Easy hike in Budapest: the Kaan Karoly lookout tower

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The Kaán Károly lookout is a wooden tower built in a peaceful woods on top of Nagy-Hárs-hegy hill, on the Buda side of Budapest. Reaching is it easy, quick and rewarding, which makes it a great activity for locals and travellers alike, to take a break from the capital or to see it from a different point of view. Thanks to its advantageous location North-West of the city, the panorama includes lush woods, busy Budapest, the quiet towns in the nearby valleys, and misty layers of hills disappearing into the horizon.

The Kaan Karoly lookout tower

Get ready with:

-       comfortable shoes for the stony path in the woods

-       one/two more layers of clothing than in the city, e.g. a jumper/jacket/scarf

-       at least 2 bus tickets (one per way from Szell Kalman Ter)

-       charged phone/flashlight if you plan to come back in the darkness

-       Google maps: search and save Kaán Karoly kilátó (“lookout” in Hungarian)

How long does it take?

From Szell Kalman Ter, 15 minutes by bus, 20 minutes of easy walk, enough time to admire the scenery, the same time to go back, plus bonus time for pictures, videos, snacks, and back to the Pest side: approximately 2-2,5 hours, up to 4 if you stop for lunch, probably a whole day if you organize a barbecue (see end of the post).

When is it best to go?

The landscape is gorgeous, be it cloudy, sunny, snowy, and in any season (ok, perhaps not under the rain). Bus connections allow also going there for the sunset! Keep in mind that temperatures will be lower than in the city and it can get quite windy. The price of the gorgeous foliage is a possibly muddy path, and a snowy panorama will require suitable shoes.

How much does it cost?

Nothing! The tower is always open and there is no ticket fee. The bus ride is included in your 24 or 72-hour ticket, otherwise a single ticket comes at 350 HUF (1,20 eur ca.) and a package of 10 comes at 3000 HUF (10 eur ca.).

Itinerary:

from Szell Kalman Ter square to the lookout tower

From Szépjuhászné to the lookout tower

Depart from Széll Kálmán Tér (Square) with bus 22, 22A or 222 in the direction of Budakeszi. On the 15-minute ride, the scenery will change gradually from residential areas to woods. Keep an eye out on the left for the cute trams!

The path from the bus stop

Get off the bus at Szépjuhászné stop, which is also one of the stops of the lovely Children’s Railway, complete with a small restaurant.

Different routes around the hill will lead you up. The path is wide, not too steep (tough people go up running or cycling!), hard enough to make you deserve that slice of cake later :) 

We set out on a late Sunday afternoon with our friends Adam, who is a local tour guide addicted to the outdoors, and Lars, who was more into the final reward (pancakes!). It was amazing to be able to leave the city behind us and be immersed in a forest so quickly! Considering our long hours in the office, or the intense city-sightseeing programs we prepare for friends and family visiting us, this place wins a spot in our Top 5 of relaxing places in Budapest.

Adventurous stairs!

The tower, a wooden structure with stone foundations, looks like it belongs to another era. The stairs may look steep and narrow, but the scenery gets better and better until the 5^th floor, when suddenly your gaze embraces Budapest, the Parliament and Castle hill, lush woods on rolling slopes, peaceful towns in the valleys, and layers of hills showing and hiding until the horizon.

The atmosphere was quite intimate as it was only the four of us and another couple. The tower made some squeaking noises in the wind, but nothing to be worried about! We spent a while taking pictures, videos, time-lapses of the clouds, and watching the rain move on top of Budapest. The scenery is really magnificent, and so many details slowly pop up once you look closely: a green dome in the middle of the forest, blooming branches, fields and trees of countless shades. I did not expect to be able to see the Parliament building so clearly from this distance! On a nearby hill, you can see Elizabeth tower, another lovely destination for a half-day hike or a trip with the Children’s Railway.

The rain washed Budapest from right to left 

Dramatic sky by Darek

Misty horizon by Giulia

We miscalculated our time and our clothing: at 7pm we were already done with our pictures (if you can ever be done under an ever-changing cloudy sky when the sun is trying to peep out), and shivering in shorts and light shirts. At 7.30 we decided it was not worth waiting until 8.30 for such an uncertain sunset, so we headed down and jumped on a bus just as the rain started to pour.

We will definitely go back with better conditions! Nearby the tower, to the right, there is a clearing with benches and a stone circle on the ground suitable for a barbecue, perfect for a hot summer evening.

Do you know this beautiful place? Do you plan to go? Let us know in the comments :) Cheers!