The Basilica of Esztergom is a truly magnificent and unmissable sight. As the largest church in Hungary, its sheer scale and grandeur are absolutely breathtaking from the moment you approach it. The stunning neoclassical architecture makes a powerful statement, and the sense of history is palpable, given its role as a key religious and historical site in Hungary. Stepping inside, the vast interior is just as impressive, with its grand altar, beautiful frescoes, and a serene atmosphere. However, the absolute highlight is the climb to the top of the dome. The panoramic 360-degree views of the Danube River, Esztergom city, and the Štúrovo on the Slovakian side are simply spectacular. A visit to the crypt and the Treasury (with its stunning collection of religious artifacts) is also highly recommended. This basilica is not just a church; it's a historical landmark and an architectural masterpiece that offers a profound and memorable experience.

The Esztergom Basilica is truly breathtaking — one of Hungary’s most impressive landmarks! Standing high above the Danube, it offers incredible panoramic views of both Hungary and Slovakia. Inside, the vast dome and detailed artworks are simply stunning, and the main altar painting is actually the largest single-canvas altarpiece in the world! Don’t miss visiting the Panorama Café at the top — it’s free to go up, and the views with a coffee are unforgettable. A must-see when exploring Esztergom!

Absolutely stunning and majestic place! The Esztergom Basilica stands beautifully by the Danube River with breathtaking architecture and a peaceful atmosphere. Offers a wide panoramic view of the city and the Mária Valéria Bridge connecting Hungary and Slovakia. The interior is grand and spiritual, perfect for history and architecture lovers. A must-visit spot in Esztergom, especially during sunset! 🌅

We stopped here on a river cruise- we’d never heard of this place before but we will never forget it now and its interesting history and its imposing basilica. It’s definitely worth getting a tour so you can learn some of the fascinating history & interesting stories behind the facades. Plus you can walk to Slovakia and back !

🇬🇧 Esztergom – Hungary Situated on the right bank of the Danube, directly along the Slovak border, Esztergom is a city where history speaks from every street, and the soul of Hungary feels almost tangible. It is one of the country’s oldest and most iconic cities — a symbol of statehood and of the nation’s spiritual heritage. Archaeological findings show that the area of modern-day Esztergom has been inhabited since ancient times. Different peoples — Celts, Romans, Huns, Avars, and Germanic tribes — all left their mark here, adding their own layers to the landscape. During the Roman era, the settlement was known as Solva or Salvio Mansio. After the Hungarian conquest in the 10th–11th centuries, Esztergom became one of the key centers of the emerging Hungarian state: Prince Géza chose it as his seat of power, and his son Vajk (later King Stephen I, canonized Saint Stephen) was baptized and crowned here. During the Árpád dynasty, Esztergom was not only a political and royal center but also the spiritual heart of Hungary — it was from here that much of the country’s ecclesiastical life was organized. For a long time, it also served as the royal capital, until the mid-13th century, when the court and administration gradually moved to Buda and other cities. The city has witnessed wars and sieges as well: in 1543, Esztergom fell to the Ottoman Empire after a long siege. Many buildings and monuments were destroyed, yet even today the layers of history remain visible among the ruins and restored sites. The Basilica — Hungary’s largest church — is the crown of Esztergom. Built in the 19th century in classical style, with its monumental dome, vast interior, and ornate decorations, it dominates both the skyline and the spirit of the city. Behind the basilica rises Castle Hill, home to the remains of the ancient royal palace, fortifications, and the Castle Museum. The exhibitions here guide visitors through Esztergom’s story — from Roman times through the Middle Ages, the Ottoman period, and into modern history. The Víziváros (“Watertown”) district by the Danube offers a true journey through time with its narrow streets, fort walls, traces of Turkish baths and mosques, and the imposing Primatial Palace / Christian Museum. The Christian Museum holds Hungary’s largest ecclesiastical art collection, featuring medieval altarpieces, sculptures, liturgical treasures, and artworks from across Europe. The Bakócz Chapel, a rare Renaissance gem from the 16th century, was preserved and later integrated into the basilica itself. Baroque and classical churches, elegant stone houses, and ornate squares complete the city’s historical character. Despite wars and transformations — from the Ottoman era to the world wars — Esztergom has always rebuilt itself and continued to thrive. After the Treaty of Trianon, it became a border town, losing territory but never its culture, sanctity, or symbolic strength. As a guide, I see Esztergom not as a museum city, but as a living witness to Hungary’s struggles, faith, and artistry. For anyone seeking a deeper connection to Hungary’s roots — spiritually, architecturally, or emotionally — Esztergom is essential. — Krisztina 🌊 Local Guide

When you enter the Basilica, you are surrounded by a completely different atmosphere. The descriptions about its history are excellent, and the treasury is also very interesting- it’s worth taking the time to look through everything and read the related sources. The view from the dome is fabulous. The crypt, on the other hand, brings yet another completely different mood with it.

This is fantastically maintained place, of great cultural and religious importance. We have been there with 2 kids, enjoyed everything. You can see the church and park for free, we also payed to go in to the tower and tomb. The price was OK. People there were nice and helped us with everything. Everything is well organised here. There is a chic coffee place in the building, and many shops, and thanks to this even people who are not religious can enjoy the place. There are foodtrucks outside, so you will not leave hungry. But the church itself is more than enough, we hope to come here again, also to see the city beneath the church (Vizivaros). During sundays there is regular church service, so you cant get inside all of the time, but there are a lot of other things to see during that time. It is actually fantastic,that you can still come here to join the mass.

This restaurant is excellent in many ways. First the location and atmosphere, right below biggest basilica in Hungary. Second, the fuud is delicious and they also have menu for kids. We come back for sure.

Atmosphere is perfect, especially during summer! Food is great, I am speechless. Dessert is great as well. Constructive criticism would be the waiter/waitress could have smiled more and be more friendly, but I get that they were busy! So overall score 💯/ 💯

Atmosphere is superp and romantic. The waiters are attentive. The food was fresh and delicious, especially the dessert is five out of five!

Absolutely delightful. The inside is marvelous, foods are seriously amazing! Though it is advised to eat the pork shoulder w/ onion and potatoes fresh, don't wait midtime like me who messaged on the phone instead. 😅

Love everything of this place, the food, the service and most of all the very beautiful place!

What a wonderful surprise, worth the trip from Budapest alone. Beautiful cellar location and great staff. The food however is the star, a complete surprise, the best restaurant meal I've had in Hungary and such great value for money. You must try it.

Chic dungeon-esque restaurant underneath the Esztergom Basilica. Some dungeony / castley vibes to go with some tasty foods. 🥦 good vegetarian / vegan options. The vegan beef (beet) tartar was excellent! 🍄‍🟫 the seasonal vegetables were simple but delicious 🍷 great selection of wines 🖼️ there’s also a small wine museum linked with it

A good castle, not big. The most beautiful thing about the castle is the view from it. A very beautiful view of the Danube and the city.

We didn’t go inside the castle, but just walking around the grounds was totally worth the visit. The area around it is peaceful and full of charm, and the views over the Danube and the city are absolutely stunning. The castle itself looks really impressive from the outside—lots of history in those walls, for sure. If you’re in Esztergom, it’s a great spot for a scenic walk, some photos, and soaking up the atmosphere without needing a ticket.

It's very good. Nice view. Constructed in the tournament of a Hill. Looks very Vintage

A beautiful place, and the city is truly worth visiting. The people here are surprisingly kind much more welcoming than in other parts of Hungary.

Castle and Danube with town view from top of castle are amazing. We could not enter museum part, as it was closed on monday. I strongly recommend visitors to take a walk at old town streets and Danube shore, it is peaceful. Only thing I didn’t like is the giant basilica competing with the old castle (which is built on top of it)

Good place to visit. Small but really worth it. Recommended to buy the whole ticket to visit. Really nice view to take photos.

Lovely city and castle. You walk up and can visit the church for free and the dome. The city is clean and peaceful.

My 1st Hungarian food experience and let me tell you they set the bar high. I had borsh and asked the waiter to suggest their best food. I am not disappointed. You are served in an arched cellar and the food comes fast and is delicious. 100% recommend.

I’ve been to many Csardas and I honestly love all of them. This one is my least favorite for now. I can only say- “nothing special”. Food selection as expected in Csárda, but the quality and overall atmosphere is somewhat lacking. My friend who visited Hungary for the first time loved it, nonetheless 😎

Good location, very close to the basilica. Friendly and quick service. The food was absolutely delicious.

This is the very best Hungarian restaurant which I have tried! The menu didn’t follow the usual Hungarian menues with all the deep fried meat. Instead, this place is specialised to a special part of the pork, but all the other pieces on the menu were quite unique; not the most common Hungarian dishes. The waiters were not shy to recommend against something: for example in our case when the salad didn’t fit to the main course, but they were doing it in a very polite way. The portions are decent and the taste was super-super good! The meats were tender and juicy and just delicious! We are going to come back for sure!

Loved all the unique options and flavors. Wish we had a bigger party to try what we saw other tables had ordered.

We really enjoyed our time here! The atmosphere was great, and the service was friendly. We tried three different dishes, and all of them were absolutely delicious. Highly recommend!

Great service. 4.5 stars, tempted to put it on 5-star but need to be credible. Wonderful location. Recommended for Hungarian food by my Hotel. As a tourist, who knows, but Menu available in English had new/interesting food for me. Had Hungarian Goulash which was great, and Ham Knuckle Crepe with Ox Tongue and Mushroom sauce as a new experience. It was REALLY good. Great ambiance outside. Heard mostly Hungarian and Slovak spoken. Seemed legit.

Gulyash was very tasty! But stuffed chicken and nyoki were made ahead of time and just warmed before serving. Service on a good level. Too many artificial flowers.

Fantastic fish soup (catfish) — easily the best I’ve ever had. I also tried the fried goose liver. While it was delicious, I honestly couldn’t distinguish it from chicken liver in taste or size — which left me a bit unsure. Still, overall, a great experience.

Had a lovely meal at this restaurant in Esztergom. The staff were very attentive and spoke English (helpful as I don’t speak Hungarian). I had the Hungarian goulash and a Hungarian pancake and both were delicious.

Finding a table for one in Esztergom wasn’t easy, but luckily this place had one available. The inner yard is lovely — cozy and well protected from the wind. While the dishes I tried weren’t exactly to my taste, that was purely a matter of personal preference. It was my first time trying Hungarian fisherman’s soup, and the staff kindly offered a smaller portion. It was well prepared, just not something I’d choose again. As someone who doesn’t eat meat, my options were limited, but the grilled cheese was nicely done. Very attentive service overall. I’m sure anyone who enjoys meat dishes would leave here happy and full.

The place is nice, I liked the decoration. I also appreciated the fact that the waiters were friendly and spoke English. We ordered two of the dishes that are for "two persons", which were ok, the grilled chicken stuffed with paprika and the chicken skewer covered with bacon were very good, as were the Gordon blue, fried cheese and mushrooms. However one of the chickens was too salty, and the accompanying potato chips were very tasteless . The soup was also very salty. And the fried sweet potatoes weren't that crispy Lastly, the portions were also good

I’m from Germany and I’ll have to say. This is one of the best fish dishes I had in a long time. The service is excellent, very friendly and so helpful. I’ll be back soon

Excellent find I had the goulash and my wife had the steak! Big potion sizes and service was swift and attentive definitely come back if in area!

The hotel looks very new and is located very close to the cathedral. The hotel receptionist was very helpful and welcoming, helped us book the taxi to railway station. The breakfast was overall good. The room was tidy and comfortable. However few things can still be improved in the future. Inside the room there was no free water or kettle (considering that the hotel provides ready-in-place minibar). The shampoo and shower gel was provided in small paper plastic packages. It would be much better to put them in small plastic bottles for more convenient usage. Overall i would still recommend people to stay in this hotel for its great value for money.

Fantastic location close to restaurants and the Basilica with picturesque views of the Danube. The hotel breakfast buffet was delicious. The shower head was broken when we checked in but the hotel fixed it the same day. The room layout made it seem smaller than it was - the clothes storage was between the door and washroom making for a lot of congestion when changing. The beds were very comfortable.

Room cleaning was at the lowest i have ever experienced, the floor was vacuumed once a week and the sink was usually dirty. No restaurant in the hotel. To replace my dirty room glasses i had to place them in the corridor outside.

Excellent location, walking distance to both the Basilika as well as the aqua bath, 3-4 restaurants in close proximity, free private parking. 24/7 access. Rooms are clean, comfy with good design, minibar available with reasonable prices. Facilities for children available, breakfast was great. Staff is helpful. We had a wonderful stay, my kid loved it and already plans the return trip.

It’s a nice boutique-like hotel. One of the cleanest hotels I’ve been to. Very well-maintained. Breakfast is basic but has good variety. The hotel offers dinner in a nearby fine dining restaurant. Beds are very comfortable. Noise insulation is perfect, we had a very relaxing stay. My only complaint is the pillow. Staff is nice however couldn’t really advise on local sights. If the hotel had a wellness section it would have been perfect.

Very good location. Good parking space. Kind staff at reception and breakfast. Very fast elevator and big, there are two, no need to wait a lot. Quite, nice view very confortabile bed, good size bathroom. Very good sound proof. Really like it, I don't know why just 3 stars Hotel. Enjoy

For the price it was perfect. Good bed's, clean room, nice bathroom. The breakfast as well was amazing with consideration to the price. The food could have easily been served In a 5 star hotel. Would recommend for anyone traveling to esztergom

Food was delicious. Waiters were friendly. Interior is cozy. Great view. We (2) paid around 16eFt for two cans of tea, a bottle of water, two main dishes and two desserts. My gf (HU) said it was the best mangalica steak she ever had. Got also an amuse-gueule. Thus, great value at an affordable price.

We had wonderful lunch. Portions were not big but food was very delicious. During summer time you can eat sitting on the terrace over Danube River. Excellent place to eat and relax. Rozsakert Etterem Restaurant. Esztergom, Hungary 🇭🇺. November 6, 2021.

Great starters . Loved it . Staffs very polite and are bilingual . Would love to see some Hungarian dishes when next we visit . Overall experience was great.

Nice restaurant near the basilica, also the staffs are really enthusiastic

According to my boys is the best food what they ever had. “This is the food what the Gods eat”. They’ve been in 5 continents and countless countries… 👏🏻👍🏻

Superb place. It's mandatory to dine here while visiting Esztregom.

Beautiful place with high quality cuisine. The stuff is kind and respectful. There is a big private car parking area near the restaurant. Everything is new and well made, the food is sort os unique and delicious. YOU CAN COME WITH YOUR PETS 😍

What you have to understand is that this is a bistro style restaurant: which is exactly what I liked. The food was delicious and surprisingly quickly prepared. The staff was very kind. We chose from the Tex-Mex section as we were in a mood for Mexican, which I can recommend. The only thing we didn’t like is that it was a bit cold inside.

Worth every single penny. This is so underrated. It's th best thing I've ever eaten, I got the "bang bang shrimp" and it was amazing. Looks very little but is SO filling. It was perfect. The service was amazing and the people are so incredibly nice and welcoming.

Very welcoming host and amazing Mediterranean atmosphere. Unique combination of Hungarian and Mediterranean cuisine! meals with extraordinary taste which you won't find anywhere else It was an amazing experience

Food was amazing! Authentic Gulash/Perkelt, Beef broth and great Mexican food (Tacos/Burito), great Seafood. Perfect beer, nice staff and helpful owner! I look forward to my next visit!

This place has a great atmosphere. The tacos were really tasty and I recommend the Visegrád cherry beer as well. Very attentive waiters as well.

Szilárd, the owner, and Patrick, our waiter, created an unforgettable dining experience at their restaurant in Esztergom. I never expected to find such high-quality seafood in this charming town! The food, craft beer, and cocktails were outstanding, complemented by engaging conversation with the staff. The unique, vibrant atmosphere—especially dining under a banana tree—made me feel like I was in Miami. I highly recommend this spot to anyone seeking exceptional, one-of-a-kind cuisine. Thank you for an incredible evening! (Plus dog friendly)

Extremely disappointing experience. As soon as we sat down, the (presumably) owner began listing specials without asking if we were interested — no prices, no menu, just a monologue. When we said we’d like to look at the menu ourselves, he seemed visibly annoyed. Later, we asked about local Hungarian beer and mentioned we preferred lagers. He dismissed our preference, saying it was the “worst beer.” What really crossed the line was when he stepped just a table away and began openly mocking us to a waitress and another guest — pointing, rolling his eyes. One young waiter noticed our discomfort and tried to smooth things over, but the damage was done. We stayed for a drink and some nachos (ok, nachos was ok), but the rude, condescending attitude left a terrible impression. Never returning. Judging by the empty tables on a Saturday night, we’re not the only ones.