By rail
Eger, ~2 h from Budapest
Europe · Hungary
Eger, Hungary
A castle town of wine cellars
Getting there
By air
Budapest (BUD), ~2 h
Best time to visit
May to October — mild
Don't miss
Eger Castle
The Minaret
The Basilica
The Lyceum's camera obscura
Things to do
Eger Castle
Wine tasting
The thermal baths
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: David Sallay (Sloshmo, English Wikivoyage) · Public domain
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
The Valley of the Beautiful Women's cellars
Questions travellers ask
How do I get to Eger from Budapest?
By train it is about 2 h from Budapest, and about the same from Budapest's airport (BUD).
Which months suit a trip to Eger?
May to October, when it is mild. Bring layers.
What are Eger's main sights?
Eger Castle, the Minaret, the Basilica and the Lyceum's camera obscura. Unwind afterwards in the thermal baths.
Where can I taste wine in Eger?
In the cellars of the Valley of the Beautiful Women. Ask for Bull's Blood wine.
About Eger
- Hills
Where it is
Eger is a historic town in northern Hungary, the seat of Heves County, set in the hills between the Mátra and Bükk mountains, north-east of Budapest.
History
Eger has been a bishop's seat since St Stephen, Hungary's first Christian king, founded a see here. In 1552 Captain István Dobó and a small garrison held its castle against a much larger Ottoman army, a siege celebrated in Géza Gárdonyi's novel Eclipse of the Crescent Moon, but the Ottomans took the town in 1596 and ruled it for 91 years, leaving behind a slender minaret. It was rebuilt in baroque style in the 18th century.
People
Eger's people speak Hungarian, and wine is central to local life, with family cellars cut into the soft volcanic tuff of the Valley of the Beautiful Women. The town's thermal baths, including a Turkish bath from the Ottoman era, are still in use.
Known for
- Eger Castle
- Bull's Blood red wine (Egri Bikavér)
- The wine cellars of the Valley of the Beautiful Women
- The Ottoman minaret
- The baroque Basilica and Lyceum
Did you know?
Egri Bikavér, Bull's Blood, is said to take its name from a legend that the defenders of Eger in 1552 drank red wine, which the Ottoman besiegers took for bull's blood.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.