Soar Above Budapest: The Zugliget Chairlift Is Back and Better Than Ever
A Hidden Gem Just Reopened
Not every great Budapest experience involves a thermal bath or a ruin bar. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is rise above the city — quite literally. After two weeks of thorough maintenance work, the Zugliget Chairlift (Zugligeti Libegő) reopened on April 25, 2026, and it is already welcoming visitors back to one of the most charming and underrated attractions the Hungarian capital has to offer.
The maintenance team spent the past fortnight completing all scheduled and necessary technical checks, saving the most dramatic task for last: a team of alpine specialists inspected the entire 2,600-metre cable system pole by pole using mountaineering techniques, working their way along the line high above the Buda Hills. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes work that most visitors never think about, but it is exactly what keeps this beloved ride running safely year after year.
Budapest’s Original Cable Ride
The Zugliget Chairlift has been carrying hikers, families, and curious visitors up into the Buda Hills since 1970, making it Hungary’s first-ever passenger chairlift. The ride covers 1,040 metres of track in roughly 12 to 15 minutes, with 102 two-seater chairs gliding smoothly along the cable and overcoming a height difference of 262 metres. The views along the way — over the treetops of the hills, across the villas of the Zugliget neighbourhood, and out toward the sprawling city below — are genuinely spectacular, especially on a clear day.
The lower valley station sits in Zugliget, in the 12th district of Buda, while the upper mountain station is located at Hármaskút-tető, a hilltop that connects János Hill (János-hegy) with Normafa, one of Budapest’s most beloved green recreational areas. This position makes the chairlift not just a fun ride, but a genuinely useful gateway to some of the finest hiking terrain around the city.
What to Do at the Top
Stepping off at the upper station, you find yourself in a world that feels remarkably far from the urban bustle below. János Hill is the highest point in Budapest at 527 metres above sea level, and the area is crisscrossed with well-marked hiking trails that wind through cool, shaded forest. The iconic Elisabeth Lookout Tower (Erzsébet-kilátó) sits right at the summit of János Hill and is well worth the short walk — on a clear day, you can see all the way across the Great Hungarian Plain to the east.
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At the upper station there is a snack bar and a children’s woodland playground, making it an excellent option for families. A wheelchair-accessible viewpoint has also been created at the terrace of the former restaurant building near the top station, so the experience is open to everyone. You can choose to hike back down to the valley station through the forest — a leisurely, well-signed trail that takes around an hour — or simply take the chairlift back down and return to the city the way you came. The upper station is also within easy walking distance of the Children’s Railway (Gyermekvasút), a narrow-gauge railway partly operated by children that adds yet another quirky transport adventure to your day.
Tickets and Opening Hours
The good news on the practical side is that the chairlift offers a flexible ticketing system introduced in early 2026: you can buy a one-way ticket if you plan to hike back down, or a two-way ticket if you prefer to ride in both directions. All tickets are valid for a full year, which is a handy touch if the weather turns on the day you planned to visit. Even better, if you are travelling with a Budapest Card, entry in both directions is completely free of charge.
In April, the chairlift is open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. From May through August the hours extend to 7:00 PM, giving you plenty of time to enjoy a late afternoon ride after a day of city sightseeing. Do note that the chairlift is closed on Mondays of even-numbered weeks for routine maintenance, and may also close temporarily in the event of strong winds or other adverse weather conditions — it is always worth checking before you set off.
How to Get There
Getting to the Zugliget Chairlift by public transport is straightforward and fully covered by your standard BKK travel ticket or pass. The most direct route from the city centre is bus 291, which departs from Nyugati Railway Station (Nyugati pályaudvar) and runs all the way to the chairlift’s valley station at Zugligeti út 97 as its final stop.
Alternatively, if you are approaching from the Normafa side — perhaps after a walk or a picnic in the hills — buses 21 and 21A from Széll Kálmán Square (Széll Kálmán tér) will take you to Normafa, from where a pleasant 20 to 30-minute forest walk leads you to the upper chairlift station. This approach is particularly appealing if you want to combine a bit of hiking with the chairlift experience, starting at the top and gliding back down through the treetops to finish the day.
A Perfect Half-Day Escape
Whether you are spending a few days in Budapest or have been here long enough to want something a little different from the usual sightseeing circuit, the Zugliget Chairlift offers a genuinely refreshing change of pace. It is the kind of experience that locals cherish and tourists rarely forget — breezy, scenic, and completely free of crowds compared to the city’s major landmarks. With the 2026 season freshly underway and the entire system just serviced to the highest standard, there has never been a better time to go.
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