Hungary’s first passenger transport ropeway has well deservedly become one of the most popular attractions of the capital city. The Chairlift has transported visitors to János-hegy, the highest peak in the city, and back since 1970, on a track length of 1,040 metres covering a 262 m difference in elevation, in about 12 minutes each way. The 2,600-metre-long cable has 102 hanging double-chairs. 

History

The Chairlift in the Zugliget neighbourhood of the Buda Hills was opened on 20 August 1970. István Hantos Jr. prepared the construction plans for the aerial lift based on a German example, but realisation never happened due to the Second World War. The wire ropeway was the most practical solution to take tourists uphill, thus providing a travel option of a few minutes to János-hegy as opposed to a long walk of at least one and a half hours from the nearest tram line or from the cogwheel railway. A decision was made in the end in 1967 by the council of Budapest District 12 and several different designs were proposed regarding not only the location of the terminuses, but also whether hanging chairs or cabins should be used. The final plans were implemented according to the concepts of the Road and Railway Planner Company (UVATERV). 

Construction started on 24 March 1969. The special wire rope and chairs were imported from Austria, but whatever was possible was manufactured in Hungary. The National Mining Machinery Manufacturer Company was the main contractor of the construction, while the Coal Mining Company from the city of Tatabánya produced the steel pillars. 

A competition was launched to name the ropeway, which in itself was a major boost in the project’s popularity. The original list of proposed names contained a few remarkable ones, such as Hill-copter, Space Bus or János-hegy Hummer. The winning entry was “Lebegő” (Hovering thing), from which the current Hungarian name was created. 

The structure of the Chairlift is regularly checked, and if needed, bearings and wheels are replaced, the stretched rope is shortened. An extra power supply is available as a back-up for the electric engine moving the rope in case of power failures. There have been no accidents on the line, so the Chairlift can be considered the safest means of transportation in Budapest. 

The surroundings of the upper station of the Chairlift on János-hegy peak is being renovated and upgraded: a leisure park was set up with mobile pavilions and a wheelchair-accessible look-out point was created at the terrace of a former restaurant. 

• Phone numbers to call during the hours of operation: +36 1 391 0352; +36 1 394-3764
• Maintenance: on Mondays of even weeks, except on public holidays and non-working days (if maintenance falls on a public holiday or non-working day, the related work will be carried out on the first working day following that day).
• In case of a severe and lasting storm, the service might be suspended for a whole day as ordered by the operations manager. 

How to get to the Chairlift

• Address: 1121 Budapest, Zugligeti út 97.
• The lower station is located at the terminus of bus 291 in Zugliget. Bus 291 departs from Nyugati pályaudvar.

The upper station is accessible by taking buses 21 or 211 from Széll Kálmán tér to Normafa or 210B from Angyalföld on the weekends and then walking from there on the footpath for 20-30 minutes. 

Alternatively, a short walk through the forest from the János-hegy or Virágvölgy stations of the Children’s Railway will take you to the top station. 

Tickets

Discounts

Please note that in possession of the BudapestCard and BudapestCard Plus, you are entitled to free travel on the Zugliget Chairlift in both directions. You can get access to your Chairlift ticket at the buffets to be found at the stations of the Chairlift down in the valley and up on the hill.

Travel terms

Please observe the Terms and Conditions of Travelling, which are valid throughout the entire operational area of Zugliget Chairlift.

You can use the Zugliget Chairlift only with valid chairlift tickets purchased at the onsite ticket vendor machines or bought from the contracted partners of BKV Zrt, or online through the BudapestGo application. No other tickets and passes, nor any other travel documents, certificates entitling the holder to free travel, nor discounts for pensioners are valid for the Chairlift.

A one-way chairlift ticket entitles the holder to one ride, while a two-way chairlift ticket entitles the holder to two rides in any direction during the official operating hours of the Zugliget Chairlift. The holder of a one-way ticket is entitled to one ride in any direction. The holder of a two-way ticket is entitled to two rides in any chosen direction; however, this ticket may not be used for one ride by two persons in the same direction simultaneously. Furthermore, 30 minutes before closing two-way ticket cannot be purchased.  The chairlift ticket is valid for one year after the day of purchase. In case of a two-way ticket, if only one of the rides took place on the day of the purchase, there is a possibility to use the ticket for another ride in any of the directions for one year after the day of the purchase. Lost tickets cannot be replaced. Please, present the ticket for validation, and in the case of an online ticket, please, after validation show it to the inspecting staff upon request.

Small children up to the age of three may travel free of charge, sitting on the lap of the accompanying adult. Older children up to 15 (between ages 3 and 14) can travel with a Child Ticket. Children under the age of 10 may use the Chairlift only if accompanied by an adult. Young customers between the ages of 15 and 26 may travel with Student ticket, which can be purchased if a valid Student Card is presented.

Ticket refunds

If an invoice is requested, please, keep your ticket since without it we cannot issue the invoice. In case of tickets purchased from the vendor machine, please, write a request to BKV Touristic Services Group (1980 Budapest, Akácfa u. 15.) and send it - without delay - by post, and attach the tickets, the invoicing information and a self-addressed envelope with a stamp. Or you can request it by sending an e-mail to libegoszamlabkv.hu, with the invoicing information and the legible electronic copy of the tickets. In case of tickets bought through BudapestGo App you can request an invoice only in the BudapestGo.

Chairlift tickets can only be refunded if the Chairlift is out of service due to technical reasons (such as weather conditions preventing operation for more than one hour, technical malfunction, power outage, or an authority‑ordered shutdown). If - with a two-way ticket - the Customer could take only one trip and he/she demands partial refunding, BKV Zrt. will refund 50% of the fare. With a two-way ticket, if the Customer cannot or does not wish to start the second trip during the operating hours, he/she can use it for a single trip within a year. Refunding can be carried out the following way: please, send us by post the ticket valid for one further trip which has not been used due to technical reasons to the following address: BKV Zrt.  Turisztikai Szolgáltatási Csoport, 1980 Budapest, Akácfa u. 15. or online, please, send the photo(s) of the ticket(s) cut in half diagonally in e-mail to libegoszamlabkv.hu. For the refund of the ticket price, please, provide the bank account number and the full name of the bank account holder; in the case of a foreign bank account, please provide also the IBAN number and the BIC/SWIFT code.

Chair Capacity

a) a maximum of two adult passengers;
b) one adult and up to two children under the age of 10;
c) if one adult and one child under the age of 10 are seated, one additional piece of hand luggage (for example, a stroller) may also be transported

The Chairlift chairs are in uninterrupted motion during boarding and disembarking, therefore, the Chairlift may only be used at one’s own risk. The accompanying adult is responsible for the safety of any child under the age of 10. After boarding, passengers must fully lower the safety bar of the chair and keep it lowered for the entire duration of the ride. (You can practice the proper use on the demonstration chair located in the covered out-door area of the Zugliget valley station). Before disembarking, it is also the passenger who must raise the safety bar themselves.

Entering the technical area closed from public access is strictly prohibited. Passengers are always required to get off the chairs, at both stations, and they must queue up again at the boarding area for the return trip.

Transporting hand-luggage, skis, sled, stroller, children’s bike

Every passenger holding a valid ticket may carry one piece of hand luggage free of charge, with maximum dimensions of 40 × 50 × 60 centimetres and a maximum weight of 10 kilograms, respectively, one pair of skis and ski poles. A stroller may be carried as hand luggage only in a folded state, and only by an adult passenger.

A children’s bicycle that does not exceed the size of hand luggage, or one sled, may be transported as hand luggage by passengers who are at least 10 years old. Hand luggage or any other item (such as a bicycle) that exceeds the above size, weight or quantity limits may not be transported, even for an additional fee. If the conditions for safe travel are not met, the luggage – and potentially the journey – may be refused. In the above case, please return the ticket by post to the following address: BKV Zrt.  Turisztikai Szolgáltatási Csoport, 1980 Budapest, Akácfa u. 15.

In the event of a storm that is expected to persist, the Chairlift may be closed for the entire day at the decision of the operations manager.

Between 1 November and 31 March (e.g. in the event of low passenger numbers) the operations manager may decide to operate the Chairlift on an hourly schedule (departing every full hour).

Live animals (such as small dogs) may only be transported on the chairlift by an adult passenger holding a valid ticket, and only in a closed carrier that does not exceed hand‑luggage size (40 × 50 × 60 cm). The passenger transporting the animal is responsible for its safety and must ensure that the animal cannot escape under any circumstances during the journey. Any deviation from this is strictly prohibited.

At the Stations of Zugliget Chairlift it is forbidden to:

• remain on the premises outside opening hours;
• carry out any commercial activity without authorization;
• post, remove or display any notices or advertisements;
• disturb others through noise or any other activity;
• behave in a scandalous or otherwise offensive manner;
• stay in the boarding area without a valid chairlift ticket.

During the ride, it is frobidden to:

• smoke;
• eat or drink;
• raise the safety bar of the chair;
• stand up on the chair or its footrest, or lean too far forward;
• swing or rock the chair;
• drop litter or any objects from the chair, or damage the cableway or its equipment

The following persons are not permitted to ride:

• anyone who cannot present a valid ticket at boarding;
• anyone behaving in a scandalous and/or offensive manner;
• children under 10 years of age without an accompanying adult holding a valid ticket;
• persons with severely limited mobility, or those who are intoxicated or under the influence of drugs;
• anyone carrying objects that do not qualify as hand luggage;
• anyone whose hand luggage is deemed unsuitable for transport by the Chairlift operators;
• anyone attempting to board with ice cream, gelato, drinks in open cups or unsealed containers, etc.

For your safety, please comply with the Terms and Conditions of Travelling and follow the instructions given by the Chairlift staff. Passengers who violate these conditions may, in extreme cases, be refused travel. Any act of damage will always result in official proceedings. BKV Zrt. accepts no liability for the consequences of such actions.