Night of the Forests: A Guided Nighttime Hike in the Buda Hills

Night of the Forests
Event September 4, 2026 7:30 pm - 11:00 pm
Recommendation ★★★★☆
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Author Dani Pesti
Image source Erdei Vándor

Budapest’s forests get their own spotlight this autumn, as the National Federation of Hungarian Forestry Associations hosts the first-ever Night of the Forests on Friday, September 4, 2026, on Hárs Hill in the Buda Hills. The free, public evening combines a guided night hike with themed nature stations, offering visitors a rare chance to experience the forest after dark, something most travelers never get to see during a typical daytime visit to Budapest.

Key Details at a Glance

  • Date and time: Friday, September 4, 2026, 19:30–23:00
  • Location: Hárs Hill, District II, Buda Hills, Budapest
  • Start and finish point: Szépjuhászné
  • Route: toward the Makovecz Imre Lookout Tower, with the longer loop also passing Nagy-Hárs Hill and the Kaán Károly Lookout Tower
  • Distance: about 2 km on the short route, or about 3 km with roughly 100 meters of elevation gain on the full loop
  • Admission: free, open to the public, no registration required for the hike itself
  • How to get there: bus 22, 22A, or 222 from Széll Kálmán tér
  • What to bring: sturdy hiking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, a headlamp or flashlight, water, a snack, and a light rain jacket

What the Evening Looks Like

The hike runs from 19:30 to 23:00, starting at Szépjuhászné, a well-known starting point for hikers in the Buda Hills near the Children’s Railway line, and heading toward the Makovecz Imre Lookout Tower, an unusual spiral wooden structure designed by renowned architect Imre Makovecz. From there, participants can choose between two routes. The shorter option is about 2 kilometers with barely any elevation change, an easy forest walk suited to almost anyone. The longer loop stretches to roughly 3 kilometers with about 100 meters of elevation gain, passing through steeper, occasionally rocky sections near Nagy-Hárs Hill and the Kaán Károly Lookout Tower, making it a better fit for more experienced walkers.

Along the way, especially on the stretch leading to the Makovecz Imre Lookout Tower, forestry experts set up themed stations where hikers can tune into the sounds, smells, and plant life of the forest at night, spot animal tracks, and learn about the creatures that call the woods home after sunset. One station also introduces the Forest Wandering Camp Program, a youth initiative that brings students closer to nature through week-long hiking camps.

Getting There and What to Bring

Szépjuhászné is easy to reach from central Budapest by bus 22, 22A, or 222 from Széll Kálmán tér, with the ride taking roughly 14 minutes. Organizers specifically encourage visitors to use public transport rather than drive, and anyone traveling from farther out is advised to check evening return connections in advance since service can thin out later at night.

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Since this is a real forest hike after dark, appropriate outdoor clothing and sturdy, closed hiking shoes are recommended. A headlamp or flashlight is essential, and packing drinking water, a small snack, and a light rain jacket is a smart move, with an extra warm layer worth throwing in if the evening turns cool.

A Milestone Anniversary Behind the Event

This first Night of the Forests doubles as a celebration of two milestones: the 10th anniversary of the Forest Wandering Camp Program, which has taken nearly 40,000 students on nature-based hiking camps across Hungary’s forests since 2017, and the 160th anniversary of the National Federation of Hungarian Forestry Associations, one of the country’s oldest still-active civic professional organizations, founded in 1866. The Forest Wandering Camp Program runs with support from Active Hungary’s development center.

Ahead of the hike, from 16:00 to 19:00, the Forestry Information Center hosts a set of professional talks and panel discussions open to in-person and online audiences with prior registration. The three panels look at the relationship between people and forests across past, present, and future, covering topics from the psychological benefits of time spent in nature to the pressures of climate change, water scarcity, and drought on Hungary’s woodlands, and closing with a retrospective on a decade of the Forest Wandering Camp Program.

What Comes Next

The day after the hike, September 5 marks Forest Day, with related family-friendly hikes and educational programs planned at multiple locations around the country, with details to follow. Organizers describe Night of the Forests as the start of a new annual tradition, one they hope will grow each year and give more visitors the chance to experience Hungary’s forests from a completely different perspective, after the sun goes down and the woods reveal a side rarely seen in daylight.

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Night of the Forests