Heves: Nature, Culture and Winter Sports
Accommodation in Heves
You can enjoy winter sports at Kékestető in winter. Heves also offers nature and cultural experiences in various parts of the county. If you are looking for accommodation, first decide whether protected landscapes, nature trails, wine and textile culture, or winter activities should shape your stay. Then choose a location based on the destinations that matter most to you.
Landscapes and nature trails
The Hevesi Füves Puszták Landscape Protection Area lies in the southern part of Heves County. It covers 16,114 hectares and was designated in 1993. Following expansions in 2005 and 2008, the protected area reached its current extent. Its large size gives nature a clear landscape focus in Heves.
The 6.5-kilometre Ilona Valley Nature Trail runs along the Ilona Stream. Its topics include the geological features of the Eastern Mátra Mountains and evidence of former ore mining. Geology and mining history come together here on one trail, giving it a different focus from nature observation alone.
The Pély-Ludas Nature Trail introduces visitors to the grassland habitats of the Heves Plain. These include saline grasslands, marshes and bodies of water, as well as scrubland, semi-natural woodland and forests. The wildlife of these habitats and the population of European rollers are also among the topics. The variety therefore ranges from wetlands to wooded areas and forests.
Wine and textile culture
The Szépasszony Valley comprises Eger’s largest contiguous area of wine cellars. Wine culture and the associated gastronomy are among its most important tourist attractions. For a walk in the Szalajka Valley in Szilvásvárad, crispy fried trout with potatoes and pickled cucumber is recommended as a meal.
Another cultural connection is the Hevesi szőttes, a textile heritage from Heves County. It is associated with Heves, Mátraderecske and Bodony. Alongside wine and gastronomy, textile culture and its links to these places are therefore also topics to consider when planning your trip. Beyond Heves, Hungary’s Tokaj wine region offers another cultural dimension related to wine: its living winemaking tradition has been documented since 1561 and also includes Tokaji Aszú.
Hiking and winter at Kékestető
The section of the Országos Kéktúra in Heves County includes an ascent of Kékestető, the highest point in Hungary. Together with the winter sports opportunities at Kékestető, this gives visitors two different ways to experience the mountain: climbing it as part of a long-distance hiking route, or enjoying winter activities. These two themes offer different ways to focus a stay.
A county tourism programme from 2021 also provides a regional context: it listed Mátra-Bükk alongside the Tisza-tó area as one of the county’s priority tourism areas.
Discover more destinations: Gyöngyös, Pétervására, Bélapátfalva, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Baranya, Pest, Fejér, Tolna.
For the main travel overview: Hungary.
