Best places to run in Hungary

A UNESCO karst landscape of sinkholes and the 24 km Baradla Cave system, with surface trails winding across the dramatic plateau.

A flat-topped volcanic hill above Balaton's vineyards, with trails climbing past dramatic basalt organ-pipe columns to lake viewpoints.

Hungary's most extensive forested upland, a maze of beech woods, dolines and small gorges crossed by long quiet hiking trails.

A volcanic upland of basalt hills, geysers and vineyards above Balaton's north shore, packed with study trails and lookout towers.

A vast limestone plateau riddled with over a thousand caves, dolines and beech forest, laced with trails for long, wild plateau hikes.

A 700 m rocky terrace with a classic panorama over the Danube Bend, a hub of marked Pilis trails since the late 19th century.

Hungary's most photogenic waterfall, tumbling over 17 limestone terraces, reached by a gentle walk up the Szalajka Valley.

A dramatic castle perched on a volcanic crag in the Zemplén hills, reached by a short steep walk with far-reaching forest views.

A high Mátra plateau nicknamed the 'roof of Hungary', with the Galya lookout tower and easy ridge walks giving wide views toward Kékes and the Bükk.

A 235 m riverside crag topped by the Citadella and Liberty Statue, climbed by steep paths for the finest panorama over the Danube and bridges.

A 495 m grassy summit popular with paragliders, offering wide city-and-Danube panoramas via forest and meadow trails from the suburbs.

A UNESCO Palóc heritage village under a hilltop castle ruin, with short walks up to the keep and surrounding Cserhát woodland.

Europe's largest semi-natural grassland and a UNESCO puszta, with flat trails and the Nine-Hole Bridge under vast open skies.

A tranquil meandering river valley along the Slovak border, with riverside paths and wetland meadows for flat, gentle walking.

The highest point of western Hungary at 882 m on the Austrian border, with a hilltop tower reached by a steep 600 m forested climb.

One of the Bükk's highest summits at 958 m, reached by forest trails past a famous prehistoric cave for a tough but rewarding climb.

A sandstone-stacked hill above Pécs with prehistoric earthworks and a Pauline monastery ruin, reached by atmospheric forest trails.

Budapest's highest point at 528 m, crowned by the Elizabeth Lookout, with popular forest loops from Normafa above the city.

A gentle volcanic basin of meadows, press-houses and the giant Theodora 'sea of stones' boulders, with easy scenic walking trails.

Hungary's highest point at 1,014 m, with a TV-tower lookout and forested trails climbing through the Mátra to panoramic summit views.

Hungary's highest single-drop waterfall at 20 m, set beside the fairytale Palotaszálló hotel and surrounded by scenic Bükk forest trails.

A car-free island park in the middle of the Danube with a rubberised running track, gardens and fountains ideal for city walks and runs.

A wild Mecsek valley of mossy tufa terraces and small waterfalls, followed by a popular loop trail from Pécs.

A breezy meadow and forest park high in the Buda Hills, the city's favourite spot for accessible walks and runs with skyline views.

A thousand-year-old UNESCO Benedictine abbey crowning a hill, reached by walkable paths through arboretum and vineyard slopes.

At 639 m it offers arguably the best view of the Danube Bend from a 12 m tower, reached by steep climbs often combined with the Rám Gorge.

A thrilling narrow gorge climbed via iron ladders and chains beside a stream, one of Hungary's most adventurous hiking routes.

Forested foothills of the Alps near Sopron, with cool chestnut and beech woods and lookout towers laced by gentle hiking trails.

A lush limestone valley with an easy educational trail that follows the stream up to the famous Fátyol cascade and Istállós-kő cave.

A 415 m volcanic cone wrapped in vineyards, with a basalt-column study trail giving gorgeous views over the Káli Basin and Balaton.

A picturesque hilltop castle ruin above the lakeshore, reached by a short climb through the village for one of Balaton's best panoramas.

A volcanic peninsula jutting into Lake Balaton, with loop trails past the abbey, geyser cones and an inner crater lake.

A vast reedy reservoir on the Tisza with lakeside greenway paths and a floating eco-trail rich in birdlife.

Budapest's grand City Park with lake, castle and museums, a flat green space for easy strolling and running near the centre.

A low granite range scattered with rounded boulder formations above Lake Velence, with easy trails to the Meleg-hegy lookout.

A hilltop royal citadel above the Danube Bend, reached by short steep footpaths from town with sweeping river-curve views.

A remote volcanic range of deep forests and castle ruins in Hungary's northeast corner, offering wild, quiet long-distance hiking.

The Mecsek's highest peak at 682 m, climbed through beech forest to a lookout with wide panoramas over Pécs and the southern plains.