What to see
The surroundings of Szilvásvárad, rich in natural and cultural sights, has countless things to discover, so our guesthouse is an ideal starting point for day-long trips. The nearby Szalajka Valley, the lesser-known Uppony Mountains, the Lázbérc Reservoir, and the tourist trails of the Bükk Mountains (including the popular National Blue Trail) invite you to go on nature walks. The neighboring villages are full of monuments, castle ruins, churches, and mansions. We have collected some of them on this page.
Szilvásvárad village walk
If you would like to get to know the essence of the village, this approximately 6 km circular walk takes in the most beautiful sights and viewpoints on the edge of the village. It can be shortened or modified as desired. If you are curious about the history of the village and the surrounding area, don't miss the Orbán House and the Archeopark located opposite our house, across the stream!
WHAT TO SEE
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Calvinist Round Church The biggest calvinist round church in the world from the early 19th century.
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Meadows above Kis-erdő (Bérci-út) We always like to look down on the village from here, it is especially worth walking up before sunset.
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Lipizzaner Exhibition
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Former Keglevich-Pallavicini Château and Park
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Carriage Exhibition
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Orbán House Local History Exhibition and Archeopark
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Szalajka Valley walk
The Szalajka Valley is an unmissable sight of the village. The valley, which creeps into the highest peaks of the Bükk Mountains, is a popular tourist destination with waterfalls, lakes, a forestry museum, and a prehistoric cave. The country's most popular and busiest forest railway is also located here.
WHAT TO SEE
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Szilvásvárad State Forest Railway (timetable)
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Szalajka Valley Information House
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Forestry Museum
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Great Lake
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Rock Spring
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Open-air Forestry Museum
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Fátyol-vízesés (Veil Falls)
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Gloriette Meadow
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Upper Lake
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Istállós-kői-barlang (Istállóskő Cave prehistoric site)
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Szalajka Spring
GASTRO TIP
You should try the local smoked trout at the Sáfrány trout yard in the Valley close to the Rock Spring.
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Short circular hike on the Bükk Plateau
The Bükk Plateau is one of the most interesting areas of Hungary, an undulating plateau at an altitude of 600-900 meters. On this 12 km circular hike, you can experience the essence of this special landscape. The starting point of the hike is the parking lot in front of the Olasz-kapu, which can be reached from Szilvásvárad by car or even by bicycle/e-bike. (A toll must be paid at the barriers on the road leading from the village to the Bükk Plateau.)
WHAT TO SEE
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Olasz-kapu (Italian Gate) The Olasz-kapu rock cut was completed by 18 Italian prisoners of war under the direction of Gáspár Thurzó in 1918 to pave the way for the construction of a light railway. A memorial plaque in the rock wall commemorates the hard work.
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Körös-barlang. The highest cave above sea level in Hungary.
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Szilvási-kő. The highest peak of the Bükk (but without a view).
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Tar-kő. Stunning view from the southern edge of the Plateau.
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Zsidó-rét. With its huge, juniper-covered mounds, it is perhaps the most beautiful and typical meadow on the Plateau.
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Castle-conquering hike to Dédes Castle from Mályinka and back
Mályinka is one of the loveliest villages in the area, a place we always enjoy returning to. Nestled at the northern foothills of the Bükk Mountains, the village was once overlooked by the legendary Dédes Castle, of which only a few walls remain today. Still, the castle hill is well worth the climb for the panoramic views alone. The 10-kilometre round-trip hike involves some serious ascents, but rewards hikers with breathtaking scenery — and can be perfectly rounded off with an authentic Michelin-starred culinary experience at the end.
WHAT TO SEE
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Reformed church and belfry. The wooden belfry, built in 1785, is the "landmark" of the village.
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Begyeleg lookout
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Dédes castle hill and castle ruins with panorama
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Dédes Small Castle (rock-climbing site)
GASTRO TIP
An unmissable gastronomic destination in Mályinka is the Michelin Bib Gourmand award-winning Iszkor, with special dishes prepared by locals using local ingredients. If you're lucky, you might even catch a concert or an open-air cinema.
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Hike through the Uppony Mountains
We recommend this hike to those who are more attracted to lesser-known, almost tourist-free regions. The Uppony Mountains and its surroundings are exactly like that. The hike we personally tested, starting from the village center of Bánhorváti, passes by the most exciting sights of the mountain range: the legendary Damasa Gorge, Három-kő Ridge, Kalica Hill, the Uppony Gorge, and then returns to Dédestapolcsány along the shore of the Lázbérc Reservoir. Both endpoints of the 17-kilometre hike can also be reached by bus from Szilvásvárad.
WHAT TO SEE
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Platthy Castle in Bánhorváti. A beautiful baroque chateau surrounded by a 12-acre ancient park.
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Damasa Gorge. One of the most spectacular 20m deep rock gorges in Hungary. Local legends are connected to the circumstances of its formation.
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Három-kő-bérc. The National Blue Trail also passes by this special volcanic rock formation, from which a magnificent panorama opens up in the direction of the Bükk Mountains.
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Kalica-tető / Herkó Páter-cross. Breathtaking view of the Lázbérc water reservoir.
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Uppony Strait
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Lázbérc water reservoir. One of the largest reservoirs in Northern Hungary, created by damming the Bán stream in the late 1960s to meet the water needs of the Sajó Valley industrial region (Ózd and Kazincbarcika).
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Architectural time travel in Ózd and its surroundings
Few people would probably think of Ózd — the legendary former industrial city — and its surroundings as a destination full of diverse attractions spanning different historical eras, yet the area around the former ironworks is well worth a one-day road trip.
WHAT TO SEE
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Evangelical Church of the sheet metal factory, Borsodnádas. One of the lesser-known gems of Hungarian art deco architecture. Architect: Pál Szontágh
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Arló Lake. A lake suitable for swimming, formed by a landslide, in a beautiful environment reminiscent of Transylvanian landscapes.
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Digital Power Plant. The former Art Nouveau factory hall is special just for its size. An award-winning rehabilitation designed by architect Györgyi Csontos with contemporary additions.
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National Film History Adventure Park. Interactive exhibition about the history of Hungarian film in a former industrial monument just next to the Digital Power Plant.
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Ózd Museum Collection and Factory Historical Memorial Park
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Art Nouveau Building of the "Readers Society" (Olvasói Egylet).
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Romanesque church of Szentsimon. Medieval church with the oldest painted wooden coffered ceiling in Hungary (from 1650) and frescoes from the 14th-15th centuries.
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Roman Catholic Rotunda in Kissikátor. Baroque Rotunda built on Romanesque foundations with a unique 18th century circular painted wooden coffered ceiling.
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Medieval churches and the mini-Versailles of northern Hungary in the Bódva Valley
Our guesthouse is an ideal starting point for exploring one of the country’s most secluded yet monument-rich regions, the valleys of the Bódva and the Sajó rivers, even as part of a one-day road trip. The area’s most important sights are mainly located in Rudabánya and Edelény, but the surrounding smaller villages also hide remarkable medieval churches.
WHAT TO SEE
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Zubogy, medieval Reformed church
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Rudabánya, Gothic Reformed church
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Rudabánya, Bányató and Rudapithecus Spectacle
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Szalonna, Árpád-era Reformed church
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Rakacaszend, Árpád-era Reformed church
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Tornaszentandrás, Árpád-era twin-sanctuary church
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Edelény, Borsod country house and mini-open-air museum
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Edelény, L'Huillier–Coburg Palace. The mini-versailles of North Hungary is the prominent example of early Baroque architecture.
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Boldva, three-nave Reformed church
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Sajószentpéter, Reformed church
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