The Romantic castles along the Danube

On Friday, 23 October 2026, we will depart from Szeged in the early morning hours, from the parking lot of the Plaza shopping centre. Our first stop will be the exploration of Petrovaradin Fortress, located opposite Novi Sad. The Romans already recognized its strategic importance, and a fortress has stood on the northeastern slopes of the Fruška Gora mountain range ever since. The extensive fortress complex, built at the end of the 17th century, covers an area of more than 100 hectares. We will walk along the fortress walls and bastions overlooking the river, see the famous “Drunken Clock”, and then continue our walk through the underground tunnel system beneath the fortress. After visiting the fortress, we will continue to Novi Sad, which was the European Capital of Culture in 2022. We will visit Danube Park and Dunavska Street, a pedestrian street renowned for its historic merchant houses. Novi Sad’s main square is dominated by the Church of the Name of Mary and the impressive City Hall. After some free time, we will continue to our accommodation in Zrenjanin, where a delicious dinner will await us.

After breakfast, we will cross the Danube and visit Smederevo, located on the former Serbian side of the river. Following the Treaty of Tata (1426), the fortress of Serbian despot Đurađ Branković, known from the opera Bánk bán, was built here. The 11-hectare fortress has 25 towers. We will explore the towers of the inner fortress together. We will then continue our journey to the entrance of the Iron Gates. The name of Golubac Fortress may be familiar from János Arany’s ballad Rozgonyiné. At this point, the Danube narrows to just 400 metres. Opposite the fortress, on the Romanian side, stands Ladislaus Fortress, which was commissioned by King Sigismund before the siege of Golubac. Near the fortress, the famous Babakáj Rock rises dramatically from the waters of the Danube. After visiting the medieval fortress, we will begin our journey home. In the evening, we will enjoy a group dinner in Zrenjanin.

After breakfast, we will say goodbye to Zrenjanin and travel to Belgrade, situated at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers. We will begin our visit to the fortress from the river, enjoying a one-hour boat cruise. We will then visit Zemun, the southernmost town of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, where János Hunyadi died. We will walk up to the fortress on top of the loess hill, whose central feature is the Millennium Tower, erected in 1896 to commemorate the millennium of the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin. At noon, we will have some free time along the Danube waterfront. Afterwards, we will cross over and explore Belgrade Fortress together. From the fortress, a magnificent panorama opens before us, turning the landscape into a map and making it easy to imagine how the siege and victory of 1456 unfolded. After some free time, we will begin our journey home. We are expected to arrive in Szeged in the evening.