By Mark Kollar
Hungary has been blessed with beautiful mountains and trails which hikers can visit and enjoy. One of them can be found in Budapest, which is a 30-minute bus ride from the city center and is called Normafa. Norfama has been an important tourist attraction for quite a while. There was a tree on the trail, which was planted 100 years ago and died almost recently. There is a memorial statue for the tree, and the tree was called Normafa (“fa” means tree in Hungarian).
Normafa has fresh air which is an incredible gift for the city. Hikers can go from Széchény-Mountain to the Elizabeth Lookout Point under a nice 70-minute walk. During this hike, people can enjoy the amazing view from Normafa to Buda and Pest. There is especially a good view of the area around the Parliament, and people who like to take photos can make amazing takes from the Elizabeth Lookout Point.
Hármashatárhegy is also a good trail for hikers. It is located not far from Normafa. There was once an airport at Hármashatárhegy, where gliders were kept for paragliding, but it has since closed. It is a famous tourist attraction in Budapest, because of the wildlife inhabiting the area, such as boar, deer, and rabbit.
It is important to respect the rules of the forests, to not drop garbage and to protect the environment. There is a famous poem called “Erdő Fohásza” in Hungarian, which is a poem about the importance of protecting nature and wildlife.
The Hungarian hiking sites are an important part of Hungary’s tourism. There is a lift at Janos-Mountain which connects the mountain with the valley and is a big tourist attraction. The Lift was built back in the communist era and is a popular activity for hikers.
Hiking opportunities around Budapest are plenty. I think one of the nicest places is called Prédikálószék, which can be found next to Visegrád, to the North of Budapest. There is an amazing view to the Danube bend. It is well connected to Budapest and can be reached by bus around in an hour. People can visit Esztergom from Prédikálószék, which is close by. Esztergom is an important city in Hungary’s history, since the first King of Hungary, Szent István I or Stephen the first was crowned there.
There is a Zoo next to Normafa, which is a good experience if people want to see the local wildlife. The animals in the Zoo are mostly from the Carpathian Basin, such as deer, boars, beers, foxes, and lynxes.
