The capital of Hungary, Budapest, offers a lot of things to do within the city limits. You really cannot get bored on a trip here. But we all love diversity and, over the years, we’ve come to enjoy doing various day trips from the cities we are visiting.

Generally speaking, when deciding to go on a day trip, the destination needs to be at most 2-3 hours by train from where you depart. That’s because spending 4-6 hours transiting really is the most you can afford so that you still have time to enjoy the place you are visiting.

With that in mind, here are some ideas for day trips from Budapest.

Eger, Hungary

>>book your accommodation in Eger now

The city famous for its wines and castle is located about 2h by train from Budapest, which makes it the perfect candidate for a day trip.

Catch the 7:10 am train , on your return journey, catch the 7:04 pm train. You can easily check out the castle and still have time to roam the streets and stop to taste some of the wines.

Bratislava, Slovakia

>>book your accommodation in Bratislava now

The charming and compact capital of Slovakia, Bratislava is located only 2h 40 min by train from Budapest. Also part of the Schengen agreement – so the visa is not an issue since you are already in Schengen area-, this city offers a lot of things to do and shows off a totally different vibe when it comes to capital cities.

Catch the 5:25am train so that you get there early and on the way back, catch the 7:53 pm train. This gives you enough time to visit Bratislava Castle, explore its Old Town, take a walk along the Danube Promenade and stop for a meal.

Szentendre, Hungary

>>book your accommodation in Szentendre now

This village is easily reachable by HEV (suburban railway) or bike lanes from Budapest. From Batthyány tér take H5 all the way to Szentendre. The HEV stop is close to the main sqaure, Fő tér, and from there everything can be tackled on foot. The train takes 40 min to reach the village so you have an entire day to spend here. Check out the Hungarian Open-Air Museum and Marzipan Museum, visit the churches and enjoy the picture-perfect village. Stop for a meal before your train ride back to Budapest.

Székesfehérvár, Hungary

>>book your accommodation in Székesfehérvár now

Székesfehérvár is where the Hungarian kings used to be crowned. Though destroyed by the Turks in medieval times, the city has been rebuilt under the ruling of Maria Teresa Habsburg. MAV runs at lot of trains each there to and from the city. It takes 1h to get there , on the lower train, and only 45 min on the faster train. To maximize your time in the city, take the 6:30 am (fast) train and on the way back, the 8:42 pm (fast) one. The train station is located only 1km from the city center, so you can easily explore it on foot but if you are heading to Bory Castle, you need to take the bus. It is located outside of the city center and is completely open to the visitors. Within the center, check out the cathedrals and the Bishop Palace.

Miskolc, Hungary

>>book your accommodation in Miskolc now

If you are after an interesting thermal bath experience, then Miskolc is where you want to go. Located 2h 17 min by fast train from Budapest, the city is famous for two things: the Cave Bath and Diosgyor Castle. Take the 5 am train to Miskolc and the 7:35 pm train back to Budapest. Check out the downtown and go up on Avas Observation Tower for amazing views of the city. Then spend some time in the partly restored castle, before you take a dip in the crystal clear water at the Cave Bath.

Balatonfüred, Hungary

>>book your accommodation in Balatonfüred now

Located about 130 km from Budapest, a train ride would get you to Balatonfüred in about 2 hours. The small town stands on the northern shore of Lake Balaton and is considered an amazing yachting destination. It is also an elegant and expensive resort. A day trip, however, won’t set up back so badly but expect prices at restaurants to be higher than in Budapest (i.e. a coffee at the 4-star hotel cafe is 590 ft / abt 2 USD).

In front of Anna Grand Hotel you can find the carbonated drinking water well. So, fill up your water bottle and enjoy its benefits. Then walk down the stairs to the famous promenade and just enjoy the views. There are couple of museums right on the promenade as well.

Booking.com

Note: the article includes links that may qualify as affiliate links. If you book through them, I may get a small commission.