Badacsony 360

Itinerary

• We start from the parking lot above the Kisfaludy House on the K▲ trail.
• We arrive at the Hertelendy Ferenc memorial site, where turning right we join the K trail.
• After enjoying the panorama from the Kisfaludy lookout, we walk back a little and turning right continue on the K trail to the next intersection.
• Here, if we turn left (a sign indicates this), taking a small detour, we reach a fantastic viewpoint overlooking the Tapolca and Káli basins. Returning to the intersection, turning left again, we return to the K trail.
• After leaving the Kőkapu, at the next major crossroads we turn left and continue on the P trail towards the Bujdosók stairway. This section is part of the Badacsony nature trail.
• At the Rodostó tourist house, we turn left again onto the K trail.
• Climbing up the Bujdosók stairway, passing the Tördemici viewpoint, begins a series of viewpoints with panoramas over Lake Balaton: we pass the Mária Henrietta viewpoint, the Ranolder cross and the Egry József viewpoint.
• We pass by the memorial site of Dr. Lajos Jugovics and return to the Hertelendy Ferenc memorial site, where turning right, we walk back on the K▲ trail to the parking lot.

 Detailed description of the hike

We start from the parking lot above the Kisfaludy House on the K▲ trail. We quickly arrive at the Rose Stone. According to legend connected to the stone, Sándor Kisfaludy and Róza Szegedy often sat here to admire the panoramic views of Lake Balaton. There is also a folk tradition linked to the Szegedy Róza stone: if we believe it, lovers who sit hand in hand on the stone with their backs to Lake Balaton will marry within a year - and it is enough if a girl sits on the stone and sighs thinking of her sweetheart. After testing whether the magic of the Rose Stone works and managing to tear ourselves away from the exceptional view, let's continue on the K▲ trail!

After a small climb, we arrive at the Hertelendy Ferenc (1859-1919) memorial site. He was the vice president of the Hungarian Association of Vineyard Keepers and the Balaton Association and worked hard on the development of the northern railway line. Below the memorial is the next viewpoint, worth descending to: there is a view of Badacsonytomaj, Ábrahámhegy and Balatonrendes.

Turning right from here, we join the K trail. We follow a pleasant forest path until a resting place equipped with benches, beside an abandoned building. Turning right, we soon reach the Kisfaludy lookout on the highest peak of Badacsony, from where we can admire the other witness hills, the Tapolca and Káli basins, and Lake Balaton in a full 360-degree panorama.

After enough sightseeing and photos, we walk back to the nearest intersection, where turning right we continue on the K trail. We quickly reach the next intersection, where it is worth turning left to take a small detour (a sign indicates) to a fantastic viewpoint where we see basalt columns, rockfalls and other witness hills.

Returning to the intersection and turning left, we find ourselves in the Kőkapu gorge, descending which we reach the most beautiful basalt columns of Badacsony. Back then, lava breaking the surface cooled suddenly, solidifying along vertical and horizontal lines, then shaped by water and wind to their current form. The columns continue to crumble, well seen on the scree slope formed beneath them.

After the Kőkapu, we continue left on the K trail to the next intersection. Again turning left, we continue on the P trail. This is also part of the Badacsony nature trail, which circles the mountain along the signposts, presenting geological, zoological and ornithological curiosities. Along the route, it's worth checking out the smaller viewpoints, of which there are plenty.

The next stop is the former Tördemic basalt quarry. It operated until 1964; part of the extracted basalt was transported down to Badacsonytördemic by a cable car, the other part was carved on site into stones for road paving.

We continue on the P trail to the western side of Badacsony. The path runs along the mountain rim with continuous panorama. We arrive at the Rodostó tourist house, where turning left we return to the K trail and soon reach the next crossroads. Looking up to the left, we can see the next challenge: the Bujdosók stairway. We have to climb 464 basalt steps to get to the summit. The intermediate resting places are named after kuruc leaders who had to hide during the Rákóczi War of Independence (Zrínyi Ilona, Zsuzsanna Lorántffy, Krisztina Csáky and Kelemen Mikes).

At the top of the stairs is a resting place equipped with benches, a shelter, and a fireplace, but if we still have energy, do not sit down immediately, because a few minutes to the left is the Tördemici viewpoint, where we can take a last glance at our favorite witness hills.

From the resting place we continue on the K trail, starting the series of viewpoints with Lake Balaton panoramas. The first is the viewpoint named after Belgian Queen Maria Henrietta. A few steps away is the Ranolder cross, where another fantastic panorama awaits us. The cross was built by János Ranolder in the mid-19th century, who called Badacsony and its surroundings "the most beautiful region in the world." The rock bench under the cross is popularly called Harangozó Börc. According to legend, if you hit the rock with a hammer, you hear a sound like a church bell.

The third stop is the Egry József viewpoint. The atmosphere of Badacsony inspired numerous artists, including one famous painter. The namesake viewpoint is a small bastion-like stone building from which we can see Lake Balaton and the vineyards of Badacsony. After this, we pass by the Dr. Lajos Jugovics memorial site before returning to the Hertelendy Ferenc memorial site. From here, we turn right onto the K▲ trail, descend to the Rose Stone, and then walk back to our starting point, the parking lot.