2 hours in Budapest - on the Buda side

It is more than the castle itself as the whole district is named „Castle”. Its absolutely worth a walk as a magnificent panorama of the city can be enjoyed either from the right tower (in front of the National Gallery), or from the Fishermen’s Bastion (in front of Mathias church). Not only the streets and squares of downtown Pest, but also the Castle hill, the Citadel and the other Buda hills are visible. In the right tower the largest bell of the country - weighs 9 tons - can be found.

Get there: by bus 12 from Deák Ferenc tér, get off at Dísz tér, follow the map and discover nature carved in stones (about 2 hours walk)

Fun fact: Discover which animal statues are the most frequent ones! Hint: the bastion is named
after fishermen who used to live in that part of the district and were on duty when they had to
protect the castle from the enemy at the point where the bastion stands. No, such a beautiful building was never even meant to be used in wars ;)

Food: Ruszwurm conditory
Szabó conditory with marzipan statues (next to the Fishermen's Bastion)

2 hours in Budapest - on the Pest side

Budapest City Park = History + nature.

Take a walk in the „Stadtwald” as it was originally called by the German inhabitants of the district. In the middle, surrounded by a lake where you can enjoy rowing in summer and skating in winter, there is a very special castle. The towers around the main gate were modelled after the castle of Vajdahunyad (a town in Romania), this is why it is named Vajdahunyad castle. In reality, you can see a collection of historical architecture from all over Hungary. The main building hosts the Museum of Agriculture.

Get there: by metro M1 „the yellow line” from Deák Ferenc tér, get off at Hősök tere (2 stops before the final stop of Mexikói út)

Fun fact: Heroes Square (Hősök tere) is not only the place to remember the most important political leaders of Hungary, beginning with the 7 tribe leaders of the Hun invaders, but also the place where hot water is taken from the ground. It is the same water in the pools of Széchenyi bath, as well as the lake in the park and the water of the zoo’s hippos, for which the animals are very thankful.

Sites you cannot afford to miss here:
Budapest Zoo: http://www.zoobudapest.com/en/plan-your-visit/buy-tickets
Széchenyi Spa: http://www.szechenyibath.hu/prices
Museum of Agriculture with interactive exhibitions for families: http://www.mezogazdasagimuzeum.hu/home-en

Food: Gundel restaurant where famous dishes were invented (eg. Chicken soup Újházy
style, Gundel pancakes) http://www.gundel.hu/en/

Vacation trip for FREE

So you don't want to spend too much on your vacation but would like to have a memorable day together with your family - preferably in a special place but far from tourist traps? Here is an idea.

Barefoot in the park

There's a little village called Tabajd within an hour's drive away from the capital. There's the most special park of the country. It's open day and night 365 days a year. You can walk around barefoot on various surfaces. It takes about half an hour to complete the mission. Your reward is a wonderful view of the village and surroundings from the top point of the park. Kids will have fun in the playground in the middle. There are some mobile toilets nearby for you to refresh. The park has some wooden furniture where you can have a picnic from your bag. Leave prams and wheelchairs at home - you can only WALK in this park! The entry is absolutely free of charge.

If you prefer to be served rather than having a picnic and decide to spend the spared money in a restaurant, try the one in the neighbouring village: Vál. As the restaurant offers pizzas and small dose dishes too, the whole family can find something fine on the menu. While you're waiting for your order, the kids can play in the corner of games. To enjoy luxury, there's a separate room offered for changing nappies.

On your way to the capital, stop at Martonvásár for a walk in the shades of the castle park. The entry is really cheap and includes a visit to the Beethoven room and the kindergarten museum enclosed in the park. It's fun to walk around the lake and learn about the trees with the help of the multi-language map provided at the entrance. If you choose a free program in this little town too, I suggest you have a rest in the small park next to the castle. There's a very interesting wooden column full of picture stories and a wonderful baroque chapel you can visit without buying a ticket. You can have your dessert in any of the nearby air conditioned conditories.

Enjoy your stay without worrying about your finances ;)

Bride watching or bird watching?

Well, I say both! There is a little town - looking rather like a village near Budapest where it's possible. The place is called Martonvásár. It has a wonderful castle. Of course a park is an obligatory accessory of a castle, so this also has one.

The castle looks so romantic (a legend says there was also a love story...) that it's quite popular with young couples who come here for their wedding. So you can always see at least one bride in this garden.

Surely you can come here for bird watching too. Actually, the castle is now the building of the Hungarian Science Academy where agricultural research is done. At the entrance you can buy a map of trees that helps you to do a bit of a scientific walk. A nice lake with an island is situated in the middle of the park. Summer music festivals are organised here annually. So the place offers many kinds of entertainment depending on your interest.

I've mentioned you a love story. The owner of the castle was the Brunszvik count family. Their most famous guest was Beethoven, the composer of the EU anthem. The composer and one of the Brunszvik ladies are told to have had a romantic relationship. If you would like to know more details, you should visit Martonvásár providing you more information and nice family fun.

The park and the museums are accessible for wheelchair users and there's a nice little air-conditioned conditory nearby where you can taste unique icecream. Enjoy your stay.

We bend but it's not our knee, what's that?

Time is short and there are so many interesting things to do and see. How can you choose?

You don't have to! I know a place in Hungary where you can enjoy the beauty of nature with fresh air and hills to climb and also see historical monuments to learn about the story and the culture of a nation from its foundatino to modern days. And you can also relax and enjoy the taste of the region too.

Are you interested? So let's have a trip to the Danube bend! I'm sure you've heared or maybe even visited Szentendre, a lovely little trasure box north of Budapest. This town in sull of amazing crooked little streets so it's really romantic to take a walk there (believe me, I have the experience ;) ). I must admit it's crowded with tourists and souvenir shops waiting for them.

What about Esztergom, the ecclesiastical center of the Hungarian Catholic church. It has wonderful churches, including the biggest basilica of the country. It is also the home of the most important historical records of church and political history of the nation. There are many interesting museums that you can visit. Although the river is in the middle of the town also forming an island and you can also enjoy the thermal water of the region, still you feel a bit far from nature.

So what I recommend is a visit to a tiny little city, actually looking rather like a village: Nagymaros. You can choose to walk on the Danube bank enjoying the view of the Pilis hills opposite, or climb the so-called Calvary Hill and take pleasure in the scene as well as in your performance. During you rwalk you can find out a lot about history thanks to the old church buildings in the centre of the settlement. Once you climb up, start your way through the fileds and forest to get to the other end of Nagymaros and have a look at the political relics built in the 20 century. If you feel you have done enough, sit down for a lunch got from the river and a small handmade dessert produced locally.

Enjoy the bending of the Danube in front of your knees.

Safari in a castle

During a safari programme you can see exotic animals in their natural habitat. Is this really possible in a castle? Well, if there are some living with the owners of the castle...

Actually, there are quite a lot of interesting animals in the castle of Buda. Some of them are really exotic (this district is crowded with lions) while many of them hides an entertaining gossip or a fascinating chronicle on Hungarian history.

I myself am fun of nature - but only in form of a film on TV. Still, I like going for a walk among these creatures as they are all carved in stone or figured in bronze.

My Spanish, Italian and Turkish guests were happy to take this safari with me. When they arrived to the castle district they were prepared to listen to many numbers, dates, years as well as names they couldn't even pronounce or say why they could be important. However, the safari tour made their walk in the Buda castle enjoyable and memorable. Besides, they also learned something about Hungarian history.

Do you want to join and have fun?

Secrets of a castle - which is not even a castle!

Castles usually have many secrets. English castles are said to be inhabited by ghosts. Sounds fascinating, isn't it? How about a castle with a vampire - though it's not a real castle?!

That's also special when a city, which is a capital (!) has two castles, one of them being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Let me share the secret with you: this city is Budapest, the capital of Hungary. As its name shows, it has two big parts: Buda and Pest, both furnished with a caslte. The real one is on the top of a hill on the Buda side. It is a World Heritage Site and offer an amazing view of the city. The other castle can be found on the Pest side, in the heart of the town's lungs: the City Park.

There are quite a lot of secrets to be discovered here: 

what's in a name: the site got its label because of the similarity to the palace of Vajdahunyad, that can be found in Transsylvania.

infamous Vlad Dracula was imprisoned in Vajdahunyad but it has something to do with the Pest castle too.

at a closer look you will recognize that it is really a collection of different constructions.

the place offers enchanting experiences for all generations inside and outside the castle too.

Have you become curious? Try a play at the castle to find out more. They have already participated and had a great time: