Among domestic performance hikes, the Gerecse 50 is one of the oldest and most popular challenges. The namesake distance has been organized every year since 1982 on the third Saturday of April, and over time the hike has expanded to include several distances, showcasing not only the sports experience but also the beauty and uniqueness of the Gerecse landscape.
The main attraction of the Gerecse performance hikes primarily lies in the community experience. Many see the event starting from Tatabánya as a friendly or family program, with all age groups from children to the elderly present. Picturesque forest landscapes, meadows in bloom, splendid panoramas, and comfortable terrain characterize the hiking distances, which combined with excellent organization and good logistics, create favorable conditions for those seeking a relatively easy success or beginner performance hiker.
Gerecse 50
The classic 50-kilometer distance starts from Tatabánya, passing Tardos, Pusztamarót, Héreg, and Vértessolna, while also visiting notable and scenic Gerecse locations such as the János spring near Tatabánya, the ruins of Saint Peter round church on the side of Öreg-Kovács Hill, the Great Gerecse with wild garlic and devil's plough sections, the picturesque Király-Kúti meadow, the steep climb of Hajagos Hill, the striking rocks of Pes-kő, or the panoramic Turul statue overlooking the city, to name just a few. Incidentally, the Tour also reaches the latter at all four distances, making it not only a Tatabánya symbol but also a symbol of Gerecse performance hikes.
Many choose the Gerecse 50 not only for its fame and beautiful environment as their first longer distance event: other performance hikes of similar length mostly involve tougher terrain, more elevation gain, often significantly less support, and fewer elements assisting completion. Nevertheless, completing this hike on foot or running—especially for the first such challenge—is certainly commendable sports achievement.
The route can be walked anytime outside the performance hike day as well.
Date: Saturday, June 14, 2025
Start and finish location: Tatabánya, Megyeháza Square, event center. Free toilets are available in the parking garage under the square. The square is spacious, making it ideal for waiting and/or arriving participants.
Start time: 06:00-8:00
Time limit: 12 hours
Registration: compulsory online registration. On-site registration is not possible.
Participant limit: 3000 people
Checkpoints (5):
Due to the extraordinary situation in 2021, the reduced number of checkpoints system remains this year as experience has shown it works well. At the following checkpoints, passage is checked contactlessly with code readers:
- Saint Peter church ruins, Baji hunting lodge
- Pusztamarót
- Kis-rét
- Motorway bridge
- Turul statue
Other Gerecse performance hikes are accessible via Természetjáró.
The detailed description of the tour is available under the Route Description menu item.
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.
Track types
Safety information
- It is strictly forbidden to hike by bike or with dogs on the Gerecse 50 performance hike day due to accident risk and animal abuse potential, since such a large crowd can only handle animals on a leash and muzzle, for many hours.
- This is a very long distance. If you feel you cannot continue or have to quit due to injury, you may leave at the following exit points: Tardos, Pusztamarót, Héreg on the paved road; above Vértessolna at the gratis station; Koldusszállás; then at the motorway bridge and the Turul statue.
- Public transport allows exiting the route at Tardos, Héreg, and the Vértessolna road.
Tips and suggestions
Roadbook
Itinerary
According to the IVV (International Federation of Popular Sports) route marking recommendation, a uniform white dot marking assists hikers along the entire Gerecse 50 route.
- From the start, we head north on Komáromi Street following the P+ marking.
- After about 1 km, turn right onto Kós Károly Street, but do not follow the street line; instead, continue straight between houses.
- We cross Route 1 and the M1 motorway via an underpass.
- We continue left on Szőlőhegy Street until Szanatóriumi Road. Meanwhile, we leave the P+ marking.
- On the other side of the road, turn right and walk among the trees towards János spring.
- From here, follow the P● marking again.
- Soon we walk together briefly with the P+ marking; from here, follow this.
- The P marking joins, follow the left branch toward Vaskapu.
- After Szende Cave, turn left onto the S marking, heading north.
- At the Saint Peter round church ruin, turn back onto the P marking towards the Baji hunting lodge.
- Follow this marking until the Vértessolna paved road. Here we separate from the 30 km route; crossing the road, we follow the P+ marking starting after the barrier on the opposite side, heading toward the limestone quarry, then pass through Gorba Hill and arrive at Tardos, at Temple Square via Alkotmány Street.
- Leave the settlement following the K+ marking.
- Continue north on the K marking until the Pusztamarót checkpoint.
- From there, switch to the P marking heading extensively south to Héreg.
- At Héreg border, turn right following the Z marking.
- At the mining hill junction, turn left, that is south, again following the K marking until Koldusszállás.
- From the checkpoint, follow the S marking, then past the ruins of the Kis-rét hunting lodge, continue on the S◼ marking.
- At the motorway bridge, return to the S+ marking.
- From the Turul statue, the P marking leads back to Komáromi Street, where turning left soon brings us to the finish in Tatabánya.
Detailed description of the route
We start our hike from Megyeháza Square in Tatabánya. Heading north along Komáromi Street, we reach the P+ marking by the county library and continue straight, crossing the central parts of Tatabánya. After the residential areas and passing under the motorway, we first arrive in weekend garden areas, followed by a forest area, from where we quickly reach the developed resting place of János spring.
Our path starts to ascend here, first following the P● marking, then turning left onto the P+, and finally switching to the P marking. At the end of the prolonged climb, we arrive at the top of Hajagos, where different hiking trails diverge. Our 50 km route turns left here onto the S marking and leads us through pleasant forests to the vicinity of the Baji hunting lodge, which is near the resting benches of Pusztatemplom (Peter's church) ((Checkpoint 1)).
Continuing right here on the P marking, passing by the Baji hunting lodge, we head towards Tardos. After descending beside the main road, we soon reach an asphalt road. Crossing it, we return to the forest at the barrier and follow the P+ marking. After the quarry, a short climb follows, then after reaching the summit, we can expect easy kilometers. Approaching Tardos on the northern side of Gorba Hill along an increasingly steep path, we arrive in a charming small street in the village center at the Kemencés restaurant. Turning right here, we leave the settlement following the Z and K+ markings. Entering the forest and climbing up, we turn left on the K+ marking to join the National Blue Trail (K marking). Passing through wonderful scenery, we circle the 633-meter-high Gerecse massif, touching the dignified Sandl ridge.
After the old children's holiday resort, staying on the K marking, we descend beside the wild garlic carpet of Kis-Gerecse to a forestry road leading to Pusztamarót ((Checkpoint 2)). From here, we continue on the P marking leading all the way to Héreg. Upon reaching the first houses of the village, we turn right and climb up on the Z marking to the foot of Bánya Hill, where our marking re-joins the National Blue Trail route ((Checkpoint 3)). Turning left here, we continue wavering on the National Blue Trail (K marking) until the Koldusszállás hunting lodge. About 100 meters before the hunting lodge, we turn sharply back to continue on the S marking. Soon, passing the ruins of the Kis-rét hunting lodge ((Checkpoint 4)), we turn sharply left and continue on the S◼ marking. Hearing the increasingly loud noise of the motorway, soon we arrive at the concrete road leading to the Turul statue ((Checkpoint 5)). Turning right here, now following the S+ marked path, we reach the Turul statue ((Checkpoint 6)).
Having enjoyed the panorama, we descend to Tatabánya on the P marking by a serpentine staircase, where the P● marking soon joins. Turning left here, we walk along the previously known route to the endpoint, the nearby Megyeháza Square.
Pusztamarót emlékhely ellenőrzőpont - Gerecse teljesítménytúra
Héreg frissítőpont - Gerecse 50 teljesítménytúra
Vértestolna elágazás ellenőrzőpont - Gerecse teljesítménytúra
Koldusszállás frissítőpont - Gerecse teljesítménytúra
Kisrét ellenőrzőpont - Gerecse teljesítménytúra
Turul ellenőrzőpont - Gerecse teljesítménytúra
Public transport
Public-transport-friendly
- It is advisable to travel to the starting point by train because Tatabánya train station is only a few hundred meters away. The Tatabánya bus station is also located here.
If you arrive for the performance hike and have not booked accommodation in the city the night before, arrive well ahead of the start to avoid missing it due to train delays!
Get Timetable to destination
Directions
- To get from the train station to the starting point, start on Mozdony Street. Go down into the underpass at the Győri road intersection, then go up on the park area diagonally opposite the plaza. Crossing the park, we soon reach Megyeháza Square (220 m).
Parking
- The parking garage under Megyeháza Square has space for several hundred cars and is free on weekends. There is also parking available along roads, in nearby housing estates, near the train station, and at large-capacity areas of nearby shopping centers, but only in limited numbers.
Coordinates
Book recommendation by the author
- Gerecse, Vértes, Velence Hills hiking guide
Author’s map recommendations
Recommended maps for this region:
Equipment
- Well-broken-in boots. (Never start a long-distance hike in newly purchased hiking shoes!)
- Effective protection against mosquitoes and ticks.
- Raincoat and warm clothes for cold weather.
- If you perspire a lot, bring a spare top to change during the hike!
- Reserve fluids and food to recharge between checkpoints. Carry food sparingly, and only water as a drink! A few apples can be useful. It is not recommended to eat or carry more than four sandwiches during the hike.
- Hat and sunscreen recommended in case of strong sun.
Localization
Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.

User Questions