You’ll find children’s playgrounds all over in Budapest but these are our favourites – with varied, imaginative features and often right next to an outlet for cakes and ice cream. The newer ones have toilets, and all are clean and well-maintained.
1/10
Anna-rét/Normafa
There has been a lot of development around Normafa,
Buda’s favourite green getaway, recently. Currently, the old car park is being
converted into green space at the terminus of bus 21,
and a canopy path winding through the trees is also being built.
A playground has also been installed around Anna Meadow, with climbing frames,
slides, a double slide, a children’s train, swings and springy animals. János
Hill and the Elizabeth Lookout Tower are a 20-minute walk away. The Normafa Ski
House,
Normafa Grill Terrace and Normafa Delikát have also opened, making Normafa a gastronomic destination as well as an
outdoor one. District XII. Jánoshegyi út. Bus 21A, 212 to Normafa
2/10
Benczúr-kert
Sculptor Boldizsár Kő and his team created a fairy-tale playground in the already magical Benczúr Garden. The huge sycamore tree in the middle of the garden is surrounded by a wooden fairy-tale town, where a fox, a rabbit and a bear sit in a tiny wooden house, just ready to tuck into sandwiches. The climbing frames, the small slide and the springy boat in the middle of the sandpit, and the mini football court, have also proved a great success, and the toilets are a godsend. District VI. Benczúr köz 9. M1 metro to Bajza utca/Hősök tere
3/10
Gellért Hill
This 50-year-old playground was renovated in 2017 on Gellért Hill and is now a Slide Park. Straight ones, short ones, winding ones, all kinds of slides should keep the kids occupied for hours, and there are also swings, a climbing tower and a small sandpit. The playground is a slight climb from Gellért tér. In hot weather, it is better to visit in the morning as the metal slides heat up quickly. District XI. Szabó Dezső sétány. M4 metro/tram 17, 41, 47, 49, 56 to Szent Gellért tér
4/10
Margaret Island Pólós playground
If you’re visiting Budapest’s main recreation zone of Margaret Island, along with the petting zoo, Japanese garden, musical fountain and the Palatinus lido, be sure to try the Pólós playground, opened during the 2017 World Aquatics Championships that took place at the Alfred Hajós National Sports Pool nearby. Hidden among the trees, you’ll find a play castle, slides, climbing frames, springy features and a sandpit. District XIII. Margit-sziget, Hajós Alfréd sétány. Bus 26 to Parkmozi köz
5/10
Múzeumkert
In the recently renovated gardens around the National Museum, this playground evokes the turn-of-the-century atmosphere of writers Ferenc Molnár and Árpád Pásztor. Their books, the Paul Street Boys and A Muzi, inspire the features here: the toy railway, the ball track and street organ, as well as the climbing slide fashioned like a steam sawmill. This summer, a branch of the august Auguszt confectionery, Geraldine, opened, allowing you to crown your playground visit with a delicious cake or ice cream. If you would rather spend the hottest part of the day in the shade, you can explore the Hungarian National Museum, with its cool exhibition halls. District VIII. Múzeum körút/Múzeum utca. M4 metro/bus 9, 15, 115/tram 47, 48, 49 to Kálvin tér
6/10
Nagyrét/Hűvösvölgy
The latest playground to open in Budapest, inspired by forest animals, was unveiled this summer at this popular excursion destination, Nagyrét in Hűvösvölgy. Grown-ups shouldn’t be bored either, as this well conceived attraction also features a 12-element fitness park, both outdoor gym and playground blending into the landscape. Connected to the nearby Children’s Railway, Nagyrét allows you to plan a day trip in the area, with many hiking trails also starting from here. District II. Nagyrét utca/Nagykovácsi utca. Bus 63 to Villám utca
7/10
Pirate playground/Csepel
Which kid wouldn’t want to go into battle on a pirate ship? Fortunately, there are no sharks to worry about for the little pirates at this playground on Csepel island, but there’s an octopus sandpit, climbing slides and swings. Nearby runs the Danube embankment, with ducks, swans and the György Kolonics promenade. Also close, a scheduled ferry runs to idyllic Molnár Island. If these aren't enough, you’ll find fairy-tale play castles at Rákóczi Garden, another playground on Csepel. District XXI. Csepel, Hollandi út 141. Bus 71, 148 to Csepel, Soroksári rév
8/10
Rumini playground
Hungarian
schoolgirls love Judit Berg’s unfailingly popular Rumini series of books, also
found in the form of board games, theatre performances – and this playground.
Up from Batthyány tér along Batthyány utca, you will find Mouse City, where the
characters and scenes of Berg’s novels come to life. The playground was
renovated this year and toilets built. Rumini and her fictional pals Balikó and
Féró Galléros would also enjoy the delicacies of the Pékműhely bakery and Kedveskrém confectionery next door. District I. Mária tér 6. M2 metro/tram 17, 19, 41/bus 11, 39 to
Batthyány tér
9/10
Themed playgrounds/Vuk, Pom Pom & Szaffi
Fairy-tale playgrounds were once all the rage, and spaces inspired by classic Hungarian cartoon characters still popular today. The Vuk playground on Bérc utca, Gellert Hill, is themed around an adorable fox, the Pom Pom playground on Naphegy tér around the popular figures from István Csukás’ stories and the Szaffi playground at the bottom of Buda Castle, on Csónak utca, after the animated hit from 1985.
10/10
Városli
Budapest’s largest playground, unveiled in 2019, is a real children’s paradise in City Park, easily accessible and suitable for all ages from toddlers to teenagers. Its central element is a climbing frame inspired by Pál Szinyei Merse’s painting Léghajó (‘Airship’) that hangs in the National Gallery. You’ll find a speedometer slide, other climbing and spinning features, a sandpit and strange stones that blow steam. Alongside the playground, the Léghájó KERT offers delicious sandwiches, coffees, soft ice cream and a daily menu. Other nearby attractions include the recently opened Mihály Mőcsényi Botanical Garden, a bird-friendly trail and sports courts. Léggömbös nagyjátszótér, District XIV. Dvořák sétány. Trolleybus 70 to Dvořák sétány, trolleybus 75/bus 79M to Damjanich utca/Dózsa György út
