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Dobogóko and Dömös |
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Standing in the shadow of 756-metre-high Pilis-teto, DOBOGÓKO has
been a hiking centre since the late nineteenth century, when one of
Hungary's first hostels was established here, and is still the best base
for walking in the Pilis. The most popular way to see the area is to
take the bus up (buses leave hourly at weekends and every two hours on
weekdays from just by the HÉV terminal at Pomáz, and twice daily from
Budapest's Árpád híd terminal), and then to walk down the Rám precipice
- a four- to five-hour hike that's not advisable in wet weather - to
Dömös, which offers fabulous views down to the river.
The hostel building at Dobogóko, just up through the trees from where
the buses turn round, is now home to the small Museum of Rambling and
Nature Tourism (Thurs, Sat & Sun 9am-2pm; 80Ft). Exhibits include old
photos of the area, showing that there was hardly a tree around the
village a hundred years ago, and some old equipment, including skis with
a strip of seal fur on the bottom to prevent the ski from slipping
downhill. However, most of the information is in Hungarian, so you will
probably want to pass quickly round and get back in the open air. Behind
the museum is an observation point which affords lovely views of Szob
and Zebegény.
The Eötvös Loránd Tourist House next to the museum offers the cheapest
accommodation around (tel 26/347-534; dorm beds 1500-3000Ft), whilst
tents can be pitched on the grassy area in front of the house; ask there
for permission. Campers can use the Tourist House 's bathroom and
restaurant, which serves strudels and other snacks during the week, and
lunch at weekends from noon to around 6pm. Just down from here is the
Hotel Nimród (tel 26/347-644, fax 347-653, www.hotels.hu/nimrod_hotel ;
7000-10,000Ft), an unappealing place swamped in heavy brown décor. There
are two further possibilities on the main road leading up to Dobogóko,
about 1km from the top of the hill: the Platán Panzió (tel & fax
26/347-680, www.hotels.hu/platan_dobogoko ; 3000-5000Ft) has bright,
wood-furnished rooms and an attractive restaurant, while the Pilis Hotel
(tel 26/347-522, fax 347-557, www.hotels.hu/pilis_hotel ; 7000-10,000Ft)
is only marginally more dour than the Nimrod.
Aside from the hotels, for food there is the Ízek Háza , opposite the
Hotel Nimrod (Fri-Sun noon-8pm), or the Bohém Tanya by the car park at
the bus terminus (Mon-Sat noon-10pm, Sun noon-6pm), both serving solid
Hungarian fare; or for a filling bean goulash or toasted sandwiches head
300m down past the Hotel Nimród to the Zsindelyes Csárda , a wooden
construction by Imre Makovecz, which also houses the engine house of the
ski lift.
Walking up to Dobogóko from the river, the best starting point is DÖMÖS
, 7km west of Visegrád, where buses between Visegrád and Esztergom stop
off. Inconspicuous wooden signposts near the stream in the centre of the
village indicate the start of trails into the hills, which abound in
raspberries during early summer. Follow the Malom tributary for 2.5km
and you'll reach a path that forks right for the Rám precipice (3hr) and
Dobogóko (4-5hr), and left for the Vadálló Rocks (3hr) beneath the
towering "Pulpit Seat" - a 641-metre crag that only the experienced
should attempt to climb.
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