Esztergom

Crowned in the middle by a soaring classic basilica, blue dome and exquisite colonnades dominating the horizon, the holy and pious city of Esztergom conceals layer upon layer of Hungarian history. It was first settled by the Celts, who roamed here from Western Europe, later becoming a Magyar stronghold and then a regional hub under the suzerainty of the Ottomans. The country’s first king Stephen was born here, giving this onetime capital city a much-revered status, exalted furthermore by its status as the seat of the country’s Catholic community. The old town displays all the hallmarks of a much-razed and re-raised centre, with clean Baroque architecture and touches of the Gothic shining through the crumbling bulwarks of old Esztergom Castle. The aged district of Watertown that clings to the Danube banks is the centre of the action, containing spots like the Christian Museum (a real favourite of Esztergom tour guides) and the elegant Széchenyi Square, complete with all the bubbling cafes and beer halls you’d expect of a European town.