From Óbuda to Szép-völgy through Hármashatár-hegy

Itinerary

• From the bus stop, we head upwards following the ZΩ marker.
• Walking up the hill, take a short detour to the right to the Tábor Hill Cave!
• Upon reaching the Guckler Road, turn right onto the Z+ trail marker.
• Turn left onto the Z marked hiking trail.
• Turn right onto the K marker, which we follow to the Guckler Lookout.
• After a short walk back, turn right onto the K↺ marker.
• Descend along the K↺ trail to the bus stop located next to the asphalt road.

Detailed tour description

The city at the foot of the hill

We follow the ZΩ marker on the street heading up beside the bus stop, which then turns left. The middle section of the Hármashatár-hegy group is characterized by rock blocks (sasbércek) vertically displaced by tectonic effects, rising steeply with cliff-like slopes visible from afar from the much gentler hillside, separated by faults that define the movement direction from the higher parts. A panorama-hungry residential area has climbed onto the less steep hillside, but the upper, now protected, steep and occasionally rocky parts are covered by forest. We leave Királylaki Road on the right through a "hiking trail gap": a path fits between two fences, leading into the woods. Our path traverses steeply to the left, soon arriving at a junction. Turn right to visit one of the hillside’s most significant sights on the contour-following hiking trail!

On the cave terrace

Along a short section, the slope transforms into a vertical rock face, and finally on a widened terrace, the high opening of the Tábor Hill Cave appears to the left. The 162-meter-long passage leading into the dolomite interior was formed by the dissolving action of thermal waters heated by the Earth's inner heat and rising upwards through rock fissures; later it surfaced due to tectonic movements. A grille protects the cave mouth emitting cool air; in front of it, a viewing terrace was built in 1930. Since the autumn 2018 renovation, there is a bench here, and through and above the tree canopies, we can see Óbuda and North Pest; in the middle stands the perfectly straight shape of the heating plant chimney over 200 meters tall (the tallest building in Budapest).

Road to the summit

For the full and much more lasting panorama, we must aim for the mountain top. To do this, initially return to the ZΩ marker and follow it upwards! The path sharply turns back, with a railing resisting nature at the curve. Soon the strenuous climb ends, and we reach Guckler Károly Road. The former forest master played a pioneering role in reforesting the Buda Hills and on his idea, the eponymous hillside walkway was established which cuts the steep slope of Hármashatár-hegy in two. We turn right and follow the forest road offering views at times (once with a small panorama terrace) to arrive at the dry valley of Nagy-Farkas-torok. The QR codes on the educational trail boards make extensive information about the area available on our phones. We tackle the hill again, this time turning left on the Z marker. The slope eases on the path trampled into several branches by cyclists and hikers, then we cross the asphalt road and are invited right by the Blue Trail K marker.

At the top of Hármashatár-hegy

A final steep climb leads to the summit. The excellent view plays a strategic role in wartime, so remnants of anti-aircraft batteries are scattered on this mountain deeply protruding into the city. Nowadays, fortunately, only the poles and towers of telecommunications use the mountain’s location. The hiking trail turns right between trees and fences, leading directly to the Guckler lookout’s wooden dome. From above, the panorama over Budapest and its wide surroundings is fantastic: except for South Buda, we can observe the entire capital from a bird’s eye view; to the north, beyond the heights of the Pilis and Visegrád Mountains, the Naszály is visible, and on clear days to the northeast, the Mátra appears blue on the horizon. In the opposite direction, the members of the Buda Hills line up.

Descending the mountain

We find a restaurant and a tourist house along the Blue Trail about 2–3 minutes from the lookout, but we must head back to the descending path. On the wide gravel berth on the hillside of the summit, the K↺ marker leads downward, with János Hill, Hárs Hill, and Széchenyi Hill disappearing slowly behind tree curtains. Initially, we walk on rocky ground in karst shrub forest, later the path changes as the forest becomes denser and taller. Finally, we reach the asphalt road, and a 5-minute walk awaits us to the bus turnaround.