Panorama hike on the "crown" of Szent Mihály Hill

Itinerary

• From the Nagymaros-Visegrád railway station, we follow the S◼ trail marker.
• Still within the settlement, we join the S marker, which we follow straight uphill.
• We make a detour to the Gánti lookout on the S⩍ trail.
• We return to the S trail.
• Soon we turn left onto the SΩ trail, which leads to the Hermit Cave.
• From the Hermit Cave, we climb toward the summit on the KΩ markers.
• We reach the S+ marker, where we turn left and descend to the Dobozi Peak lookout point.
• From Dobozi Peak we turn back and follow the S+ trail to the junction below the summit.
• We turn left onto the S trail and walk all the way to the Julianus Monk Tower.
• From the lookout we take the K trail heading back, following it all the way to the railway station.

Detailed description of the route

The start and end point of our hike is Nagymaros, which offers many recreational opportunities. Before trying those, let’s take a circular route to the Szent Mihály Hill, responsible for the unmatched views of the Danube Bend, bordered by cliffs, where we are guaranteed a unique panorama. We start from the town railway station following the S◼ markers, passing the impressively appearing Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. On Vasút Street, we pass by the statue of Saint Elizabeth of Árpád House, then follow Szamaras Street and the Panorama Road uphill, moving away from the center of the settlement and finally, still on the S trail and leaving the houses behind, we arrive at the wooded base of Szent Mihály Hill.

Views from rocky cliffs

On Panorama Road, we continue following the S signs, also known as Kittenberger trail. Kálmán Kittenberger, a famous Africa explorer, zoologist, hunter, and scientific writer, spent the last part of his life in Nagymaros, and besides many locations in the Börzsöny landscape, he often visited the Szent Mihály Hill as well. It is unclear whether it was solely his passion for hunting or the beautiful view of the Danube Bend that attracted the famous hunter here, but it is certain that even today you can encounter plenty of wildlife here, mainly mouflon.

It is important to know that the hiking trails running on the side of Szent Mihály Hill can be difficult or even dangerous to walk in wet conditions! If the ground is muddy and slippery and you do not feel safe progressing, it is better to turn back.

Soon we reach the S⩍ trail leading to the Rigó Hill lookout point, where we make a short detour to the Gánti resting place. This spot is a memorial to the lover of the Danube Gorge, Dr. Tibor Gánti, offering wonderful views over the shoreline below, the string of peaks above, and the mixed oak woods climbing the steep slope of Szent Mihály Hill. We continue on a narrow, sometimes hard-to-walk but wild path in the same association.

We are walking again on the S trail but soon turn left onto the SΩ trail, which first leads to the fairy-tale terraces of Ördög Hill opening to the Danube Bend. These can be reached with a few meters of detours before our stony path, obstructed by fallen trees and rock debris, winds sideways on the slope, sometimes steeply tilted, leading to the legendary Hermit Cave of Szent Mihály Hill.

The Hermit Cave and its legend

The path crossing the difficult terrain soon reaches rock cavities that have housed hermits since the 12th century after passing an abandoned quarry, from where we can enjoy one of the most beautiful panoramas of the steep hillside.

On the south-facing side of Szent Mihály Hill, at 220-230 meters altitude, there is a partly artificially formed cave group, the largest of which is called the Rock Church or Hermit Cave. It is only 29 meters long, with a width and height of barely 3 meters, but its entrance serves as a howling mouth of the bare hillside that is clearly visible from the opposite bank of the Danube.

In the 1800s, a hermit lived here who villagers often visited for advice. He had a donkey that went down to the Danube daily and independently carried water up on its back in buckets, as well as gifts from villagers for the monk. According to legend, the donkey once drowned, and when the hermit waited in vain for it, he died too.

From the rock ledge in front of the cave entrance, we enjoy a spectacular panorama of the Danube below and the mountains on the opposite bank. We stand at the steepest and narrowest part of the uniquely beautiful Danube Bend canyon, where volcanic rocks (andesite, dacite, and dacite tuff) are exposed in dramatic breaks. These dark brown rocks tell the earth's history from a period before the appearance of the Danube when Szent Mihály Hill was still connected with the mountains on the opposite bank. Presumably, water found its way in a massive landslide site that, over a long time, cut itself between the slowly rising mountains, dividing the uniform structure.

View from Dobozi Peak

From the Hermit Cave, we start following the KΩ trail climbing steeply and slickly toward the summit. However, the top of Szent Mihály Hill is still ahead. Before that, we visit the rocky terrace of Dobozi Peak. The short but steep and return detour can be skipped from the route. Still, those who want to look down on the Danube from an even higher point can visit Dobozi Peak along the rocky S+ trail. The view unfolding before us is worth the walk down, mainly focusing on the Danube below, the lowlands of Pilismarót opposite, and the ridge of the Visegrád Mountains from the dizzyingly exposed rocky peak.

Up to the summit

So far, we have had climbs, but the real assault of the hill comes after Dobozi Peak. Turning back on the S+ trail, a sparse mixture of holm oaks and scrub oak woods accompanies the climb, further adorned in spring by the white and purple covering of hollow root orchids on the ground. During the ascent, the surroundings open up here and there, offering views down to the hillside or the deepening Danube Bend behind us.

The steepness of our path gradually eases and finally levels, joining the S trail, where we turn left. This is the final charge to the 484-meter-high summit, but the panorama of Szent Mihály Hill awaits us not at the peak but at the nearby Hegyes-tető. It merges with the National Blue Trail, where we pass mysterious shafts created in the 1950s for research purposes. The fenced vertical voids were originally 12-20 meters deep, drilled to study the rock forming the hill and to explore potential ore deposits.

Crossing the flower meadow of Ürmös-rét spreading on the flattening ridge of the hill, only a few steps separate us from the magnificent panorama of Hegyes-tető, unveiled by the bastion-like stone building of the Julianus Monk Tower.

On the stone bastion of Hegyes-tető

Hegyes-tető, belonging to the Szent Mihály Hill massif, is only 482 meters high; however, from the uniquely shaped Julianus lookout standing here, we enjoy one of the most beautiful bird’s eye views in Hungary. First-time visitors in the tower are guaranteed a surprising experience, as the panorama stretches 270 degrees, filled by the view of the Danube. To the west lies Slovakia, to the south Dömös and the Visegrád Mountains, to the east Visegrád and Vác directions. The neighboring peak of Szent Mihály Hill rises before us, partially obscuring the view, but on the opposite side, the Salamon Tower and Visegrád Castle draw attention. To the north, the Börzsöny ridge is visible, and in the distance, besides the highest peaks of the mountain range, the lookout of Csóványos can be seen if the weather is clear.

Named after a monk researching in Asia after our ancestors, the tower’s middle floor has a rest area with benches, and next to the lookout is a picnic spot.

Untamed descent

We leave Hegyes-tető on the road we have already taken but this time follow the K trail all the way to the endpoint. We approach Nagymaros through the steep and narrowing Templom Valley, whose deeply cut water groove we follow, initially through oak woods, later through beautiful dark beech woods. Interestingly, unlike usual, the cool-loving beeches have settled lower here.

The K trail reaches the settlement at Diófa Street, which slopes toward the Danube and offers a view of part of the town. We descend to the center with a few minutes’ walk, where the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, with its gothic features, signals the approaching end of our route. Nagymaros offers many sights for hikers (e.g., Kittenberger Kálmán Memorial House), and we can choose freely among catering establishments. However, the true closing chord of a hiking route linking Danube Bend lookout points is the waterfront itself, especially in summer. The Danube shore and ferry landing are a mere two hundred meters from the railway station, the start and end point of our hike.