We will examine Budapest district by district through both an adult’s eye as well as that of a child. Our goal is to refute the assumption that there are limited activities and site seeing for families. Experienced mum, Veronika Sifter, will tell us how to plan our family breakfast, which playground to choose for an afternoon of fun, where to go for a hike and which spot to select to hit at the end of the day.

"2 years ago, before the birth of my first child, I had a clear vision about our shared future... I decided I wasn’t going to be the kind of mum who would be happy to sit on the edge of a sand box talking about cooking and diapers. I wanted to continue my life with the same activities as before and visiting places all over the city. I also thought it would be good for the baby to adjust to his or her parents’ life-style. I figured he or she could become accustomed to sleeping in the stroller whilst I head to ruin pubs and gardens. I wasn’t going to make a big fuss out of it.

Even if this is not possible, there are definitely some viable options. For example, we if couldn’t go to concerts at night we could still enjoy a leisurely afternoon at the Kőleves, we participated in alternative site-seeing tours and even biked out to the Fellini.

When my daughter was an infant it was much easier to wander around the city with her for hours but soon enough I ended up at the proverbial sand box around the corner. And it’s actually not that bad! As time went by I gathered some experience on how to shop with a child, run errands and conduct business meetings. I am also clear when it’s best not to push it and wait till I can get some help from grandma or just hire a baby-sitter. After all my exploring I would like to encourage everyone to discover the city with your child! Of course each kid is different as is his/her capacity for adventure although sometimes it’s nice to break away from the neighborhood you belong to. Look for places and programs both of you might find interesting and take advantage of having time to enjoy long walks and roaming. I plan to report back to you every other week and let you know what we like in certain parts of the city, where we play, shop, chat or meet up with others. To inspire you, I made a list of places where we could spend time if we decide not to run around all day looking for things to see, but just seek out things that are pleasant for parent and child alike. So, here we go:

  • breakfast at Briós
  • pick up a book from Pozsonyi Pagony
  • play at the Honvéd playground
  • splash around in the fountain on Szabadság Square
  • lunch at the Hummus Bar
  • walk through the Gozsdu-courtyard and then chill at the Kőleves Garden
  • visit Margaret Island, check out the Wildlife Park and then take a boat home
….and after all this: I think one should be exhausted!”