8 Best Sights in Sopron, Hungary

This symbol of Sopron’s endurance—and entranceway to the Inner Town—is 200 feet high, with foundations dating to the days of the Árpád dynasty (9th–13th centuries) and perhaps back to the Romans. The tower is remarkable for its uniquely harmonious blend of architectural styles: it has a Romanesque base rising to a circular balcony of Renaissance loggias topped by an octagonal clock tower that is itself capped by a brass baroque onion dome and belfry. The upper portions were rebuilt after most of the earlier Fire Tower was, ironically, destroyed by the Great Fire of 1676, started by students roasting chestnuts in a high wind (today a double-headed eagle weather vane helps to predict wind direction; it's said that if the eagles face north and south it's going to rain). On the inside of the gate, you'll find a depiction of "Hungaria" receiving the loyalty of Sopron's kneeling citizens. Climb the 200-step spiral staircase to the top of the tower for lovely views of the town and surrounding countryside. It's from here that tower watchmen warned of approaching enemies and tolled the alarm for fire or the death of a prominent citizen. And occasionally, musicians would serenade the townsfolk from here.

A 30-minute drive east of Sopron (on the way from Győr) in the town of Fertőd, and near the southern shore of Neusiedl Lake, this magnificent yellow baroque and rococo palace is often referred to as the Hungarian Versailles. Built between 1720 and 1760 as a residence for the Hungarian noble family, it was badly damaged in World War II but has since been painstakingly restored. Step through the intricate wrought-iron gate entrance to discover the palace's 126 lavishly decorated rooms, including the Banqueting Hall with its ceiling fresco of Apollo in his chariot, the beautiful library with almost 22,000 volumes, and the enormous Sala Terrena with its heated marble floor. There's also a three-story-high concert hall, where classical concerts are held throughout the summer as part of the International Haydn Festival; Joseph Haydn was the court conductor to the Eszterházy family here for 30 years. Before you leave, take a walk around the ornamental French-style gardens.

Not to be confused with Schloss Esterházy in Eisenstadt, a 30-minute drive north into Austria.

The city's attractive main square is dominated by the early Gothic Soproni Nagyboldogasszony templom (Blessed Mary Benedictine Church), better known as the Goat Church for reasons both fantastical (it's said the church was financed with treasure found by a billy goat) and practical (goats feature on the coat of arms of the actual church financiers). It's a real mishmash of styles, with a Gothic choir, a rococo main altar, and a baroque red-marble pulpit, along with recently discovered medieval tombs. Outside stands the 18th-century Szentháromság-szobor (Holy Trinity Column), Hungary's finest plague memorial and among the first anywhere to feature a twisted column.

Facing the square are three very different but equally fascinating museums. Fabricius Ház (Fabricius House) is a beautiful baroque mansion with exhibits on ancient city history: highlights include the remains of a Roman bathhouse and the 1,200-year-old Cunpald Goblet. The Storno Ház (Storno House) is Sopron's finest Renaissance-era building with a collection of furniture, porcelain, sculptures, and paintings belonging to the Stornos, a rags-to-riches dynasty of chimney sweeps-turned-art restorers. And the Fehér Angyal Patikamúzeum (Angel Pharmacy Museum) is a real-life 17th-century apothecary that now houses a collection of period pharmaceutical tools, books, potions, and lotions.

With its finely sculpted biblical reliefs, the column is a superb specimen of baroque design. It was erected in 1745 to mark the former site of the medieval Church of Our Lady, which was destroyed by Sopron citizens in 1632 because they feared the Turks would use its steeple as a strategic firing tower.

This medieval synagogue is now a religious museum complete with stunning stained-glass windows, a stone mikvah (a ritual bath for women), and old Torahs on display. Built around 1300, the synagogue endured several incarnations over the centuries, including a stint as a hospital (in the 1400s) and a residential building (in the 1700s); the existing facade dates from 1734. The synagogue was once at the heart of the city's Jewish ghetto, and a plaque honors the 1,640 Jews of Sopron—85% of the city's total population—who were murdered by the Nazis.

This pretty manor house, situated 13 km (8 miles) southeast of Sopron, is the family seat of the Széchenyi family. Mostly completed in the neoclassical style but heavily rebuilt after World War II, the property is now home to the Széchenyi Museum, which tells the family's story through reconstructed rooms and period furnishings. The star of the show is Count István Széchenyi, known as the "Greatest Hungarian" for his achievements as a politician, writer, reformer, and generous patron: his money helped establish the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and build the Chain Bridge in Budapest. You'll find an immodest number of István portraits throughout the property, as well as interactive exhibits on some of his projects.

Information within each room is scarce for non-Hungarian speakers, so be sure to pick up an English-language brochure on your way in.

This beautiful Inner Town street runs south from Fő tér to Orsolya tér, where there's an interesting fountain showing Jesus using his crucifix to pierce a snake with an apple. As you walk down the street, you will come across an eclectic mix of architecture coexisting in a surprisingly harmonious fashion. The Erdődy-palota (Erdody Palace) at No. 16 is Sopron’s richest rococo building. Two doors down, at No. 12, stands the Eggenberg Ház (Eggenberg House), where the widow of Prince Johann Eggenberg held Protestant services during the harshest days of the Counter-Reformation and beyond. Today, it's home to the Macskakő Múzeum, an interactive children's museum about the everyday lives of people living in ancient times. But the street takes its name from Szent György templom (St. George’s Church), a 14th-century Catholic church so sensitively “baroqued” some 300 years later that its interior is still as soft as whipped cream.

Starting near the Fire Tower and following the route of Sopron's medieval town walls, the Bailey Promenade makes for a lovely stroll. The oldest part of city walls were built in the 14th century but some sights along the way are even older: look out for ancient gate foundations, remnants of the Roman town of Scarbantian. Some sections of the promenade close overnight.