Tour on suspension bridge and cable car, just below the clouds

Itinerary

• Next to the visitor center, we follow the asphalt road going up the mountain to the bridgehead of the suspension bridge.
• Leaving the bridgehead, we turn left onto the staircase that leads under the castle walls.
• We pass the walls of the Sátoraljaújhely castle on the right, then after touring the ruins from inside, we return to the bridgehead.
• We cross the National Unity Bridge.
• At the bridgehead we turn right and reach the stations of the Hungarian Calvary along the promenade.
• Among the stations, we follow the K▲ trail upwards.
• Below the summit, at the last turn of the Calvary, we continue the tour straight ahead on an unmarked path to the peak of Szár Hill.
• Turning back from Szár Hill, we descend on the K▲ trail to the Dongó cable car station.
• We take the Dongó to cross to Magas Hill, where we go up to the lookout tower.
• At the base of the lookout tower, we descend into the forest on the left branch of the K▲ trail to the Vörös saddle.
• At the Vörös saddle, we turn left onto the P trail.
• At the next junction, we turn right onto the P+ trail.
• At the next junction, we turn left and walk into the town on the K+ trail, to the Mélyút junction.
• Turning onto the Mélyút, we walk back to the visitor center of the Sátoraljaújhely castle.

Detailed tour description

Castle on the edge of the Sátoros Hills

Our tour starts from the visitor center at the foot of the hill of the Sátoraljaújhely castle. It is definitely worth stopping here, as besides aesthetically presented textual information, we can experience a virtual reality walkthrough of the former castle, of which now only the ruins remain on the hilltop. Near the building, we climb steeply on an asphalt road leading into the forest toward the National Unity Bridge, which we recommend crossing later, as the castle itself is an interesting site and also a prime viewpoint. We ascend on a staircase crossing a pine forest among the ruins until we reach the promenade under the walls. We then circle the remains of the fortress, on which the metal platform added in 2022 rests.

Finally, at the southern end of the ruins, beneath a stretched, night-lit "floating" cross, we enter the castle courtyard. After the Tatar invasion, not much remains of the castle that was built to oversee the road to Ungvár and later became the economic center of the ispán of Patak. The excavated and reconstructed walls from the mid-2000s mostly reach waist height; only a larger part of the triangular-shaped northern bastion remains visible. However, attention is also drawn away by the controversial metal platform that is supported against the western wall. It's worth walking out there, as from it you can look down on the astonishingly large suspension bridge, the cones of the Sátoros Hills, the basin hidden between them, the Great Hungarian Plain, the protruding Tokaji Hill, and the edge of the central mass of the Tokaji Mountains. The structure of the castle is also nicely revealed.

Across the suspension bridge

We walk back from the castle the way we came to reach the bridgehead. After purchasing a ticket, we step onto the suspension bridge, which spans 700 meters and at its highest point is 80 meters above the valley. We enjoy a gentle sway. For those not afraid of heights, looking down at the grated walkway and the plexiglass floor panels enhance the experience. Those with acrophobia can avoid the middle panels by walking along the edges. The pedestrian cable suspension bridge, opened in 2024, supported by six steel cables each weighing 25 tons and 70 mm in diameter, is the longest of its kind in the world and provides a direct connection with Szár Hill. The view is similar to what is seen at the castle, but due to the perspective and exposure to depth, the height offers a truly intense experience.

The monuments of Szár Hill

After crossing to Szár Hill, we start right along the promenade, joining the K▲ trail, which leads between the stations of the Hungarian Calvary to the summit (before reaching it, at the last curve, choose the straight, unmarked path). Among the neighboring peaks, Szár Hill stands out mainly for its cultural arsenal, including the calvary constructed in 1936 through public donations. Its stations bear the names and coats of arms of significant towns lost after the Trianon borders were drawn, each marked with a quote from a notable Hungarian personality.

At the summit, the 100th national flagpole was erected in 1935 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the death of Ferenc Rákóczi. It flies on a small raised platform. (The Flagpole Movement was announced 10 years earlier as an expression of national mourning over Trianon.) It is no coincidence that several memorials near Sátoraljaújhely follow this theme: the city was shaken by the peace treaty that caused it to lose its surrounding villages overnight. Along the Ronyva river, a railroad-aligned border turned it into a peripheral settlement (furthermore, a part of the town itself was separated).

On the far side of the summit stands the Saint Stephen's Chapel, shaped like a crown, built in 1938 (on the 900th anniversary of the founding of the state) through public donations. Behind it, a small observation platform was built, from which you can see the basin between the Sátoros Hills and our next destination, Magas Hill. To get there, follow the K▲ trail back, which leads to the cable car station named Dongó for its color, which connects to the neighboring peak. After buying a ticket, you can glide to the neighboring peak. (If you return by zipline from there, you can again rely on the Dongó.)

In the center of the Sátoros Hills

On the 514-meter-high summit, a steel-structure lookout tower stands, from which, on a clear day, you can see beyond the vast mountain sea of the Tokaji Mountains to the Northeastern Carpathians. The structure was recently renovated to include a metal walkway protruding over the depth. Its history spans nearly 100 years, as its predecessor was erected in 1927 by the Hegyalja Division of the Hungarian Tourist Association, taking advantage of the growing tourist interest in the mid-mountain ranges. The current structure is the third on the summit and was built in 2010 as part of the adventure park.

After bidding farewell to the views, our tour continues through forested sections: at the base of the tower, we descend on a rocky beech forest trail along the left branch of the K▲ trail. The steep, slippery, and rocky path leads into an old oak forest. Progress requires caution. On the left side of the path, a large pile of stones marks the remains of a former ski jump; the extensive stone field is due to frost shattering from the Ice Age. We bypass the summit of Little Magas Hill on friendlier terrain and reach the unremarkable intersection of Vörös saddle, named after the reddish color of the soil and the presence of iron ores (silver and gold mining was conducted for centuries near Rudabányácska). The older name of the saddle point is Bandalak, as the area was allegedly inhabited by unruly "troublemakers" in the past. Some holiday homes still climb the hillside, but before the phylloxera devastation at the end of the 19th century, vineyards and orchards grew even higher.

Under view of the suspension bridge

We descend along the P trail on a deep, bumpy path under Christmas trees. At a junction, we turn right onto the steeply rising P+ trail. At one point, an unmarked but noticeable path branches to the left, leading to the Cholnoky geyser cone, made of rock material precipitated from the former thermal spring’s water. An information board describes the origin of the small rock formation. The tour climbs to the next junction, where we start descending to the left on the K+ trail. The wide forest road leads to a street where we turn left, and on our right, among the trees, the suspension bridge comes into view. We enter the town "dripping in" between houses, and from below, we can also admire the cable suspension bridge – which is no less impressive here than from the castle or from above. Much lower down, we turn left onto the first right-hand street, the Mélyút, to climb back up to the visitor center. If arriving by public transport, just follow the signs to the town center.