Kékestető from Gyöngyös

Hungary’s highest road — long, steady, scenic forest climb. Perfect for threshold training.

I rated it as a must do, because if you are in Hungary, this is THE mountain. Yes, it's nothing compared to the Alps, but it's all we have.

The first section on the main road is fairly easy at 4-5％, with moderate traffic. From Mátraháza you turn right and immediately get hit with 8-9％ gradients. There's less traffic here and the surface was recently redone.

Kopec si vyžiada trochu námahy skôr v druhej polovici, najmä v lete v.kombinacii s teplom. Prvá časť je na vcelku frekventovanej ceste, záver prechádza príjemným lesom. Pekné miesto na krátku zastávku (a výkon) po ceste na inú destináciu.

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The climb requires a bit more effort, especially in the second half, particularly during summer when combined with heat. The first part is on a fairly busy road, and the final section goes through a pleasant forest. A nice spot for a short stop (and effort) on the way to another destination.

With its 1014 metres of elevation, Kékestető is the highest summit of the Mátra mountain range and also the highest point of Hungary. On the top you will find a TV tower and ski centre, the highest point is marked with a rock painted in Hungary's national colours. The queen stage of the Tour de Hongrie often concludes in a summit finish on Kékestető.

The climb starts from Gyöngyös, which is the centre of the local wine region. The first 14 kilometres have a moderate 4-5％ gradient, but the final 4 kilometres from Mátraháza are much steeper and harder with around 7-8％ gradient. The asphalted road is twisting through dense oak, beech and pine forests and has an excellent quality along the entire ascent due to the recent renovation works.