In Szentendre you'll experience a Mediterranean atmosphere that few other Hungarian settlements can offer. No wonder that lots of artists come here to find inspiration and to work. Let the unique aura enchant you, too.

You can explore the town in a horse-drawn carriage (the best option if you hate walking on cobblestone streets wearing high heels!)

Szentendre boasts a well-preserved 18th century baroque townscape. Start your exploration from the Main Square (Fő tér) where the baroque cross was erected in 1763 to commemorate the lucky fact that the plague avoided the town.

Winding streets leading off from the Main Square are packed with architectural masterpieces, museums, restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops.

Old but well-kept merchant houses encircle the Main Square like the block on the eastern side of the square (2-5. Fő tér) that was rebuilt under the same roof after a fire. On the ground floor the Szentendre Gallery provide exhibition opportunities for artists working in the town.

Of the nine churches of Szentendre, the Baroque-Rococo Greek-Orthodox Blagovestenska church is the best-known, built in the mid-18th century by settlers living in the Greek quarter next to the church. Above its wooden gate, frescoes of St Helen and St Constantine greet you, while inside you can admire the remarkable iconostasis. The church is open daily during the tourist season.

The House of Prisoner Ráby (Rab Ráby Ház) stands on the Rab Ráby Square, a centre of the former Dalmatian quarter.

The Austrian Emperor sent Mátyás Ráby to look into local corruption issues. He lived in this modest baroque house built in 1768. He discovered tax evasion and other unlawful acts commited by local noblemen, who then  tried to bribe Ráby. After refusing the bribe, he was imprisoned. The famous Hungarian writer, Mór Jókai wrote an epic about his story.

From the Main Square, stroll down Görög utca, lined with the apartments of Greek families, and you'll reach the peaceful promenade on the the Danube bank.

The crooked cobblestone streets abound in shops (try Bogdányi street for example) offering all sorts of souvenirs, embroidered tablecloths and shirts, pottery, wines and paprika that you can take home.

For Hungaricum (Hungarian food and beverage specialities) pop into the Paprika Ház in downtown Szentendre where you can buy Tokaji wine, pálinka (Hungarian fruit brandy), Hungarian paprika and goose liver.