Hungarians are fond of hiking, backpacking and camping out, especially since the broadcast of the famous television series, Egymillió lépés Magyaroszágon (A million steps in Hungary) by the late Pál Rockenbauer. There is over kms of well marked and maintained trails across the country with the majority of course in the hilly and forested regions of the west and the north. Trails are marked by color and shape codes painted on tree trunks or rocks. The trailheads usually start at a smaller town or a place with some kind of public transportation. Each major geographical region (i.e. hilly regions with different names such as Bakony, Vértes, Börzsöny, Mátra, etc.) has its own trail system, but they are also connected with some trails. The "general blue" trail runs across the entire country from Pálháza in the northeast to Kétvölgy to the west traversing through the most scenic places in Hungary.

Transportation

Hungary has an extensive railway system connecting most major cities and larger towns. Trains run frequently, and although sometimes may not be the fastest or most comfortable way to get to your destination, it is definitely the cheapest one.
Long distance buses leave for even the smallest villages from a nearby town everywhere, but many times only two or three times a day only. Check the schedule before heading off. Often you can ask the driver to drop you off if you don't want to ride to the next stop. Tickets must be purchased from the driver on the bus at the time of boarding.

Camping

Almost all larger towns and cities, especially those near to some tourist attractions or other popular spots, have developed campgrounds with running water and hot showers. They usually charge for the tent site plus charge a per person fee and a car fee. In the countryside, primitive camping is normally allowed and accepted except on private lands. Within protected areas, you should first ask park rangers about restrictions.

Other accomodation

Guesthouses are rather infrequent throughout the country. Some are still operating in almost every hilly regions, far from any towns and usually on some remote hilltop, where they are accessible only by four-wheel drive vehicles or on foot. They offer rooms and meals, but have become rather expensive recently.

Maps

Medium scale topographic maps with trail signs about all regions are available in bookstores and some local general stores. The best selection is, of course, in specialty stores in larger cities. Small scale topographic maps (1 : 25,000 - 1 : 100,000) can be purchased at ? in Budapest. However, these maps do not show hiking trails.

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