Budapest: The Danube River divides the city into two parts - the hilly Buda and the low-lying Pest, together presenting one of Europe’s leading centers for the arts. The Buda Castle District, with the superb Royal Palace, embraces wine houses, fine hotels, restaurants and museums, such as: the National Gallery of Hungarian art and the Budapest History Museum. On the busy Pest side, the city’s Museum of Fine Arts, with its collections of Dutch and Spanish masters, is must-see attraction, as are the Museum of Ethnography, highlighting Hungary’s folk arts, and the Museum of Applied and Decorative Arts. The St. Stephen Cathedral and the Matthias Church are appreciated for their wondrous architecture, and the healing spas of the city are themselves architectural masterpieces. Locator: 137 mi. from Bratislava; 170 mi. from Vienna
Eger: This picturesque Baroque town, an archiepiscopal center, is known as the Town of Patriotism after its heroic defense against the Ottomans in 1552. It lies in the country’s best-known vineyard country, celebrated for Egri Bikaver wine. People also come to admire its beautifully preserved Baroque architecture and to climb up to its 13th century Eger Castle. Another attraction is the Istvan Dobo Museum, the historic library of the Lyceum and the Bishop’s Palace. The neighboring Szepasszony Valley welcomes wine lovers to its 1,000-year-old cellars. Locator: 52 mi. northeast of Budapest
Pecs: The centerpiece of this vibrant, Mediterranean-like city is the four-spire Basilica, with a shimmering interior of frescoes and ornate statuary. Pecs also has some of the best museums and art collections in the country - including the Zsolnay Museum occupying the upper floor of the city’s oldest building and displaying the Zsolnay family’s exquisite porcelain collection. In modern contrast is the Vasarely Museum, dedicated to native son and Op-Art painter, Victor Vasarely. Remains of the ancient Roman town of Pannonia (Sophianae) and the 16th century Ottoman period speak to the town’s historic role. Locator: 155 mi. south of Budapest
Szeged: The town’s appeal is architectural, from its imposing neo-Romanesque brick Votive Church (Fogadalmi Templom) to its new (1905) Art Nouveau New Synagogue. Szeged rates additional praise for its world-famous paprika and its Summer Cultural Festival. Locator: 150 mi. southeast of Budapest
Sopron: The town serves as a gateway to Austria. With its preponderance of Gothic and early Baroque architecture is considered by many to be the most charming medieval town in Hungary. Fine buildings include the turreted Storno House, now a museum with a remarkable collection of decorative arts and furnishings; the Goat Church with a frescoed 14th century Chapter Hall beneath, and the Old and New Synagogues, among the finest Jewish Gothic monuments in Europe. Locator: a 40-minute drive from Vienna