Our restaurant is more then a place with refreshing drinks and wholesome food. It is built in the arms of the Széchenyi-hill, where the mother nature hides lot of interesting sites.
Cogwheel Railway (Fogaskerekű)
The end-station of the Railway is right next to the Kőbüfé. It goes form the Városmajor, and has a rest in front of our restaurant.
The Cogwheel Railway means for us lot of memories, and it is beautiful to know, that it can be shared even today with our children. It hauls itself up the steep hills using a cog system underneath the train, which engages with a rack on the tracks. Now it will developed, so it will get some extra power and it will be faster, and will be able to roll even 40 km\h.
Children’s Railway
A few steps from the restaurant is the Children’s Railway Széchényi-hill stop. After a wholesome lunch you can go till Hűvösvölgy (end station).
It has a 11.2 km line with the following stations: Széchenyi-hegy állomás – Normafa megállóhely – Csillebérc állomás – Virágvölgy állomás – János-hegy állomás – Vadaspark megállóhely – Szépjuhászné állomás – Hárs-hegy állomás – Hűvösvölgy állomás
Timetable
It is a great joy for children, just like the cogwheel railway, but is something more than that. Children can here be part of the magic. They control the traffic and do other jobs, operate the switches and signals, print tickets and keep passengers informed, on their own.
Normafa
Normafa is great place for a trip or just for a walk in the clean air. It looks beautiful in the winter when it is covered with snow and offers the possibility to ski or to sled. It is just 10 minutes from our Restaurant. The Name Normafa comes from a real tree, that had grown in that area and a legend has it, that even our King Matthew (1458 – 1490) had a rest underneath it.
It has been hit many times by thunders, but it could hold its ground. Finally on 19. Jun 1927 is the tree destroyed by a giant thunder.
The tree itself got its name from the artists of the National Theater. They liked this area very much and used to visit it, when they had a vacation. Once Rozália Klein Schodoláné (one of the famous actors of the theater) sang here a part of the opera “Bellini Norma”.
This is a memento to these actors. The tree had basically the name Viharbükk.
Look-out Tower János Hill
The János Hill was a famous place to visit before the tower is even built. You can reach it on foot, or by the Children’s Railway. It is not far from the Kőbüfé. A legend has it, that even the highest tops of the Tátra can be seen from the János Hill, if the weather is clear. Its name may come from János Hunyadi, who got rescued by a beautiful Greek woman (has it the legend).
The 100 years old Look-out: Tower is for everyone in the region, especially for us a big value. It is not only remaining for the future, but it is now renovated. Even the Jánoshegyi road got a new look. Now a special, elastic surface waits for the joggers, up to the János Hill. The two playgrounds are completely renovated as well.
Chair lift (Libegő)
Another hidden treasure is the Chair Lift in Zugliget. You can enjoy it up and down, regardless how old You are, You will definitely like the 1040 meter rout. The Chair lift starts from Zugliget. This valley has been formed by water for thousand years. The dolomite is clearly visible if we look at the Szószék Rock that sits underneath the Tündér-rock and the Hunyad-ridge. The Libegő first lift You up over the woods, then over some nice private properties and the end-station is near to the Tower in János-hill.
Another feeling is to coming down by the Chair lift. The view is amazing. All the hills, the Hármashatár-hill, the Pilis are there. Budapest from that distance is like a scale-modell. If the weather is clear, You can eves see the Naszály-hill, that is in Vác! As we arrive to the end-station all the trees covered houses and little temples com out from the woods. The Chair Lift is worthy of a ride. Rather for two. Up and down.
Challengeland
The Challengeland Kalandpálya in Normafa is the biggest cable-railway adventure park in Hungary. Imagine a monumental map: about 3 hectare with 200 checkpoints. This is the ultimate chance to test Your skills, Your speed, Your fit. There are many levels, from beginner to hardcore.
The rope and cable-railway means, that the rope is band to the trunk of the trees and to objects between them. The player (child or adult) has to pass all the checkpoints one by one, alone. By enjoying the game is the safety absolutely guaranteed. The Company has high-tech accessories and a highly trained personal.
Luckily, is the Chellangeland by Children’s Railway only a few minutes from our restaurant.
