This is a walk through the beautiful region of Bükk, one of the most beautiful areas of Hungarian countryside. Starting from the lovely baroque town of Eger, you’ll walk in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, among vineyards and shady forests and pass caves, lakes and waterfalls as well as experiencing the wines and spas of Hungary. Moderately difficult walking from spring with its wildflowers through the warm central European summer to colourful autumn.
The itinerary also takes you to some of the loveliest Hungarian cities, from Eger to Miskolc Tapolca, with one of the most unique thermal spas in Hungary. Good food, excellent wine and unspoiled nature. The walking is of moderate difficulty.
Price:
£990 per person based on two people sharing.
Single room supplement: £150
Solo Walker £1,180.00
Extra nights in Budapest (B&B): £65 per person based on two people sharing.
Included:
Not Included:
Departure Dates:
Choose the date you wish to start between April to the mid October
Day 1: From Budapest to Eger:
Meet our local representative at Budapest train station. You will be provided with your train tickets, route notes and everything you need for the holiday, before departing by train to Eger (about 2 hours).
Eger is a small and pretty town overlooked by a fortified castle that you can visit and which was the last defence against the Turkish invasion in Europe. Perhaps you may like to try the open-air thermal baths and even try a game of chesswhile soaking in the hot water. It is also an excellent wine centre – in the ‘Valley of the Beautiful Woman’ there are plenty of opportunities to taste Bikaver (Bull’s Blood) or the sweeter wines of the area (Leanyka, Muskotal). Eger is surrounded by vineyards and if the wine is far from expensive, it is nevertheless excellent.
Dinner and overnight Eger.
Day 2: From Eger to Felsötarkanya:
The walking tour starts today taking you through the Hungarian countryside and the Bükk National Park. Walk through vineyards and other crops – the area is famous for having the best watermelons of Europe! Cross several rivers and an increasingly wooded landscape before reaching Felsőtárkány, a lovely village full of vine-laden gardens, parks and lakes.
Dinner and overnight Felsőtárkány 4-5 hours, 14 km, 505 m elevation gain, 490 m elevation loss.
Day 3: From Fesökartanya to Szilvasvarad
Departing Felsőtárkány you follow a creek under the cover of beeches and oaks as you enter a woodland area rich in game, where the largest specimens of stags and wild boars in Europe live. You may even spot Moufflons (a subspecies group of the wild sheep). Szilvásvárad is a real paradise for nature-lovers: take the forest train (or walk) along the valley of the Szalajka creek, with an open-air forest museum, several lakes and cascades, a trout pond, the Lipizzan stud barn and the highlight of today, the unique ‘Veil cascade’. From here, a path leads to a prehistoric cave (‘Istállóskői-bg.’) where the remains of a cave bear were found.
Dinner and overnight Szilvásvárad: 6 hours, 18 km, 615 m elevation gain, 505 m elevation loss
Day 4: From Szilvasvarad to Jávorkút
Today you pass the winter home of the Lipizzan stud at Csipkéskút. The route takes you through bicentennial forests of beeches, near the tombs of soldiers as well as the abandoned limestone furnaces. There are splendid panoramas featuring eagles and falcons which populate the area. Your destination today; Jávorkút, offers the only karst source of the Bükk Plateau.
Dinner and overnight Jávorkút: 4-5 hours, 15 km, 585 m elevation gain, 225 m elevation loss (mainly uphill walking today)
Day 5: From Répashuta to Lillafüred
You will cross an astonishing Karstic area with panoramic views of the calcareous outcrop. Lillafüred (12kms west of Miskolc) is in the heart of a small wooded valley where two torrents meet before flowing into a lake. The sight of the castle overhanging the lake is like a fairy tale. Here you can rent a small boat and relax on the lake. Lillafüred also has several beautiful cascades under the castle (now a grand hotel) as well as three caves of several hundred metres long, containing impressive stalactites that you can explore in optional guided tours.
Dinner and evening at Lillafüred. 3 hours, 11 km, 15 m elevation gain, 350 m elevation loss
Day 6: From Lillafüred to Miskolc Tapolca
The final stage of the walk follows the peaks southward, passing close to Bükkszentkereszt where you begin to descend towards Miskolctapolca, a charming residential village famous for its thermal baths. Discover the Cave Bath, a unique thermal complex installed in natural caves. Enjoy a soak in the warm and slightly ‘radioactive’ waters, with all their beneficial effects!
Dinner and night at Miskolc Tapolca. 5-6 hours, 17 km, 435 m elevation gain, 600 m elevation loss.
Day 7: From Miskolc Tapolca to Budapest
After breakfast transfer to Miskolc station from where you will return to Budapest by train.
Getting There:
By Plane:
Budapest and the United Kingdom are very well connected with various airlines flying to Hungary’s capital city every day. The following low-cost airlines have good and generally, inexpensive flights from various cities in the country to Budapest:
Wizz Air: Birmingham, Liverpool, London Luton,
Ryanair: London STN, East Midlands, Bristol and Manchester.
EasyJet: London Gatwick,
Jet2: Manchester, Edinburgh, Leeds, East Midlands
Most flights from outside of Europe will come via major European Cities including London. There are currently no direct flights from the USA, but there are direct options from Canada.
By Train:
Budapest has three international railway stations and is well connected with nearby European Capital Cities.
Accommodation:
Comfortable smaller hotels and guesthouses, such as the below or similar. All rooms will be en-suite.
Eger, Hotel Aqua http://hotelaqua-eger.hu/
Felsőtárkány, Nyitott Kapu Vendégház – ‘Open Gate’ Guesthouse https://revngo.com/nyitott-kapu-vendeghaz-felsotarkany or Szabó Vendégház http://www.felsotarkany.hu/hu/turizmus-rendezvenyek/szallashelyek-42/c/szabo-vendeghaz
Szilvásvárad, Szalajka Fogadó https://szalajkafogado.hu/
Lillafüred, Hotel Tókert https://hoteltokert.hu/index.php/hu/
Miskolctapolca, Fortuna Hotel https://www.fortuna-hotel.hu/
