ABC: Affordable Budapest City - discovery for families
0. HAVING A BASE
No matter for how many days you arrive exploring Budapest with your family, you have to find a cozy, nice accommodation. 🏡 The next 3 finds are hotels I would totally go for, covering the more budget-ish option ending the list with a bit more elevated hotel - matching to your needs.
1. TRANSPORTATION
1.1 - Public transport
No matter if you arrive with your little cocoon, toddler or young child(ren), the possibilities are almost endless. I highly recommend using public transport. 🚌
You can get a single ticket as cheap as 0,8 EUR for adults (in comparison 1,8 EUR in Paris, 2,3 EUR in Barcelona and 1,2 EUR in Prague), and it’s free under 14 years of age, but also you can choose from a colorful palette of options, including the Budapest city card with which you can enter to a large variety of venues for free (or at a very discounted price).
Besides its cheap price, public transport is also a great way to connect with locals & see how they live in a given place. Most of the vehicles (bus, metro, new trams) generally in the city center are well equipped with reserved stroller places, priority seats, elevators - dedicated for families with stroller traffic.
My insider tip 😉
One of Budapest’s iconic view is definitely the panorama along the river Danube. Use tram ‘2’ on Pest side, or tram ‘41’ on Buda side which will serve you as a perfect sightseeing route spotting the finest buildings along the river Danube, like the Chain Bridge, Parliament, Fisherman's Bastion, Buda Castle, Matthias Church & Gresham Palace. Guaranteed that little children will love the tram ride.
2. SIGHTSEEING
2.1 - 2:1 treasure hunt & sightseeing
What makes a sightseeing tour fun? Especially when kids are around. Conventional tour buses are okay, but I rather try to find alternative ways to explore a city, interesting enough to the young little ones. 🗺
As a local guide to Budapest with kids I would definitely recommend checking out the Kolodko’s mini sculptures. You can find 30+ mini metal sculptures (15-30 cm) in various spots in Budapest. Most of them are very cute and lovable for children. With hunting them down you get an amazing sightseeing tour of the city center on foot as well. If you're interested, check out my 3x0,5 days itinerary walking (& discovering) Budapest with these mini sculptures.⬇️
2.2 - Little or no entry fee for child(ren)
In general sightseeing with your young little one (usually under 3) is really cheap in Budapest. With our baby/toddler we have visited quite a few sites - touristic (eg. St Stephen Basilica) and less popular ones too (eg. Szemlő cave) – and only once we had to pay a so-called “registration fee” for her. Most of the time you don’t have to pay anything for your child’s entry. It varies until when it is free (sometimes up until 6 years of age).
My insider tip 😉
If you are lucky with timing you can benefit from the initiative where certain museums (like the Museum of Science, Technology and Transport, the Museum of Fine Arts or the Museum of Natural Sciences), exhibitions offer free days to enter*.
The list varies from year to year so you need to check it beforehand, but it’s definitely a great option to cut your budget just a bit tighter while the children are entertained in an educational way. Below I collected a handful of them from 2024.
*Here's the rule: Hungarian and other EEA citizens who: a) has not yet reached the age of 26, b) Accompanying a person under the age of 18 and their close relative according to the Civil Code (hereinafter: Civil Code) (maximum 2 persons).
ALL SUNDAYS:
👉🏼 Museum Ludwig
1st WEEKEND OF THE MONTH:
👉🏼 Hungarian Geographical Museum
1st SATURDAY OF THE MONTH:
👉🏼 Museum of Óbuda
1st SUNDAY OF THE MONTH:
👉🏼 Natural Science Museum
👉🏼 House of Terror
3rd SATURDAY OF THE MONTH:
👉🏼 Hungarian National Museum
👉🏼 Hungarian Ethnographic Museum
👉🏼 Museum of Applied Arts
👉🏼 Museum of Fine Arts
👉🏼 Vasarely Museum
👉🏼 Hungarian National Gallery
👉🏼 Villa of Ráth György
LAST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH:
👉🏼 Hungarian Museum of Science, Technology and Transport
👉🏼 Petőfi Literary Museum
👉🏼 Kiscelli Museum
👉🏼 Aquincum Museum
👉🏼 BTM Castle Museum
3rd SUNDAY OF THE MONTH:
👉🏼 Hungarian Museum of Trade and Tourism
👉🏼 Post Museum
Family days:
Agricultural Museum (01/28, 02/24, 03/15, 04/28, 05/26, 06/30)
Hungarian Railway Museum (03/15, 04/21, 05/01, 06/16, 07/28, 08/20, 09/29, 10/23, 11/01)
Hunting Museum (02/24, 03/29, 04/28, 05/26, 06/29, 07/28, 08/31, 09/29, 10/26, 11/30, 12/15)
2.3 - Themed day
You either pick a topic/theme and visit different places – like searching for these Kolodko mini sculptures -, or you pick a destination and discover as many things there as possible to explore Budapest. I would definitely recommend you going to the Liget for an entire day. From babies to teens every age group’s interest is covered. What you can find here?
🦩 The Zoo of Budapest – which kid doesn’t love animals?
🎈 BalloonFly – huge air balloon ride over Budapest (only 6y+)
🧖🏼♀️ The iconic Széchenyi Bath – perfect for colder season as well
🏰 Vajdahunyad Castle – where kids can feel themselves in fairy tales within the castle
🏞 Városliget Lake – you can ice-skate during winter and rowing the boat during summer
🛝 The main playground of the Liget – with the biggest playground in Budapest
🏛 Museum of Ethnography – which also has a free day (first Sunday of each month)
🏛 Museum of Fine Arts – for all the art loving families
🏫 Hungarian Millennium House NEO Contemporary Art Space – offers a charming place to have a walk or picnic
🎵 House of Music – offering great opportunity/exhibitions/concerts for families too
My insider tip 😉
Special sightseeing options
Pamper the kids' hunger for excitement (and also yours) with unique options while you discover Budapest city center.
Why not hop on a bus that drive straight into the Danube? RiverRide– the floating bus – believe me this is the next level of conventional tour buses. You start on a regular bus which end up in the Danube transforming into a floating bus.
If you prefer to be on water, then hop on one of the scheduled boats operated by the Centre for Budapest Transport (BKK). This is a cheaper version of the tour boats, yet you have the chance to see Budapest from the river.
If your child(ren) after 12 y/o are craving for some extra adventure, try out the 1,5 walking tour in the Castle area with VR glasses taking you back in time.
Pleasing the bit more conventional options, it would be a hard miss, if I don't include the city's official card: Budapest Card. For some families, I'm pretty sure this is the jackpot, so I leave the link below, so you can check where it is accepted.
Off the beaten track
A budget-friendly local guide to the best things to do in Budapest with kids wouldn’t be complete without recommending places know by locals. For visitors who can only stay 2 nights probably not the most desirable option but for those who can make it longer, visit the less popular places too. I give you some alternatives:
🌳 great view over the city – Garden of Philosophers
🌳 huge park with picnic and sport/play options – Bikás park
🌳 green recreational spot with playgrounds and restaurants – Kopaszi dam (personally, this is my favorite!)
III. BAD WEATHER COMPATIBLE OPTIONS
Shopping malls
Unlike many European cities, Budapest HAS shopping malls in the city center. Quite a few to be honest. It’s up to you if you like them or not but being on a family trip it can be handy to have bigger malls along the way – especially either for bad weathers or for grabbing some essential things. Not to mention that most of these shopping malls have their entertainment section as well (like indoor playgrounds or cinema).
Indoor activities suitable for children over age 4*
When your child is big enough to express what they want, you can easily end up with a grumpy kid on the tour bus. Make the stay enjoyable for them but also for the parents. I help you out with some options which will save the day if children want some fun. (ps. Don't forget to check out if the Budapest Card gives you discounted fee.)
✨ CsoPa Science Center– to be perfectly honest, we adults still like these scientific tricks you can try out
✨ Museum of Illusions– located in the very heart of Budapest it’s a program you can squeeze in anytime
✨ Selfie Museum– for teens taking instagrammable photos is a thing. Like it or not. This place will calm the nerves down for sure.
✨ Light Art Museum of Budapest– if you are craving for a unique indoor experience
✨ BalloonFly– huge airballoon ride over Budapest (only after 6 years of age)
*Every family is different. Obviously, we won’t take our daughter to places which we know for sure she won’t enjoy however these rules are not carved in stones. We would also take her to CsoPa Science Center or ride the air balloon – if it was permitted. You need to evaluate which program would fit your & your family’s interest. 🙂
I hope I could show you the kid-friendly face of Budapest and convince you to at least consider coming to Hungary with your family after reading my Local's budget and family-friendly guide to Budapest article. Us, who have been in 27 countries in Europe, we really do think that Budapest is a beautiful place offering countless options for families.
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