We love small towns and we travelled by trains and busses to explore three of them northeast of Budapest. 

Holloko – The core part of this Hungarian town is home to about 200 residents. Classified as a living village, it depicts the 18th and 19th century way of life with traditions from both northern Hungary and southern Slovakia. We especially liked the picturesque white buildings, germanium-filled flower boxes, and wood carvings on porches as well as fascia boards. And we purchased delightful items at a cheese shop and from a lady selling embroidery just off of the main cobblestone street.

Fortunately we had plenty of sunshine for our walks through the town and climb up to the 13th century Holloko stone castle. 

Lillafured – About 500 residents live year-round in this resort town, named decades ago after the daughter of a baron who resided in the local castle, which is now a hotel. One of our favorite walks in the town included the trail along the shore of Lake Hámori, formed in the early 19th century by damming the Szinva and Garadna streams to supply the town’s iron furnace with water. 

We took a guided tour of Anna Sinter Cave, only one of two travertine caves in Hungary that allows visitors. Discovered in the 18th century, it served as a place of worship before opening to guests in the mid 1800s. The cave, very near Lillafured’s former castle, extends 560 meters in length, but guided tours only cover the first 200 meters. A closed portion of the cave contains springs that provide water for the local area.

Eger’s charm is a mix of Hungarian culture with some traces of Turkish influence. We explored quite a bit of the historical center featuring a Gothic castle, beautiful churches, baroque-style buildings, parks, cafes with outdoor dining, and a few cobblestone streets. 

The 1470 Eger Castle replaced a fortress built in 1248 by the first king of Hungary. And it withstood the Ottoman invasion of 1552, where a Turkish army of about 40,000 men could not overtake 2,300 Hungarian soldiers. The Turks succeeded about 40 years later and governed the area until the 1680s. In 1701 the Austrians blew up about one half of the hill-top castle. We investigated the remaining parts, which were used until 1957 as army barracks and now classified as a national monument.

The 2nd largest church in Hungary has not only an expansive physical presence, but also an impressive name: Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, St. Michael and the Immaculate Conception. Commonly referred to as the Eger Cathedral and constructed between 1831 and 1836, this beautiful church was under restoration during our visit, so we only saw a small portion of the exterior and interior. We hope to return someday between the months of May and October to hear the informal noon-time organ concert. 

The Minorite Church, or more accurately the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua, also dominates the Eger skyline. Completed in 1771, the church’s interior artistry was not finished until 21 years later. 

During the Ottoman Turks’ 91 year occupation of Eger beginning in the late 16th century, they built a total of 10 minarets in the mosque complexes. This is the only one still standing. The mosque attached to it was demolished in 1841 and, according to legends, locals tried to also tear down this 40-meter-tall structure with the pulling strength of 400 oxen. But the 14-sided polygon did not even sway. We adventurously climbed the i98 interior, slippery, stone steps of the very narrow spiral staircase. Going up was easier than descending with no handrail.