Eger Castle stands as a proud monument to Hungarian bravery, perched on a hill above the charming Baroque town of Eger in northern Hungary. The fortress is most celebrated for the legendary 1552 siege in which a small garrison of Hungarian defenders, led by Captain Istvan Dobo, held off a vastly superior Ottoman army of over 40,000 troops. This heroic stand, immortalized in the novel Eclipse of the Crescent Moon, remains one of the most stirring chapters in Hungarian history.

Within the castle walls, visitors can explore an excellent museum chronicling the fortress’s military history, wander through underground casemates and tunnels carved into the hillside, and climb the ramparts for sweeping views across Eger’s minarets and church spires. The town below is equally rewarding, home to one of Hungary’s finest Baroque main squares, the northernmost Ottoman minaret in Europe, and the famous Valley of the Beautiful Women, a hillside lined with wine cellars where visitors can sample the region’s renowned Egri Bikaver (Bull’s Blood) red wine.

Pro tip: After exploring the castle, walk to the Valley of the Beautiful Women (Szepasszonyvolgyi) about two kilometers south of town, where dozens of small wine cellars carved into the hillside offer tastings of local wines for remarkably low prices. Try the signature Egri Bikaver at several cellars to compare the different producers’ styles.