Hiking Trail Marks of Budapest and Hungary

The hikers of Hungary and all the travelers who travel to Budapest and would like to go for a hike are in a lucky position because the forests of Budapest and Hungary have lots of great and well marked hiking trails. The Hungarian trail marking system is one of the best I’ve ever seen during my hikes worldwide. Both the colour and the sign has a meaning that helps you to navigate and to plan ahead.

So let’s see how the hiking trail marks work in Hungary:

The main trails are the line marked trails and the their order is as follows:

Blue line: the longest hiking trail in Hungary is the national blue trail. It goes through the northern part of the country starting from the Austrian border and finishing in a town called Hollóháza close to the border of Slovakia. The whole trail is 1169 kms long.

Red line: the red line is used for hiking trails in Hungary that go through several mountain ranges or counties but at least one mountain on county.

Yellow and green lines: are used for local hiking trails for a certain region.

Let’s see what each sign means:

Cross: the cross is used for connecting two main lines to each other or when the trail is leading from a main line to an important point. (to a railway station for example).

Square: the square sign indicates that the hiking trail is leading from a line signed route to a built-up area, so most likely you can find a grocery, a pub or even an accommodation there. 

Triangle: the triangle trail mark means that the trail is leading up to a lookout point or to a summit, so most likely you have to climb if you choose the triangle to hike on :).

Circle: the circle is a very useful one, showing the way to springs.

Circular arrow: the circular arrow is used for hiking trails returning to a specific starting point. They are usually shorter trails and if you stay on the sign for your whole hike, you will end up where you started your journey.

Omega: the omega sign leads you to caves.

L sign: the L shaped signed trail is leading to ruins and old monuments.

These are the basic signs that you can find on almost all the hiking maps of Hungary. There are some specific signs for small regions and for pilgrimage trails that we didn’t mention. With the help of the hiking maps and the above you can navigate in the forests and mountains of Budapest and Hungary, but we suggest to hire a hiking guide for the best spots and stories about the area.