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Standing in the shadow of 756-metre-high Pilis-teto, DOBOGOKO has been a hiking centre since the late nineteenth century, when one of Hungary's first hostels was established here, and is still the best base for walking in the Pilis. The most popular way to see the area is to take the bus up (buses leave hourly at weekends and every two hours on weekdays from just by the HEV terminal at Pomaz, and twice daily from Budapest's Arpad hid terminal), and then to walk down the Ram precipice - a four- to five-hour hike that's not advisable in wet weather - to Domos, which offers fabulous views down to the river. The hostel building at Dobogoko, just up through the trees from where the buses turn round, is now home to the small Museum of Rambling and Nature Tourism (Thurs, Sat & Sun 9am-2pm; 80Ft). Exhibits include old photos of the area, showing that there was hardly a tree around the village a hundred years ago, and some old equipment, including skis with a strip of seal fur on the bottom to prevent the ski from slipping downhill. However, most of the information is in Hungarian, so you will probably want to pass quickly round and get back in the open air. Behind the museum is an observation point which affords lovely views of Szob and Zebegeny. The Eotvos Lorand Tourist House next to the museum offers the cheapest accommodation around (tel 26/347-534; dorm beds 1500-3000Ft), whilst tents can be pitched on the grassy area in front of the house; ask there for permission. Campers can use the Tourist House 's bathroom and restaurant, which serves strudels and other snacks during the week, and lunch at weekends from noon to around 6pm. Just down from here is the Hotel Nimrod (tel 26/347-644, fax 347-653, www.hotels.hu/nimrod_hotel ; 7000-10,000Ft), an unappealing place swamped in heavy brown decor. There are two further possibilities on the main road leading up to Dobogoko, about 1km from the top of the hill: the Platan Panzio (tel & fax 26/347-680, www.hotels.hu/platan_dobogoko ; 3000-5000Ft) has bright, wood-furnished rooms and an attractive restaurant, while the Pilis Hotel (tel 26/347-522, fax 347-557, www.hotels.hu/pilis_hotel ; 7000-10,000Ft) is only marginally more dour than the Nimrod. Aside from the hotels, for food there is the Izek Haza , opposite the Hotel Nimrod (Fri-Sun noon-8pm), or the Bohem Tanya by the car park at the bus terminus (Mon-Sat noon-10pm, Sun noon-6pm), both serving solid Hungarian fare; or for a filling bean goulash or toasted sandwiches head 300m down past the Hotel Nimrod to the Zsindelyes Csarda , a wooden construction by Imre Makovecz, which also houses the engine house of the ski lift. Walking up to Dobogoko from the river, the best starting point is DOMOS , 7km west of Visegrad, where buses between Visegrad and Esztergom stop off. Inconspicuous wooden signposts near the stream in the centre of the village indicate the start of trails into the hills, which abound in raspberries during early summer. Follow the Malom tributary for 2.5km and you'll reach a path that forks right for the Ram precipice (3hr) and Dobogoko (4-5hr), and left for the Vadallo Rocks (3hr) beneath the towering "Pulpit Seat" - a 641-metre crag that only the experienced should attempt to climb.
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