Sopron (showp-ron) is an attractive border town with a history that stretches back to Roman times. It boasts some well-preserved ancient ruins and a fetching medieval square, bounded by the original town walls, that invite an hour or two of aimless meandering.
Fő térSQUARE
Fő tér contains several museums, churches and monuments, including the massive Firewatch Tower (Tűztorony ; www.muzeum.sopron.hu ), which can be climbed and houses a lovely new cafe. The 60m-high tower rises above the Old Town's northern gate and is visible from all around. In the centre of Fő tér is the 1701 Trinity Column (Szentháromság oszlop). The Castle Wall Walk takes in ruins dating from the time when Sopron was a tiny Roman outpost known as Scarbantia.
Storno CollectionMUSEUM
The Storno Collection is on the 2nd floor of Storno House (Storno Ház és Gyűjtemény; http://www.muzeum.sopron.hu), home to the Swiss-Italian family of Ferenc Storno, chimney sweep turned art restorer, whose recarving of Romanesque and Gothic monuments throughout Transdanubia divides opinion to this day. The collection's highlights include a beautiful enclosed balcony with leaded windows and frescoes, an extensive collection of medieval weaponry, leather chairs with designs depicting the devil and dragons, and door frames made from pews taken from a nearby 15th-century church.
BUS
Bus travel to/from Budapest takes forever (six hours), involves at least one transfer/change and is not recommended. There are two direct buses a day each to Keszthely (2520Ft, three hours) and to Balatonfüred (3130Ft, 4¼ hours).
TRAIN
Trains run to Budapest's Keleti train station (4525Ft, three hours, up to 12 daily). Local trains run to Wiener Neustadt/Bécsújhely (2800Ft, 40 minutes, hourly) in Austria, where you change for Vienna.
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