Budapest with Kids: The Best Things to See and Do

There are so many great things to see and do when visiting Budapest with kids. Along with being incredibly beautiful and historic, it’s a great city for families to visit. We travelled to Budapest with our three kids and found it very safe and easy to get around. The food was delicious and plentiful (for those growing teenage kiddos!).

When I plan our family vacations, I try to include activities that everyone will enjoy. That said, our kids definitely have their preferences and activities that they remember long after we return home. They got together shortly after we returned home and came up with a list of their favourite activities for families visiting Budapest with kids. Hopefully these will help you plan your family vacation!

Awesome Sights & Activities when Visiting Budapest with Kids

1. See the Budapest Circus

This was by far one of the favourite things our family did in Budapest. I bought tickets a few months in advance and had some of the best seats in the house for less than the price of a movie ticket here in Canada. Food at the concession stand was also very reasonably priced.

The Circus is across the street from Szechenyi Baths in City Park

The Capital Circus of Budapest has the only stone circus in Central Europe and has an inner floor fountain which allows for land and water acts. We saw jugglers, aerial rope and pole acts, acrobats, tumblers, hula hoop acts and more. It was fantastic!

I would definitely say that this was their first choice for a fun activity for kids in Budapest.

Waiting for the Budapest Circus to start

Sydney’s favourite act – aerial on pole with water

2. Visit Budapest’s Thermal Baths

Budapest has been known for its thermal baths since back to the times when the Romans inhabited Hungary. There are many baths from which to choose and we visited the Szechenyi Baths.

Our kids had a blast in the cooler pool (32 degrees Celcius) where there were water jets and a fun whirlpool but there’s also a lap pool (swim cap required), a warmer hot pool (not advised for those under 14) and internal pool areas. For more details and photos, check out everything you need to know for a visit to the Szechenyi Baths.

3. Hire a Segway to Explore Budapest

We had last used a Segway in the south of Spain. The kids loved it so I booked a Segway tour at Best Way Segway a few months in advance. We chose to explore Gellért Hill and the Citadella as the upward walk was more difficult by foot. Travelling by Segway was a fun break from walking.

Best Way Segway uses larger segways for that route with all terrain wheels so they were better on the rough terrain than smaller segways. They also had helmets for everyone and trained us in a small traffic-free alcove before our tour so we felt very safe. This makes it a great activity for families visiting Budapest with kids

4. Eat Chimney Cakes

Chimney cakes are one of the ‘must try’ sweet snacks of Hungary. They are basically pastry dough wrapped around a stick and cooked over heat. They are then rolled in a topping before serving. We tried chocolate, cinnamon sugar and coconut with the first two options being our favourites. They were also available in walnut or almond.

We tried ours at Molnár’s Kürtőskalács on Vaci Utca and they were fantastic. We had tried similar snacks in Prague so if you’re visiting both locations, it’s definitely worth trying both as they’re very different.

Check out our favourite Czech foods to find other tasty options you’re kiddos are bound to love.

5. Climb the Towers of Matthias Church and St. Istvan Basilica

Climbing church towers in Central Europe is not for the faint of heart as the towers are generally only accessible by many steep spiraling stairs but the view on top is well worth the climb. Lucas especially loved climbing, well actually running, up the tower stairs. All of the kids enjoyed the views from the top.

The view across to Castle Hill from St. Istvan Cupola

The towers of Matthias Church and the St. Istvan Basilica provide a wonderful, but different, view across Budapest with each having a beautiful view of the other. The route to the top of St. Istvan has an elevator as an option which is a definite bonus and the route to the top of Matthias Church requires a scheduled tour. These are booked when you purchase your ticket for the tower and leave on the hour.

The Tower of Matthias Church. Look waaaay up!

Sydney had a great time taking pictures from the top.

6. Shoot a Bow and Arrow at Budapest’s Citadella on Gellert Hill

For a few hundred forints, children and adults can shoot five arrows each at the top of Gellért Hill. All three of my kiddos had a lot of fun trying to hit the target. This alone would make a visit to the Citadella super fun and worthwhile if visiting Budapest with kids.

I’ve read that this may also be available at Castle Hill but they weren’t set up when we visited. You may have better luck so keep your eyes open!

7. Explore Budapest’s Central Market Hall

Central Market Hall is like nothing we’ve ever seen. It’s three floors of dried meats, fresh meats, local cheeses, pickles, spices, souvenirs and so much more.

Sydney especially enjoyed snooping around all the different displays. I bought several types of paprika and we returned a second time so we could buy some pickles to bring back to eat in our apartment.

Look at the smiley faces and animal shapes in those pickle bottles! So fun!

8. Roam around Fisherman’s Bastion

This is by far one of the best views in Budapest. You can purchase access to the top of Fisherman’s Bastion but some of the best views can be found on the main level which is free.

Each of our kids had a great time trying to get the best picture of the Hungarian Parliament through the bastion’s arches and all enjoyed sitting in the arches getting pictures taken for their Instagram. It’s an iconic view.

9. Daytime Visit to Szimpla Kert, a Budapest ruin pub

Szimpla Kert in Budapest’s Jewish Quarter is a ruin pub so definitely not for kids at night but during the day Szimpla Kert is open to explore.

It’s an ‘interesting’ location with eclectic interior …. Picture graffiti on the walls, a car made of cardboard, an old-style dial telephone that causes a mannequin’s head to move when you dial, a room with old pharmacy/science beakers – a little bit of everything.  On Sunday mornings Szimpla Kert has a farmer’s market that is also great to explore.

The kids loved this cardboard car and found it even more interesting to learn from our guide Timea that her dad actually owned a car like this!

10. Seek and Find the Statues around Budapest

This is definitely a uniquely Budapest activity for kids. You can plan it as a treasure hunt activity or simply see how many statues you can find as your family explores the city.

• Rub the tummy of the fat policeman in front of St. Istvan’s Basilica. It will bring good luck!

• The Painter

• An Observer on a bridge

• The girl and her dog

11. Take a Nighttime Cruise on the Danube River

Our kids always love to take a boat tour or cruise when we can. Budapest was no exception and they highly recommend it for kids in Budapest.

In July we took the 21:00 cruise on the Danube and the timing was perfect to see the beautiful riverside architecture of Budapest. We booked the same day with Legenda cruises and enjoyed their boat. It had a large open-air upper level with individual seating and the price of ticket included a drink each.

We were asked to arrive twenty minutes earlier but we arrived closer to 20:15. I definitely recommend arriving earlier as we were all able to get seats along the railway on the upper open-air floor of the boat which the kids really enjoyed. There is an audio using headphones. Some of ours worked, some of them didn’t. I couldn’t hear through mine but Sydney really enjoyed the commentary.

The views from the boat tour are definitely some of the best views in Budapest.

Beautiful view!

12. See the Mummified Hand of St. Stephen in St. Istvan Basilica

Ok, so this wouldn’t necessarily be on the top list for adults but my boys were fascinated by it. When exploring St. Istvan Basilica, look to the right of the altar. In a small box, there is the right mummified hand of St. Istvan. It is said to be his incorruptible right hand. It’s a bit hard to see but there is a small box to the right of it that if you put in a coin, the light comes on and St. Istvan’s hand is easier to see.

13. Eat Ice Cream Shaped like a Rose

I had never seen anything like this but our guide, Timea, recommended that we visit and I’m so glad that we did.

The kids chose two or three flavours of ice cream or gelato and the wonderful artists behind the counter created their works of art for each child. Almost too good to eat! Almost 🙂  For other restaurants that we really enjoyed with the kids in Budapest, check out our favourite restaurants and our favourite foods.

Make sure you also check out our top 25 list of fun things to see and do in Budapest. They’re fun for kids too!

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