Janos Hill and the Elizabeth Lookout

Janos Hill is the highest ground inside Budapest at 527 metres, in the Buda hills on the western edge of the city. The summit carries the Elizabeth Lookout, a stone tower of arcaded galleries and stairs designed by Frigyes Schulek and completed at the end of the nineteenth century. From the top you see the whole city laid out east of the river, the Danube threading through it, and on clear days the Pilis and Borzsony hills to the north. Getting there is half the point: a single-seat chairlift runs from Zugliget, the narrow-gauge Children's Railway has a station below the summit, and marked paths climb through beech woods from Normafa. The forest around is public parkland.

What you actually see

• The Elizabeth Lookout - a stone tower with arcaded galleries and open viewing levels.
• The city panorama - Budapest, the Danube and the northern hills from the top level.
• The Zugliget chairlift - single-seat lift running up the wooded slope from the suburb below.
• Buda hills forest - beech and oak woodland with marked paths linking Normafa and the summit.

When to go

April to October for reliable weather and full chairlift operation. Autumn brings colour and the clearest air of the year. The chairlift closes for maintenance for a period each year and does not run in bad weather. Sunset from the tower is the best time visually, but the last chairlift back is early, so plan the descent before you climb.

Honest expectations

The chairlift top station is not the summit: there is still a steady uphill walk of about fifteen minutes to the tower, which surprises people. The lift is open to the weather and cold on a windy day. Summer haze often reduces the famous view to a grey wash. Queues form at the chairlift on fine weekends, and the tower stairs get congested at sunset.

Nearby

Normafa and the Buda hills trails are nearby, with the Children's Railway running along the ridge.