Budapest – Római-part – Szentendre – Budapest

Budapest

There is nothing better on a warm summer weekend than to jump on our bikes and just cycle out of Budapest without looking back. Though it's gonna be worth to stop at some places. Let's head north and embark on an adventure: on the way to Szentendre we can go through the colorful Római-part (Roman Shore), ride on calm bicycle paths, through floodplain forest, and reaching our goal we can spend a day in the amazing Baroque inner city of Szentendre.

The tour begins at Margit híd (Margaret Bridge), next to the HÉV station. Here the Eurovelo 6 international cycle route leads parallel with the Danube. This could assure the quality of the bike paths, and though in the beginning we can ride without any problems, later we will encounter some parts with bumpy or eroded surface, and at some places the signs are missing.

After some cycling we reach Óbuda (Old Buda). Though the route leads us on the banks of the river, if we are curious and have some time, it is well worth to look for ancient Roman Ruins, for example if we turn left on Nagyszombat utca we can see the Aquincum Military Amphitheatre. But beware! In Óbuda, the ancient ruins and the modern, industrial atmosphere creates a unique cultural cavalcade and it is easy to get lost in sightseeing (time flies quickly here!) - but this would be another tour, and we are headed to Szentendre.

After Szentlélek tér, the route won't be as straightforward for a bit but signs help to find our way. After cycling by the Óbuda Gas Factory the routes leads next to the Danube again and we reach Római-part.

Here we can progress a bit slower because of the many people walking here but there is no need to rush: we can try the nice food here (the hake fish is a local favorite) or just sit and relax on one of the piers. Leaving Pünkösdfürdő, we cross Barát Stream on a little bridge. Before Megyeri híd (Megyeri Bridge) there is a bike shelter.

Detour: After the bridge, we can turn left on the Lupa-szigeti út and cycle to Lake Omszk. Though it's not allowed to swim here, the sight of the lake is pleasant, we can sunbathe or try wakeboarding at the Wakeboard Centrum.

Though we can go to Szentendre on Road 11 but then we would miss the most spectacular part of the tour, the ride through the floodplain forest. Along this part of the road the forest is almost untouched by humans, only the fallen branches are cleared off the path. The feeling of tranquility and plays of flickering lights accompany us on this part. It's worth enjoying nature here as we soon reach the city. We should cycle with care here because the road gets swampy at times, there can be fallen trunks on the path, and due to trees and curves the road is not always fully visible.

After we leave the forest we have to ride on a really eroded rode with some larger holes for a longer time but then we finally reach the border of Szentendre. We can ride through the suburbs in no time, and as we are nearing the first church steeple and reach the Saint Florian Chapel we can begin our sightseeing in the historic inner city.

Szentendre

Located at the beginning of the Danube Bend, Szentendre has a unique, Mediterranean atmosphere as its Baroque inner city was built by Serbians. It is a special experience to walk in its narrow streets, see the ornamented orthodox churches or just sit and drink a coffee and wonder at the cavalcade.

It is better to discover Szentendre on foot so we won't have to miss any exciting alleys, narrow and winding steps. After sightseeing we can choose to go back with the HÉV train (we need to buy a separate ticket for our bike and also an extension ticket between Szentendre and Békásmegyer). but if we are still in the mood for some cycling we can try the other, faster route back to Pünkösdfürdő from where we can ride on low traffic streets and then on the Eurovelo 6 again back to Budapest.