Budapest’s best bike rides

Now extending its opening hours to close off to car traffic from 5pm during the week, the Pest embankment welcomes cyclists and pedestrians on weekday evenings and all day at weekends until September 19. This is perfect for casual cycling and to take the younger ones out on the bike in safety. The car-free zone refers to the lower embankment nearest the Danube, from Margaret Bridge along Carl Lutz rakpart – although you can just as easily set off from around Szent István park in Újlipótváros about 500m further up, or even enjoy a ride around Margaret Island and then reach the embankment from Margaret Bridge – and runs all the way to Irányi utca just past Elizabeth Bridge.

This takes you past some of Budapest’s most striking landmarks, including Parliament, the Shoes on the Danube Bank, the Academy of Sciences, Gresham Palace, Chain Bridge, the Duna korzó and its luxury hotels, the Vigadó concert hall and the harbour for sightseeing boats opposite. Then comes the graceful sweep of Elizabeth Bridge, with Budapest’s oldest church, the Inner-City Parish Church, just behind. Along the section past Chain Bridge, your eyes will be drawn to the Buda skyline on the opposite bank, the tall spire of Matthias Church and dome of the Buda Palace.

Of the terrace cafés and restaurants along the way, KIOSK near Elizabeth Bridge might be the best choice or you may want to hop over to PONTOON by Chain Bridge, and keep a look out for the special events along the Rakpart on its dedicated Facebook page.

Start at Batthyány tér opposite Parliament or take a tour around verdant Margaret Island and spin over via Margaret Bridge across to the Buda side. If coming up from Batthyány tér, you will have passed Bem tér, where the student demonstration gathered that sparked the fated 1956 Uprising. Pointing towards the seat of government is a statue of Bem himself, a Polish general and hero of a previous Hungarian uprising, that of 1848.

Once you’re cycling past the foot of Margaret Bridge, you’re surrounded by thermal waters, underground, at least, flowing into the Lukács baths where weary knights would soak on their way back from the Crusades, and the Veli Bej of Ottoman lore nearby. Keeping long, green Margaret Island to your right, then Óbuda island where the Sziget Festival is staged, you head towards Óbuda, one third of the elements joined together to make Budapest in 1873. You pass the Roman attractions around Aquincum, site of a garrison 2,000 years ago, but perhaps shouldn’t pass up the chance to take a dip at the summer-only Római Strandfürdő lido or riverside Római Free Beach, either now or on the way back.

If later in the day, then the Danube-facing alfresco bars and eateries here come into their own. Once you reach the high-rise housing estates of Békásmegyer you’re halfway to Szentendre, a pretty, historic Danubian town of art galleries and Serbian churches. This is an overall journey of 25km and two hours from Budapest – and back, of course, unless you ride back with your bike on the HÉV suburban train. If it has three carriages, then bikes are allocated the middle one, or carriages two and five in the case of a six-carriage one. A cycle ticket is Ft 500 (€1.40) – the line is free up to the city limits at Békásmegyer. Ask one of the railway staff or a fellow cyclist at Szentendre – the station is inland, south of town centre.

On the way there, don’t miss the chance to pull up a deckchair at Kacsakő, a great open-air bar facing the river. Whether on two wheels or by HÉV train, alight at Rómaifürdő for those baths and/or alfresco bars.

There are few better places in Budapest for young ones to ride a bike in comparative safety than around the relatively traffic-free recreational retreat of Margaret Island. Adults can combine a ride along the Buda embankment (see above) or Pest rakpart (see above) with a relaxing cycle around the island by way of Margaret Bridge – a short rampway leads down to the island and its pathways from halfway along. Depending on who’s cycling, there are various attractions – a petting zoo, Japanese garden or historic monastic ruins – but all should enjoy the summer-only musical fountain, the views of the Danube, and a swim and splash at the Palatinus lido.

If you pack picnic stuff, there’s ample space to spread out and throw a ball or frisbee around. If you haven’t brought your own refreshments, Holdudvar has long been operating out of a historic building surrounded by century-old trees – films and football are screened in the evenings.

One of Budapest’s classic cycle rides is up the arrow-straight, tree-lined boulevard of Andrássy út to Heroes’ Square and City Park behind it. Starting off in the city centre at the junction of Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út and Andrássy, you pass several high-end fashion stores until you pass the Opera House, then reach the main junction of Oktogon.

Continuing in the same direction and crossing the Nagykörút, you’ll see the House of Terror to your left before you ride past the grand rond-pont of Kodály körönd, after which you’re in the diplomatic quarter. Flags indicate the prominent embassies – Russian, Korean, Bulgarian, Turkish – before, bookending Andrássy, the Serbian and Albanian outposts face each other at the gateway to Heroes’ Square.

Flanked by the stately institutions of the Museum of Fine Arts and Palace of Arts, this showcase public space is usually observed from on high by the Archangel Gabriel, currently undergoing renovation leaving a bare pillar and scaffolding. Behind, City Park welcomes visitors with a pretty lake and, to the right, Vajdahunyad Castle, a replica of one in Transylvania and a remnant of Hungary’s millennial celebrations of 1896. From here, cycle and walking paths fan out and attractions abound – the House of Music Hungary and its sound-themed playground, a tethered hot-air balloon for panoramic rides and another part of the lake with rowboat hire.

If you’re cycling with younger ones, occasional traffic does cross City Park, including trolleybuses, but if you want to drill the kids in the highway code, the KRESZ park-playground can be found by the Garden for the Blind in the north-east corner. For drinks, the authentically retro Pántlika Bistro sits by Hermina út along the north-eastern flank of the park.

The development of the long-neglected stretch of the Danube embankment in south Buda has opened it up to cyclists and recreation-seekers. A jaunt on this side of the river can begin at Margaret Bridge, passing Bem tér (see above Buda embankment north) and Batthyány tér opposite Parliament before gliding past the Chain Bridge and Elizabeth Bridge towards Liberty Bridge. The pavement hugging the river is divided half-and-half pedestrians and cyclists – watch out in case any of the many strolling tourists doesn’t stay in their lane – then runs in the shadow of Gellért Hill towards the illustrious hotel of the same name, closed for renovation.

Keeping the grandiose BME university building to your right, you pass the Buda bridgehead of prosaic Petőfi Bridge, after which you’re bound to spot the white-framed top deck of the A38 boat, a major concert venue, also open for meals and drinks from 10am. The next bridge, Rákóczi, follows pretty quickly after that, and now you’re in the area generally referred to as Kopászi-gát after the dam (gát) that was created here after the devastating city flood of 1838. The damming of 3km of riverfront created Lágymányosi Bay, exploited during the millennial celebration year of 1896 by a PT Barnum character of the time, Károly Somossy, to set up an entertainment park themed after Constantinople.

A century later, this notion – a recreation zone rather than a faux Istanbul-on-the-Danube – was revived with the creation of a green retreat. Largely underused until this stretch of south Buda became a valuable piece of real estate with the construction of the MOL tower and campus for the namesake energy giant, Kopászi-gát now has enough attractions to be worth a cycle ride in this direction. These include (pack your swimming gear) Flava Beach and, further down, Arasztó-part, as well as playgrounds and several open-air bar-restaurants.

If you’re here later in the afternoon, you could stick around to see whoever’s playing at major outdoor venue Dürer Kert, cycle-friendly and also open during the day at weekends in summer.

For cyclists who like a challenge rewarded with panoramic views, then a ride in the Buda hills should be for you. Of the various slopes to tackle, perhaps the most rewarding and least strenuous is the one leading from Normafa, a popular destination year-round. You’re allowed to take your bike onto buses 21 and 221 that run from Széll Kálmán tér, which take 20 minutes to reach Normafa or cycle up there using the BKK route planner. Normafa is a main setting-off point for jaunts into the Buda hills – this particular trek heads towards Anna meadow (Anna-rét), the stunning sight of Budapest laid out below also attracting skiers in winter.

Cyclists should follow the blue markings, which lead to the upper station of the Libegő cable car, with its own panoramic café if you need to take an early break. Pushing on, climbing the steeper slope of János-hegy, you’ll soon spot the Elizabeth Lookout Tower gleaming white against the greenery in summer. Built to honour the slain wife of Franz Joseph, a Hungarophile assassinated by Lake Geneva in 1898, this popular landmark is currently closed for renovation but as and when it reopens, can provide views all the way to Slovakia on clear days. Built on Budapest’s highest hill, this free attraction adds another 23 metres to the 527m of elevation you’re already standing on.

From here, cyclists should follow the red signs towards Szépjuhászné, the Beautiful Shepherdess, linked to a legend involving revered Renaissance King Matthias. It’s also one of eight stations on the famed Children’s Railway. Although cycles can’t be taken on board, a visiting train might make for a nice photo. Yellow signs then direct cyclists up towards pretty Nagy-Hárs-hegy, dotted with lookout towers, including a rather dramatic one 20 metres high named after Károly Kaán (Kaán Károly-kilátó), which gives you views of the surrounding hills as well as the city below. It is thanks to Kaán’s efforts between the wars that so much of this forest was preserved. Another marked and signposted cycle trail leads to the Makovecz Lookout Tower, named after the renowned Hungarian architect, the key landmarks of Budapest beckoning from the top, six metres high.

From here, Vólgy utca is close, and the tram stop of the same name for the 56, 56A and 61 services all the way back to Széll Kálmán tér (cycles allowed weekdays only). If it’s a weekend, it’s a pleasant downhill freewheel past Városmajor park, and the excellent Majorka café there.