Leaving the village of Szentendre heading to the North, you will soon get to Visegrád. Visegrád and its surroundings are one of the beautiful landscapes whose image is retained in the memory.

It was the Romans who already set up a fort called Ponte Navata on this place and the Hungarian kings built a whole fortress system here from the 13th century. It took about 200 years to connect the 13th century group of buildings of the Upper Castle with the Lower Castle (which includes Solomon's tower) with high walls between them. Not far from there stands the Royal Palace which was converted by Mathias (Corvinus) in Renaissance style. This palace-group is fascinating even in ruins.

From here the Papal Nuncio, well used to pomp and chivalry, headed his letters 'from Visegrád, a Paradise on Earth' when he stayed as a guest and saw the breathtaking palace of the great Renaissance monarch, King Matthias (1458-1490). With 350 rooms and two-tier fountains of red marble, it was one of the most luxurious royal residences of the age. The Renaissance courtyard of the palace and the so-called Hercules Fountain, which used to stream wine on various celebratory occasions, have been faithfully restored. The original fountains and sculptures are stored at the five-storey 13th-century Solomon Tower, which is one of Central Europe's largest and most intact Romanesque fortified dwellings. Battle scenes are re-enacted in its courtyard on occasion. The tower is part of a defence system with massive walls connecting the 13th-century water bastion on the Danube with the castle on top of the hill. This system defended the royal court that was relocated here from Buda in 1316.
The Holy Crown was kept at the Citadel built between 1245 and 1255 for nearly 200 years. It was also here in 1335 that the rulers of Eastern Europe met for the first time in history. The kings of Bohemia, Poland and Hungary concluded an economic agreement, to the exclusion of Vienna. On the nearby heights there are three notable things to see: the ruins of a Roman military encampment from around 330 AD on Sibrik Hill; the Nagyvillám ('Great Lightning') lookout tower on Fekete (black) Hill; and Mogyoró (hazelnut) Hill.

Of course, the monuments and the beautiful panorama from the Upper Castleattracts crowds of visitors here. From here, from the cool shadow of the trees hundreds of bathers delight in the sight of the Southern, forest-covered range of Börzsöny mountains.