Szekesfehervar

Szekesfehervar was founded around 1000 as the seat of the first Hungarian king, and for five centuries it was where kings were crowned and buried: some thirty-seven coronations and around fifteen royal burials took place in the basilica Stephen built here, and the coronation regalia were kept in the city. The Ottomans took it in 1543 and the basilica was destroyed; what remains is a sunken ruin garden in the middle of town, the National Memorial, where the foundations, a sarcophagus and fragments are displayed open to the sky beside the surviving bishop's buildings. Around it the Baroque centre rebuilt after the wars is intact and pedestrianised, with a bishop's palace, painted facades and a much-photographed clock.

What you actually see

• The ruin garden of the royal basilica - foundations of the coronation church.
• The stone sarcophagus - a royal burial recovered from the site.
• The Baroque pedestrian centre - the town rebuilt after the Ottoman wars.
• The bishop's palace - the surviving ecclesiastical quarter.

When to go

April to October for the open ruin garden and terraces. Half a day. Trains from Budapest are frequent. Museums close on Mondays.

Honest expectations

The basilica is foundations only; nothing stands above waist height, and it takes imagination. The city beyond the small centre is industrial. Some museums have short and inconsistent hours.

Nearby

Bory Castle is on the edge of the city; Lake Velence lies east.