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Varosliget Review

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Városliget

  • Address: District XIV, Andrássy út, Városliget, Budapest

Fodor's Review:

Heroes' Square is the gateway to a square kilometer (almost 1/2 square mi) of recreation, entertainment, beauty, and culture. A bridge behind the Millennial Monument leads across a boating basin that becomes an artificial ice-skating rink in winter; to the south of this lake stands a statue of George Washington, erected in 1906 with donations by Hungarian emigrants to the United States. You can soak or swim at the lovely, turn-of-the-20th-century Széchenyi Fürdo, jog along the park paths, or careen on Vidám Park's roller coaster. There's also the Petofi Csarnok, a leisure-time youth center and major concert hall on the site of an old industrial exhibition. The Gundel restaurant charms diners with its turn-of-the-20th-century ambience. Fair-weather weekends, when the children's attractions are teeming with youngsters and parents and the Széchenyi Fürdo is brimming with bathers, are the best times for people-watchers to visit the park; if you go on a weekday, the main sights are rarely crowded.

The renovation of the once-depressing Budapesti Állat-és Növénykert, which began in the late 1990s, was still underway as of this writing, but the place is already cheerier, especially for humans. The petting opportunities are aplenty, and a new monkey house allows endearing, seemingly clawless little simians to climb all over you (beware of pickpockets). Don't miss the elephant pavilion, decorated with Zsolnay majolica and glazed ceramic animals. Note that the last tickets are sold one hour before closing, and animal houses don't open until an hour after the zoo gates. District XIV, Városliget, Állatkerti körút 6-12. 1/273-4901. www.zoobudapest.com. 1,400 HUF; tropical greenhouse and aquarium 300 HUF each. May-Aug., Mon.-Thurs. 9-6, Fri.-Sun. 9-7; Mar.-Apr. and Sept.-Oct., daily 9-5; Nov.-Feb., daily 9-4

At the Fovárosi Nagycirkusz, colorful performances by local acrobats, clowns, and animal trainers, as well as by international artists, are staged in a small ring. Beware of pickpockets out front by the timeworn snack-bar. District XIV, Városliget, Állatkerti körút 7. 1/343-8300 or 1/344-6008. www.maciva.hu. 1,300-2,000 HUF. July-Aug., Wed. and Fri. at 3 and 7, Thurs. at 3, Sat. at 10:30, 3, and 7, Sun. at 10:30 and 3; Sept.-June, schedule varies

Széchenyi Fürdo, the largest medicinal bathing complex in Europe, is housed in a beautiful neo-baroque building in the middle of City Park. There are several thermal pools indoors as well as two outdoor pools, which remain open even in winter, when dense steam hangs thick over the hot water's surface -- you can just barely make out the figures of elderly men, submerged shoulder deep, crowded around waterproof chessboards. To use the baths, you pay a deposit: a portion of which may be returned depending on how long you stay. Facilities include medical and underwater massage treatments, carbonated bath treatments, and mud wraps. District XIV, Városliget, Állatkerti körút 11. 1/363-3210. 2,000 HUF (600 HUF back within 2 hours, 300 HUF within 3 hours); changing room 300 HUF, cabin 700 HUF. May-Sept., daily 6 AM-7 PM; Oct.-Apr., weekdays 6 AM-7 PM, weekends 6 AM-5 PM

Beside the City Park's lake stands Vajdahunyad Vár (Vajdahunyad Castle), a fantastic medley of Hungary's historic and architectural past, starting with the Romanesque gateway of the cloister of Jak, in western Hungary. A Gothic castle whose Transylvanian turrets, Renaissance loggia, baroque portico, and Byzantine decorations are all guarded by a spooky modern (1903) bronze statue of the anonymous medieval "chronicler," who was the first recorder of Hungarian history. Designed for the millennial celebration in 1896, it was not completed until 1908. This hodgepodge houses the surprisingly interesting Mezogazdasági Múzeum, which touts itself as Europe's largest such museum. Twelve permanent exhibitions (and frequent temporary ones) cover animal husbandry, forestry, horticulture, viticulture, hunting, fishing, and more. There are regular arts and crafts activities for kids. District XIV, Városliget, Széchenyi Island. 1/363-1117. www.mmgm.hu. 300 HUF. Mar.-Nov. 15, Tues.-Fri. 10-5, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; Nov. 15-Feb. 15, Tues.-Fri. 10-4, weekends 10-5

Budapest's somewhat weary amusement park, Vidám Park, is next to the zoo and is crawling with happy children with their parents or grandparents in tow. In addition to the rides, there are game rooms and a scenic railway. In all, there are 35 different attractions, including Europe's longest wooden roller coaster and a merry-go-round dating from 1906 and beautifully restored in 1998. That said, the advertising is more glittery than the park itself. Next to the main park is a separate, smaller section for toddlers. There is a nominal admission charge, and then you buy individual tickets for rides; rides take one to three tickets. Kids under 120 cm (3.9 feet) tall get in for free. District XIV, Városliget, Állatkerti körút 14-16. 1/363-8310. www.vidampark.hu. 300 HUF general admission, 250 HUF for a ride ticket, though most rides require two such tickets. July-Aug., Mon.-Thurs. and Sun. 10-8, Fri.-Sat. 10-10; May-June, weekdays 11-7, Sat. 10-10, Sun. 10-8; Apr. and Sept., weekdays noon-7, weekends 10-7:30; Mar. and Oct., weekdays 10-6, weekends 10-7.

  • Cost: Park free, admission charged for attractions
  • Open: Daily
  • Metro: M1: Varosliget

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