Hiking

OK, some basics first:

There are hiking trails well mapped and maintained, marked by a solid color horizontal stripe on white background: "blue", "red", "yellow". Side-tracks with the same color connect to the main trail, and take you somewhere nearby: Triangle to a peek, circle is a circular detour, "L" shape to ruins, square to civilization, etc. Hiking maps are called "Turista terkep", you get them by the name of the region: Buda hills, Pilis and Visegrad hills, Borzsony, etc. Well worth the investment.

Now you just have to find a trail to start on :-)

Would you want to get out of the city by car or public transportation? How far do you want to travel? Do you mind bumping into other hikers a lot?

There's a bus terminal in Pomaz, buses from there take you to nice but popular places in the Pilis and Visegrad hills.
Pomaz itself is best reached by the HEV commuter train from Batthyany ter in Budapest.

You can get to the same woods from a different angle from the Ujpest Varoskapu bus terminal. That's the last but one subway station to the north. (last one is Ujpest Varoskozpont)
Less popular, because you have to start out steep uphill :-)

http://turistautak.hu/maps.php?id=magya … &shading=1


There's a neat short axle train that goes from Kismaros (you get there by train from Nyugati station or the same Ujpest Varoskapu subway station) up in the Borzsony hills. Kids love it, and you can hike from there.

http://turistautak.hu/maps.php?id=magya … &shading=1


Have fun!

@szocske has made a great introduction
I'd only add on that you can have great hiking within city limits as well (the 'Budai Hegyek' touristic map / 'turista térkép' from Cartographia will still help) as follows:

* Hármashatárhegy
// how to get there: from Kolosi tér with bus 65 on the edge of District 2 and 3, the Kolosi tér terminus is accessible by tram 17 from Margaret Bridge or Eurocenter Shopping mall in the north or buses 86, 260, and 160
// where to go once at the Fenyöerdö terminus:
A) right up beside the Restaurant Fenyőerdő and then follow the trail upto Udvarház Restaurant and further on to the hill top, 4-5 km 50-100 meters. N.B. You can try to access the once panoramic path that is also great for hill jogging (easy to recognize from 4 to 7 P.M. when cars are parking at it's start to the right from the main road).
B) straight by the main road (towards the paragliders start approx. 3 kms) or left and up from the Restaurant (2 kms to Arpad look out point, then right following the ridge and then back on the main road).

* János-hegy / Normafa:
// How to get there: best is to take the cogwheel train (Fogaskerekű) from the János kórház station of the tram 61 just past Moszkva ter (on the Red Metro line) or from the Déli Station (again the Red Metro line) take the bus 90 all the way up to Normafa.
// Once there consult your map, mostly circular (3-5 kms), a bit up and down depending on the road you take.
// If you like uphills you can hop on bus 22, 222 (at Moszkva tér) and ride it until the Szépjuhászné station (just before the city limit) turn back, cross the road and walk until you'll find a road to the right (where usually cars are parked and there is a sign that would prohibit the circulation of regular passanger cars - still you'll meet them so beware). This road will take you up - with a few possibilities for short cuts - to Janos-hegy from the other end then Normafa but mainly by a concrete road or if you miss a right you'll get to Tunder Rocks (a nice limestone cliff) where you can hop on the ski lifts to Janos Hegy.

Outside Budapest North West is the name of the game for seriouse hill walking. With the more volcanic Visegradi Hills (starting between Pomaz and Szentendre, you can take both of them as a starting point) and the limestone Pilis (access from Pomaz or Pilisszanto) offering you enough for the coming months/years.

Cheers and Hike on,

D

These will be fine to start