Route
E4 leads mostly on the tracks of the National Blue Trail and the Great Plain Blue Trail in Hungary. Hiking on Blue Trails gives great opportunities for hikers, lone explorers, families, and nature-lovers to visit and discover new places and experience the world around us. The charm of hiking on Blue Trails is in recognizing the natural and cultural values of the country, but also in developing self-knowledge. If we set off alone, we get more time to pay attention inward, and if we go in company, we can acquire great community experience.
National Blue Trail, which is the longest marked hiking trail in Hungary, was on the list of the 25 travel destinations recommended by the National Geographic in 2020. This part of the country is wonderfully diverse in terms of topography, atmosphere, geological and cultural values.
Great Plain Blue Trail has wonderful unique assets of National Parks and Landscape Protection Areas. Its beauty has inspired many literary, musical and fine art works. The endless lowlands with wheat and sunflower fields waving in the light, summer breeze is the typical scene of this landscape. Hikers can experience the richness of authentic folk culture which is still existing and vivid today.
Starting Point
The first town from the Austrian border is Kőszeg (town in Austria: Rattersdorf), coordinates: 47.405224, 16.512313. From Austria, the green horizontal stripe
drives you on 2 km until you reach the National Blue Trail with its blue horizontal stripe
in Kőszeg.
End Point
Röszke, at the Serbian border (town in Serbia: Horgos/Хоргош), coordinates: 46.176075, 19.984549.
The yellow horizontal stripe
comes from Szeged and leads you to Röszke.
Which cities and towns does the E-path pass through
Kőszeg – Tömörd – Szeleste – Bögöt – Csénye – Sárvár – Gérce – Káld – Hosszúpereszteg – Kisvásárhely – Sümeg – Zalaszántó – Rezi – Hévíz – Keszthely – Gyenesdiás – Vállus – Lesenceistvánd – Lesencetomaj – Tapolca – Szigliget – Badacsonytördemic – Káptalantóti – Szentbékkálla – Balatonhenye – Nagyvázsony – Úrkút – Városlőd – Bakonybél – Borzavár – Zirc – Nagyesztergár – Bakonynána – Jásd – Tés – Bakonykúti – Kincsesbánya – Fehérvárcsurgó – Bodajk – Söréd – Csókakő – Gánt – Várgesztes – Szárliget – Mogyorósbánya – Tokod – Dorog – Kesztölc – Piliscsév – Piliscsaba – Budapest – Pilisborosjenő – Csobánka – Pilisszentkereszt – Pilisszentlászló – Visegrád – Nagymaros – Kóspallag – Nógrád – Szendehely – Ősagárd – Felsőpetény – Alsópetény – Romhány – Kétbodony – Becske – Szanda – Terény – Cserhátsurány – Nógrádsipek – Hollókő – Alsótold – Nagybárkány – Sámsonháza – Mátraverebély – Mátraszentimre – Gyöngyös – Sirok – Szarvaskő – Bélapátfalva – Mályinka – Dédestapolcsány – Uppony – Putnok – Kelemér – Gömörszőlős – Zádorfalva – Aggtelek – Jósvafő – Bódvaszilas – Bódvarákó – Tornabarakony – Rakacaszend – Irota – Felsővadász – Nyésta – Abaújszolnok – Baktakék – Fancsal – Encs – Gibárt – Hernádcéce – Boldogkőváralja – Arka – Mogyoróska – Regéc – Makkoshotyka – Sátoraljaújhely – Alsóberecki – Felsőberecki – Karos – Karcsa – Pácin – Cigánd – Tiszakanyár – Rétközberencs – Kisvárda – Anarcs – Gyulaháza – Nyírkarász – Rohod – Kántorjánosi – Nyírderzs – Nyírbátor – Nyírbogát – Nyírlugos – Nyíracsád – Létavértes – Pocsaj – Kismarja – Nagykereki – Bojt – Hencida – Gáborján – Berettyóújfalu – Bakonszeg – Zsáka – Furta – Körösszakál – Körösnagyharsány – Biharugra – Geszt – Zsadány – Okány – Vésztő – Körösladány – Dévaványa – Ecsegfalva – Mezőtúr – Szarvas – Eperjes – Gádoros – Árpádhalom – Nagymágocs – Derekegyház – Mindszent – Mártély – Szeged – Röszke.
Length
Total length of the E4 path in Hungary is 1790 km. Please note, that the length can be varied, always look for the actual track on the links below.
Ground path of the E-path
At the Austrian border, there is a 2-km-long section marked with
The longest part of the path (1720 km) goes on the Blue Trails
(on the National Blue Trail (1109 km) and on the Great Plain Blue Trail (610 km)). These two are connected with a blue cross
on 3 km. After Mindszent on the Great Hungarian Plain, the E-path turns to the red stripe
and onto the yellow one
after Szeged. The E4 path is not marked with a unique or specific sign, you need to follow these ones in the field.
The route has very different surfaces: asphalts, dirt roads and gravel are the main types, but due to the geography of the Nyírség, sandy roads are at present on the northeastern parts of the Great Hungarian Plain.
Responsible organization
Hungarian Hikers’ Association (Magyar Természetjáró Szövetség, short name MTSZ in Hungarian). MTSZ is responsible for the 3 long-distance Blue Trails in Hungary, while has received the right to keep a record of the standard waymarked-system in forestlands in Hungary. Therefore, the National Blue Trail and the Great Plain Blue Trail are officially managed by the association. These are the official pages, they are available only in Hungarian:
Official page of the Hungarian Hikers’ Association (MTSZ)
Official page of National Blue Trail and the Great Plain Blue Trail (managed by MTSZ)
Further information about Blue Trails (managed by MTSZ), the National Blue Trail has an English page with actual track, route details and points of interests.
Publications
Booklet of the National Blue Trail is available which covers the most part of the E4 in Hungary (only in Hungarian). There is a booklet for the Great Plain Blue Trail, too (all only in Hungarian).
Maps
Official track of the Great Plain Blue Trail: AK-05 to AK-13 covers this E-path.
You can download GPX files (only track, only stamping locations, or both) and details of stamping locations in English in pdf format).
Official track of the National Blue Trail: OKT-01 to OKT-26 covers this E-path.
You can download GPX files (only track, only stamping locations, or both) and details of stamping locations in English in pdf format).
The 3 Blue Trails together add up the National Blue Circle, which you can check here.
Public collection of hiking routes, the entire E4 path in Hungary is here or here. Some sections may be missing, but the waymarks can be followed and all tracks can be found here.
Marking system
Blue Trails have its own signpost system which you can see when you hike on a Blue Trail in Hungary. Yellow and blue signposts give you details about your location and sights along the route.
Another specialty is stamping locations along the Blue Trails. The Great Plain Blue Trail is a hiking movement with its ca. 870 km length, while The National Blue Trail is ca. 1170 km. You can achieve them by following the track and collecting the unique stamps in the field into a booklet (it includes maps of the track and stamping places, you can order it from the links above, it is available only in Hungarian).
Crossing other E-paths
E3 path goes along with this one on Great Plain Blue Trail for 275 km long (from Sátoraljaújhely to Nagykereki).
Practical
Accommodation
Since you travel through the countryside in rural areas, you pass a lot of tiny villages and towns. There is limited chance to book an accommodation online, but you can always find some on the spot; local people are very friendly and welcoming.
Food
There are little shops and local groceries in every town. Large cities have a lot of supermarkets and restaurants with local, traditional food.
Travel
Official page of local transportation (bus and train).
Keep in mind that these are small towns and buses are rare in periods of the year, so planning the trips in advance is recommended.
Gear
You don’t need any specific gear for this route. Hiking boots and trekking poles may be useful. Some sections of the E4 path in Hungary crosses the Great Hungarian Plain, where the terrain is extremely flat (mostly 100-120 m.a.s.l.).
Links
For weather forecast, other pages can be reliable, the official Hungarian site is here.