Szentendre

Szentendre (Serbian: Сентандреја, Croatian: Senandrija, Ancient Latin: Ulcisia Castra) is a town in the Danube Bend region, on the right (western) bank of the Danube, 19 km north of Budapest.

Understand
This charming little town, whose name means "Saint Andrew", is known for its well-preserved houses and churches, many built in a Balkan style as the area had been settled by Serb refugees.

Today the town's best-known inhabitants are artists, and small galleries can be found on every street corner.

By train


In winter time, it's quite warm in the middle of the carriage, but may be chilly if you sit near the doors.

You can get on board with a regular BKV ticket or pass in Budapest, which is valid to the city limit. Once the train leaves Budapest, the on-board conductor sells you the "extension" ticket for Ft 310 each, one way. You must purchase a ticket in advance, on a vending machine, otherwise you will be fined. There is no on-board selling.

Every second H5 train from Budapest only goes halfway, to Bekasmegyer. You can either wait for the next one or take it to Bekasmegyer and wait for the next train there.

Other notable places to get on the H5 train are Margit bridge Buda side (from 4-6 tram) and Arpad bridge Buda side (tram line 1).

By bicycle
Biking to Szentendre makes an enjoyable day trip, at 25 km from downtown Budapest. With a minimum level of traffic, this family-friendly route will take you through a varied mix of environments and terrain, with plenty of interesting stops along the way.

Start your journey by crossing the Szabadság or Chain Bridges, heading north on the Buda-side bike path. This shady path runs nearly the entire length of the river in Budapest, and is a great place for people watching and picture-taking. Keep heading up the river, watching out for sleeping homeless people as you wind through the underpass at Margit Bridge and following the yellow-painted markings of the path. Cruising next to the HÉV tracks, this section takes you past some of the diverse residential areas of Budapest, from cushy and historic uptown Buda to Soviet style housing blocks.

Your first test of navigation will be after going under the Árpád Bridge and suddenly finding the bike path to have disappeared. Take a left, wind through the gates by the bus stop and continue up Tavasz Street, next to the bridge ramp. When you see a giant OTP building, make a right turn onto Polgár Street and cruise through the housing developments until you hit a dead end at Bogdáni Street. Go right, follow the street until you see the graffiti wall on the left, and then continue along the path next to the tracks. Once the graffiti ends you will see a place ahead and to the right to cross the tracks and resume your way along the bike path, which veers away from the tracks and towards the main entranceway of the Sziget Festival Island.

Take a left and ride along the Jégtörő Street path, then a right at the intersection into a few hundred meters of rough but leafy streets, which will spit you out along Keled Street, with the embankment on your left. Follow this for half a click, cut through the car-width tunnel on your left, and continue to the right in the direction of the river. Before you reach it there will be a bridge to cross on your left, which leads to the hottest summer escape within the confines of the city – Római part. Stacked with food stalls, “beaches” and outdoor pubs, this makes an ideal stop for lunch.

Once satiated, return to Nánási Street and continue north. The road name becomes Királyok, and you will follow it for at least 5 km before taking on your next big piece of navigation. Street bikers and families should take a left on Hadrianus Street, which will take you up to a busy road crossing and resume the bike path going north all the way into Szentendre. Off-roaders (in spirit and in equipment) can choose to continue straight along Királyok, turning right at a banked canal and following a lovely and twisting path through wildflower fields and canopied forest before bushwhacking back to the main road. You may have to cross the highway without the benefit of a crosswalk.

Once in Szentendre, grab a lángos and enjoy the town. If you’re too tired to make the return trip you can always load your bike onto the HÉV and ride back to town. The total riding time for this trip is 1.5-2 hours barring no serious stops and the terrain is almost universally level, with mostly smooth concrete. You will need at least a liter of water per person for each direction, a good map, and a good headlight, as many of the sections of bike path are poorly lit at night.

Get around
The HÉV and bus station are located next to each other, about a ten minute walk from Fő tér, the main square in the middle of town. From there, Szentendre is easily covered on foot. If you're planning on visiting the Skanzen the bus leaves roughly every hour from stop 7. Buy your tickets in advance (Ft 230), or from the driver with an extra fee (Ft 300).

See
Don't worry too much if you miss the sights listed before: most of the fun of visiting Szentendre is wandering around the streets and visiting the little shops and galleries. Notice the almost intentional lack of straight lines, right angles and spotless surfaces: everything is a bit crooked, slanted, or cracked resulting in an overall warm and cozy feeling. Try to take sneak peeks over fences, through cracks on gates or open doors for a glimpse of hidden treasure.
 * Memorial Cross, Fő tér. Commemorates the town being spared from a plague epidemic in the region.

Museums
Many of Szentendre's museums are run by the Ferenczy Museum Center, which offer a combined ticket to visit all of their museums for little more than the price to enter one. In listings below, these combined rates are marked with an asterisk(*).




 * Roman Lapidarium Castrum
 * Roman Lapidarium Castrum
 * Roman Lapidarium Castrum
 * Roman Lapidarium Castrum
 * Roman Lapidarium Castrum

Events

 * Spring Days ( Szentendrei Tavaszi Napok) - Mar.
 * Summer Festivals - Jun to Aug: 
 * Farewell (Szent Iván napi búcsú) - Jun 24.
 * Folk Dance Fest ("Tiszta forrásból" Néptánc Fesztivál) - Aug.
 * Summer Concerts (Régi Zenei Nyári Akadémia hangversenyei) - Aug.
 *  Serbian Fest (Szerb búcsú) - Aug 19.
 * Open Air Theatre of Main square in Baroque environment (Fő téri Teátrum nyári szabadtéri előadásai)
 *  Danube Super Marathon (Duna Menti Szuper Maraton),
 * Sport Festival (Sportfesztivál),
 *  Basketball Championship of Pest County (Pest Megyei Utcai Kosárlabda-bajnokság).

Walking
Take a stroll along the winding streets that lead upwards towards the hill overlooking the town. There is small viewing area overlooking the red-slate rooftops and if you look carefully you may even see the strange blue angel perched atop of one of the nearby church roofs.

Try to get lost in the small alleys and stairways.

Biking and Walking tours:


 * The S-marked hiking trails start in Szentendre suburban railway terminus. Pass the Kő Mountain (366 m) and the Cseresznye Hill (299 m) further takes to the Lajos-source.
 * The Bükkös creek Valley bike path running to the Dömör gate
 * From the Open Air Ethnographic Museum a bike path leading to the Pap meadow. then forward to Visegrad.

Other sports

 * The city is the ideal destination for water sport fans. The water-skiing and jet skiing is also available for use on the Danube. In the town is located a small boat harbor.
 * More tennis courts are also available.

Buy
There is absolutely no way you can leave Szentendre without tasting even the smallest amount of the famed marzipan produced (or at least sold) there. Marzipan creations come in all shapes and sizes, and are perfect both as a dessert to have with coffee on the spot, or as souvenirs.

In winter time, most non-purely touristic shops close as early as 15:00 (at least in Sa).



Eat




Drink
In winter, hot wine is extremely cheap.

Sleep

 * Hotel Panzió 100, is a family-run hotel in the middle of a wonderful landscape along the Danube.
 * Kentaur Hotel, along the Danube, in the heart of Szentendre.
 * Szent Andrea Pension is located in the most beautiful town of Dunakanyar. It is near the Pismány mountain, in a very silent and beautiful environment.

Connect
Szentendre postal code is: H-2000. Area Phone code: 93 (From Hungary first call:+06, from abroad +36).

Go next

 * Dunakeszi – town 16 km southwest
 * Leányfalu – village 7 km north, a holiday resort place
 * Nagymaros – town 23 km northwest
 * Pilisvörösvár – town 19 km southwest
 * Pomáz – town 6 km southwest, the entrance of the Pilis
 * Vác – town 17 km northeast
 * Visegrád – town 23 km northwest, Royal Palace remains (15th century)