North-east Hungary offers fantastic urban and rural adventures. Characterized by the hills and woods of the Mátra and the Bükk, which become a snowy paradise in winter, it’s a region rich in historic and natural attractions. Separating the main towns of Eger and Miskolc, the Bükk forests can be explored by various means of attractive and unusual transport, the wintry slopes spread out around you. To warm up, you can soak in the healing waters of spa baths at Miskolctapolca and Eger. There is sightseeing to be done too, around the historic treasures of Eger and Gyöngyös.

A new English-friendly video, created by the Hungarian Tourism Agency and provided to We Love Budapest, highlight the splendor of the Mátra and the Bükk in winter.

Highlights include a ride by narrow-gauge train through the Bükk forest and a chairlift over its snowy slopes. We are then taken down into the cave baths of Miskolctapolca and the old Turkish spa of Eger before being whisked off around the historic sights of Gyöngyös, the Mátra Museum, Szent Bertalan Church and Franciscan Memorial Library.

As an added extra, we finish the tour with a skiing trip to Mátraszentistváni Sípark and Kékestető.

How to get there from Budapest:Trains leave Keleti Station every hour for Miskolc and every two hours for Eger, journey time about two hours for each destination. For Gyöngyös, take the train to Eger and change at Vámosgyörk, overall journey time 90 minutes.