"A Church with a Town Attached" Top 5 Page for this destination Esztergom by antistar

Esztergom Travel Guide: 72 reviews and 233 photos

The Basilica Dwarfs the Town - Esztergom

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Esztergom is a church and not a place. Its enormity is such that it would stand out in a big city, and it dominates the town like no other building I have ever seen. When you look at the town from across the Danube, all you can see is the church and a few small buildings scattered beneath. It would seem that you could sqeeze the entire town inside the church and the fortress that it sits in.

The Forested hills of the Duna-Ipoly National Park

Backed by the forested hills of the Duna-Ipoly national park, and with the wide dreamlike waters of the Danube passing slowly in front, the town of Esztergom has more to offer than just the Basilica. It has a number of beautiful buildings, especially in Vizvaros (Watertown), that when set against the backdrop of the Basilica and the town's environment, can produce plenty of amazing views.

Apart from the Basilica and the views, one of the main reasons for me visiting the city was to get a glimpse of real Hungarian life, something that is difficult to find in the capital of Budapest, with its thousands of English speaking tourists. Here I hoped to find the badly dressed, strange looking people that make up the real people of any country. Except for the many tour groups that make the easy, short trip from Budapest, I got plenty of that.

Sturovo on the other side of the Danube

Historically the town is important, and is the former capital of the country. The Basilica is here for a reason: it's the religious heartland of the country. Now the town is home to a new phenomenon: globalisation. The impressive bridge across the Danube now connects the two countries of Hungary and Slovakia, and was funded by the EU which Hungary is now a part of.

The bridge is also a conduit for the dozens of buses which travel back and forth to Slovakia at the beginning and end of every shift at the giant Suzuki plant on the outskirts of town, making use of Slovakia's lower wages. The tired faces looked out at me from the dirty windows of the rusty Slovakian buses as they passed by on the way to Sturovo across the river.

Last visit to Esztergom: Oct 2006
Intro Updated Oct 23, 2011
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Reviews (12)

Train Transportation (2)

The town can easily be reached by train on a day trip from Budapest. It takes about one and a half hours from the... more travel advice

St. Anne's Church Things to Do (10)

A very obvious sight when arriving in the town from the train station is the Classicist St. Anne's Church. The great... more travel advice

Serbian Othodox Church Things to Do (10)

This pretty, bright yellow little church is an island of Orthodoxy in a sea of the Hungarian Catholic heartland. You can... more travel advice

The Little Danube Things to Do (10)

Cutting away the lands of Primate Island from the town is the Little Danube, which creates a pleasant and meandering... more travel advice

Comments (11)

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Sirvictor Jul 14, 2009 at 4:34 AM

"Dont flow Danube, dont flow, I am in deep sorrow. I am a bad fated Turk who gave Estergon to Nemce (Austrians)." Turkish Estergon song
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balhannah Jan 2, 2009 at 7:53 PM

I would probably be "a dumb tourist" and take the train. Looks quite an interesting town. Would a boat trip be nice?
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Raimix Jan 8, 2007 at 4:29 AM

Great page! I especially liked these churches - the one Serbian church is impressive! Would like to visit more Hungarian towns someday! Raimis.
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cheesecake17 Nov 17, 2006 at 2:03 AM

Love this page, sure brings back memories..and I missed seeing the Virgin Mary statue ....There is just to much to see in the area..:)..great tips..
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globetrott Nov 6, 2006 at 10:14 PM

an excellent page about a place I planned to visit for a long time already. It seems to be much bigger than I thought !
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bugulma Oct 27, 2006 at 1:44 AM

what a wonderful place to visit. and funny name of the page about the town :-)
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Jim_Eliason Oct 23, 2006 at 5:07 PM

Great page!
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Bwana_Brown Oct 14, 2006 at 6:49 AM

A nice overview of this 'outback' part of Hungary. That Basilica really is something to see but it was also interesting to note how many basilicas, churches and chapels there are a small place like this! Quite a scenic spot.
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1courage Oct 10, 2006 at 2:53 PM

This is one really good page. I`m fully agree with what you`ve said about this lovely town. I will also go there in 2-3 weeks when the work will be finished to see the renovated main square:)
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kaloz Oct 9, 2006 at 1:06 PM

A very enjoyable page, it felt laid back, like one was strolling through the town. Funny though, the English language, I kept wondering why these Esztergomians are so reverential to apes (primates). (haha)