Borzsony Forest Railway

The Kiralyreti forest railway is a survivor of the network of narrow-gauge lines built to bring timber out of the Hungarian hills, running eleven kilometres of 760 millimetre track from Kismaros on the Danube up the Morgo valley to Kiralyret in the Borzsony. Logging traffic has gone and it now carries walkers, with small diesel locomotives and open summer coaches climbing slowly through beech and oak forest and stopping at halts that serve trailheads rather than villages. From Kiralyret paths climb toward Nagy-Hideg-hegy and the ridge, and the line connects directly with mainline trains from Budapest, which makes it one of the easiest ways into the hills without a car.

What you actually see

• Narrow-gauge track through beech forest - the timber line as it survives.
• Open summer coaches - the carriages used in warm weather.
• Halts at trailheads - stops built for walkers rather than villages.
• The connection at Kismaros - mainline trains straight from Budapest.

When to go

April to October for the fullest timetable and the open coaches; autumn colour in the Borzsony is the best of it. Half a day with a walk. Winter service is reduced or suspended.

Honest expectations

Trains are few, often only a handful a day, so the timetable dictates the visit. Coaches are basic and open ones are cold outside high summer. Services are cancelled in bad weather. Kiralyret itself is a small resort, not a destination.

Nearby

The Danube Bend is at Kismaros; the Borzsony ridge lies north.