Leave Budapest by motorway M3 and stop at Gödöllő. In 1867 when Franz Joseph I. was crowned king of Hungary, the city of Budapest donated the palace of Gödöllő, the largest baroque house in the country, to the royal couple as a coronation present. The palace became the favourite residence of Queen Elisabeth, Sissi.
The next stop is Eger. With its beautifully preserved baroque architecture, its approximately 200 protected buildings, the downtown is a single pedestrian zone. Eger played a major role in the Turkish wars of the 16th century. 2000 heroes, soldiers and women defended the fortress against an army of 50 thousand. The town is also a 1000-year-old Episcopal seat. Visit the library and the observatory of the Lyceum, a cross between college and university, opposite the cathedral. Bull's Blood, the fiery full-bodied red wine, is another well known feature of the town.
From Eger you have several options. If you are a nature-lover, proceed about 12 km to the North, on highway 25, then turn to the right. Stop at Bélapátfalva to see the Romanesque monastery. At Szilvásvárad you are right in the middle of the Bükk National Park. The bogs of the Park were created by erosion. The Bükk Hills are composed of limestone that originates from organic deep-sea deposits, for the area was covered by sea for 70 million years. Since limestone is soluble in water, both the surface and the underground parts of the hills have become cavernous. There are numerous small and two larger springs welling up from the ground. The most spectacular part of the Szalajka Stream is the Fátyol (meaning 'Veil') Cascade, where water flows down a series of rocky steps.
Central Europe's largest cave system is further North in the Aggtelek National Park. Altogether there are more than 700 caves in the Aggtelek and Slovak Karst, about 280 of them can be found on the Hungarian side. The longest cave here is the Baradla; its total length with the side branches is 25 km. It is also the richest in so called 'dripstone' formations. The waters of the streams got into the system of cracks and, by dissolving and eroding the limestone, slowly widened the crevices and formed the present passages. The dripping water deposited its lime content, forming stalactites and stalagmites of various size, colour and shape, so decorating the passages. The underground world of the Karst has been placed on the World Heritage list.