Biatorbágy Tour: from the Viaduct to the "Grand Canyon"

The first stop on our journey is the infamous viaduct, now an industrial monument, where we will take a look around and then follow the yellow sign to other viewpoints. On “Mount” Iharos, we will visit the now abandoned base of the 11/11 anti-aircraft missile division that operated there until 1996. Followed by the Nyakas-kő and Madár-szirt, which remind some people of the Grand Canyon.
Leaving the final high-altitude point, the Szily-kápolna, we end our hike at the Kemenes Café near the viaduct (and the bus stop).

Date: Friday, 25 March 2022

Registration is required. Follow the link to register.

Meeting: Budapest, Kelenföld Bus Station, main building, 9:10-9:30. The assembly point is also accessible by metro (M4) and tram (1, 19, 49). There is a public pay toilet next to the ticket office.

Bus 760 leaves at 9:40 a.m. and will take you to the Meggyes utca stop in Biatorbágy (local people can also join the bus there at 10:10 a.m., but please notify us in advance.) The ticket, which costs 370 HUF in total, must be bought at the main building ticket office or from a ticket machine in advance.  No tickets can be bought on the bus! (Those who have a Budapest pass only need to buy tickets for the bus beyond the administrative borders of the city.) The bus ride only takes 30 minutes, so the tour starts at 10:10.

Careful: if you miss the departure, you will not be able to join us later!

Distance and difficulty: 3,5-4 hours depending on the number of stops we make, and we expect to arrive back to Budapest Kelenföld between 15:00-15:30.

The distance is only 13 km, the highest point is 334 m, the walking time is 3.5-4 hours at a leisurely pace, and there are no difficult sections along the route.

Check out the map here.

Points of interest (in brackets the hiking sign to be followed: S stands for “yellow”, P for “red”):

• Biatorbágy viaduct (S-)
• Kő-hegy Kő-orr, Hármas-szikla / rocks and cliffs (S-)
• “Mount” Iharos (a hill) with the former anti-aircraft missile base
• Híd / bridge (ruin) (P-)
• Nyakas-kő, Madár-szirt / rocks and cliffs (P)
• Szily-kápolna / chapel (P)
• Viaduct
• Kemenes Café and Bistro

Eat & drink: There is a shop and a café at the start and finish lines of the “race”. You will get hungry in the fresh air, so bring snacks and water with you.

Practicalities:

• Toilets are available at the bus station in Kelenföld and at the café at the end point, in between only the woods.
• Please have a plastic bag with you for your trash.
• Comfortable, well-supporting shoes are highly recommended. No steep terrain.
• The brave may bring a headlamp to visit the airbase.

You may wish to check out the following links as well:

• Anti-aircraft missile division (HUN)
• “Grand Canyon” tour (HUN) (with lovely pictures)
• Around Kő-hegy – tour (HUN) (with lovely pictures)

Reports on previous hikes of the GTK Hiking Club are available here.

Contact: 30-241-7723