Why we love the City Park
One of our favorite reasons to visit City Park is the Budapest Zoo.
The enormous public park is home to many of Budapest’s most famous attractions, including Hősök tere (Heroes’ Square), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other attractions located in the park include Vajdahunyad Castle, one of the world’s largest ice-skating rinks (winter only), the Budapest Zoo and the Széchenyi Thermal Bath.
There’s so much here. The zoo is a reason to love it, and the castle and paths, too. But perhaps best of all is that the Városliget has a playground that seems to lend itself to communal play. Here more than most parks, our boys always seem to find a new friend with whom to run.
Budapest’s City Park is among the oldest public parks in the world.
The famed Andrássy Avenue, which WeLoveBudapest.com describes as the Hungarian Champs-Élysées, dead-ends at Hősök tere, at the city edge of City Park. On a clear day, you can look up Andrássy from the downtown core and see the regal, copper-green statues of the square rising into the sky. From Hősök tere, the park spreads out to the north, east and south. The zoo, baths and circus are to the north, the ice rink and castle are straight ahead, and the largest playgrounds and green spaces are to the south.
Massive changes are underway in the park; by 2021 the park will feature a new museum of ethnography, a completely revamped transportation museum, newly landscaped spaces and a number of other changes.
Whom is it for?
There’s so much available in the City Park ― from open green space for the dogs to art museums for the adults to playgrounds for the kids ― that the park truly is for everyone.
Whether it’s winter, summer or somewhere in between, the Városliget is a great place for the whole family to have fun.
Hours and fees
The park itself is open 24 hours a day and is free to enter, but the many attractions within the park have their own hours and fees.
Insider tips
In warmer months, look for a large, paid trampoline to spring up near the east side of the pond.
Is it stroller friendly?
Yes, it is. The park is quite walkable, of course, and the several bus lines that serve the park have frequent stroller-friendly service. The M1 metro, which runs underneath the park from west to east, isn’t strictly stroller-friendly, but if you do use it, at least the stairs are few. Just keep in mind that the subway cars are quite small and, depending on the time of day, can be full of people.
Is there food nearby?
Several restaurants are open within the park itself, and Andrássy Avenue to the west also is lined with restaurants, especially as you get closer to the river. If you’re going to spend a lot of time in the park, though, it’s wise at least to bring some snacks with you, as the restaurants in the park are widely spaced.
Are restrooms available?
Yes, the park does provide public restrooms, though they seem to be somewhat seasonal. Some require money to get in, so plan to bring a few 100-forint coins with you, just in case.
What to bring
After a snowfall, you’ll find a number of locals ― kids and adults alike ― sledding down a collection of hills in the City Park. The hills are surrounded by large berms at the bottom that keep speedsters from crashing into nearby trees.
If there’s snow on the ground, then bring a sled or sliding disk. The southern end of the park is rippled with perfect sledding hills.
Getting there
The park is well-served by public transportation. The cutest and funnest route, the M1 metro, stops at Hősök tere and the Széchenyi Thermal Bath before continuing on through the east edge of the park. Numerous bus lines also serve the park, so check the BKK app or website for the route nearest to where you want to go. To get to the large playground near the southern end of the park, we take the 70 trolleybus; it stops in the park just north of the playground at Dvořák sétány. If we’re going to the zoo, we take the M1 to the Széchenyi stop and walk northwest toward the zoo, just past the tip of the large pond.
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