Beautiful view: The Buda Sas-route

Itinerary

• From the Széchenyi Hill Cogwheel Railway terminus, start southwest on the Z trail!
• Upon reaching the Children's Railway terminus, turn left onto the Z▲ trail! Follow this all the way to the base of Ördög-orom, at the top of Zsigmondy Vilmos Street.
• Here we leave the hiking trail markers and continue through streets. At Márton Áron Square, turn left onto Érdi Street, then after the sharp left bend, turn right onto Görbe Street. From the end of this street, continue on Antónia Street and stairs.
• Crossing Fátra Square, then going on Meredek Street, and then Tájék Street, where we reach the Sas Hill Visitor Center.
• After the guided tour of Sas Hill, return to the entrance, and again start on Tájék Street, this time heading back. Turn right onto Korompai Street, cut through Meredek Street, and walk down it.
• This leads into Hegyalja Street, down which we reach the BAH junction.

The detailed description of the route

I suggest starting from the top point, Széchenyi Hill, not because it makes the route easier, but because the panorama stays in front of your eyes all along. It’s a 200-meter walk from the Cogwheel Railway terminus to the Children's Railway terminus, from where the Z▲ marked trail begins.

The path winds along the fence of the TV transmitter, from the outside you can clearly see the 192-meter high transmitter tower built in 1975. From the ridge, we descend serpentine-style down the Széchenyi slope following the hairpin turns of the hiking trail, and after one bend we encounter a small building. According to the sign, the original Úti Madonna Chapel was built in the 1880s by theological professor János Berger, who lived nearby at the time. The chapel, which fell into disrepair after World War II, was rebuilt in 1998 based on contemporary documents.

About 150 meters after the chapel, hiding in the bushes beside the path, is the only well-preserved sinkhole cave in the Buda Hills, the Farkasvölgyi sinkhole. It was cleaned in 1998 by scout rock climbers. The 6-meter deep cavity is recommended to be approached with great caution because anyone who accidentally falls in cannot climb out unaided.

A little lower, we reach the water ditch of the upper part of Farkas Valley, which can be crossed on a small bridge. According to one version, wolves once lived in the valley, which gave the place its name; another version states this is not true and the name derives from the cornelian cherries that used to grow here. The slope ends here; from this point we can walk almost flat to Ördög-orom. The path leads through a briefly sparsely inhabited area dotted with run-down holiday homes in a melancholic atmosphere, but at the end of Nőszirom Street there is a path opening immediately with a nice viewpoint.

On a defining rock formation of Budapest

According to related literature, Ördög-orom is one of Budapest's most spectacular and defining rock formations, yet few know it. The highest point of its panoramic ridge stretching several hundred meters is the 317-meter high Ördögszószék, which seems steep partly because it stands above an abandoned whetstone quarry.

The hiker is protected by a railing along the ridge from falling into the gorge below. The Edvi Illés road runs at the valley floor, from where the quarry and the artificial protective labyrinth inside the dolomite block can be accessed. The labyrinth was likely excavated by German troops during World War II. It was open for a long time but was finally closed in the 1990s.

From the ridge of the dolomite block decorated with bare rock outcrops, the Sas Hill is clearly visible, and farther away the Gellért Hill. Unfortunately, as the local information board states, the area around the nature conservation zone has not escaped construction booms: the built-up garden houses have almost entirely isolated the ridge from the Buda Protected Landscape Area forests. The animals living here are disturbed by noise pollution, alien plant species have escaped from the gardens, illegal waste dumping is significant, visitors litter, and areas beyond the marked trails are trampled.

From the end of the ridge, we descend sharply to Zsigmondy Vilmos Street, which leads from the Z▲ to Márton Áron Square and the entrance to the Farkasrét Cemetery. Here the marked hiking trail ends; those who have had enough of the hike can take the tram home easily.

Street route to the reptile powerhouse

Not so for us. We continue along the cemetery fence, then descend the Antónia stairs to one of Budapest’s most beautifully located squares, the aptly named Fátra Square. From here, it is only a short walk to the upper gate of the Sas Hill Visitor Center, located at the end of Tájék Street.

It is important to know that Sas Hill closes every year on November 30 and you have to wait until spring for it to open again. Even then, you cannot roam freely on the nature conservation trail if you want to circle the hill, as this is only possible with a guided tour (for an entrance fee of 500 forints per person).

Before getting upset about this, it’s worth recalling: twenty years ago Sas Hill was completely open, and locals treated the area as a quasi dog-walking park. Due to visitors, animals disappeared and rare plants were trampled. Seeing the degradation, protection of the area was tightened, it was renovated, fenced, and since then vegetation has returned, as have most animals.

Today Sas Hill is considered a reptile powerhouse in the capital, inhabited by several species of lizards and smooth snakes. The tables have turned a bit: the angry snakes growing up to 1.3 meters or the somewhat smaller grass snakes sometimes escape, causing scares among local residents – for example, a grass snake found its ideal sunbathing spot coiling on the railing of a lady’s terrace.

The educational trail starts with the central lookout, then heading south follows a circuit. The most beautiful part of the route is the rocky section on the eastern hillside featuring Beethoven Rock, allegedly so named because a visitor, overwhelmed by the panorama, said it was as beautiful as Beethoven’s music!

Not far from the rock, a squat concrete bunker with dark windows gapes among the bushes. Sas Hill, with its excellent strategic points, was not spared during the war; a bunker was built here that is still in use. Not by soldiers, but by scientists—as it houses one of the MTA’s seismological stations. If there is an earthquake in Japan, they reportedly know about it here within seven minutes.

After about an hour-long circular walk, a gentle descent on Meredek Street and Hegyalja Street brings you to the BAH junction, from where you can easily reach home quickly by public transport almost anywhere.