Gellért Hill Tours

This is the fortress’s own walk, run by Buda Castle Walks, and it assumes you have already got yourself to the top. You meet at the Glass Hall information desk on Citadella sétány and look for the turquoise umbrella.

The hour covers the Celts who settled the hill, the martyr it is named after, the witches said to meet here on Saturday nights, the astronomers of the old observatory, why Hungarians came to hate the Austrian fortress, the fighting between German, Hungarian and Red Army troops in the siege of 1944 to 1945, and the true story behind the Liberty Statue and its unexpected connection to Marshal Voroshilov.

It ends on the rooftop terrace of the western round bastion. What it does not do is take you into the exhibition, so do not book it expecting one ticket to cover both.

Practical notes from the operator: it is an outdoor programme, it runs in all weather including rain, it starts promptly and latecomers cannot be waited for, and it is recommended for ages 12 and above. Comfortable shoes, a layer and sunglasses are the sensible kit.

EvezzVelem’s walk is the one that treats the hill as the subject rather than the fortress. It is private, so the booking is yours and nobody else joins it, and it starts at the bottom, at the staircase to the St Gellért monument above Döbrentei tér.

Over two and a half hours it takes in the Cave Church, a run of lookout points, the Citadella lookout at the top, a secret walkway cut into the side of the hill above the Danube, the Statue of Gellért and the Philosophers’ Garden on the quiet Tabán side. That last one is the reason to pick this walk if you already know the view. It is the half of the hill most visitors never see.

The climb is real. You gain about 120 metres, on stepped paths, up and then down again. Take it as a morning’s exercise with commentary rather than a stroll.

One date to watch. The Cave Church cannot be visited on Sundays, and the walk runs anyway, so a Sunday booking loses a stop.

Trails of Budapest’s Panorama Walk covers much of the same ground as the private walk, in two hours and with up to 10 people. It starts at the foot of the hill, by the fountain in front of the Gellért bath building on Szent Gellért tér, and climbs from there.

The first stop is outside the Cave Church, for the story of Hungary’s first king. Then come viewpoints facing south on the way up, and the Liberty Statue and the Citadella at the top.

Coming down, it passes a villa and reaches the Philosophers’ Garden. Next to it come the view from the top of Budapest’s largest water reservoir and the statues of Prince Buda and Princess Pest. It finishes at the statue of St Gellért, which faces Elisabeth Bridge, in front of the waterfall below it.

Guiding is the only thing the booking includes, so it does not take you into the Cave Church or the exhibition. It is the one to pick for the whole hill without paying for a guide to yourself, and it has dates on most days.

Bike Tour Kft’s ride is the answer for anyone who wants the view from the Citadella without the climb. It starts in Pest, at the Bike & Relax shop by Gozsdu Court, crosses the Danube on Liberty Bridge past the Great Market Hall, and lets the e-bike take you up the hill.

At the top there is a short break to walk round the fortress and take in the view. The operator says a visit to the museum is not possible on the ride, so the exhibition is out. From there it runs down through the Tabán park, up again into the Castle District for Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion, past the Vienna Gate, and back over the Chain Bridge, which is closed to private cars, to the city centre.

Gellért Hill is the first half of the ride rather than the whole of it, so pick this one if you also want Castle Hill on the same morning. The operator lists it as unsuitable for children under 13 and for anyone without cycling experience, and it is called off in heavy rain, storms, ice or snow.

If you are already going up for the view and want the fortress explained, book the Citadella Guided Panorama Tour. An hour, at the top, no climbing in the price.

If you want the hill itself, the Cave Church on the way and the paths most people miss, book the Gellért Hill Guided Walking Tour, and give it a free half day. For much of the same ground in a small group, and in two hours, book the Budapest Panorama Walk instead.

If the climb is what puts you off, book the Citadella and Castle District on E-Bike ride, which takes you up from Pest and adds Castle Hill and the Chain Bridge.

The Citadella tour is a scheduled departure you join, and its operator recommends it for ages 12 and over, so it is not the one for small children.

The walking tour is private and prices a child category separately, which makes it the easier booking for a family or for anyone who would rather not be in a group. It is also the one to take if you want to set the pace on a climb.

The Panorama Walk has youth and child prices too, in a group of 10 at most. The e-bike ride is not for children under 13, and the operator asks you to get in touch before bringing small children, since it has infant seats but no children’s bikes.

This decides it more often than anything else. The Citadella tour runs on selected dates rather than daily, so open its calendar before you build a day around it, and book at least an hour ahead. The other three have dates open most days.

Avoid a Sunday for the private walking tour if the Cave Church matters to you, because that is the day it is shut.