastern' from the outside, but once you step inside, the ornate iconostasis and elaborate 18th-century furnishings give the game away.
Main square with the Memorial Cross in the middle- http://goo.gl/9i9zW
Blagovestenska Church - http://goo.gl/UZOs1
     If you descend Görög utca and turn south onto Vastagh György utca, you'll reach the Margit Kovács Ceramic Collection (Kovács Margit Kerámiagyűjtemény, tel: 26-210-224, Vastag György utca 1.; adult/child 700/350 HUF; 10am-6pm, http://goo.gl/9sAMN), Szentendre's biggest draw. Kovacs (1902-77) was a ceramicist who combined Hungarian folk, religious and modern themes to create elongated, Gothiclike figures. Some of her works are overly sentimental, but many are very powerful, especially the later ones in which she became obsessed with mortality.
Margit Kovács Ceramic Collection - http://goo.gl/hdlFr
     Castle Hill (Vár-domb), which can be reached via Váralja lépcső, the narrow set of steps between Fő tér 8 and 9, was the site of a fortress in the Middle Ages, but all that's left of it is the Parish Church of St John (Szent János Plébániatemplom, Templom tér; admission free, 10am-4pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct), from where you can enjoy views of the town.
Parish Church of St John on the Castl-hill - http://goo.gl/LEcTm
The red spire of Belgrade Cathedral (Belgrád Székesegyház; Alkotmány utca; adult/child incl art collection 500/250 HUF, 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Mar-Sep, 10am-4pm Tue-Sun Oct-Dec, 10am-4pm Fri-Sun Jan-Feb), seat of the Serbian Orthodox bishop in Hungary and built in 1764, rises from within a walled courtyard to the north.
Belgrade Cathedral outside - http://goo.gl/kXYCe
Belgrade Cathedral inside - http://goo.gl/3AxJN
One of the church outbuildings contains the Serbian Ecclesiastical Art Collection (Szerb Egyházművészeti Gyűjtemény, tel: 26-312-399, Pátriárka utca 5; adult/child incl church 500/250 HUF), a treasure-trove of icons, vestments, and church plate in precious metals (open at the same times as the church).
Serbian Ecclesiastical Art Collection - http://goo.gl/kr1yt

Information
Tourinform (tel: 26-317-965; szentendre@tourinform.hu; Dumtsa Jenő utca 22; 9.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri year-round, 10am-2pm Sat-Sun mid-Mar-Oct)
www.szentendreprogram.hu Provides loads of online information.
                                      

Eating
Promenade (tel: 26-312-626, Futo utca 4; main 1700-3000 HUF) - http://goo.gl/jVXcB
Vaulted ceilings, white-washed walls and a wonderful terrace overlooking the Danube are all highlights here, one of Szentendre's best restaurant serving 'enlightened' Hungarian and international dishes.
Erm's (tel: 26-303-388; Kossuth Lajos utca 22; mains around 2000 HUF) - http://goo.gl/CWwue
Retro-style Erm's, with its walls festooned with early 20th-century memorabilia and simple wooden tables dressed in lacy cloths, is an unpretentious spot with a wide choice of Hungarian specialities, including some vegetarian choices.
Palapa (tel: 26-302-418; Batthány utca 4; mains 1500-3000 HUF, 5pm-midnight Mon-Fri, noon-midnight Sat-Sun) - http://goo.gl/cU5Tp
The food at this colourful Mexican restaurant with live music makes it the perfect place for a change from Hungarian fare.

How can you get there?

Distance from Budapest: 19 km
Direction: North
Travel time 40 minutes by HÉV suburban train.

Boat
From May to September, one daily Mahart ferry plies the Danube to/from Vigadó tér in Pest and Batthány tér in Buda, departing at 10.30am and arriving in Szentendre at 11.50am (one-way/return 1490/2235 HUF, one hour 20 minutes). The return boat leaves at 5pm. The service dwindles to weekends only in April and October but from June to September there's an extra weekend sailing at 2.30pm (returning 7pm). Additionally, from May to August a daily 9am ferry leaves Budapest, calling in at Szentendre (10.40am) and Visegrád (one-way/return 1590/2385 HUF, 12.30am), before returning from Visegrád at 4.30pm. The service departs weekends only in April, Friday in September, and Friday to Sunday in October.
Prices may vary, for further information please visit: www.mahart.huwww.mahartpassnave.hu

Bus
Buses from Pest's Árpád híd station, which is on the M3 blue metro line, run to Szentendre at least once an hour throughout the day (320 HUF, 30 minutes)

Car
Rte 11 from Buda - http://goo.gl/maps/2H9RX - 32 minutes by Google Maps

HÉV
Trains depart from Batthány tér in Buda (370 HUF, 40 minutes) every 10 to 20 minutes throughout the day. Note that a yellow city bus/metro ticket is good only as far as the Békásmegyer stop on the way; you'll have to pay 100 HUF extra to get to Szentendre. Also, many HÉV trains only as far as Békásmegyer, where you must cross the platform to board the trin for Szentendre. The last train leaves Szentendre for Budapest at 11.10pm - prices may very, please visit: http://goo.gl/P4W4H and www.bkv.hu/hev_menetrend

What Lonely Planet left out is the must-go place, Álom Lángos. I found a very good description of the place, so have a look:

http://goo.gl/DphjT - Álom Lángos
http://goo.gl/QsqMP - Stand with the sortiment
Lángos with chees and sourcream, YAY!


On other great place to eat some traditional desserts is the Museum Confectioner's - Szentendre:


 Enjoy!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us on the following email:




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