Feast your eyes on the panorama of Budapest: The Elizabeth Lookout

The 528 metre high János Hill is the fourth highest in the Buda Hills. The panorama from the top is dazzling. Queen Elizabeth, also known as Sissi, recognised this in the 1880s, and she was so enchanted by the view of Budapest from this vantage point that she visited several times. At that time there was a wooden lookout tower at the spot, but it was later decided to erect a new stone lookout tower in its place to honour the queen.

Construction work on the new lookout began in 1908. The design also took into account that the axis of the circular building should line up with the imagined axis of János Hill. When you get there, you will notice that the lookout gives the impression of being extremely harmonious. This is due, among other things, to its meticulous design.

The Elizabeth Lookout was opened to the public in 1910, and in 1926 this magnificent building received decorative lighting, the first permanent such lighting in Hungary. (Encouraged by the success of the lighting, the Fisherman's Bastion and the Hungarian Parliament were also later illuminated.) The lookout has undergone several renovations. It has been shining in its present splendour since 2005. 

The road up to the Neo-Romanesque-style Elizabeth Lookout is also special: You can get to Budapest’s highest point on old, double spiral staircases. What unfolds before you here is ... 

• the most beautiful panorama in the Buda hills,
• a multitude of buildings typical of Budapest,
• Hármashatár Hill, recognisable from its transmission towers,
• the beautiful Pilis and Visegrád mountains,
• the highest peak of Börzsöny,
• the back of the Vértes,
• the top of the Velence Hills,
• Kékestető, the highest point in Hungary,
• and sometimes, in clear weather, the snow-dusted rocky tops of the High Tatras. 

And what makes this panorama a really special spectacle is the combination of the urban and natural environment: You can see how the hustle and bustle of the city gradually gives way to the lush, green forests.

You can see: Don’t miss this exceptional sight! You can hike up, arrive by chairlift or you can visit nearby places with the Children's Railway, which is very popular with the little ones. One thing is for sure: You will have stunning views.