Hungary - Eastern Europe - page 366

served, and a wine cellar. There are 40 rooms, all with private bathrooms. A double
room goes for 60 ($72-$108) in summer, with prices about 15% lower off

season. Rates include breakfast and sauna. Credit cards are accepted. Bus no. 11, 12, or
14 will get you there from the train station; get off at Csiky Sándor utca and you're
practically at the doorstep.
Another guesthouse is right by the Beautiful Women's Valley and only a 15-minute
walk from the historic center of the town, the Bacchus Panzio , located at Szépass-
zony völgy utca 29 ( & 36/428-950; www.bacchuspanzio.hu). This hotel offers dou-
ble rooms for 10,000 Ft to 14,000 Ft ($50-$70/£26-£36) in high season and 8,500
Ft to 12,000 Ft ($43-$60/£22-£31) in low season. Rates include breakfast.
For something peacefully removed from the downtown, try the Garten Vendégház,
Legányi u. 6, 3300 Eger ( & 36/320-371 ). Operated by the Zsemlye family, this guest-
house is located on a quiet residential street in the hills overlooking the city. The view
from the gorgeous garden is splendid. The price of a double room is 10,000 Ft ($50/£26)
in high season and 8,000 Ft ($40/£21) in low season. Rates include breakfast.
Travelers on a tighter budget should consider renting a private room through Eger-
tourist (see above) or Tourinform. Rates in Eger are as low as 2,500 Ft ($13/£6.40)
for a bed with a shared bathroom and as high as 6,500 Ft ($33/£17) for an apartment
with bathroom and kitchen.
WHERE TO DINE
The Fehér Szarvas Vadásztanya (White Stag Hunting Inn) , located next door to
the Park Hotel at Klapka u. 8 ( & 36/411-129 ), a few blocks south of Dobó István
tér, is one of Eger's best-known and best-loved restaurants. The menu offers a full
range of Hungarian wild-game specialties. The hearty, paprika-laced stews are espe-
cially good. Award-winning regional wines are featured. A piano and bass duet plays
nightly amid the kitschy hunting lodge decor. The restaurant is open daily from noon
to 11pm, and reservations are recommended. Credit cards are accepted.
WHERE TO SAMPLE LOCAL WINE
The best place to sample local wines is in the vineyard country just west of Eger, in
the wine cellars of the Szépasszony-völgy (Valley of the Beautiful Women). More
than 200 wine cellars are here, each offering its own vintage. Some cellars have live
music. Although the wine cellars don't serve food, you can grab a meal at one of the
local restaurants. Generally, the cellars open at 10am and close by 9 or 10pm.
The easiest way to get to the Szépasszony-völgy is by taxi, though you can also walk
there from the center of town in 30 or 40 minutes. You could also take bus no. 13 to the
Hatvani Temet ó (Hatvan Cemetery) and walk from there; it's a 10- to 15-minute walk.
AGGTELEK: AN ENTRANCE TO THE CAVES
224km (139 miles) NE of Budapest
Tucked away beneath the Slovak border in northernmost Hungary, about 80km
(50 miles) north of Eger, Aggtelek National Park (Aggteleki Nemzeti Park) is home
to the extensive Baradla cave network, one of Europe's most spectacular cave systems.
Although the remote and sparsely populated Aggtelek region is also suitable for hik-
ing, people tend to travel to Aggtelek primarily to explore the caves.
You can enter the Baradla cave system on guided tours from either of two villages:
Aggtelek or Jósvaf ó , which is on the other side of the mountain. The tours are a lot of
fun. The caves are open daily 8am to 6pm in summer, to 4pm in winter. Call Aggtelek
National Park ( & 48/350-006 ) for tour information. If this is your first time in a

€ to 90 €