I was walking the Hármashatár Mountain Panorama Loop with a Hungarian friend. We’d driven to Hármashatár, parked by the side of the road and struck off into thick woods. It was a hot late summer Saturday, and it immediately felt good to be walking in the shade.
As we walked below a canopy of leaves, I remembered a previous life in which I wrote the literature for a British government project. For the first time, they’d formulated an equation that demonstrated how much money the health service could save on treating obesity, heart conditions, diabetes and skin cancer by encouraging people to walk in woods and forests. ’Twas a considerable sum.
There’s an ancient Japanese tradition of Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing,” which is simply the act of walking in a wood or forest. Woods have fewer trees than forests and therefore a less dense canopy. Even if you’re not a tree-hugger, there’s something about being in the presence of trees that makes most of us fall into a state of quiet contemplation.
My colleague Tamás Kiss, the financial director of the Budapest Business Journal, is a keen walker who hikes with his friends and his family (he has three children) regularly. He also walks the legendary El Camino de Santiago, a network of trails across Europe that ends at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, a city in north-west Galicia, Spain, alone every two years.
“I really like hiking alone. Hiking in company is completely different. You can’t compare it,” Kiss says. “I think everyone needs some ‘alone time’ when they can think calmly, reflect, and switch off after the daily rush. I recommend this to everyone; you can learn excellent self-knowledge.”
Kiss’ favorite hikes in the Buda Hills are in the Big and Little Lime (sometimes called Lindon) hills in the Hárshegy area. The walks he takes with his family are between eight and 10 kilometers. With friends, the distances covered are nearer 20 to 25 kilometers.
Let’s pause here and consider the difference between “walking” and “hiking.” I’ve noticed that my American friends describe everything other than a brief shuffle to the bodega to pick up a carton of, I don’t know, oat milk, as a hike. On the other foot (to coin a phrase), my British chums will describe travelling miles across arduous terrain as a walk. Perhaps, he said archly, it’s because so many Americans prefer driving to using their legs.
Now, back to the Hármashatár Mountain Panorama Loop, an easy walk of eight kilometers or so. Once we were out of the woods, we passed the Szemlő-hegyi barlang, part of a network of caves that honeycombs the Buda Hills and the city itself. Apparently, you can walk for miles underground, if that appeals.
The Loop also takes in a couple of observation points. My friend pointed out the Lidl and Tesco where he and his wife would do their shopping later that weekend. Perhaps slightly more impressive, at least for me, was the realization that, from our vantage point, I could see farmland and, beyond that, rolling hills. We reached a meadow and passed a mother and father picnicking with their baby.
The rain started when we were back in the woods, a few heavy plopping drops at first. By the time we were back on the road and walking uphill to the car, the deluge was spectacular. The road had become a river, and we were soaked to the skin. All part of the adventure.
Our Hármashatár walk had whetted my appetite, but my friend was off on an American adventure for a month. I began researching organized walks. Attila Höfle of Budapestflow suggested I speak to László Rigler, the man behind Trails of Budapest.
Rigler grew up in a family of hikers. After he finished his law degree, he took a job in the public sector. Eight years later, bored, he took a course to become a tour guide and started work for a Budapest bicycle tour company. He would tell his guests how much he loved hiking in the Buda hills. Often, they’d tell him they’d love to go hiking.
When Rigler searched online for hiking tours of the hills, he discovered that there were none. He started Trails of Budapest eight years ago, found his niche, and, as he says, “Became a pioneer in Hungarian tourism.”
Today, Trails of Budapest offers a wide variety of nature walks and hikes in Budapest and its surrounding areas, ranging from shorter, easy walks to all-day, challenging hikes. There’s even a walk for families with young kids.
“These are walks in true, authentic nature just 20 or 30 minutes from the city,” Rigler says. “We walk in the Buda Hills. My favorite walk is ‘Highest Point Hike,’ but I’ve just launched the ‘Canyons and Panoramas Hike’ which takes guests out of Budapest.”
As far as Rigler is concerned, “the Buda Hills are for everyone, not just avid hikers. Visiting Budapest in sneakers, no problem. As long as it’s not raining and they’re not white.”
It took us maybe 10 minutes to drive to Hármashatár, but if you’d prefer to go by public transport, the number 65 bus starts at District III’s Kolosy tér and drops you at the bottom of the hill outside the traditional Fenyőgyöngye (Pine Pearl) restaurant. From there, it’s a short walk up the hill to the point where the Loop begins. You can find the Hármashatár Mountain Panorama Loop at alltrails.com. If you want to discover Rigler’s collection of hikes, go to trailsofbudapest.com
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of October 3, 2025.
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