Explore The Buda Hills On The Budapest Children’s Railway

Looking for a unique yet charming way to see Budapest’s surrounding countryside? Jump on board the Budapest Children’s Railway!

The Budapest Children’s Railway is a cog-wheel railway service run by schoolchildren as an extra-curricular activity. Suprisingly to many visitors, this is actually quite a common thing, and Budapest’s ‘Gyermekvasút’ is the longest Children’s Railway in the world.

The train is staffed by around 600 Hungarian school children aged between 10 and 14, completing around a shift a fortnight. Their activities cover all the operational jobs, from ticketing, signalling and office work – although the actual train driving is undertaken by an adult!

The full track is 7 miles long, running between Széchenyi-hegy and Hűvösvölgy. It runs through the stunning Buda Hills, a low mountain range that goes through lots of forest and stops off at some local recreation sites.

Find out everything you need to know about visiting the Children’s Railway – and how NOT to make the mistakes we made getting there…

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Our Experience of the Budapest Children’s Railway

The main main reason for our visit to the northern side of Buda was the Children’s Railway, a train service operated by schoolchildren. Supervised by adults, of course. After we’d found a nearby cafe and eaten some, we opened up Google Maps and worked out the best way to get there.

At the time, it took us a while to work out how to get there. Turns out, the way to the Children’s Railway is *actually* pretty simple.

Or, you could do what we did, and get lost in the woods…

It all started off well enough – we found the bus station we were looking for, sprinted to the bus as it had one minute til departure, got on, and began to head up through residential areas and finally hilly country roads.

The first sign that something hadn’t gone right was when we stepped off the bus at the stop we thought was the right one (it wasn’t) was that there was literally nothing around, except a smattering of houses and derelict bus shelter.

As we kept walking down what was basically a dirt road, the few other passengers who’d got off the bus with us began to peel off down other pathways, or to the odd house along the route.

Eventually, we were alone, and the further along we got the more my imagination conjured up images of horror movies about English tourists who get lost in the woods and inevitably murdered…

Once we hit a small gathering of houses, we spotted an elderly lady who we for directions to Széchenyi-hegy Station. It turned out that she didn’t speak any English whatsoever, and our Hungarian just about stretched to ‘thanks’ and ‘cheers’. Luckily, a couple in a car also appeared and managed to roughly understand us and direct us the right way. Which was still pretty confusing. And also, it was back the way we came.

On the walk back following the couple’s directions, we managed to twig exactly where we’d gone wrong. Which was getting off the bus about four stops too late, it seems. The railway station was only on the other side of the hill, and as we were sort of friends with Google Maps again, we decided to take the shorter of the two routes it was showing us, in the hope we’d still manage to catch a train.

The route took us onto what Maps said was a road, but thanks to recent weather, it was actually more of a mud-coated dirt track. With patches of ice for extra good measure.

In an old pair of Matalan boots (my only shoes for the whole trip…) and some Adidas Hi-tops, it’s safe to say we weren’t entirely prepared for a mud-soaked hill hike. The unexpected feeling of being lost with half of Budapest’s floor attached to my feet wasn’t exactly what I’d planned for the afternoon.

Finally, we spotted some train tracks and the relief of ‘WE’VE MADE IT’ set in. As we dragged our muddy legs onto the main road, it was a simple stroll down a paved(!) path to the station – which was small and unassuming, and also very quiet. Opposite, a few stalls were selling hot wine, so we settled down in the waiting room with a couple of cups to wait for the train.

I’m pretty sure I’ve never been so excited to see public transport arrive. 

The experience of being on the railway definitely made up for getting lost in the mud. Our journey started just as dusk was falling, so we saw the Buda Hills and forest areas slowly darken, to an almost spooky atmosphere.

Also, the children were lovely, and seemed to know what they were doing and happily went about their jobs. When they weren’t able to understand our English, they had neat little translation books, and we were able to point at Hűvösvölgy on a timetable to show where we were headed.

Upon arrival in darkness to Hűvösvölgy, we found the tram with ease and headed back into civilisation, where we found ourselves teacups of hot wine and tasty pizza waiting. It’s definitely not the way I’d expected to spend an afternoon during my Budapest trip, but the Children’s Railway most definitely made up for getting lost.

And honestly, looking back, it was actually a really fun day. As beautiful as the buildings were in the heart of the city, and as wonderful as everything there is, the route we took and the Budapest Children’s Railway showed us a whole different side of Budapest that not many visitors get to see. If you’re spending more than two days in Budapest, it’s well worth adding to your itinerary.

Totally worth ruining my only pair of shoes for, right?

Budapest Children’s Railway FAQ

How to get to the Children’s Railway?

The main departure stations for the Budapest Children’s Railway are Széchenyi-hegy and Hűvösvölgy stations.

There are also six other stops along the route: Hárshegy, Szépjuhászné, Jánoshegy, Virágvölgy, Csillebérc and Normafa.

Getting to Széchenyi-hegy Station

The quickest way to get to the Children’s Railway is by taking the #5 bus route from Keleti-Budapest Station to Városmajor, and then change to the #60 tram to Széchenyi-hegy, for Gyermekvasút Station.

Getting to Hűvösvölgy Station

You can get the 21A bus from Széll Kálmán Square to Svábhegy, then it’s about a 15 minute walk to Hűvösvölgy.

You could also get a taxi to either station – Széchenyi-hegy is around 15mins drive from Budapest Chain Bridge.

Budapest Children’s Railway Timetable

Trains run all-year round, with hourly departures between 9am and 4pm. (from September to April, no trains run on Mondays)

From Széchenyi-hegy: 10.03pm, 11.03pm, 12.03pm, 1.03pm, 2.03pm, 3.03pm, 4.03pm
From Hűvösvölgy: 9.10am, 10.10am, 11.10am, 12.10pm, 1.10pm, 2.10pm, 3.10pm

On weekend days, two additional ‘Nostalgic Trains’ run at a supplementary charge:

From Széchenyi-hegy: 9.30am, 1.40pm
From Hűvösvölgy: 10.52am, 3.52pm

As always, check the website to see the latest train times for the day you’re planning your trip.

How much do tickets for the Children’s Railway cost?

• Adult tickets for the Children’s Railway cost 1000 HUF for a single journey, or 1800 HUF for a round trip.
• Children’s tickets cost 500 HUF for a single journey, and 900 HUF for a return.
• For Nostalgia Trains, a 400 HUF surcharge applies per single journey.
• If you’re travelling with a bicycle, you’ll need to pay a 400 HUF supplement.

Buying tickets on the train is cash-only, but you can pay by card at ticket booths at Hűvösvölgy and Széchenyi-hegy.

Can you take your dog on the Children’s Railway?

Dogs are allowed on the Children’s Railway, for a 400 HUF supplement.

More things to do in Budapest

Looking for more unique experiences in Budapest? Try these!

• Take a cruise on the Danube with Hungarian food and traditional live music
• See the highlights of the city on two wheels with a Budapest segway tour.
• Crawl through the underside of Hungary on a Budapest caving adventure tour.
• Relax and unwind in Budapest’s Széchenyi Thermal Baths.

More Budapest Travel Articles:

• Two Days in Budapest: The Perfect Weekend Itinerary
• A Guide to Széchenyi – The Best Thermal Baths in Budapest
• 12 Awesome Things To Do In Budapest
• What to Expect at Szimpla Kert Ruin Pub, Budapest