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- Destinations
- Europe
- Hungary
- The Danube Bend
The Danube Bend
The Danube is the second longest river in Europe after the
Volga, flowing for 1,771 miles (2,857km) through nine different
countries. Before reaching Budapest it is forced through a narrow
twisting valley in the pretty Carpathian Basin, known as the Danube
Bend, eight miles (13km) from Budapest. The cluster of towns on the
bend offers an amazing collection of history, culture and
architecture, particularly the small Baroque towns of Szentendre,
Visegrád and Esztergom.
The Danube Bend is an extremely scenic area with green valleys
and hills rising up from the river, picturesque little towns with
market squares and commanding fortresses with sweeping views. Many
visitors choose to do a boat cruise on the Danube from Budapest
stopping at the little towns along the way. Because of its close
proximity to the capital, many people on a holiday in Hungary
choose to use Budapest as their base and take day trips into the
Danube Bend. Combined with good facilities and easy accessibility,
it is one of the more popular destinations in Hungary.
Information & Facts
Eating Out
Szentendre has a range of homely restaurants and the main square
hosts a selection of cafés. Rab Ráby, on Kucsera Ferenc utca 1/a,
with its quaint chequered tablecloths and a wonderful outdoor
courtyard serves up traditional Hungarian fare, while Régimódi
Vendéglõ, on Dumtsa Jenõ utca 2, specialises in fish and vegetarian
fare.
Esztergom has a range of eateries popular with tourists. Pázmány
Péter utca has a great selection including Padlizsán Restaurant
where you can eat while gazing at Esztergom's castle. For beer and
roast pork head to Csülök Csárda on Batthyány utca 9.
Getting Around
If walking along the cobbled streets in each of the Danube
Bend's towns is not to your liking then another popular way to tour
these small towns is by hiring a horse carriage in each. Esztergom
has a quaint mini-train called the Narrow-Gauge railway that does
town tours.
Language
Hungarian (Magyar) is the official language, but German
is widely spoken, especially in the areas close to the Austrian
border. English is spoken in tourist areas and most
hotels.
Money
Even though Hungary is part of the EU it does not use the Euro;
the official currency is the Hungarian Forint (HUF). Travellers
cheques are not widely favoured. Credit cards most accepted in the
country are AMEX, Diners Club, EnRoute, Euro/Mastercard, JCB and
Visa, and these can be used to withdraw cash from banks and ATMs
and to pay bills in hotels, restaurants and most shops. Banks
usually open between 8am and 4pm on weekdays and some are open on
Saturdays. ATMs and currency exchange machines are available in
towns and cities throughout the country. It is advisable to retain
exchange receipts for proof of legal currency exchange.