At 528 metres, leafy János-hegy (‘János Hill’) is the highest point in Budapest. Its summit is crowned by the Erzsébet-kilátó (‘Elizabeth Lookout Tower’), named after revered Habsburg Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Built in 1910 according to a design by Frigyes Schulek of Fishermen’s Bastion fame, the tower was completely rebuilt in the early 2000s. A 100-step spiral staircase gives access to the upper tier of this wedding-cake construction, and its views stretching as far as 80 kilometres and the High Tatra mountains on a clear day. The easiest way to reach the tower is by taking the Chairlift to its top terminus or the Children’s Railway to János-hegy, then prepare yourself for a ten-minute calf-crunching walk.
