Szent György Hill is one of the most distinctive witness mountains of the Balaton Uplands, famous for its massive basalt columns and sweeping views across nearly the entire Tapolca Basin. It's a place where volcanic history, vineyards, and dragon legends all come together.

The flat summit, at 415 m, offers panoramic views of neighboring witness hills such as Tóti-hegy, Csobánc, Gulács and Badacsony. The slopes are covered with dry grassland steppes, downy oak scrub, and open rocky grasslands, while the northern side boasts the most striking basalt formations, known as Kőkapu (Stone Gate). In summer the dark rocks heat up quickly, creating a microclimate favored by lizards and rare plants; in autumn the surrounding vineyards blaze with color, and in winter the summit is often wrapped in mist rising from the basin below.

How to reach the viewpoint

• From the Kaán Károly mountain hut, near the Kőkapu basalt formations - the trail climbs via natural steps formed from the rubble of collapsed basalt columns, moderate difficulty
• The route forms part of the fifth stage of the National Blue Trail (Országos Kéktúra)

Practical information

• A National Blue Trail stamping point is located at the Kaán Károly hut
• The summit and the area around the basalt columns are a strictly protected nature reserve
• The finest basalt formations are visible on the northern slope, where erosion has exposed them most dramatically

Local legend tells of a dragon slain by Saint George, said to have lived in the nearby Sárkány-lik cave, where ice can still be found even in summer.