Esterházy Palace in Hungary: ‘The Hungarian Versailles’

On a visit to Sopron in Western Hungary, we visited Esterházy Palace in Fertőd. The palace has the moniker ‘the Hungarian Versailles’. It is famous for its baroque and rococo architecture and interiors.

It is Hungary’s grandest Rococo palace and is the former workplace of the composer Joseph Haydn. The palace grounds and inside were spectacular, especially the interiors. On our visit, it wasn’t too busy despite being in the summer holidays.

About Esterházy Palace in Hungary

The Esterházy Palace, also known as Eszterháza, is the largest and most ornate Baroque-Rococo palace in Hungary. It was built between 1762 and 1784 under Prince Nikolaus Esterházy and has 126 Rococo rooms. One of its notable residents was the composer Joseph Haydn, who wrote over 104 symphonies and nearly 70 string quartets and lived here for 30 years.

This palace estate has 200 hectares of elaborate, French-style parkland, which is good for a walk. In its heyday, Esterházy Palace hosted musical performances, banquets, and masquerades with prominent guests, including Queen Maria Theresa of Austria.

Is Esterházy Palace Worth Visiting?

Yes, Esterházy Palace is worth visiting if you enjoy grand architecture, decorative interiors, palace gardens, or an interest in Haydn the composer. It’s an easy day trip from Sopron, which made things easy for us.

Things to See at Esterházy Palace

The palace has a stunning interior, a grand courtyard and grounds to explore when visiting. We spent about 4 hours in Fertőd on our visit.

The Palace Building

If you just want to see the exterior of the building, you can walk around for free to see the details. During the daytime, you can walk in the courtyard, around the edges, and see it from the grounds at the rear. I enjoyed the views from the gardens and from the main gates.

The Courtyard

To enter the palace, you pass through the courtyard, which has views of the buildings. Here you can see some ornamental gates, a selection of fountains and colourful flower beds.

There is a balcony above the entrance, an ideal place to view the courtyard and take photographs.

Inside the Palace

The interior was fantastic to visit, with lots of opulent decor, furniture, art, and some museum exhibits. The Rococo features throughout were the highlight for me. We spent over an hour following the route through the palace and found it fascinating how the aristocracy lived. Below are photos and features that piqued my interest while visiting inside.

Sala Terrena

Sala Terrena was one of the first rooms we visited on the ground floor, and it impressed us. It is one of the most decorative rooms, with painted walls, rococo details and some well-placed mirrors.

Banquet Hall

The Banquet Hall is the centrepiece of “the Hungarian Versailles”. It was built in the late 18th century; the hall features a special ceiling fresco of Apollo on the Chariots of the Sun. The entire decor was nice, especially the walls, features and the chandelier. This room has hosted queens and presidents in the past. During our visit, they were rehearsing for a concert here, so we could sit and listen while exploring the palace.

Chinese Lacquer Room

Belvedere Room

Furniture

Throughout the site, there were some examples of the era’s furniture, including opulent sofas, beds and ornamental pieces.

Esterházy Palace Chapel

The chapel at Esterházy Palace is accessible from the courtyard. It dates from the 18th century and was built in the Baroque style. The frescoes and art on the dome and the altar really caught my eye.

The Grounds

The castle grounds are big and well worth a walk through the parts nearest the main building. Here you can get views of the back of the palace and some nice gardens too. On site, they have a few maps to help you get your bearings and see the key parts of the gardens.

They have a range of individual gardens, including Anglopark and the Rose Garden. Anglopark was an English-style park with woodland which was free to enter. The Rose Garden was a paid area that we ran out of time to see.

Other features here were the statues of Haydn and Nicholas the Bright. If you want to see more of the grounds, there’s a tourist train you can catch near the entrance.

Refreshments in Fertőd

We found a few places for drinks and food on our visit, including a cafe on the palace grounds and a restaurant near the entrance.

Gránátos Ház Kft.

Over the road from the main gates, near the bus stop, was Gránátos Ház Kft. They have a pleasant outside seating area and indoor dining. We popped in for a drink and ice cream while waiting for the bus home and enjoyed them. The restaurant also serves Hungarian cuisine, including goulash.

Esterházy-kastély Kávézó

Esterházy-kastély Kávézó is at the rear of the palace, and its outside tables have a view of the building. They served a range of drinks and snacks. We opted for coffee, alcohol-free beer and a cake.

Tickets

We purchased tickets on the day we arrived at the castle; they had a few options, and we opted for the full ticket. If you want to look around the exterior and grounds, this is free of charge and a very nice walk. You can find current prices and opening hours on their website.

Getting to Fertőd

Getting to the palace in Fertőd was pretty straightforward from the central areas of Sopron. We chose the 7210 bus, which left from near the station and dropped us off near the grounds. During the daytime, a few buses serve this route. Getting back was straightforward, as the bus stop is near Gránátos Ház Kft, a bar and restaurant. The nearest railway station is Fertőszentmiklós, which is quite a trek away.