In the morning, visit the former forced labour camp in Recsk (now the National Memorial) on the northern side of the Mátra, then head to the Cifra Stables and Carriage Museum in Parádfürdő, then stop off for lunch in Parádsasvár and discover the surroundings of the castle. From here, go by bus or car to Galyatető, where you can enjoy a coffee and the view from the terrace of the large hotel, before climbing up to the renovated lookout on Péter Hill and discovering the most modern tourist house in the country. If you fancy a short walk in the woods, then have a stroll, or better still, walk over to Mátraszentistván first and from there to the Ágasvár tourist house, where you’ll be ready for a snack.
After walking back to the village (the tourist house can only be reached on foot), walk down the hill and stop off for a short sightseeing tour of Gyöngyös, before rounding off the day with a wine tasting dinner at a winery in Gyöngyöstarján.
In the morning, visit Sirok Castle, then Abasár and before setting off on the day’s tour, enjoy a short wine tasting at a winery in Abasár. After that, attack the steep ascent up Sár Hill. The serpentine leads all the way through the vineyards. When you reach the first plateau, also covered with vineyards, you will see the St Anne Chapel in the distance on the ridge.
It’s only when you get close to it that you can see there is a small lake behind, framing the building in a particularly beautiful way, with vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see and the houses of Abasár in the distance. There is also a pilgrimage route leading through one of the cellars, so it’s worth spending some time here.
Descending on the other side of Sár Hill, make your way to Mátrafüred, from where you can continue to Gyöngyös by the Mátravasút narrow gauge railway, calling in at the Farkasmály cellar row on the way. Have lunch in Gyöngyös and then look around the town centre, visit the Church of St Bartholomew and the Mátra Museum. After that, head to Gyöngyöspata, where you can first visit the 12th-century Catholic church and its unique work, the Jesse Altar, which depicts Jesus’s family tree. Finally, bid the wine district farewell with a wine tasting in a Gyöngyöspata winery.
Mátra Wine Disctrict
Admire Sár Hill’s vineyards and chapel, then take the Mátrafüred light railway to the Mátra Museum!
Admire the panorama from the Galya Lookout Tower and explore the Hatvan Game Park on Szúnyog Island!
