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Between heaven and earth: this is where you can ride a chairlift in Hungary

Zugliget Chairlift BudapestGreater Budapest

"Blue skies above, people below. I’m floating between them, like sunlight, like a bird. I'm swinging between them," – sings the young Hungarian singer Ági Szalóki, and her song truly reflects why we love taking a chairlift.

Budapest

The Zugliget Chairlift is Hungary's first passenger cableway, which has taken hikers to János Hill and back since 1970. It is one of the capital's most popular landmarks and was called Libegő in a public naming contest. It transports passengers 1,040 metres in two-seater hanging chairs on a 2,600-metre-long cable. The elevation is 262 metres, and you’ll cover the distance in about 15 minutes.

 

Pro tip: you can find a playground and snack bars at the upper station. The Erzsébet Lookout on János Hill is a few minutes' walk. It’s not to be missed! You can come down on foot (but only in trainers!), but you can also jump on the narrow-gauge Children's Railway, as the János-hegy and Virágvölgy stations are just a short walk through the forest. 

Eplény

The Eplény Chairlift runs as a chairlift in summer and as a ski lift in winter (Eplény has one of the best ski slopes in Hungary). During the 20-minute journey, you can admire the beauty of Bakony from above, and you can even see Lake Balaton from the Ámos Hill lookout at the chairlift's upper station. You should also check out the surrounding landscape because you can spot deer, mouflons and roe deer.

 

Pro tip: Walk along the Barefoot (Mezítlábas) Trail, which leads from the chairlift terminal to the lookout point, and the two-kilometre Zig-zag (Tekergő) Trail takes you back to the centre in the valley.

Lillafüred

The Chairlift Park in Lillafüred takes passengers to Jávorhegy, in the direction of Bükkszentkereszt, on a 1,080-metre wire. It starts at 333 metres, and the station on the hilltop is at an altitude of 606 metres. The journey takes 16-18 minutes, and 180 people can enjoy the panorama and the natural treasures of Bükk at the same time.

 

Pro tips: Lillafüred is a romantic village with a picturesque boating lake, a fabulous castle hotel, a hanging garden, a waterfall and a narrow-gauge railway. But feel free to do something in the Bükk National Park, where you can join a cave tour and visit an observatory.

Mátra

One of the most exciting elements of the Oxygen Adrenalin Park is the Mátra Chairlift, which connects the Park with Sás Lake. The cableway is 500-metres long and affords a fabulous view of the lake, the lookout and Gyöngyös. The journey takes seven minutes in one direction. The chairlift travels 17 metres above the ground from the 504-metre-high valley station to the mountain station, which is 554 metres above sea level. Children under 125 cm must be accompanied by an adult.

 

Pro tip: Sás Lake study trail and Adventure Park.

Sátoraljaújhely

In the Zemplén Adventure Park, you can ride Hungary's longest chairlift. The 1,332-metre-long cable is between 250 and 480 metres above sea level. It has an intermediate station, and if you get off there, you will find the entrance to the Adventure Park. When you continue your ride, you can look at the surrounding countryside from a multi-level observation deck at the top of the hill. 

 

Pro tip: You will find Dongó, Hungary's only cabin lift, here and you can also try a climbing wall or an extreme zipline: the Falcon (Sólyom).

MOVE AROUND LIKE A HUNGARIAN