The Kings' hike, the king of hikes

Itinerary

• From Dömös, boat station, set off along the S and Z signs that start there, shortly joined by the P sign. These lead out of the settlement via Királykúti Street.
• After passing the Szentfa Chapel, turn left onto the P▲ sign, which takes us over the Vadálló Rocks to Prédikálószék.
• Continue following the P▲ sign, which after a while runs together with the P+ sign. From here, follow this along to the center of Pilisszentlászló, passing the Kis Rigó restaurant. (The P▲ sign turns right along the way; do not stay on it!)
• In the center of Pilisszentlászló, turn left onto the Z sign! From now on, this will be our companion all the way to the endpoint.

Detailed description

After admiring the view of the Danube at the Dömös boat station – be sure to glance at the Remete Cave yawning on the side of St. Michael Hill opposite us! – we start climbing upward along the S and Z signs that begin here. As we leave the village via the increasingly picturesque Királykúti Street and the houses gradually disappear, the Malom Brook accompanies us. After crossing it on a wooden bridge and entering the forest, we soon arrive at the mysteriously originated Róza cellar. From the seemingly small hole – established in the early 19th century, supposedly for lignite mining, which is unlikely based on the rock composition – you would hardly imagine it is 337 meters long and 2.1 meters high. Entry is forbidden not only because there is standing water in the first 80 meters but mainly because of the common bat colony living inside, which is populous with 600-1300 individuals. The mine has been protected since 2015.

Walking on, we soon find ourselves at the charming Szentfa Chapel. According to legend, Dömös was already an important pilgrimage site in the Middle Ages, but the Turkish conquest erased all traces of this until in May 1885, the image of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus on her arm shone on a young beech trunk here. Two gooseherd girls witnessed the miracle and spread the news. Initially, only the people of Dömös regularly came to pray at the tree, but the area known then as Simon Field gradually became a popular pilgrimage site. Unfortunately, the tree no longer exists, but a small shingle-roofed chapel was built in its place, and a few holy pictures still hang on a nearby tree. Beneath it springs the Kaintz György spring with a stone-lined basin, honoring the memory of the nature walker, and next to it, on a small meadow, there is a covered resting place with benches where those heading towards the Rám Gorge can sit down for a few minutes.

We sweat, but it is not in vain

The P▲ sign leading to Prédikálószék used to start on a narrow, root-strewn path above the spring, but it has since been moved higher along the Malom Brook, so for a while, we still need to walk on the P, S, and Z signs before it branches off left, beginning the toughest but also one of the most exciting sections of our hike. The P▲ sign follows an oak forest that provides pleasant shade even in summer heat, going uphill along the ridge towards the tower, where we need to step up more steeply over tree roots. It is not uncommon that the wind carries the cries of mouflon lambs from the Simon Valley below to the left. Soon, a barren, rocky slope covered with scattered tufts of grass and root-like nets tests our endurance, but there is no need to panic: as a reward for our effort, we soon arrive at the first harbinger of the Vadálló Rocks, the Big Stump.

The view opening before us immediately makes us forget the exhausting steepness of the path. The volcanic andesite rock formations with unreal shapes line the ridge like jaws when viewed from Dobogó Rock, but up close, they look like irregular, storm-battered small towers. The scenery here looks like the stage of heavy dramas. In front of one Vadálló rock lies a twisted, dead, gnarled tree stripped of bark, like a clenched hand; under another, a thin, waist-bent tree heroically holds a huge stone in the hillside with its last strength. We can easily climb onto some rock tops and should do so because the breathtaking panorama of the Szőke Spring Valley, Rám Hill, and the Dobogó Rock ridge opens up from there. One close hollow beneath our feet hides the Rám Gorge.

The P▲ sign continues along the Vadálló Rocks, then leaves them on the left and enters the forest. We don't have to follow it here because the path is very unpleasant: downhill outward, dusty when dry, muddy when wet, and definitely slippery. We can stay along the rocks to follow the old route of the sign and reach the same place on a more scenic path. This is the last difficult section of our hike: saying goodbye to the rocky teeth, the remaining few hundred meters along the ridge gently ascend to Prédikálószék at 639 meters high, from where one of the most spectacular views of the Visegrád Mountains opens to the Danube Bend.

From the rock standing at the edge of the cliff, we could already scan St. Michael Hill opposite long ago, but from the newly built three-level lookout opened in autumn 2016, we can see much further, even to Csobánka. On the other side of the river, we can spot Szob, the picturesque Zebegény in the bend, Nagymaros to the right, and on this side, Visegrád with its castle towering above. The roughly 180-degree panorama is closed by Pilisszentlászló hidden in the valley, the next significant stop of our tour.

We just roll down to Pilisszentlászló

After looking around and catching our breath, we can really relax: although most of the distance is still ahead, a pleasant walk awaits us with almost continuous gentle downhill slope. For now, we stay on the P▲ sign, heading southeast along the side of Keserűs Hill. The P+ sign coming from Dömös soon joins from the left, and although the two run together for a while, we follow the latter from here on. We only follow this from Hármashatár. Mostly, we walk on forestry roads offering easy terrain, occasionally with views over the Danube. Wild apple trees color the landscape in places. This way, we reach the atmospheric Kis Rigó restaurant, where it’s definitely worth stopping for a good lunch or at least to replace lost fluids. We are roughly halfway through our demanding hike.

The P+ sign crosses the serpentine connecting Visegrád to road 11 and leads down to the center of Pilisszentlászló, where, turning left beside the ruins of a once more prosperous grocery store, we must join the Z sign. Walking along the long Béke Street, we leave the settlement; the football field to the right and the Calvary stone cross above it accompany our way. The next section is not particularly exciting – besides the dirt road, there is only a tiny chapel and a wayside shrine surrounded by a fence with a shady bench, then an abandoned quarry breaks the monotony – but the dramaturgy will be perfect this way. What follows is the Spartacus hunting trail, one of the country's most unique hiking routes.

Leaving behind weekend houses, entering majestic beech forests, at first we walk on a root-strewn, rocky path before the old yellow sign warns us that "the Spartacus trail contains difficult sections, requiring proper preparation, equipment, and physical condition!" The mentioned dramaturgy includes this warning, but there's no need to panic: it basically means the path will be narrow, and in a few places a bit exposed, but still easily passable for those accustomed to mountain paths.

In the footsteps of former hunters

The mostly level winding Spartacus hunting trail was established in the 1930s but only marked as a tourist trail since 2015. Much of its western section and a shorter branch leading to Apát-kúti Valley are still closed to hikers. The environment gradually becomes wilder; first, a thin, dusty path leads through a young beech forest on the side of Öreg-Pap Hill, then at Szarvas-bérc, we enter primeval forest where fallen trees lend an ancient, untouched character to the landscape. The hillside becomes steeper, and after stepping out from under rows of low, tunnel-like trees hanging over us, we soon find ourselves back in a spacious beech forest. To the right, in the hillside, we can spot the gray stones of a lava flow remnant, a memory of previous volcanic activity, before we see the first lookout of the hunting trail. From the grassy slope edge, the neighboring Ágas Hill block dominates the panorama, blocking our previous stop, Prédikálószék, which we can only see from its ridge. The edge of St. Michael Hill also slightly intrudes into the panorama on the right.

Back in the forest, the path's next gently winding section is visible through the beeches, leading us out to the most exposed part. In one rock, a miniature version of the Vadálló Rocks seems to greet us here. On the narrow path, carved stone steps aid traversal – no urgent need though, as we would not fall into the depths without them – then above the Szarvas Hole, we reach the place with the most beautiful view on the entire Spartacus hunting trail. On the mountain side, andesite rocks emerge from beneath the rocky grass, and in the distance in front, partially hidden, St. Michael Hill dominates the view, with a tiny shining triangle at the lower tip that is none other than the water surface of the Danube.

It is worth taking a few minutes to absorb and store the view because from now on, the landscape changes again and becomes more usual. Winding further along in the beech forest, we soon reach Jenő Hut, one of the country’s rare free bivouac spots always open, where we can not only shelter from the elements but even sleep – yes, even in winter, as a tiled stove serves (strictly puritan) comfort.

From the wooden hut to the outskirts of Visegrád, we continue in the forest, still following the Z sign. Crossing to the eastern slope of the Great Beech, we walk above the Apát-kúti Valley, where one of the most beautiful hiking routes in the Visegrád Mountains also runs. If we want a taste of it, we can follow the right-branching Z+ sign down into the valley to see the Ördögmalom Waterfall or the Miklós Bertényi Botanical Garden. If we choose this variation, following the P sign northwards, we will reach the Nagymaros ferry just like if we stayed on the Z sign.

No lack of views at the end either

This time, we prefer the latter. If we still have time, taking the shortly after left-branching Z▲ sign, we reach the 16-meter-high Bányatető Lookout opened in 2015. Continuing on the Z sign, we arrive at the outskirts of Visegrád at Disznózug, where weekend houses start appearing. At a right corner of the street, it is worth continuing on the path opposite and taking a small detour up the hillside, from where a stunning panorama of the Danube Bend awaits. We can feel how much we have walked in the past hours if we look up from the left at the Prédikálószék peak, and on top of St. Michael Hill opposite, with some searching, we can spot the outline of the Julianus Tower.

From here, only a leisurely walk awaits us along Rákóczi and then Széchenyi Street, and we arrive at the endpoint of our tour, the Nagymaros ferry in Visegrád center, where we can decide to take the bus home, ferry across the Danube, or rest at one of the town’s numerous restaurants, cafés, and confectioneries.