Cited from Hungary's official touristical
homepage
(Magyarorszag turisztikai honlapjan)
Railway transportation is popular all over
the world, and narrow gauge railways have
an increasing role to play in many countries.
There are several light railway lines in
Hungary, chiefly for the purposes of tourism and
hiking.
There are more than 15 small gauge trains,
most running from May to September.
MAV Rt. Szechenyi-hegyi Children’s Train (Huvosvolgy - Janos-hegy - Csilleberc -
Normafa - Szechenyi-hegy - Normafa - Csilleberc
- Janos-hegy - Huvosvolgy)
This railway is very popular among the
children
of Budapest and those visiting the capital. It is 11.2
kilometres long. What makes it special
is
that children between the ages of 10 and
14 do all the work except, of course, for
the jobs of engineer and stationmaster.
There
are six stops between the two terminals,
each leading to popular hiking destinations
in the Buda Hills.
Csomoderi Line (Csomoder - Kistolmacs - Csomoder)
This 18-kilometre light railway goes through
the rolling country of Southern Zala County
and helps hikers reach the trails around
the village of Bazakerettye. The Arboretum of Budafapuszta can be found
near the railway line.
Gemenci Line (Porboly - Gemenc - Baranyfok - Porboly)
This line lets us get acquainted with the
marvellous world of the GemencForest, which is famous for its wild life, especially
its deer. The length of the line is 30
kilometres.
Mesztegnyoi Line (Mesztegnyo - Felsokak - Mesztegnyo)
Kiralyreti Line (Kismaros - Szokolya - Kiralyret - Szokolya
- Kismaros)
The Borzsony Hills’ Children’s Railway
is very popular among hikers. The little
train carries tens of thousands of passengers
along its 12-kilometre-long track every
year.
Kiralyret (King Meadow) is an excellent
point
from which to enter the trails to High
Borzsony,
and it features a leisure centre with accommodation
facilities.
Nagyborzsonyi Line (Nagyborzsony - Nagyirtas - Nagyborzsony)
Felsotarkanyi Line (Felsotarkany - Sziklaforras - Stimecz House
- Sziklaforras - Felsotarkany)
The railway reaches the Stimecz House at
the end of its 5-kilometre-long run. From
this point you can walk further into the
Bukk hills on marked hiking trails. The
“Oserdo”
(“Jungle”) and the “Latokovek” are
easily
accessible from its upper terminus.
Szilvasvaradi Line (The Riding Track of Szalajka-volgy - Fatyol-vizeses
(Szalajka Valley - Veil Waterfall)
This popular 5-kilometre-long railway line
in the Bukk hills goes to the famous Trout
Ponds and ends at one of the most beautiful
sights in the Bukk National Park: the Fatyol-vizeses
(Veil Waterfall), where the water of Szalajka-patak
(the Szalajka Stream) descends through
a
17-metre line of steps and evaporates in
the air like a veil. From this point you
can go on foot to the prehistoric Istallosko
cave or move on to Bukk Plateau. If we
decide
to go back to Szilvasvarad on foot, we
should
be sure to visit the Museum of Forestry.
The Matra Light Railway (Gyongyos - Gyongyossolymos - Lajoshaza -
Gyongyossolymos - Gyongyos), (Gyongyos
-
Matrafured - Gyongyos)
The station is situated near the MatraMuseum in Gyongyos. The line which goes to Matrafured
is 7 kilometres long. The other line goes
through Gyongyossolymos in Nagy-volgy (BigValley) and takes its passengers to Lajoshaza.
The 11-kilometre distance is covered by
the
train in 35 minutes. >From Lajoshaza
you
can choose from several trails leading
to
the higher parts of the Matra Hills or
a
local circular route.
The Light Railways of Miskolc (Miskolc - Diosgyor - Lillafured - Garadna
- Lillafured - Diosgyor - Miskolc), (Miskolc
- Diosgyor - Papirgyar - Taksalapa - Papirgyar
- Diosgyor - Miskolc)
The first is perhaps the most popular line
among the light railways of the Bukk. The
length of the track is 14 kilometres to
Garadna-volgy
(GaradnaValley). From within the Bukk, plenty of trails
lead hikers to the higher parts of the
hills.
The other, 24-kilometre, line goes through
less well-known, romantic parts of the
hills.
You can walk the trail between the two
upper-end
stations in a matter of hours, and so travel
both lines.
Palhazai Line (Palhaza - Kokapu - Rostallo - Kokapu -
Palhaza)
- Nagycenki Szechenyi Muzeumvasut (Fertoboz
- Baratsag - Kastely - Baratsag - Fertoboz)
This railway, situated in the Zemplen Hills,
is the oldest forest railway in Hungary. The train takes its passengers along its
10-kilometre track to the castle hill of
Kokapu and then on to Rostallo. From the
Rostallo station you can walk on along
marked
hiking trails in the direction of Telkibanya,
Haromhuta and Regec.
