Children's Park - the best place for children
The Városliget belongs to everybody. But most of all, it belongs to children. At the centre of all the Liget Budapest Project’s developments is the intention to provide space for children to relax and play together, both of which help to develop their skills and allow them to acquire knowledge suitable for their age and abilities, while enriching them with lots of different experiences.
Thematic playgrounds
During the park’s renewal we established several areas that are suitable for leisurely play and sport. Different thematic playgrounds now await children in the rejuvenated areas of the City Park. One of Budapest’s most exciting and largest integrated playgrounds designed with various features for different age groups is the Main Playground. Just come along and try it out, the kids will love it. Set up right next to the House of Music is the Musical Playground with various outdoor instruments, which you can find easily as the sounds will lead you there. The Children’s Traffic Park, an all-time favourite, has also been renewed and provides children with the opportunity to practice traffic rules and politeness on the road in life-like situations. During the construction works, we moved the old playground from the site of the Main Playground to nearer the House of the Hungarian Millennium, which at first was supposed to be a temporary solution, but since it became so used and popular we decided to keep it, and equipped it with new play features, added shading and a drinking water tap.
Places for families in the park
Children's Traffic Park
The renewed Children’s Traffic Park has become the largest and most complex green areas in the country, playfully teaching children of all ages traffic regulations, while also serving as a suitable venue for recreation and sport. As a result of the renovation project, the traffic park and its surroundings were fundamentally rebuilt: modern play features were installed, the transport infrastructure was modernised, and green areas and rest areas were expanded.
Main Playground
Set in the heart of the renewed park is the Main Playground, all 13,000 square metres of which were designed to meet the needs of children. Utilising the involvement of child psychologists, landscape architects and teachers, we designed a playground to suit the needs of different age groups as well as of parents. To accord with equal opportunities and social integration, we placed great emphasis on accessibility and awareness-raising. In addition, we installed numerous pieces of integrated play equipment in the park, which are accessible so that children with various disabilities and those with special educational needs can play together with their able-bodied peers. The structure of the playground is designed so that even the smallest children can play in a protected inner circle, while their parents can always keep an eye on them. Some unique playground elements allow the family to play together. For example, special netting can support the weight of adults if they feel like climbing.
The designers placed a great deal of emphasis on providing space for free play and inspiring the creative energies of children through the design and tools of the playground. SMART solutions, such as slides with a speedometer, are also part of this modern playground intended for the digital generation.
Next to the play areas, there is a washing and a dining facility with a small shaded area for sitting, where you can get a simple children’s menu or a great cup of coffee. Toilets are free if you register for Liget+ membership free of charge.
Musical Playground
The Musical Playground was established next to the House of Music, and it can be heard from quite far off as the sounds will lead you there. This thematic experience park has unique outdoor musical equipment from which children can lure out sounds, melodies and rhythms by operating them mechanically. You can find drums, musical cushions in the paving, tubular bells and foot-operated flutes here. The musical instruments and instruments are also suitable for wheelchair users.
Outdoor Agility Park
In addition to the Main Playground, the Outdoor Agility Park has been set up for people who like special sports, while awaiting children with a climbing rock, a skateboard track, a climbing wall and areas for scootering, roller-skating and for riding mopeds for toddlers. A pumptrack track has also been built, where BMX cyclists can practice on an exciting track.
Városliget Sports Centre
Come and do some sports in the open. You’ll be greeted in the park by three free-to-use multifunctional sports grounds if you fancy playing football, basketball, volleyball, badminton or foot tennis. In addition, you can try the Teqball tables and several other sports, and there’s also table tennis. For those who prefer to exercise their brains, we recommend chess tables. With a Liget+ membership, you can use the changing rooms next to the facilities free of charge.
Mihály Mőcsényi Botanical Garden
A tranquil and quiet botanical garden awaits you in the City Park, where, as the seasons change, you can marvel at how over 300 plant species change. A small stream runs through the plants, from which birds and butterflies drink in summer. It’s worth looking around carefully to see if you can catch a glimpse of one. On one of the promenades of the renewed garden is an arbour, which is connected to a ‘toddler route’ for the little explorers. If you have already heard about the benefits of KNEIPP paths, you can try it out here. Going barefoot improves your sense of balance and has a beneficial effect on posture. Come and check it out and make sure you don’t miss the pools that present the natural wildlife of open waters and swamps.
Birding Trail
The educational trail constructed in cooperation with the Hungarian Ornithological Association presents the diverse bird population of the City Park in ten stations. Did you know that over half the entire bird fauna in Hungary, a total of over 270 bird species, can be found in Budapest? The City Park makes a major contribution to maintaining this surprising diversity. In order to observe the birds, you need to know what to pay attention to, and what to listen to. By using the educational trail, you can learn a lot of useful and interesting information about the city-dwelling birds through the singers of birdlife to the master hunters. Start exploring with us.
Freely in the open
We also help children discover the flora and the fauna of the park, and we are sure that the Bird Lovers Educational Trail and the Mihály Mőcsényi Botanical Garden will encourage them to explore nature. Of course, the park is also a great place for children to just run, jump or even roll down the grassy green roof of the Museum of Ethnography. People on bikes and scooters can enjoy the car-free City Park and the newly opened, beautifully renovated Children’s Traffic Park. As soon as the good weather arrives, free events for children will start, including performances at the children’s theatre, events for bikers, dogs and dog-owners, as well as events that teach environmental awareness in a playful way.
Surrounded by culture
Our institutions enrich the world of children, providing exciting museum education workshops and art events in the Museum of Fine Arts, the House of Music, the House of the Hungarian Millennium and the Museum of Ethnography. link: gyerekprogramok In addition, there are interactive exhibitions specially tailored to children’s interests, among which we recommend the uniquely exciting permanent exhibition of the House of Music or the 360-degree sound dome projections providing a special musical experience. linkek!! It’s never too soon to introduce children to culture.
With children in cultural institutions
Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts is the perfect starting point for children to experience culture for the first time. The museum’s diverse exhibition features paintings and sculptures depicting a wide variety of interesting animals but also allows visitors to discover kings and their families, while providing a glimpse into ancient and Egyptian culture. The Museum of Fine Arts organises thematic games for families with various themes, which are great fun for the whole family: these collective games also develop children’s skills: their orientation, visual memory and vocabulary.
House of Music Hungary
The House of Music Hungary is a place where music belongs to everyone, where you can experience music, listen to music, try out music, create music, hear amazing facts about music, learn about music, discover music, research music, record your music, and experiment with music. It is a treasure trove of opportunities for kids to take their first steps in discovering the wonderful world of music. Music enthusiasts, children and adults alike, can attend matinee events on Saturday mornings, while babies and toddlers can take over the House with their parents and grandparents on Tuesday mornings. You can learn about catchy melodies and instruments in a playful way. You can also enjoy performances realised through the cooperation of renowned artists across genres and with the active musical participation of the audience!
House of the Hungarian Millennium
The unique events organised for children by the House of the Hungarian Millennium can be visited by kindergarten and school groups as well as families. In the playful, awareness-raising activities held in the Sensory Garden – which is normally open exclusively for blind and visually impaired people – children can learn about how visually impaired people experience the world and try out the aids that make everyday life easier for them, including reading and writing in Braille, while experiencing challenges involving fragrances and touch by strolling barefoot among the herbs and various interesting soil types of the garden. In the Liget Tales session, children can learn about the exciting periods of the history of the House of the Hungarian Millennium and the City Park, and can even get answers to questions such as why winged lions were mounted on the walls of the House, who sleeps their eternal dream in the only grave of the City Park, and what Tesla drew in the dust of the park?
Events for children
The institutions in the City Park offer various activities and events for families throughout the year, but visiting the park is made even more exciting by free events held in nice weather. The themes of our children’s theatre performances organised in the summer months are mainly based on the treasures of Hungarian folk tales, while at our environmental edutainment events children can learn about selective waste collection and energy saving in a playful, interactive way. Orienteering runs organised around Easter and Santa Claus Day as well as exciting adventure runs in unusual locations make this sport interesting and attractive even for small children. In addition to all of this, we organise cycling days, where you can learn or hone your cycling skills. Families are more than welcome to all our free events and activities in the City Park.
Feeling at home away from home
Being out with children is always a challenge for parents because they have to find a parking place, use public transport, wash the little ones’ hands, have them drink water, take them to the toilet, change their nappies and clothes, give them something to eat and drink, and buy ice creams. We are ready for all of this too! You can easily keep everything under control by registering for a Liget+ membership for free. You won’t need coins to use the toilet, you can use the Museum Underground Parking facility easier and you get discounts on lunch, coffee and, last but not least, on tickets for cultural events. An important thing to know is that there are toilets near all playgrounds or sports grounds intended for children, but you can also use the toilets in the House of Music, the House of the Hungarian Millennium and those of the Museum of Ethnography if you are nearby.