Godollo Royal Palace

The Grassalkovich palace at Godollo was built from the 1730s for a courtier who rose with the Habsburgs, and its double-U ground plan around courtyards makes it the largest Baroque manor house in Hungary. Its second life matters more to visitors: after the compromise of 1867 the nation presented it to Franz Joseph and Elisabeth, and Elisabeth, the empress remembered here as Sisi, spent long stretches at Godollo, which she preferred to Vienna, riding in the park and learning Hungarian. Her restored apartments, in her favoured violet, are the core of the visit, along with the ceremonial hall, the palace chapel, the riding hall and a baroque theatre. The park behind runs to hundreds of hectares.

What you actually see

• Elisabeth's violet apartments - the rooms of the empress who preferred Hungary.
• The double-U Baroque plan - the largest manor house of its kind in the country.
• The baroque court theatre - the restored stage in the wing.
• The park and riding hall - the grounds she rode in.

When to go

Year round; the park is best from April to October. Half a day. Concerts and events use the ceremonial hall, which can close parts of the route. Closed some Mondays.

Honest expectations

Much of the interior is reconstruction, as the palace was used as barracks and an old people's home and was badly damaged. Some wings remain closed and under restoration. Godollo town itself is unremarkable.

Nearby

Budapest is 30 km south-west; the Godollo hills lie north.