Szentendre on the Danube

Budapest has roads that run along both sides of the Danube river. Usually it’s noisy and unpleasant to walk by, but they actually close it off on Sundays for cyclists. Ottawa has some competition!

Anyways, I’m not here to bike, I’m here to take a boat. A lot of the boats will take you up and down the river within Budapest, but having walked around the city for a few days, I wasn’t convinced it’d be worthwhile.

Instead, I find that there’s a boat to a small town called Szentendre, about 20 km north of Budapest. Feeling like I want to see what Hungary is like outside of the city, I decide to take it.

The boat ride is an hour and a half long. It’s nice to see some parts of Budapest from a different angle, and I look around and remember all the parts of the city I’ve been to.

The boat trip the rest of the way is rather uninteresting, but I know we’re getting close when everyone gets out of their seats and starts pointing out the window. Between the thick trees pops out a small town on a hill, with its red slanted roofs and a church tower.

Everyone quickly disembarks the boat, and as the crowd heads to the main square, I decide to take a detour and explore the outer edges first.

I walk along the water, then up a stone road. In recent history, Szentendre has become a haven for artists, meaning you’ll find a lot of galleries, but also art in different forms all around the town.

After poking my head into a unique gallery that was entirely about flower art, I head to Czóbel Park, filled with statues of people and animals in interesting poses.

There’s also a Japanese garden nestled at the edge of town, which is a welcome surprise. It seems to be a popular spot for the elderly.

To prepare myself for the crowds before I head back, I stop by a grocery store to get some apples, and sit down and enjoy an Esterházy torte, a Hungarian cake, at a café.

Now Szentendre is built on a small hill, and while most of the touristy area is at the bottom near the river, with large streets and open squares, the residential area is at the top, with narrow winding streets and small houses.

That does mean that if you want to move here, you’d better be good at driving. I had to step aside entirely into a driveway to let this car pass.

After admiring the sights from above, I walk down into the main square, where I encounter a group of dancers performing what I can only assume is a traditional Hungarian dance.

They hold hands and move in a circle to the beat of the music, capturing the attention of everyone in the square.

Tired after walking around all day, I head back to the boat, satisfied with my day trip to Szentendre.