Exclusive reviews of Gyor in Hungary.

Gyor may not come to mind first when you think of Hungary, but that is precisely why it is worth a trip: it is tucked neatly between Vienna and Budapest. Like that friend who claims they are "just stopping by" and then goes on to completely redo your living room, this lovely city tends to sneak up on you. Gyor's Baroque streets, riverside appeal, and touch of small-town oddity help it to compete gently with the more showy locations for your time.

To begin with, Gyor's historic centre is a playground if you like meandering about and acting like you are in a period drama. The cobbled streets look almost suspiciously well-kept, as though they are trying too hard to wow visitors. Churches soar at every turn and structures show the sort of pastel fronts that would make a Pinterest board envious. A highlight is St. Ignatius Church, whose complex frescoes will have you straining to see and wondering if you truly know anything about art at all. The soaring presence of the Gyor Cathedral will have you craning upwards until your shoulders file a formal complaint, should you be into cathedrals doubling as neck workouts.

Gyor is about more than only historical eye candy. Given its size, it is quite energetic. For people-watching, especially if you like judging natives who are invariably faster walkers than you—the riverside promenade along the Raba River is ideal. Cafes spill onto the streets providing a variety of coffees and pastries that are both delicious and morally ambiguous since you know you shouldn't consume that much sugar but hey, you're on vacation.

Gyor can stand on its own against larger cities when it comes to food. From goulash that makes you doubt every other stew you've ever tasted to lángos, which is essentially fried dough covered with whatever makes your heart happiest, traditional Hungarian dishes abound. Don't pass on the local wines either. Tasting the unexpectedly large range of types of grapes produced in the area while viewing the sun dip behind Baroque rooftops is precisely the kind of moment travel brochures promise but seldom deliver.

Gyor has events ranging from music to theatre if you have even a passing interest in culture, which are both entertaining and somewhat confusing if you show up expecting the perfect experience of Budapest. The surprise, though, adds to the appeal. You might trip into an outdoor art show with statues that make you question if you are covertly a critic for avant-garde forms or a brass band tournament.

Yes, Gyor is tiny enough to see in a day, but that is really what makes it charming. You get to savor the eccentricities, sip the coffee, admire the design, and softly applaud yourself for finding a Hungarian gem before it is "discovered," not swallowed by a crowd of tourists. Visiting Gyor is like discovering the ideal postcard: picturesque, somewhat ambitious, and leaving you smugly pleased you were there first.