The road climbs higher as you enter the Mátra. You are heading toward the highest peak in the country. The slopes are covered in thick oak and beech trees. It is the best place to find a view that takes your breath away. Watch for wild deer crossing the mountain paths in the early morning. The air gets thinner and fresher with every turn of the wheel.
Eger is the jewel of the county. The castle walls tell stories of brave battles. Below the city, miles of wine cellars hold the famous Bull’s Blood. It is a dark, rich wine that tastes like the hills. You can sit in a garden and watch the sun set over the minaret. The Turkish heritage is still visible in the steaming thermal baths of the town.
Stop in the village of Hollókő to see a living museum. People still wear folk costumes on feast days. The white houses with wooden porches are picture perfect. This is a trip for the senses. Every valley holds a new secret or a thermal spring waiting to be found. You can find small craft shops selling lace and painted pottery along the way.
Heves highlights
- Eger Castle Walls Stand on the spot where a small group of soldiers stopped a giant army hundreds of years ago. You can walk the stone ramparts and see the valley full of red roofs and wine yards.
- Mátra Mountain Road Drive to the highest point in the land to see the clouds from above and the deep green woods below. The road is winding and fun for drivers who love the mountain air.
- Sirok Cave Castle Explore a fort that was carved directly into the soft volcanic rock on top of a high peak. The views of the rugged hills are the best in the northern part of the land.
- Egerszalók Salt Hill See a strange white hill made of limestone that looks like a frozen waterfall in the middle of a green field. The hot water flows over the white mounds into steaming pools.
- Bélapátfalva Abbey Find a stone church built by monks eight hundred years ago at the foot of a giant white cliff. The area is quiet and has a cold spring where you can drink fresh water.
- Valley of Beautiful Women Stop at a circle of wine cellars carved into the rock where you can taste the famous Bull's Blood wine. The air is cool and the atmosphere is always happy.
- Kékes Peak Tower Climb the high TV tower at the top of the mountains to look out over the entire northern landscape. On a clear day you can see all the way to the high peaks of the north.
- Recsk Stone Quarry Visit a quiet site in the woods that holds a dark history from the times of the old camps. It is a peaceful place today for a walk and a moment of quiet thought.
- Poroszló Lake Center Explore the giant water world of Lake Tisza where you can walk through tunnels under the water to see giant fish. The wooden paths lead out into the reeds and the waves.
- Parád Carriage Museum See a collection of royal wagons and sleighs in a grand stone stable built by a noble family. The town is famous for its healing air and its deep mountain woods.
The local Four
History of Heves
Heves is a county of Fire and Ice, where the highest peaks in the country rise over steaming valleys. In the 16th century, the region became the scene of a miracle when a tiny group of soldiers held the castle of Eger against an army fifty times their size. This Heroic Age defined the local character, leading to the creation of the famous Bull Blood wine, the dark powerful red that was said to give the defenders the strength of animals. This legend fuels the Mátra mountains scenic drive.
The mountain landscape was shaped by ancient volcanic eruptions that left behind a treasure of healing stones. In the 1300s monks built an abbey at the foot of a giant white cliff, using the cold mountain springs and the silence of the beech forests for prayer. The high peaks were a refuge for outlaws and hermits, creating a world of stone pockets and hidden caves. The region is a vertical history, moving from the wine cellars of the valley to the observatory towers of the summits.
In the 1930s, the region was discovered as a Sanatorium of the Sky, with the building of grand mountain hotels for those seeking the purest air in the land. Today, you can see the strangest sight in the north: a Salt Hill where hot thermal water has created a white frozen looking waterfall on a green hillside. It is a region of surprises where you can climb to the top of the nation and then dive deep into the warmth of the volcanic earth.