Discover Tapolca and the Lake Cave

You know that feeling, when your hands are itchy, and you feel like you *have* to book a trip or you will freak out? (First-world problems, I know.)  Well, not even a month passed since our return from Sicily, we were back home in Budapest, sweating on our sofa in the terrible August heat: that’s when the itch made me book a night in Tapolca, close to Lake Balaton, in Hungary. I pictured it as a last summer break to explore a small town and the beautiful Tavasbarlang, the Lake Cave; to recover from the it’s-already-September shock, and enjoy some quiet time out of busy Budapest.

Crossing the Hungarian countryside, between tidy fields and wild woods, was already a pleasant break from the noise of the city. I even got excited when we reached Lake Balaton, yet another sign that I am underestimating my need for swimming and sunbathing. In just three hours from Deli Train Station, we reached our destination.

Tapolca (map), a small town of some 15000 inhabitants, was on my bucket list because of the lake cave and the wineries. However, to contrast my overwhelming planning manias while travelling, I  took this trip as a spontaneity exercise: I chose a nice hotel by a small lake, checked the opening hours of the lake-cave, and nothing else. No restaurants, no wineries, no plan for the afternoon, for the morning, for the rain or the sun. What could we make of a couple of days, just by following our inspiration?

Straight out of a fairy tale!

Best located Hotel: nailed it

Unexpected street art

Our accommodation, hospitable and authentic Hotel Gabriella

Perfect relax by the stream

Well, it turned out that there was little to see: our pretty Hotel Gabriella was right by Malom-tó, the Mill Lake (map), which was the most beautiful sight of the town. We headed straight to the Lake Cave, hoping to visit before closing time, but all tickets were sold out. Well, it turned perfectly well: we had a snack by the lake and explored the surroundings, bathed in a beautiful golden light. The waters were shallow and clear, all shades of green and blue, they rushed through a small waterfall out to a peaceful stream. 
Here's 30 seconds of Tapolca from the sky!

Following our nose, we stayed at the Hotel for dinner, where we enjoyed local meat and wine. Our search for more local wine brought us to a place with incredible reviews, Borbarlang, the Wine Cave (map), but unfortunately open only from 10 to 18. A bit disappointed, we passed by a couple of half-empty restaurants and found ourselves back at the Hotel (that’s how small the city centre is, and how peaceful out-of-season is). The Receptionist had us covered: not only he served us local wine produced by his father, but he proposed that we bring it up to the room! Perfect comfort and satisfaction :)

A magical sight!

Only 2-3 people per boat, and you get to paddle!

The Tavasbarlang Lake Cave is much more popular and crowded than we expected. The ticket booth opens at 9.30, so we got there at 9.05, but there were already three families queueing outside. The crowd is regulated by Hungarian-speaking tour guides, who take small groups through an interesting exhibition on Hungary's geology, geography and history. English captions are well-written, and an English audio-guide is also available. We stayed with the group, but perhaps it is possible to follow your interests and go straight to the cave. After the exhibition, there is a 10-minute video, really interesting beautiful, but unfortunately only in Hungarian. Finally, it’s time to go down to the cave! Even though the stairs and the corridors felt quite spacious, it could be problematic for a claustrophobic person. I could not believe how clear the water was, the magical reflections against the light brownish of the stone, illuminated by lights in perfect positions. It’s a shame that the circular itinerary lasts maybe 5 minutes, and the pressure of the boats behind you is strong!

It took only 15 minutes by train to reach Badacsony (map), a village by lake Balaton. It was just perfect to enjoy the warm sun and the view of the Hungarian sea. Perfectly organized for tourists, lots of kiosks offer local food, from fried fish, to fried "langos" bread, and desserts. A couple of palacsintas later - Hungarian pancakes, the most traditional ones are filled with ricotta cheese "túró" - and we were ready to come back to Budapest.

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Hotel Gabriella has very few rooms and is quite popular. I suggest to book in advance!
• You may book tickets to the Lake Cave in advance on ticket website Jegymester .
• It's quite chilly down in the cave, bring a jumper!
• There is a camera mounted in the cave, right at the beginning. Smile and buy the picture at the exit! (We were both looking the other way :D )
• Train timetables are on Elvira Mav Start. Screenshot it from your phone and look it up later! Lots of machines are available at Deli station in Budapest, and ticket booths are present in Tapolca and Badacsony.
• If you leave early in the morning from Budapest, you may make it a day trip.
• Besides the Lake Cave, the hike to Mount Csobanc provides amazing views! We Love Budapest provides some tips here.
• Lake cruises are available in Badacsony.

Hike to Visegrad, a day trip from Budapest

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We have moved this article to our improved and updated blog. Come and read the best itinerary for an easy Visegrad hike!


Fellow traveller, do you have a spare day while in Budapest? Fellow local, do you crave some time in the nature? Visegrad is the perfect destination for a day trip! And if you follow our instructions, it won’t even require a big effort or a big budget.

The Danube Bend from Visegrad Castle

Located some 50 km north of Budapest, Visegrad is a small town that offers a gorgeous view of the Danube bend and the surrounding hills, many hiking trails and fun activities, and interesting insights in the history of Hungary and Europe inside the Visegrad Castle.

When is it best to go? How long does it take?

Spring, summer and autumn are best to enjoy the beautiful scenery of hills and river. Just avoid a cloudy or foggy day! Calculate some 8 hours, but if you hurry or bring lunch with you, you could make it in 6.

Check out the opening hours of Zsitvay Lookout Tower and of Visegrad Castle.

Get ready and bring:

• comfortable clothing and shoes for the trail
• water (there are some fountains to fill your bottle from) and snacks
• Hungarian forints, as credit cards and other currencies may not be accepted
• a guidebook/notes/info on your phone about the history of the castle
• download the offline area on Google Maps and star-save the highlights

How much does it cost?

As of June 2017:

• HUF 840 bus from Budapest
• HUF 420 snack
• HUF 400 Zsitvay lookout tower
• HUF 1400 Visegrad Castle without wax museum
• HUF 3390 nice lunch in town centre
• HUF 420 ferry across the Danube river
• HUF 1120 train back to Budapest

TOTAL: HUF 7990 / 300 = 26.6333 EUR

Or HUF 4600 / 300 = 15.3333 EUR without lunch

Energy-saving itinerary:

Our super-knowledgeable friend and tour guide Adam Marot of Behind Budapest prepared an easy itinerary: by taking the bus to the top of the hill, the effort was minimal!

We started from Budapest at the Ujpest Bus Station (map) (north of Pest) where we took bus 883 by Volanbusz (timetable) at 10.15. After one and a half hour, we got off at stop Visegradi Bobpalya, which saved us all the effort of climbing up the hill from the town of Visegrad, by the river.

We had a quick snack with coffee and Hungarian bread “Pogacsa” and walked up to the Zsitvay Lookout tower (map), a nice stone building erected in 1933. From the meadow in front of it, it’s just hills and birds chirping! Being on top of a hill 378 meters high, we loved the breathtaking view from the top of the tower, of river, hills and forests, islands and towns, and most of all, our next stop, the Castle of Visegrad.

Zsitvay lookout tower

Climbing up

From the Zsitvay lookout tower: the Danube bend and the Visegrad castle

Of course, the main road can take you down to the Castle, but we chose instead a lovely, peaceful trail in the woods, very easy to follow as it is marked on trees and stones with a white flag with a horizontal blue stripe, direction “Visegradi Fellegvar”.

In 10-15 minutes, we reached the Visegrad Castle (map). Being a Sunday in early June, there were many school kids on a day hike, but luckily we entered the castle around lunchtime, so it wasn’t too crowded.

Before reaching the viewpoint by the walls, there are already fun medieval attractions, like arrow shooting, throwing a spiked rusty weapon to a wood log, a trainer with a falcon, and two royal seats with suitable clothing ready for a costume picture.

The view from the walls is very picturesque: the Danube river flows peaceful and wide, confident among lush hills and red-roofed villages, and behind you the ruins of the castle walls rise high and bold. Thanks to a rising Hungarian flag, it is also a very patriotic spot!

Hungarian pride!

Access to the castle

As there are not many explanations available in English, it is worth reading up a little ahead, or bringing a guidebook with you. The first Citadel was built by King Béla IV in 1246 because of the Mongol invasions, to protect the valley and the commercial route. It was expanded into a larger fortress during the Anjou era, and King Charles Robert moved the royal court here in 1323. This King also organized a Congress with the kings of Bohemia and Poland to solve issues among them, open new commercial routes, and create an alliance against the Habsburgs. The Castle was left to ruins in the 18th century, when the Habsburgs ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Excavations and reconstructions started in 1871; some parts of the walls are visibly new, made of concrete and bricks, giving the visitor a real sense of what remained and what is rebuilt.

Inside the Visegrad Castle

Gorgeous view of the Danube Bend from Visegrad Castle

We took our time to explore the different halls, levels and viewpoints. At 3.30 pm we were on our way, through the woods again, downhill towards Visegrad. We passed by a little chapel called Kalvaria Kapolna (map) and reached the city centre at the cutest staircase overlooking the red roofs, right behind the church.

We enjoyed a resting lunch at a pizzeria right by the main church, and then headed to out last attraction. The Solomon tower (map) is the Low castle, located on a small hill by the river, where the walls started to rise up to the High castle. Also here, the recent restorations show very clearly what remained of the original tower and what was rebuilt; unfortunately, the result is not the most beautiful medieval tower ever. Anyway, it is quite picturesque and the view is again gorgeous.

The renovated side of Solomon Tower

The old side of Solomon Tower

We decided to take the train back, so we had to cross the Danube. The ferry from Visegrad to Nagymaros (map) offered us the best panorama to close our hike: peaceful river, steep hill and ruins on the top, a true postcard! And finally, a 50-minutes train ride back (schedule) from Nagymaros to Budapest Nyugati Station (map). 

View of Visegrad Castle on top of the hill,
and Solomon Tower down below,
from the ferry

What else?

• The bobsled track close to Visegrad Castle must be fun!
• The city centre may deserve 10 minutes for a stroll
• In the surroundings there is a spa called Lepence, for some relax.

Did you know this place? Did you try our itinerary? Let us know in the comments!

Easy hike in Budapest: the Kaan Karoly lookout tower

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The Kaán Károly lookout is a wooden tower built in a peaceful woods on top of Nagy-Hárs-hegy hill, on the Buda side of Budapest. Reaching is it easy, quick and rewarding, which makes it a great activity for locals and travellers alike, to take a break from the capital or to see it from a different point of view. Thanks to its advantageous location North-West of the city, the panorama includes lush woods, busy Budapest, the quiet towns in the nearby valleys, and misty layers of hills disappearing into the horizon.

The Kaan Karoly lookout tower

Get ready with:

-       comfortable shoes for the stony path in the woods

-       one/two more layers of clothing than in the city, e.g. a jumper/jacket/scarf

-       at least 2 bus tickets (one per way from Szell Kalman Ter)

-       charged phone/flashlight if you plan to come back in the darkness

-       Google maps: search and save Kaán Karoly kilátó (“lookout” in Hungarian)

How long does it take?

From Szell Kalman Ter, 15 minutes by bus, 20 minutes of easy walk, enough time to admire the scenery, the same time to go back, plus bonus time for pictures, videos, snacks, and back to the Pest side: approximately 2-2,5 hours, up to 4 if you stop for lunch, probably a whole day if you organize a barbecue (see end of the post).

When is it best to go?

The landscape is gorgeous, be it cloudy, sunny, snowy, and in any season (ok, perhaps not under the rain). Bus connections allow also going there for the sunset! Keep in mind that temperatures will be lower than in the city and it can get quite windy. The price of the gorgeous foliage is a possibly muddy path, and a snowy panorama will require suitable shoes.

How much does it cost?

Nothing! The tower is always open and there is no ticket fee. The bus ride is included in your 24 or 72-hour ticket, otherwise a single ticket comes at 350 HUF (1,20 eur ca.) and a package of 10 comes at 3000 HUF (10 eur ca.).

Itinerary:

from Szell Kalman Ter square to the lookout tower

From Szépjuhászné to the lookout tower

Depart from Széll Kálmán Tér (Square) with bus 22, 22A or 222 in the direction of Budakeszi. On the 15-minute ride, the scenery will change gradually from residential areas to woods. Keep an eye out on the left for the cute trams!

The path from the bus stop

Get off the bus at Szépjuhászné stop, which is also one of the stops of the lovely Children’s Railway, complete with a small restaurant.

Different routes around the hill will lead you up. The path is wide, not too steep (tough people go up running or cycling!), hard enough to make you deserve that slice of cake later :) 

We set out on a late Sunday afternoon with our friends Adam, who is a local tour guide addicted to the outdoors, and Lars, who was more into the final reward (pancakes!). It was amazing to be able to leave the city behind us and be immersed in a forest so quickly! Considering our long hours in the office, or the intense city-sightseeing programs we prepare for friends and family visiting us, this place wins a spot in our Top 5 of relaxing places in Budapest.

Adventurous stairs!

The tower, a wooden structure with stone foundations, looks like it belongs to another era. The stairs may look steep and narrow, but the scenery gets better and better until the 5^th floor, when suddenly your gaze embraces Budapest, the Parliament and Castle hill, lush woods on rolling slopes, peaceful towns in the valleys, and layers of hills showing and hiding until the horizon.

The atmosphere was quite intimate as it was only the four of us and another couple. The tower made some squeaking noises in the wind, but nothing to be worried about! We spent a while taking pictures, videos, time-lapses of the clouds, and watching the rain move on top of Budapest. The scenery is really magnificent, and so many details slowly pop up once you look closely: a green dome in the middle of the forest, blooming branches, fields and trees of countless shades. I did not expect to be able to see the Parliament building so clearly from this distance! On a nearby hill, you can see Elizabeth tower, another lovely destination for a half-day hike or a trip with the Children’s Railway.

The rain washed Budapest from right to left 

Dramatic sky by Darek

Misty horizon by Giulia

We miscalculated our time and our clothing: at 7pm we were already done with our pictures (if you can ever be done under an ever-changing cloudy sky when the sun is trying to peep out), and shivering in shorts and light shirts. At 7.30 we decided it was not worth waiting until 8.30 for such an uncertain sunset, so we headed down and jumped on a bus just as the rain started to pour.

We will definitely go back with better conditions! Nearby the tower, to the right, there is a clearing with benches and a stone circle on the ground suitable for a barbecue, perfect for a hot summer evening.

Do you know this beautiful place? Do you plan to go? Let us know in the comments :) Cheers!

Day trip: Szentendre

Sunny lazy Saturday in mid-October: Saint Andrew, or Szentendre in Hungarian, is the perfect destination. This picturesque town 20 km north of Budapest features the colours of the Mediterranean and the grandeur of the Danube, all together in a tiny old town of meandering alleys too narrow for cars. It's perfect to spend a few lazy hours outside of the capital, in a blissful feeling of holiday. Unfortunately Darek was busy, so this was a solo Giulia trip.

No need to get up too early: from Batthyány Square and Margit Híd Bridge stations, in Buda, the suburban railway HEV will take you there in just 50 minutes for 600 forints (as a suburban supplement: first buy or show your normal bus/metro ticket to the ticket office and then ask for the 2-way supplement outside the boundaries of Budapest). Szentendre is the last stop.

The scenery is slowly changing, from large apartment blocks to small (and a bit shabby) family houses. From the train station in Szentendre, walk down an underpass and straight on, as if the train would go on, to reach the city centre in a few minutes.

Szentendre is famous for the Serbian and baroque architecture and bright colours of the old town, for the diverse churches and faiths practised, and for the ridiculous amount of art galleries and museums opening at every corner - it is called "the artists' village" for a reason!

The baroque architecture is the heritage of the grand development that happened during the 18th century, when many Serbian and Greek families established their businesses here, using the Danube as a connection. The existing wooden buildings were turned into stone and painted with vivid colours, just like back in their lost hometowns.  I love the main square "Fő tér", triangular and tilted between the hill and the Danube, so unusual, colourful and traditional. To your right, the Danube, in front to the left, the main church, and in the distance in front of you, the shopping street "Bogdányi utca".

There's a very narrow passage going from the main square up towards the church, to the left: half-way, stop for one of the best "langos" you will ever have (typical hungarian deep fried bread). I took a classic one with cheese and sour cream for less than 2 euros and headed back to the main square and down to the Danube, actually to a smaller stream (there's a bifurcation up north). The sun was warm, my belly was full, luckily all the benches were busy, otherwise I would have slept all the way until evening! If you're not into super-deep-fried bread, along the Danube there are two nice restaurants, both mixing Hungarian and foreign traditions: a Greek, "Görög kancso", and "Fantázia Étterem".

I continued my exploration with a coffee at the Kovacs Margit Museum of Ceramics, which has a lovely back patio. DO NOT buy the map/guide of Szentendre by "Idea", or at least first make sure that the numbers of the restaurants in the map have been corrected.

Walk up to the main Catholic Church to admire the scenery: the peaceful Danube, the red tile roofs, people chatting and eating pancakes, in a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. I also spied on a courtyard where a bride was catching her breath in the middle of the wedding lunch! As white and classy as St. John can be, just turn around it to head over to the bright red baroque Serbian church, a bit spooky from the outside of its slightly wild garden, but soothing and enchanting when near it.

The city centre is so small and the map so big that I got lost and over-walked... To find the house of my dreams! There it was, down this winding alley "Kigyo utca": white and curvy, abandoned but not ruined, with a round hobbit window facing out and a large wooden gate hiding the patio. I could already imagine the twisting stairs inside, the eccentric furniture to fill the odd spaces, a cute garden outside to play cards and watch grandchildren play... I felt as if I was in a flash-forward in a movie!

Even better, the alley ends on the shopping street of Bogdányi utca, yes it's full of tourists, but there is also the Labirintus Restaurant and Wine Museum: excellent Hungarian restaurant, in the underground gallery it also hosts wine tastings for as little as 1700 HUF (6 euros) for 5 types of wine.

I spent some more time trying to work out what was where on that deceiving map: the Vajda Lajos studio on Péter Pál utca, close to the Danube, has a beautiful hidden patio that made me think of the historical and classy version of the house of Zorro. On a side street there is a house is completely hidden by ivy, except for the shiny letterbox, and if you try to open a gate you might actually find it open! I loved these of sneaking a pic on to somebody else's life, taking away this fraction of their home with me, imagining how they live and how I could live in such a place. Last but not least, an energetic lady drove past me on an epic Fiat 126, more famous here as the Kis Polski!

Just when I was about to head back to the station, I noticed a group of people heading further on and up, behind the red Serbian Church. Where are they going? Well, half-way up the slope of Bartok Béla utca there is the cutest little coffee house, Dálmát Kavézó, and on top of the road there is an opening with an even better view to the Danube and the village underneath! The changing leaves and the lovebirds benches added the finishing touch.

Next time: cake at the Számos Cukrasda coffee on the main square towards the station, nutella crepe from the langos place... and perhaps even some art and history, since most museums are open only from mid March to mid October! Also, the Outdoor Museum of Ethnography deserves a visit, to see the traditional buildings and lifestyles of Hungary all in the same place, but it is a bit outside of town and will need some organization.