Buda Hills, skiing just 20 minutes from the town centre

The Normafa, also known as Svábhegy, is a nature park above Budapest. It is mainly a hiking and jogging destination, but it is also possible to ski there in winter. The park is located 20 minutes from the city centre by car and is 477 m above sea level. You can even get there on foot or by bike if you're feeling brave, but beware of the climb. It's a 1 hour and a half walk from the town centre. However, bearing in mind that the 0.3km-long, medium-level slope that awaits you has no ski lift, it's best to conserve your energy. Many local sports enthusiasts take advantage of the lack of ski lifts to combine running and skiing. It takes quite a bit of training, but they run to the top of the piste, put on their skis and ski down. The other advantage is that access to the piste is completely free.

Fortunately Dobogókő will let you rest on the buttock pull. That said, it will cost you 6,000 forints, or around £12. For this price, the resort offers almost 3km of beginner to advanced pistes. This area is more varied than the first, and you only have to travel 25km from Budapest to get there. What's more, the resort is typically Hungarian, a far cry from the touristy side of Budapest. Few holidaymakers go there, and there are a few yurts where locals will serve you coffee and local pastries. Be warned though, very few speak English. The language is not widely spoken in the country and the locals will not fail to answer you in Hungarian no matter what language you use. The slopes are open from 9am to 4pm.

In the Buda hills, during the summer season, you can take part in a cross-country bike tour starting directly from the city centre. The route takes you past a number of monuments, including the parliament building, before heading off in the direction of Normafa Park and continuing on to a thrilling descent. Because it's all in good fun, the hills are climbed with a cograil, a ski lift for bicycles. In the same vein, a local pastry, rétes, a kind of butter strudel, is included in the package. The tour ends with a return to the city, passing through Budapest's residential districts. All that remains is to relax in a nearby bar to round off the day in style.

🚌 Transport: Although Normafa is easiest to get to by car thanks to the car parks located there, it is also possible to get there by bus thanks to line 221 and its terminus. To get to the Buda end of the line, you can take trams 41, 56 and 56A and get off at the "Déli Pályaudvar M" stop.