Eger is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary. A city with county rights, Eger is best known for its medieval castle, thermal baths, baroque buildings, the northernmost Ottoman minaret, and red wines. Its population of around 53,000 (2017) makes it the 19th largest centre of population in Hungary, according to the census. The town is located on the Eger Stream, on the hills between the Mátra and Bükk mountains.

Heves county lies in northern Hungary, between the right bank of the river Tisza and the Mátra and Bükk mountains. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Pest, Nógrád, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok. Eger is the county seat.