Spartacus trail, an iconic path at the Danube bend

Glimpse of the Danube between the Visegrádi mountains and the Börzsöny

A trail with a badass name but luckily for us it does not require any hardcore hiking skills to complete.The route is not unknown to Hungarians as it’s one of the most emblematic path for hikers in the Pilis area but not as overcrowded as the other popular ones in the region.
The name presumably comes from the 60s when the Local Industrial Cooperatives Spartacus Tourist Association wanted to open up the trail for hikers except the hunters did not accede and it’s only open for the public since 2015.

Details of the walk

Distance: 14 kilometres
Elevation: 290 metres
Route: http://out.ac/eoBEp (GPX and KML formats are available)
How to get there: By public transport bus 870 from Szentendre to Pilisszentlászló

I was really looking forward to complete this roundtrip but apparently I’m no favourite with weather Gods as it was raining a lot, therefore we had to postpone the hike, which made me a grumpy cat. Finally, after almost 2 weeks of not so nice weather, we set out for Pilisszentlászló on a Sunday morning. I was all dressed up in my new autumn hiking gear because what better way to break in new hiking shoes than during a more than 10 kilometres long walk. What I smartly forgot to take into consideration is that the trails might be a teeny-tiny muddy after so much rain/such a deluge. What can I say, my determination to carry out what I planned and my wish to parade around in my new footwear blinded me. Result: extremely muddy boots and extra workout to walk in them. Although I don’t complain because it totally worth it.

Itinerary

We started our journey by following the green sign from the car park at the edge of Pilisszentlászló. The road passed by meadows with the peaks of Pilis in the background and slowly reached the forest on a wide dirt road.

You can’t miss the start of the famous path, as a warning sign tries to frighten away the less determined hikers. ‘ Attention! The Spartacus trail contains difficult parts, to complete these, adequate preparation, equipment and physical state are required!’ Don’t let the sign deter you, a nice pair of hiking boots is more than enough to tackle the path.

Warning sign at the start of the Spartacus trail — Warning sign at the start of the trail

The narrow, one man route winds around the steep mountain sides, while giving a marvelous view to the valleys and mountains around with a glimpse to the Danube-bend. Thanks to the previous rainy period the fallen leaves had that special, spicy autumn smell wafting around and all kinds of mushrooms popped up. The mushrooms brought out the nature photographer in me and in return the grumpiness in my boyfriend as I kept stopping to immortalize them through close up photos. The mushroom gallery is at the end of the blog post.

After passing the viewpont to the river, the trail lead us back deeper in the forest and a little later we reached the Jenő kunyhó, a small wooden hut nesting between the grey trunks of the tall beech trees, the dark color of the wood contrasting with the yellow carpet of the fallen leaves. Once again, I felt like in a fairy tale, the hut could have easily belonged to the seven gnomes.The cabin is now deserted but it’s still has some furniture and a cute little stove.

The green trail descends slowly into Apát-kúti valley and eventually ends at the Bertényi Miklós botanical garden. This time we skipped on visiting since the second half of the round trip was still ahead us but we will come back to check it out. Right next to the garden, you can find Telgárthy-rét a nice stretch of green, a lovely spot for picnics and a little further down, the more adventurous ones can even catch their own fish for the said picnic at the hunting lodge.

We passed these by and continued our walk following the red sign. The first few hundred meters are on an asphalt road, at a barrier the red path leads us to the side of the stream. Just follow the sign to Kaán-forrás (Kaán spring) and if needed refill your water bottles for the rest of walk. Basically, from now we only followed the path along the stream that lead us deeper and deeper into Apát-kúti valley.We walked along moss covered rocks and tall trees creaking in the wind. The path can be walked comfortably with the exception of the stream crossing, which can be challenging but it only adds to the sense of challenge.

Wooden sign showing the way to Kaán spring

At the end of the roundtrip, before the trail took us back to Pilisszentlászló, we even passed a Zen Temple, called Dharma’s Treasure. To be honest, a buddhist temple felt out of place, but I guess the forest does have a zen vibe to it.

Road leading back to Pilisszentlászló — Entrance leading to the Zen temple

The promised mushroom compilation for those who are interested:

Finally, this is just a suggestion on how to explore the area, there are many other options, so I suggest everyone to get out from between the four walls and explore at your leisure.

Vasas-precipice where the mountain swallows you up

Autumn is full-on with it’s eye-pleasing colors and with a weather that is ideal to get out from between the four walls and have an invigorating hike in nature.
I was searching for our next destination in the region and happened upon one with several springs, fascinating rock formations and a narrow precipice, my interest was piqued straight away. The hike itself did not disappoint, I was buzzed up all along the way.

Details of the walk:

Distance: 8,1 kilometres
Elevation: 270 metres
Route: http://out.ac/ebbWa (GPX and KML formats are available)
How to get there? By public transport with bus 868 from Szentendre. Check the timetable as it only passes by once a day in each direction. By car on a bumpy road from Szentendre, enter Lajos-forrás in the GPS to get there.

Itinerary

The round trip starts from the Lajos Spring, an intersection of 6 different hiking trails. According to the legend King Louis (Lajos) the Great liked to hunt in the region, but the spring wasn’t named after him. The basin of the spring was built in 1908 and was named after baron Lajos Podmaniczky, owner of the area and the hunting lodge.Next to the spring stands a now-abandoned tourist house where we start our walk on the yellow path.

Lajos Spring, the starting and ending point of the hike

Shortly after the tourist house the trail turns left and after a few stairs overgrown by plants, reaches an immense clearing dotted with campfire spots. We crossed the clearing and continued on the yellow trail into the wood.

The sunlight filtering through the vibrantly yellowing crowns of the tall trees, the crisp autumn air, the sound of the leaves softly falling from the branches, I had the feeling of walking in a still-life painting. No other human being could be seen or heard, a fact that only enhanced the incredibly calming experience.

A short while after crossing the asphalt road, opens the yellow+ trail that turns to the left leading to Cseresznyés-Völgy ( Cherry Valley) but our route continues on the yellow sign. Winding through the colored forest, I was in awe of all the shades of my favorite color, yellow (surprise, surprise).
The yellow O trail leads the second spring of our hike, the Csepel Spring. The name pays tribute to the workers of the Weiss Manfréd Acél- és Fémművek (Manfréd Weiss Steel and Metal Works), or colloquially Csepel Művek (“Csepel Works”) who used to hike here frequently. It is nested in a small valley between towering beech trees and giant horsetails. On the beech trees along the path, we found carvings from the 70s.

Gettig down in the valley where the spring is nested — Yellow O path leading to the spring

A few minutes after returning to the yellow trail, reaching another intersection, we took a little detour on the yellow Ω track to the Vasas- szakadék (Vasas-precipice). For me, this was the highlight of the hike. The formation is made of 8 meters high andesitic tuff and you get ‘swallowed ‘ by the earth if you walk into it. The sides of the ravine are less than 2 meters apart so by extending my arms I could reach both of them. Places such as Vasas szakadék, bring out the not so deeply buried child in me, I just want to explore them and discover more of their hidden secrets.

After we have sufficiently checked every nook of the precipice, we went back to the yellow path and continued our hike up to the Kő-hegy ( Stone Hill).

Walking on the trail up to the Stone Mountain — Trail leading up to the Stone Mountain

On the top, we found a lovely tourist house that has been open and serving the hikers since 1933. The inside of the house is also charming with old signs and hiking accessories from the past. To refill our batteries, we decided to sample their kitchen and have a little rest, I really recommend their goose greasy bread with red onions ( Hungarian specialty) and crépes.

Quaint decor in the house — János Czibulka tourist house

The plateau gives a great view to Szentendre, or so I’ve read because on the day of our hike, the town was hidden by a thin layer of fog.With our bellies full, we pushed on to complete the second half of the trip.
Across the clearing starts the green signed trail that took us to the rock formations and the Petőfi viewpoint. According to the memorial plaque the famous Hungarian poet, Sándor Petőfi took a brief rest here when he was hiking in the area with his friends. Even with the mist, the view was quite nice and the area’s most interesting rock formations can be seen here: Mushroom rock or more commonly known as Napoleon’s hat.

Walking on the paths among trees — Tree tunnel

Rock formation on the way to Petőfi viewing point — Tree tunnel

The green trail zigzagging down from Stone Mountain takes us into a valley, where we found our third spring of the day, named János Spring. Next to it we found a tiny wooden bridge that was painted like a colorful rainbow by the Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party.

Standing on a bigger rock — On our way to János Spring

After a short upwards walk, we turned right on to the blue cross trail, which was the final leg of our round trip. Sometimes the path goes on a wider dirt road, sometimes it goes up to the woods. Be prepared, the final kilometers of the hike elevate sneakily so you can complete your cardio workout as well.

The gorgeous yellow and copper brown colors of the trees made the hike incredibly stunning but nature is always beautiful no matter the time of the year so get your backpack and give it a go.

Tihany Peninsula, a unique natural treasure hiding in plain sight

Tihany is not unknown to tourists as it’s a popular destination famous for the Abbey, the quaint little houses and the lavender fields. However, the peninsula has much more to offer and the weaving net of hiking trails makes it easy to discover every part of it.
We wanted to pack as many sights into one day as possible so we chose the long route that snakes around the peninsula. I had my doubts before we set off as 13 kilometers with hill climbing seemed quite ambitious for a beginner hiker but we completed the route within 4.5 hours and the whole experience was highly rewarding.
We, Hungarians love to say that the Balaton is the Hungarian Sea, which I thought to be a boring cliché but I stand corrected as throughout the day I had the feeling that we’re walking alongside the sea. The unbelievably blue water sparkling in the sunlight and dotted with white sailboats and the cicada chorus reminded me of Croatia or Greece.
We experienced varied geological scenery, lakes, fascinating rock formations, hills and a landscape that is bursting with life, rare plants, butterflies and dragonflies. What more do you need? Let’s explore the area, this route is only one of the many you can choose from, so ready, steady, go!

Details of the walk

Important: Maybe it goes without saying, but sunscreen and some sort of cap is highly recommended during the summer period as the trail doesn’t always go in the shadow of the trees and the sun does not mess around these days
Distance: approx. 14 km
Route: http://out.ac/dLHOx (GPX file is available)
Duration: 4,5-5 hours in a confortable walking speed

The itinerary:

We set off from the Inner Lake and right away had a slight detour as we spotted a Hungarian Grey Cattle herd (an ancient breed of domestic beef cattle indigenous to Hungary) and of course I had to get a closer a look.

The first stop of our hike was the Akasztó-domb, (Gallows hill). The name speaks for itself, this was the spot where the gallows pole was erected. Today, the hill gives a nice view of the bay below.
We got to the Akasztó-domb by walking along the Aranyház street, crossed the main road and from the parking place (with a few little wooden cabins as a farmer’ market is located here) we took the green line trail.

We followed the trodden path that led us back to the main road, which we crossed little further down to the left at the sign Ferenc Pince csárda and we kept following the green line sign straight ahead. There are marked intersections at regular intervals so no matter which hiking trail you decided to take, you won’t get lost.
As we didn’t want to miss to geyser formations,we followed the signs leading to the Aranyház (Golden House), which is one of the most well-known of the geyser formations.

After around 20 minutes from crossing the main road, we reached the geyser field area with several geyser cones, created by volcanic activity a million years ago. The cones take all kind of shapes and sizes and I’m fascinated by their cute names: Peastone cone, Hatted Cone, Tunnel Cone,Badger’s Castle (Borsóköves-kúp,Kalapo-kúp,Átjáró-kúp,Borzvár in Hungarian). The highest one, referred to as the Golden House due to the yellow moss that grows on the surface, gives a spectacular view of the peninsula.

Yellow moss on the Golden House — Golden House

Little path next to a geyser cone — Peastone Cone

From here, we followed the yellow cross sign leading to Hálóeresztő(couldn’t find a decent translation of this word, it basically means ‘let the net down’). On our way, we passed another interesting geyser cone, the Borzvár( Badger’s Castle) and after arriving to Hálóeresztő at the Half-Cut Cone, we turned right to the yellow line path, which took us to Csúcs-hegy (Peak Mountain).

Badger's Castle geyser cone — Badger’s Castle

The path led up and down, through the Szarkádi-erdő (Szarkádi forest) with tantalizing glimpses of the cool Balaton water. At one point, we reached a forest school, where we turned left on the stone road and then to the right following the marked path up to Gurbicza peak, which rewarded us with breathtaking views (literally as we had climb to 174 meters).

Glimpse of the Balaton through the branches

Just before we reached the peak of Peak Mountain ( please don’t hate me for the bad pun), we stumbled upon a cave, which according to the folklore was used by the famous outlaw, Jóska Sobri. Before you reach the cave, there’s a junction, take the trail to the left.

Sobri Jóska cave — I’m trying to picture myself as Jóska

We continued along Nyereg-hegy (Saddle Mountain), which is a narrow cliff ridge connecting the Peak mountain to the Apáti mountain.
Here, I enjoyed a Lion King moment with my new buddy Mr. Dragonfly, 10 points if you can find him in the picture.

View from the Saddle Mountain — My Lion King moment with my new friend at my right hand

Soon after, we reached Őrtorony Lookout Tower from which we enjoyed a birds eye view of the area and had a much needed rest in the cool breeze.

Then we started the final leg of our hike, crossing through the fields between the Outer and Inner Lake, finally reaching a lavender field. I did not particularly enjoy this part as at this point we were craving fresh water not just to drink but also to wash down the dirt of the road. When at last we dragged ourselves up to the village of Tihany, salvation arrived in the form of an ice cream, one of the best I had in my entire life.All in all, we had a wonderful day with scenic views and relaxing bird chirping.

Vineyard between the Outer and Inner Lake

Moonlight-dike, a mystical place hidden within the forest

For some reason, I always had an inexplicable affinity for gorges, loved to explore them when we went abroad but never really thought that I can find one so close to my home. Therefore I got really excited upon discovering the Moonlight-dike ( Holdvilág-árok in Hungarian): a beautiful forest, fascinating rock formations, proximity to Budapest; the ingredients for a great excursion. So I packed my yellow backpack and we ventured out of the city to explore a place that looked gorgeous on the photos. The pictures don’t do justice to the Moonlight-dike, in reality it’s even more enthralling.
Crossing the stream on small rocks and fallen tree branches, walking along the gorge ‘corridor’ surrounded by steep walls, passing by trees with their roots visible. The whole place has an enchanted forest feeling, which is no surprise as long ago it was a sacred place and a burial site. Supposedly, here stood the city of Attila The Hun and Árpád (the head of the confederation of the Hungarian tribes) was buried here as well.
I’m not a religious person but the forest did have a peculiar atmosphere, as if a fairy might pop out from behind one the trees at any moment. Sadly this did not happen but one can always hope.

Details of the walk:

Important: Not advised to visit the gorge on rainy days or after a rainy period as the trails get slippery and the stream level rises. My bum wishes we would have heeded this advice because we did the hike after a few days of heavy rain and I slipped. Result: a quite muddy backside and a few scratches here and there. Conclusion: keep the advice of the hiking websites, they do know what they are talking about.
Distance: 5.3 km
Duration: 2-2.5 hours with a comfortable walking pace

How to get there?
By car from the Pomáz-Dobogókő road approximately 400 meters after the Csobánka junction turn right. It’s a small, unmarked road, with a car park at the end ( although it would be closer to the truth if I described it as a clearing where you can leave the car but these are just semantics).
By bus, take the line from Pomáz to Pilisszentlászló, get off at the Csikóváraljai turistaház stop.

The itinerary
From the road,we took the path marked with the red line sign, the first part of the trail is quite overgrown but don’t let that discourage you.

Moonlight-dike, start of the path — Start of the red line trail

We followed this clearly-marked track that at one point took a right turn leading deeper in the woods. After about 15 minutes we reached an intersection with a sign reminding the hikers that everyone takes the walk at their own risk.

At this intersection, we say goodbye to the red line sign and start to follow the red cross that leads us to the heart of the gorge. By following the stream, we arrived at a clearing, here a small sign told us that the Moonlight-dike is one of the 13 Hungarian Religious Memorial Points of the country.

After a short walk, we reached the Domini spring where we could quench our thirst with clear, fresh water.

From here, the trail becomes more adventurous and challenging, the gorge becomes narrower, the rocks bigger and the hikers have to tackle more and more wooden stairs and natural obstacles. This was one of my favourite parts of the walk as climbing around, up-down on the rocks, I felt like a little girl again. About a 1 km after the Domini spring, the red cross sign goes left up on the hill but you should continue on the trail within the gorge, otherwise you won’t see the most fascinating part of the whole walk. We foolishly followed other hikers thus missing the cave, the white rock walls and the climb up on the Meteor ladder. We re-joined the track at the top of the ladder.

The walk continued over a wooden bridge and then even though it seems the narrow canyon between the rocks is not passable, we kept on going as we’re badass ( also we had a map but let’s stick with the badass adjective). The canyon continues for 50-60 meters and going through it is a real adventure, especially if you cross it after a rainy period, I involuntarily tested the waterproof property of my new shoes several times.

At the end of the canyon, we took the stairs up to a small clearing, a few paces away we started to follow the green cross trail markers. The path starts to go down, crossing several times a wide forestry road. 10-15 minutes later we took the path marked with the green circle, which led us to another spring called Gyopár but don’t count on filling up your water bottles here, as the water only trickles from the spring. To the right of the spring, we followed the green square sign that led us back to the car park.