Budapest Guide
The Buda Hills
The railway circuit
Address: The Buda Hills
The whole trip can take under two hours if connections click, or a half-day if you prefer to take your time. You begin at the lower terminal of the Cogwheel Railway (Fogaskerekűvasút, now designated tram #60), which is two stops from Moszkva tér on tram #18 or #56 or bus #22, #56 and others heading up Szilágyi Erzsébet fasor; alight opposite the Budapest Hotel. The train was the third such railway in the world when it was inaugurated in 1874, and was steam-powered until its electrification in 1929. Running every ten minutes or so (daily 5am–11pm; BKV fares and passes apply), its cogs fitting into a notched track, the train climbs 300m over 3km through the villa-suburb of Svábhegy; for the best view, take a window seat on the right-hand side, facing backwards.
From the upper terminal on Széchenyi-hegy, it's a minute's walk to the Children's Railway (Gyermekvasút). A narrow-gauge line built by Communist youth brigades in 1948, it's almost entirely run by 13- to 17-year-old members of the Scouts and Guides movement. Trains depart for the 11km, 45-minute journey to Hűvösvölgy every 45–60 minutes (Tues– Sun 9am–5pm, June– Aug also Mon; 450Ft to any mid-station, 600Ft from terminus to terminus).
The first stop, Normafa, is a popular excursion centre with a modest ski-run and sledging slopes. At the next stop, Csillebérc, there's an adventure playground (Mon– Fri 10am–6pm, Sat & Sun 9am–7pm; 1700–2800Ft/hr www.kalandpalya.com), with tree-top walkways and wire-slides – a smaller version of the tree-top canopy at Visegrád .
Alighting at János-hegy, one stop on, you can either strike out down through woods to the town of Budakeszi, or make the fifteen-minute climb from the station to the top of János-hegy (527m), the highest point in Budapest. The Romanesque-style Erzsébet lookout tower (daily 8am–8pm; free) on the summit offers a panoramic view of the city and the Buda Hills. By the buffet below the summit is the upper terminal of the chairlift or Libegő (May– Sept 10am–5pm; Oct– April 9.30am–4pm; closed every other Mon; 500Ft), which wafts you down over trees and gardens to the suburb of Zugliget, from where #158 buses return to Moszkva tér.