Hárs Hill nature trail

Itinerary :

• Follow the red heart-shaped marking throughout.

Route description :

A pleasant, almost entirely flat circular route that surrounds the Small and Big Hárs Hill. The first half of the nature trail is more uphill, then on a long downhill section, tourists wishing to recover can catch their breath.

Starting northwest on Széher Street in front of the hospital, we follow the markings, which are accompanied by Z+ paintings. Leaving the populated area, the road soon splits in two; at the first resting place sign, we take the left branch, following the nature trail's heart marking. We proceed along a forest promenade and soon reach the turning point. There is another sign here, indicating we have covered about 1.3 km so far; those who do not feel up to the longer distance should turn back toward the hospital here.

Those choosing the longer loop continue toward Szépjuhászné. We arrive at a true hiking hub of the Buda Hills: numerous routes converge here, and from this point, you can start toward the Big and Small Hárs Hill as well as the János Hill. The Children's Railway station and the buffet next to it attract even more visitors, and it is also easily accessible by both bus and car.

We cross the parking lot, then cross the tracks of the Children's Railway. For a very short section, the P, S, and Z↺ markings run together; then they split at the junction. We follow the heart and Z↺ markings to the left.

We continue on a wide forest road lined with oaks, well-marked running paths cut through the forest. About 1 km from Szépjuhászné, our only significant climb begins. When we reach the top, breathing heavily, fortunately we see another information board explaining the proper pulse measurement rules and what to do if the pulse is too fast. We rest and continue.

At a fork, we keep right. We are on the northern side of Hárs Hill, having just circled the Big Hárs Hill rising on our right-hand side, with the wonderful panorama offered by the Kaán Károly lookout.

The road slopes down gently and evenly, crossing several intersections, including the Z↺ which ran with us so far. If we want to make a detour to Small Hárs Hill and visit the uniquely shaped Makovecz lookout, we need to leave the nature trail here. Following Z↺ and then turning left on the S▲ marking, it’s about a round trip of 800 meters including a slight climb. From the lookout, there is a panorama over northern Buda and downtown Budapest towards Castle Hill and the Citadel. Northwest, at the top of Big Hárs Hill, we can spot the nearby Kaán Károly lookout; further northeast is Hármashatár Hill with its distinctive towers. In the small clearing below the lookout, benches, tables, and a fire pit await visitors.

If we do not make a detour or have returned to the nature trail, we continue straight ahead. We cross the Children’s Railway line again, carefully crossing the tracks. After about 200 meters, we reach a point where going straight ahead leads us back to Szent Ferenc Hospital if we started there, or turning right leads us back to Szépjuhászné if that was our starting point.