# Hollókő A village of whitewashed Palóc houses, a World Heritage Site since 1987, with a medieval castle above it, an hour and a half from Budapest by car. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/hungary/holloko · Revisado: 2026-11-12 A day trip from Budapest: Hollókő is in the Cserhát hills, in Nógrád county, about 100 km north-east of the capital, and is Hungary's picture-postcard village. Its two streets of white Palóc houses, with high roofs and wooden galleries, meet at a small church with a wooden tower, and above, on a rock, stand the walls of a medieval castle. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1987 as a living traditional village: people live here, and on festival days, above all at Easter, the village brings out its costumes. ## Getting there from Budapest By car, on the M3 motorway and Nógrád roads, about 100 km and around an hour and a half. Leave the car in the car park at the entrance, next to the Küszöb office: the old village is pedestrianised. By public transport it is possible, but with buses and changes that eat up the day: of the excursions in this area, it is the one where a car pays off most. From Spain, hire a car at Budapest airport and you arrive in a little under two hours. ## What to see in a day Start with the old village, the Ófalu: Kossuth út as far as the church and back along Petőfi út, looking at the houses, the craftsmen's workshops and the shops. If it is a Friday, Saturday or Sunday morning, buy the Faluséta ticket at the Küszöb office: for 4,000 Ft you get into the village museum, the spindle house, the school and the post museum, and taste the village's cheese and bun. Then climb up to the castle, a steep walk of about twenty minutes, for the views over the village and the hills. To come down, take one of the nature trails at the foot of the castle or through the orchards. For lunch, the Muskátli Vendéglő, a family eatery since 1987 on the main street, or the Mikszáth at the Castellum Hotel, with reinterpreted Palóc cooking. ## Easter in Hollókő Easter is the village's great festival: Palóc costumes, music and the Monday custom in which the boys sprinkle the girls with water. On those days the village charges admission and fills up. If you go, sleep there or arrive early. ## Staying in the village? It is worth it: when the day visitors leave, the Ófalu falls silent. The Hollóköves Vendégházak are peasant houses in the old village with traditional furniture and tiled stoves; the four-star Castellum Hotel is above the village, with wellness and an indoor pool, and accepts pets. ## When to go From April to October, with everything open. In winter the castle closes in mid-afternoon, at 15:30 in November, and the Faluséta ticket is only sold at the weekend: go from Friday to Sunday. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Vác and Nagymaros (a 42.2 km), Gödöllő (a 48.3 km), Szentendre (a 53.0 km), Danube Bend (a 55.1 km) ## Qué hacer - **Hollókő Old Village (Ófalu), World Heritage Site** (2 h · 1.5 km · All ages; slopes and cobbles, better a backpack than a pushchair · Free, except during the Easter festival): The walk Hollókő is a village in the Nógrád region, in northern Hungary, where the Palóc, a group with their own tradition, still live in whitewashed wood-and-adobe houses, with high roofs and wooden galleries, along two streets that meet at the church. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987 as an example of a living traditional village: people live here and on festival days the Palóc costumes come out. Where to go Kossuth út, the main street, with the wooden church at the end. Petőfi út, the other branch, quieter. The museums and craftsmen's workshops that open in the houses. The climb to the castle, above the village. Strolling is free; only at the Easter festival do you pay to enter. - **Hollókő Castle** (1 h · All ages; climb on foot of about 20 minutes · Adult 3,000 Ft · student and pensioner 2,000 Ft · family (2 adults and 2 children) from 9,000 Ft · under-6s free): What it is Above the village, on a rock, stand the towers and walls of Hollókő's medieval castle, whose name in Hungarian means raven's stone. From the top you see the old village and the wooded hills of the Cserhát. Inside there are exhibitions and, in season, siege games and activities. Opening hours and prices From 1 November 2026, from 10:00 to 15:30. Adult, 3,000 Ft; students and pensioners, 2,000 Ft; family of two adults and two children, from 9,000 Ft; each additional child, 1,500 Ft. Under-6s, free. Combined ticket with the Faluséta walk: 6,500 Ft. Telephone: +36 30 968 1739. - **Faluséta, the Village Museums and Craftsmen on One Ticket** (3 h · Families and anyone who wants to see the houses inside · Adult 4,000 Ft · student and pensioner 3,000 Ft · with the castle 6,500 and 4,500 Ft): What it is The houses of the old village hide small museums and workshops, and the Faluséta ticket brings them together in a day's walk: the village museum (Falumúzeum), with a furnished Palóc house; the spindle house (Guzsalyas), the school (Oskola) with wood carvings and the post museum. It also includes a postcard, cheese at the Gazduram cheese dairy, a bun at the Kalácsos bakery, a drink at the Küszöb office, a leather workshop where you take away a souvenir and a weaving demonstration. How to buy At the Küszöb information office, next to the car park, from Friday to Sunday from 9:30 to 12:30. Valid only on the day of purchase. Adult, 4,000 Ft; students and pensioners, 3,000 Ft. With the castle, 6,500 Ft. Under-6s enter free at the village museum, the spindle house and the school. You can also pay for each museum separately. - **Hollókő Church** (15 min · All ages · Free): What it is The Church of St Martin, white with a wooden tower, is the image of the village: it stands at the point where the two streets of the Ófalu part. It is small and simple, and on festival days it fills with Palóc costumes. - **Easter in Hollókő** (4 h · All ages; very crowded): What it is Easter is Hollókő's great festival. The village celebrates its Palóc customs with traditional costumes, music and street programmes, and on Easter Monday the boys "sprinkle" the girls, the Hungarian custom of locsolás. On those days the old village charges admission and fills with visitors from all over Hungary. Bear in mind Check the programme and tickets on the village's website when they are announced. Arrive early or sleep in the village: the car park fills up. - **Nature Trails Around the Castle** (1 h 30 · Families who walk · Free): The route Around the village and the castle there are several nature trails signposted with panels: the one at the foot of the castle (Vár-alja), with springs, the old peasants' bath, amphibian ponds and the fire salamander; the one through the orchards (Kertek-alja), with the streams, fruit orchards and the old wash-houses and hemp-retting pools; and the one that climbs to the castle. Combine one with the climb to the castle. Bear in mind The village website gives no distances: ask for the map at the Küszöb office. ## Dónde comer - **Mikszáth Étterem (Castellum Hotel)** (Restaurant, Hollókő, €€€). Qué pedir: The reinterpreted Palóc menu, with produce from the region. - **Muskátli Vendéglő** (Restaurant, Hollókő, €€). Qué pedir: The Palóc dishes on the menu: soups and stews from the Nógrád region. ## By car: Hollókő by Car, an Hour and a Half from Budapest Hollókő is in the Nógrád hills, about 100 km north-east of Budapest, and by car is the best way to get there: the M3 motorway and minor roads through woods. The old village is pedestrianised: leave the car in the car park at the entrance, next to the Küszöb office. The budget is per person per day, with accommodation, food and petrol. Presupuesto orientativo: 75–140 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Castellum Hotel Hollókő** (Spa hotel): The place The Castellum is in the upper part of Hollókő, above the old village and a short walk from it, with a view of the Cserhát hills. It is a modern four-star hotel, of glass and wood, with a wellness area and indoor pool, the Mikszáth restaurant and a bar. Practical details Check-in from 14:00 and check-out until 11:00; late check-out until 15:00 if your package includes it or you ask beforehand. Pets in the room prepared for them, up to 40 cm at the withers, for 12,000 Ft a night. Free cot in any room. It publishes seasonal packages on its website, also for families at Christmas. - **Hollóköves Vendégházak** (Country house): The place Sleeping inside the World Heritage village is possible: Hollóköves rents several peasant houses in the Ófalu, each decorated by a different family and now adapted for guests. The premium ones are rented whole, like a house of your own; the classic ones, as apartments. The two Pászti houses, in the heart of the village, have traditional furniture, Palóc textiles and a tiled stove, and are rented together or separately: each for a family of four. Others are the Szőke, next to the church, the Bátki, the Oláh and the Potla. Who it is for For those who want to see the village when the day visitors leave, at dusk and first thing in the morning. They are run by the same company that manages the old village; you book by phone or email. ### Servicios - **Küszöb Information Office and Car Park**: Hollókő's tourist office in the car park at the village entrance: information, maps and the Faluséta ticket ## By plane: Fly to Budapest and Drive to Hollókő by Hire Car Hollókő has no airport nearby: you fly to Budapest-Ferenc Liszt (BUD), with direct flights from Madrid and Barcelona, and from there the practical option is a hire car, about 110 km via the M0 and the M3 and Nógrád roads. By public transport the journey is long and with changes. With a night in the village you see the empty Ófalu at dusk. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Castellum Hotel Hollókő** (Spa hotel): The place The Castellum is in the upper part of Hollókő, above the old village and a short walk from it, with a view of the Cserhát hills. It is a modern four-star hotel, of glass and wood, with a wellness area and indoor pool, the Mikszáth restaurant and a bar. Practical details Check-in from 14:00 and check-out until 11:00; late check-out until 15:00 if your package includes it or you ask beforehand. Pets in the room prepared for them, up to 40 cm at the withers, for 12,000 Ft a night. Free cot in any room. It publishes seasonal packages on its website, also for families at Christmas. - **Hollóköves Vendégházak** (Country house): The place Sleeping inside the World Heritage village is possible: Hollóköves rents several peasant houses in the Ófalu, each decorated by a different family and now adapted for guests. The premium ones are rented whole, like a house of your own; the classic ones, as apartments. The two Pászti houses, in the heart of the village, have traditional furniture, Palóc textiles and a tiled stove, and are rented together or separately: each for a family of four. Others are the Szőke, next to the church, the Bátki, the Oláh and the Potla. Who it is for For those who want to see the village when the day visitors leave, at dusk and first thing in the morning. They are run by the same company that manages the old village; you book by phone or email. ## As a family: Hollókő with the Family Hollókő works with children because it is small and hands-on: houses inside, a real castle above the village, leather workshops and a bakery on the Faluséta ticket. ### What works best The Faluséta ticket, with museums, tastings and a workshop The castle, with a family ticket and under-6s free The nature trails, with salamanders and springs Easter, if you don't mind the crowds ### Sleeping Hollóköves Vendégházak, whole houses for families of four Castellum Hotel, with an indoor pool and a free cot ### Eating Muskátli Vendéglő, Palóc cooking Mikszáth Étterem, in the hotel ### Bear in mind Cobbles and slopes call for a backpack rather than a pushchair The Faluséta ticket is only sold from Friday to Sunday morning ### Qué hacer as a family - Hollókő Old Village (Ófalu), World Heritage Site - Hollókő Castle - Faluséta, the Village Museums and Craftsmen on One Ticket - Hollókő Church - Easter in Hollókő - Nature Trails Around the Castle ## With young children: Hollókő with Small Children With children up to the age of six, Hollókő is a car-free fairy-tale village: under-6s do not pay for the castle or the main museums, and distances are short. ### What works best The walk through the old village, with no cars The village museum, a furnished Palóc house The castle, with a short uphill climb ### Sleeping Castellum Hotel, with a free cot ### Eating Muskátli Vendéglő ### Bear in mind Bring a baby carrier: the Ófalu is cobbled ### Qué hacer with young children - Hollókő Old Village (Ófalu), World Heritage Site - Hollókő Castle - Faluséta, the Village Museums and Craftsmen on One Ticket ## Consejos ### Go at the weekend The Faluséta ticket is only sold from Friday to Sunday, from 9:30 to 12:30. ### Climb to the castle before lunch In winter it closes in mid-afternoon. ### Phone the restaurants first None of them publishes opening hours: confirm a table, especially out of season. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How do you get from Budapest to Hollókő? By car, about 100 km on the M3 and Nógrád roads, around an hour and a half. By public transport you have to change. ### Do you have to pay to enter the village? No, except during the Easter festival. ### Why is it a World Heritage Site? Because it preserves a living traditional Palóc village, with its houses, its landscape and its customs; UNESCO listed it in 1987. ### How much does the castle cost? 3,000 Ft for adults and 2,000 Ft for students and pensioners; under-6s free. ### Is it worth going with children? Yes: a car-free village, a castle and small museums with workshops.