Danube Bend Tour

Danube Bend sightseeing tour Including Esztergom and Visegrád and wine tasting and snacks at Hungarian restaurant.

Esztergom, the oldest royal and ecclesiastical residence. Visit the Cathedral.

Esztergom, the seat of the Hungarian Catholic Church, is one of the oldest towns in Hungary. The Basilica of Esztergom, a masterpiece of Classicism, is the third largest church in Europe. Established around 972 AD, Esztergom has always played an important role in Hungary’s history. It was the birth and coronation place of the first Hungarian king, St. Stephen, as well as the capital of Hungary until the 13th century. After the Mongolian invasion, King Bela IV moved the Royal Seat to Visegrád and later to Buda, giving his palace to the archbishop and making Esztergom a religious center. The majority of the historic sites and the city’s architectural heritage are of a religious nature, like the Primate’s Palace, the Franciscan monastery, and several chapels and churches. Remains of the former royal palace, Turkish, Classicist and Baroque buildings, as well as the Basilica, attract many visitors. One of the newest additions to Esztergom is the Mária Valéria Bridge, which connects the city with Slovakia. Esztergom is often nicknamed as the ‘City of St. Stephen’ and the ‘Hungarian Rome’.

Primate Cellar in Esztergom: Vatican of Hungarian Wines During its 2000 years of history, Esztergom has seen quite a lot: Celtic and Roman occupation, siege of the Tatars and Turks, the liberation by the troops of the Austro-Hungarian emperor; it was the coronation city of the first Hungarian king St. Stephen, it used to be Hungary’s capital city, and today it is the religious centre of the nation. During the construction of the basilica in the mid 19th century an artificial relay platform was created to provide comfortable and representative access to the top of the Castle Hill. The creation of this platform permitted the establishment of the Primate Cellar underneath. The main function of the cellar system was the storage of wines of the surrounding region; also it helped to reduce the embankment required for the platform. The prerequisite of the construction works was that Queen Maria Theresa donated the Castle Hill to its former owner, the primateship of Esztergom. The Basilica of Esztergom is the largest and tallest religious building in Hungary, and the third biggest basilica in Europe.

The Trianon Treaty after World War I. assigned almost all the land, including the vineyards belonging to the primate to Czechoslovakia and the Primate Cellar ceased to function as a wine cellar. Following World War II. the Soviet Red Army occupied the country. The Seminary next to the Primate Cellar (today: St. Adalbert Training, Spiritual and Conference Centre) became the headquarters of the Soviet troops, resulting in complete lockdown of the surrounding area. The reconstruction of the Primate Cellar took place in 2010; creating a complex that offers unequalled experience of tourism, wine culture and gastronomy to the visitors of Esztergom. One of the important purposes of Primate Cellar is to promote the tradition of Hungarian wines and the wine culture of the Carpathian Basin. „This is a huge and impressive restaurant in a gorgeous landscape by the Danube bend under the Basilica. The kitchen offers an interesting and high quality culinary range using good quality raw materials prepared with surprising care and attention for such a large establishment. „ – Gault & Millau Hungary 2012. The cellar provides an insight and education into the wines of Hungary. The wines are chilled in enomatic wine dispensers, ready to be tasted and can be purchased on site in the boutique; a café and a souvenir shop awaits the guests as well just under the Basilica.

The impressive Wine Tunnel provides great insight into the different winegrowing regions of the Carpathian Basin, and a small museum displays artisan tools of vinification and the relationship between the church and wine. The Primate Cellar restaurant and wine-cultural centre is probably the most amazing catering establishment and events centre in the Danube bend. The cuisine of the award-winning chef is traditional with the hint of a modern twist for moderate prices. To accompany the great dishes we offer a selection of 100 different Hungarian wines from our cellar, a range that covers sparkling wines, dry white and red wines including rare native varieties and the famous sweet wines of the Tokaj region.

Visegrád

The former residence of Hungarian Kings. Admire the magnificent panorama from the Castle of Visegrád and have a lunch at Nagyvillám Restaurant. King Béla IV of Hungary and his wife built a new residence in Visegrád, high on top of the hill. The castle had a triangle shape, 5 terraces and 3 mighty towers. Step by step the castle became larger and larger over the following centuries. The Hungarian crown and state insignias were stored there. At the end of the 20th century the castle was restored and is nowadays one of the most visited castles and viewpoints of Hungary. Charles Robert made Visegrád a royal seat in 1323. Its palace hosted the famous meeting of the Hungarian, Polish and Czech rulers in 1335. King Matthias turned the court in Visegrád into a renaissance centre of art recognized around Europe. “Visegrád countries” became a key notion of Hungarian diplomacy after the change of the political system.

The price includes the followings:

– Transfer

-View of Pazmany Peter University building Piliscsaba

– Crossing the Maria Valeria bridge in Slovakia Sturovo

– Entrance fee to Castle of Visegrád

– Transfer back to Budapest