Hike to Visegrad, a day trip from Budapest

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We have moved this article to our improved and updated blog. Come and read the best itinerary for an easy Visegrad hike!


Fellow traveller, do you have a spare day while in Budapest? Fellow local, do you crave some time in the nature? Visegrad is the perfect destination for a day trip! And if you follow our instructions, it won’t even require a big effort or a big budget.

The Danube Bend from Visegrad Castle

Located some 50 km north of Budapest, Visegrad is a small town that offers a gorgeous view of the Danube bend and the surrounding hills, many hiking trails and fun activities, and interesting insights in the history of Hungary and Europe inside the Visegrad Castle.

When is it best to go? How long does it take?

Spring, summer and autumn are best to enjoy the beautiful scenery of hills and river. Just avoid a cloudy or foggy day! Calculate some 8 hours, but if you hurry or bring lunch with you, you could make it in 6.

Check out the opening hours of Zsitvay Lookout Tower and of Visegrad Castle.

Get ready and bring:

• comfortable clothing and shoes for the trail
• water (there are some fountains to fill your bottle from) and snacks
• Hungarian forints, as credit cards and other currencies may not be accepted
• a guidebook/notes/info on your phone about the history of the castle
• download the offline area on Google Maps and star-save the highlights

How much does it cost?

As of June 2017:

• HUF 840 bus from Budapest
• HUF 420 snack
• HUF 400 Zsitvay lookout tower
• HUF 1400 Visegrad Castle without wax museum
• HUF 3390 nice lunch in town centre
• HUF 420 ferry across the Danube river
• HUF 1120 train back to Budapest

TOTAL: HUF 7990 / 300 = 26.6333 EUR

Or HUF 4600 / 300 = 15.3333 EUR without lunch

Energy-saving itinerary:

Our super-knowledgeable friend and tour guide Adam Marot of Behind Budapest prepared an easy itinerary: by taking the bus to the top of the hill, the effort was minimal!

We started from Budapest at the Ujpest Bus Station (map) (north of Pest) where we took bus 883 by Volanbusz (timetable) at 10.15. After one and a half hour, we got off at stop Visegradi Bobpalya, which saved us all the effort of climbing up the hill from the town of Visegrad, by the river.

We had a quick snack with coffee and Hungarian bread “Pogacsa” and walked up to the Zsitvay Lookout tower (map), a nice stone building erected in 1933. From the meadow in front of it, it’s just hills and birds chirping! Being on top of a hill 378 meters high, we loved the breathtaking view from the top of the tower, of river, hills and forests, islands and towns, and most of all, our next stop, the Castle of Visegrad.

Zsitvay lookout tower

Climbing up

From the Zsitvay lookout tower: the Danube bend and the Visegrad castle

Of course, the main road can take you down to the Castle, but we chose instead a lovely, peaceful trail in the woods, very easy to follow as it is marked on trees and stones with a white flag with a horizontal blue stripe, direction “Visegradi Fellegvar”.

In 10-15 minutes, we reached the Visegrad Castle (map). Being a Sunday in early June, there were many school kids on a day hike, but luckily we entered the castle around lunchtime, so it wasn’t too crowded.

Before reaching the viewpoint by the walls, there are already fun medieval attractions, like arrow shooting, throwing a spiked rusty weapon to a wood log, a trainer with a falcon, and two royal seats with suitable clothing ready for a costume picture.

The view from the walls is very picturesque: the Danube river flows peaceful and wide, confident among lush hills and red-roofed villages, and behind you the ruins of the castle walls rise high and bold. Thanks to a rising Hungarian flag, it is also a very patriotic spot!

Hungarian pride!

Access to the castle

As there are not many explanations available in English, it is worth reading up a little ahead, or bringing a guidebook with you. The first Citadel was built by King Béla IV in 1246 because of the Mongol invasions, to protect the valley and the commercial route. It was expanded into a larger fortress during the Anjou era, and King Charles Robert moved the royal court here in 1323. This King also organized a Congress with the kings of Bohemia and Poland to solve issues among them, open new commercial routes, and create an alliance against the Habsburgs. The Castle was left to ruins in the 18th century, when the Habsburgs ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Excavations and reconstructions started in 1871; some parts of the walls are visibly new, made of concrete and bricks, giving the visitor a real sense of what remained and what is rebuilt.

Inside the Visegrad Castle

Gorgeous view of the Danube Bend from Visegrad Castle

We took our time to explore the different halls, levels and viewpoints. At 3.30 pm we were on our way, through the woods again, downhill towards Visegrad. We passed by a little chapel called Kalvaria Kapolna (map) and reached the city centre at the cutest staircase overlooking the red roofs, right behind the church.

We enjoyed a resting lunch at a pizzeria right by the main church, and then headed to out last attraction. The Solomon tower (map) is the Low castle, located on a small hill by the river, where the walls started to rise up to the High castle. Also here, the recent restorations show very clearly what remained of the original tower and what was rebuilt; unfortunately, the result is not the most beautiful medieval tower ever. Anyway, it is quite picturesque and the view is again gorgeous.

The renovated side of Solomon Tower

The old side of Solomon Tower

We decided to take the train back, so we had to cross the Danube. The ferry from Visegrad to Nagymaros (map) offered us the best panorama to close our hike: peaceful river, steep hill and ruins on the top, a true postcard! And finally, a 50-minutes train ride back (schedule) from Nagymaros to Budapest Nyugati Station (map). 

View of Visegrad Castle on top of the hill,
and Solomon Tower down below,
from the ferry

What else?

• The bobsled track close to Visegrad Castle must be fun!
• The city centre may deserve 10 minutes for a stroll
• In the surroundings there is a spa called Lepence, for some relax.

Did you know this place? Did you try our itinerary? Let us know in the comments!