If you are planning a trip to Hungary, then I am happy to have an offline conversation about the beauties of the larger country and different regions. I studied abroad in Budapest for a semester, and had an opportunity to see many different parts of Hungary.
For this post I am going to focus on my family’s visit to Budapest in the Fall of 2022 when my kids were one and three. It was basically a playground tour of Budapest, but wow– the Budapest playgrounds were actually incredible! Since I think most people would be intimidated to take kids to Budapest, I want to share some of the things we did that made it one of the most kid friendly cities we have been– and my kids have been to eight countries as I write this post.
Why Budapest?
I love the architecture and geography of Budapest. Budapest is built up along the Danube river with Buda Castle on one side, and magnificent bridges to the Pest side that has unique buildings like Parliament, the Central Market, zoo, Opera House etc. that provide for some incredibly scenic walks around the city. One of the most beautiful hotels I have ever been in is the Four Seasons Budapest because of its views of the Buda side, and incredible lobby decor. One of my bucket list items is to stay in a room at the Budapest Four Seasons with a view of the river.
Budapest is also relatively inexpensive compared to many places in Europe. When traveling with kids you can find larger accommodations and better prices on restaurants and attractions than other European locations.
Planning:
Our original plan had been to spend the night before my birthday at the Intercontinental Budapest with a view of the Danube River. We were going to take a morning train from Vienna to Budapest, and then spend the better part of two days seeing Buda Castle, showing my kids where I went to school, Parliament, and the zoo if we had time. I also wanted to go for a run on Margaret Island for my birthday morning gift. We were going to eat in the Central Market Hall, celebrate with Dobos Torte cake, and have a nice quick trip.
Experience:
As I shared in my Vienna post, we had to pivot, and ended up unexpectedly spending over a week in Budapest. It was surprisingly awesome. When we learned we could not stay in Vienna for the duration of our almost two-week trip due to accommodation shortages, my gut was to go to Budapest because we had already planned to go there, and I knew my way around the city. I was concerned if we booked our stay in a smaller Austrian city we may not have enough to do, or would struggle if we had an emergency with the kids.
We booked a last minute Airbnb apartment on Vaci Utca in the main shopping area. While rain ended up flooding the apartment through the ceiling during the last morning of our stay, the rest of our stay in the apartment worked really well. We had a small kitchen, two bedrooms and sitting area which was great for the kids to play in. At the ages of one and three we needed more space than a traditional hotel room for such a long trip.
It was fun to be able to shop for groceries again in the Central Market. We were able to get meat and produce from the main floor of the market, and used the grocery store in the basement for frozen food, diapers etc. There’s an incredible cheese shop too so you can have quite the foodie experience even if you have to cook your own food. There is prepared food on the upper level which makes also it a perfect lunch spot.
As a college student I never gave any thought to the playgrounds in Budapest, but during our trip I think we went to all of the major ones– and some of them were truly incredible. Next to Buda Castle there is a castle themed playground that was such a fun way for the kids to relate to what we were seeing during our afternoon on the Buda side. We also took the funicular down Buda Hill which the kids loved!
There’s another playground near Gellert bath house that is built into the hill so kids can ride massive tube slides before or after a trip to the bath house. We were able to go to the Gellert bath house as a family despite the young ages of my kids which was very fun on a colder day of our trip.
The playground that really captured my kid’s imagination was Múzeum Kert Játszótér. It has a marble run, and my oldest child has since developed an affinity for marble runs because of the experience of playing with the marble run in one of the play structures.
The Budapest Zoo is both an architectural masterpiece, and a unique way to experience animals up close unlike zoos in the states. I took a class on Budapest architecture during study abroad, and we spent a class walking around the zoo learning about the history and design of all of the buildings. During my 2022 trip the kids did not care to hear about buildings – they were more focused on the butterfly house, being able to get up close and personal with the outdoor Wallaby exhibit, and being in an open room with bats. I highly recommend this zoo because it also has many play areas interspersed with the animals.
The Ferris Wheel was built after our trip to Budapest, and ended up also being a fun activity for the kids. We rode it at night to enjoy the views, and magic of the city. There is also a small playground in that park with in-ground trampolines that my kids loved to jump on. This playground was their introduction to Budapest and it set a high bar for our trip.
If you like to run, then you must run along the Pest side of the Danube River up to Margaret Island. There is a path that goes around the island that is roughly 5K. It’s such a beautiful way to see the city, and it gives you a chance to preview the park and other attractions available on the island too. We found a fountain with an interactive light and music display that captivated the kids one afternoon.
Lessons Learned:
Budapest is a very kid friendly city. There are so many unique playgrounds and other family friendly activities like multiple bath houses, the zoo and museums that provide an engaging experience for everyone. We did not even journey out of the city to other places like Statue Park that can help bigger kids learn more about communism and the history of Eastern Europe.
Travel Gear:
We had many things from the younger kid part of my travel gear list on this trip.
At one and three my kids still slept in sleep sacks, and the Woolino sleep sack was perfect for the huge temperature fluctuations we experienced this trip. We had not planned for the slightly colder weather in Budapest, and the wool sleep sacks still kept our kids warm at night in our apartment with vaulted ceilings.
Final Thoughts:
Budapest may be off the beaten path for most American’s, but don’t let that stop you from planning a family trip to Budapest. There are so many things for families to do, as well as delicious food that I didn’t dedicate enough of this post to. If your young kids love carbs, then know they will not starve in Budapest given the pastries and delicious cakes available around this beautiful city.
Leave a Reply