Hikes and pilgrimages, where not only the body but also the soul is refreshed

The Hungarian Pilgrim’s Way runs from Esztergom to Máriagyűd, with a total length of 431 km. On the Christian spiritual journey, you can enjoy peace, friendship, reflection, love and tranquillity as you pass through the holy places of our homeland. But the path can be taken regardless of religion, and can help you to sort out your life, purify and recharge. From north to south, you can also follow historic routes such as the Árpád-era roads, the Jerusalem road or the Roman road. The pilgrimage route, which is open from March to mid-November, is also unique from a natural point of view: half of it is mountainous, the other half is lowland plain. It passes through beautiful places such as the Pilis Mountains, the Kiskunság National Park and the Mecsek Mountains. If you want to cover the whole trip, you need at least 16 days, but you can also choose to cover only certain parts. Along the way you can also find pilgrim accommodation, but you will need a pilgrim pass to get a discount. You can walk the route as an individual or in a small group.

On the Trail of Medieval Churches you can discover the historically and art-historically significant churches of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, Transylvania and Transcarpathia. But most of the attractions are in our country. You can also take part in various heritage tours along the route. On the St. László heritage tour, for example, you can visit churches, castles and palaces linked to the life of one of our most famous saints. The ‘Route of the Reformation’ heritage tour takes us through the Gothic world to the cradle of the Reformation and Hungarian literature, visiting churches that are also significant in terms of religious history. And as part of the Historic Sites Heritage Tour, you can travel through the Nyírség region to the Gothic, Baroque and Romantic eras. Whichever route you choose, the journey through history and the atmosphere of the sacred spaces will refresh your soul while bringing you closer to your past.

 

The Way of St. James is part of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route, which ends in Santiago de Compostela. Of course, you don’t have to walk there, the Hungarian section also carries the message of getting on the road and the “inner journey”. The purpose of the Way of St. James is to make the human a pilgrim who is attentive to God, to himself or herself, to nature and to his or her fellow human beings. Not only can it take us out of our daily lives, but it also has the power of community. This is best experienced in the moments when we meet other walkers, support each other through the challenges of the trek, or simply enjoy each other’s company for a few kilometres. You can also start from Budapest or Tihany and enjoy the scenery of the Transdanubian countryside to Lébény, the shrine of St. James.

If you start from Budapest, you walk along the Camino Húngaro. We go about 200 km through the Zsámbék Basin, the Gerecse Mountains, the Kisalföld and the Hanság region. Sights such as the ruins of the church of Zsámbék, the castle of Tata, the Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma or the beautiful city centre of Győr will accompany you on your journey. If you start your journey from Tihany, you will follow the Camino Benedictus, which is 170 km long. Walking along the road, you can admire the Tihany Peninsula and the Bakony Mountains before the Kisalföld and Hanság region. On the way, we can stop at the ancient lavender field of Tihany, the St. James Spring in Vászoly, the Kinizsi Castle in Nagyvázsony, the Benedictine monastery in Bakonybél, and then explore the sights of Pannonhalma and Győr. The website of the Way of St. James also gives practical advice on how to prepare yourself spiritually, and you can also read reports from other pilgrims, so you will certainly find a lot of information useful for your journey.