Discover the country with ”Jópalócok” as your starting point

On foot:

You can walk to the castles of Hollókő, Buják and Szanda, each taking up a complete day. You can visit the Romanesque churches of Cserhátsurány and Herencsény. In Terény and Hollókő, discover the rich treasure of Palots folk architecture. Visit the mansions in Cserhátsurány and Nógrádsipek. Enjoy the views from the Sasbérc viewpoint, the castle of Szanda, or the top of Gyürki-hegy in Herencsény where the huge Palots Cross watches over the countryside. Visit the farm near Terény where Albert Szentgyörgyi, Nobel-prize scientist had spent his childhood. Discover Mohora and Csesztve with the mansions where a number of the great cultural personalities of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries had rested and received inspiration.

By bicycle:

Visit Balassagyarmat, the county capital with a rich past, the Palots Museum, the patinous  county hall, the beautiful bourgeois houses in the town centre, the villas around the Liget (Grove) and the banks of the Ipoly. Discover Szécsény, town of the Franciscan brothers, with the Forgács castle, the Catholic church and the Franciscan monastery, the Borjúpást (Calf Pasture) where at a peak point of Hungarian history the prince Rákóczi summoned Parliament (during the 18th century), and the adjoining  Benczúrfalva where the most beautiful grave monument of this county had been erected  to commemorate the great Romantic painter Gyula Benczúr. Visit also Szklabonya where the author Mikszáth was born, and Szécsénkovácsi, ancient nest of the noble family Krúdy, as well as Alsósztregova where another great poet of the 19th century, Madách lies buried.

By car:

Discover the lovely little towns of the Palots Highlands, Ipolyság, Nagykürtös, Kékkő, Fülek, Rimaszombat, Rozsnyó (all quoted here by their Hungarian names rather than the Slovakian ones you are likely to find on your maps…) or the castles that had once belonged to Hungary, Ajnácskő, Somoskő, Krasznahorka, Tornalja. The Geopark Nógrád-Novohrád holds for you a number of absolutely unique natural phenomena, the basalt stream in Somoskő or the finds of Ipolytarnóc from the Stone Age. You will be able to see the Miners’ Museum in Salgótarján, the Cistercian monuments in Pásztó, the woodlands of the Mátra hills, and taste the royal nectars of the Gyöngyös wine region.  

And if you stay at ”Jópalócok” Guest House…

… you will be able to taste the chef d’oeuvres of Palots cuisine. The fine light soups, the simple cabbage and potato dishes, the pasta types, noodles and pies, mushrooms fresh and dried offer real culinary delights.

From the fruit of the nearby garden and the fields are made delicious jams, squashes and spirits, and arriving at the appropriate time, you may even make your own jam or syrups yourself (but not spirits, unfortunately!). In the courtyard, grill and campfire cooking parties can be organized with or without help from the personnel. If interested in game, you can walk to the game preserve at the other end of the village to see the otherwise rarely visible wild boars in their natural environment, or choose angling and boating at the picturesque 20-hectare fishing lake, or else on the little lake next to the house. In the basement of the Guest House, tired trekkers are pampered by the wellness service, but even well-relaxed, one cannot resist to a good bubble bath.

It is an ideal holiday place for…

…everyone of course, but especially for families and friends, they will be lavishly accomodated up to 15 people.  Any company will enjoy a carefree stay here without having to mind organisational questions. Just call us or send us a short e-mail to the webpage of the Guest House. Try and see.