Driving to Mount Kekes, Hungary's highest road

Mount Kékes is a mountain peak at an elevation of 1.026m (3,366ft) above sea level, located in Heves County, in Hungary. It’s the highest paved road of the country.

Mount Kékes

How to get to Mount Kékes?

Set high in the Mátra mountains, the road to the summit, also known as Kékestető, is totally paved. It’s called 24134. The road was constructed in 1933. Road surface is pretty bad and potholes are life threatening on high speeds.

How long is the road to Mount Kékes?

Tucked away on the northern part of the country, the road to the summit is very steep, hitting an 11% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps. Starting from Mátraháza (a village in the suburbs of Gyöngyös), the ascent is 3.9 km (2.42 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 307 meters. The average gradient is 7.87%. The climb has been featured in the Tour de Hongrie race. The area can also be reached from the M3 motorway, in which case you have to leave the motorway in the direction of Gyöngyös. For using the M3, since Hungarian motorways are subject to road toll, you need to buy a highway vignette. The highway is of good quality but not as exciting as the road to Kékestető.

Is Mount Kékes worth it?

In recent years the mountain is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. The summit hosts a number of hotels, restaurants, shops and skiing resorts. It also hosts the Kékestető TV Tower, a 176-metre (577 ft) tall multifunctional transmitter built in 1981.

 

 

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