Győr (pronounced "djur") is Hungary's third-largest city, sitting at the confluence of three rivers — the Rába, the Rábca, and the Mosoni-Duna — in the northwest of the country between Budapest and Vienna. It is one of Central Europe's better-preserved Baroque cities, and far fewer tourists make it here than to the capital, which makes wandering its historic core a genuine pleasure.
The old town is compact and handsome. The Bishop's Castle, the Cathedral, and the row of Baroque palaces along Káptalandomb (Chapter Hill) form the architectural heart, and the pedestrianised streets below fill on summer evenings with locals rather than tour groups. The Ark of the Covenant column in Széchenyi Square, erected in 1731 after a miraculous apparition of the Virgin was reportedly seen here, is the most striking monument in the centre. The Margit Kovács Ceramic Collection, housed in a Baroque townhouse near the cathedral, is one of the best small museums in Hungary.
Győr has a strong industrial side — Audi has a major engine plant here — but the city wears it lightly. It's a good base for day trips into the Kisalföld plain or across the border into Austria and Slovakia, and the train connections to Budapest (under two hours) make it an easy add to any Hungary itinerary.