Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tourist Office
( 36-517 715;
www.eger.hu
;
Bajcsy-Zsilinszky utca 9; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm
Sat & Sun mid-Jun-mid-Sep, to 5pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat mid-Sep-mid-Jun)
SIGHTS
FORTRESS
EGER CASTLE
400Ft, incl museum 1400/700Ft; exhibits 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Mar-Oct, 10am-4pm Tue-Sun Nov-Feb,
castle grounds 8am-8pm May-Aug, to 7pm Apr & Sep, to 6pm Mar & Oct, to 5pm Nov-Feb)
Erected in the 13th century after the Mongol invasion, Eger Castle is largely a modern re-
construction, but you can still see the foundations of 12th-century
St John's Cathedral
on
the eastern side of the complex. Models and drawings in the
István Dobó Museum
, housed
in the former Bishop's Palace (1470), painlessly explain the history of the castle. On the
ground floor, a statue of Dobó takes pride of place in the
Heroes' Hall
.
The 19th-century building to the northwest houses the Eger Art Gallery, which includes
works by Canaletto and Ceruti. The terrace of the renovated 1549
Dobó Bastion
, which col-
lapsed in 1976, offers stunning views of the town; it now hosts temporary exhibits. Beneath
the castle are
casemates
hewn from solid rock, which you may tour with a Hungarian-
speaking guide. (The tour is included in the admission price, but a foreign-language guide
costs 800Ft extra.) Other attractions, including the
Panoptikum
and
3D film
, bear an addi-
tional charge. Alternatively, you can just wander the castle grounds, which are also open
Monday, when most exhibits are closed.The best view of the city can be had by climbing up
cobblestone Vár köz from Dózsa György tér.
CHURCH
EGER BASILICA
36-515 725;
www.eger-bazilika.plebania.hu
;
Pyrker János tér 1;
7.30am-6pm Mon-Sat, from 1pm Sun)
A highlight of the town's amazing architecture is the neoclassical basilica designed in 1836
by József Hild. A good time to visit is when the ornate altars and a soaring dome create in-
teresting acoustics for the half-hour
organ concert
(adult/child 800/400Ft;
11.30am Mon-
Sat, 12.45pm Sun mid-May-mid-Oct)
.
HISTORIC BUILDING
LYCEUM