Winter in Budapest: Normafa snowsports, new Light Curtain Tram

Now that the energy crisis has closed many of the indoor facilities for the winter months, Budapest offers a great opportunity for free-time activities: outdoor sports such as sledging and cross-country skiing in Normafa and riding the Light Curtain Tram.

Taking advantage of the snowfall

Normafa awaits visitors with snow suitable for sports. For those who want to go sledging or cross-country skiing, this is a great opportunity. The snow-covered parts are free of charge, but in the future, the skiing trail near the chapel of St. Anna will be subject to a fee. The ticket will include changing and showering facilities in addition to the maintained and lit trail in the evening, said the Municipality of Hegyvidék.

Photo: Facebook – Hegyvidék

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The Anna Field sledge trail, located under the popular playground, will continue to be free of charge. Unfortunately, the downhill ski trail is not yet open this year, but we hope that it will be renovated in the next few years and will be open to skiers all season long.

Here are some additional photos of the sledge and skiing trail:

Attractions in the Hegyvidék include the Elisabeth Lookout on János Hill, the highest point in Budapest, as well as the Glider, the Cogwheel and the Children’s Railway. Visitors can also visit the Advent fair of Hegyvidék, ending on 23 December.

Photo: Instagram – Hegyvidék

• Read also: Meteorologists: Christmas in Hungary will see radical weather change

Winter Light Curtain Tram for the energy friendly

Instead of BKV’s popular Light Tram, this time, a more modest vehicle decorated with a light curtain will be operating in Budapest during the festive season. Between 16 December 2022 and 8 January 2023, the Light Curtain Tram will be on tram line 2 on weekdays and on other lines at weekends.

Light trams have been lighting up the capital during the festive season since 2009, but this year is different: the energy crisis has focused BKV’s attention on more conscious solutions. With the Light Curtain Tram, an energy-efficient yet festively lighted vehicle will be running in Budapest again this year. A KCSV-7 vehicle has been chosen to convert kinetic energy into electrical energy, which is then circulated back into the system and battery so that the light curtain falling from the top of the vehicle can be lit without using extra energy, wrote the Budapest Transport Centre, BKK.hu.

Photo: Facebook – BKV Zrt.

Source: telex.hu, bkk.hu, normafapark.hu