In today’s fast-paced lifestyle, there is a great need to get away from the urban, smoggy environment and get away from the concrete jungle to recharge in nature.

The surroundings of Matrafured offer the perfect opportunity for this, as the untouched nature, the mountains, the silence, the fresh air really make us forget the worries of everyday life.

As proof of the legendary good air, there is even a sanatorium in the area, in Mátraháza to be precise. It is worth noting that when it was built (after Trianon), it was the largest pulmonary hospital in Europe.

The health benefits are also enhanced by long hikes and pleasant walks in the surrounding hills, forests and developed hiking trails.

 

Mátrafüred is one of the best choices in the country, the perfect destination for nature lovers.

The endless landscapes, the mountains and valleys, the all-encompassing woodlands really do smooth out a nervous system that has been tired during a stressful weekday. Especially when you add to this the fact that the only noise you hear here is not the noise of city traffic, but the chirping of birds.

It really gives us a chance to relax, to take our minds off our worries, and to reflect on our current life situation with a bit of outside perspective.

All this is absolutely doable on your own, but it’s also a perfect family activity – but couples or groups of friends can also spend a great time in Mátrafüred (even just for a relaxing long weekend).

The landscape of Matrafured is beautiful at any time of the year, with colourful leaves in autumn and snow-white scenery in winter.

In the summer, during the heatwave, it is also a pleasant way to relax, as the climate is much cooler than the hot concrete in the cities.

 

Attractions, programmes, curiosities

If you want to do something other than hiking, there are plenty of ways to spend your free time in a useful and pleasant way.

 

• The Kozmáry Lookout, located near Mátrafüred, was built in 1900 and stands more than 370 metres high on the Dobogó Stone hill. From here you have a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains, the Matra Valley and the town of Gyöngyös, as it offers a panoramic view.

 

• Amennyiben a helyi kultúrára lennénk kíváncsiak, remek lehetőség a Palóc Néprajzi Magángyűjtemény és Babakiállítás gyűjteménye, amely már lassan 30 éve megtekinthető Mátrafüreden. The material of the collection has been built up since 1945, and the old embroideries, home textiles and costume pieces were bought piece by piece, travelling around Palócland.The exhibition’s location changed several times, but finally, since 1996, it has been on permanent display in the old primary school in Mátrafüred. An interesting feature of “Palocland” is that traditionally almost every village or group of villages has its own separate costume. The 30 dolls, dressed in folk costumes, present this diversity, all reflecting the old peasant way of life.A different collection of dolls is intended to present the historical costumes of Hungary, introducing visitors to the Hungarian noble and bourgeois dress culture from the Middle Ages to the early 1900s. Medieval royal couples, Gothic and Renaissance ladies, late Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo couples.

 

• The Muzsla-roof fortressis a fortress in the Mátra, an early Árpád-era building.

 

• The Benevar is located between the Somor and Csatorna streams, at an altitude of about 470 metres. According to the legends, at the time of the conquest of Hungary, he donated a large piece of land in the woods of the Mátra to one of Árpád’s leaders, Edömér. Destroyed during the Tartar invasion, the rebuilt castle was the seat of the Aba clan, but became the property of King Matthew Csák and later King Sigismund, until it was finally destroyed by the Hussites. In the 1980s, archaeological excavations were carried out and the remains of the castle, which was in a state of continuous decay, were added to.

 

• A Sástó Magyarország legmagasabban fekvő tava (tengerszint feletti magassága 507 méter), amely kiváló csónakázó- és horgászhely. What’s more, it has a 50-metre-high observation tower, which is particularly interesting because it was built from a disused drilling rig.
  

  

  

  

• In 2019, the Mátra Goose was opened to the public, connecting Sásto and the Oxygen Adrenalin Park and transporting passengers over a length of 500 metres. From the cable car you can see Sástó, Gyöngyös, and on a clear day even the Alföld or the mountains around the capital.

 

• For those looking for a similarly active and exciting programme, there is also a bobsleigh track and a toboggan run.

 

• The famous Kékes, the highest mountain peak in Hungary, is located near Mátrafüred.

 

 

Accessibility, transport

An advantageous aspect, which is also in favour of Matrafured, is the easy accessibility, which helps a lot when looking for the ideal place for a little inland tourism and recreation.

Matrafured lies on the south side of the Mátra Mountains, at the south-western foot of the Kékes block, at an altitude of 320-390 metres above sea level, on the banks of the Bene stream, between Gyöngyös and Mátraháza. The easiest way to reach it is by the main road 24, but it can also be reached by small railway.

Lookouts have been built on the ridges above Bene, and shelters and resting places in the valleys.

 

It is interesting that already in 1908 the Gyöngyös-Parád wagon road was built.

 

The Gyöngyös State Forest Railway, or more commonly known as the Mátra Railway, is a forest railway running along the southern side of the Mátra Mountains. Its special feature is that it is the last narrow-gauge railway in Hungary to provide regular passenger services on two lines.

From the train you have a 22-minute ride with a beautiful view of the Mátra Mountains towards the bérce mountains. For a long time you can admire the “top of the country”, the peak of Kékes and the surrounding green expanse.

If you want to get a closer look at the beauty of nature, you can walk north from the railway terminus directly under the fork rows along the Bene stream and find well-marked hiking trails to Máriácska, Rákóczi Spring, Gyökeres Spring, Benevár Rivers, Mátraháza and Kékestető.

Along the creek, aesthetic rest houses and barbeque areas await those who wish to relax.