Budapest City Guide

Activities in Budapest

Bathing in Budapest's many thermal baths and swimming pools - some of which are as beautiful as palaces - is not a luxury but a way of life, a necessity for one's sanity. If you need to work up a sweat for this indulgence, cycling, rowing or caving should do the trick.

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Budapest lies on the geological fault separating the Buda Hills from the Great Plain, and more than 30,000 cubic metres of warm to scalding (21° to 76°C) mineral water gush forth daily from 118 thermal springs. As a result, the city is a major spa centre and 'taking the waters' at one of the many baths or spa-swimming pools is a real Budapest experience. Some of the baths date from Turkish times, others are Art Nouveau wonders, while a few more are spic-and-span modern establishments.

Hungarians are keen swimmers and Budapest boasts dozens of indoor and outdoor pools (uszoda). They're always excellent places to get in a few laps (if indoor), cool off on a hot summer's day (if outdoor) or watch all the posers strut their stuff (both). Many pools require the use of a bathing cap, so bring your own or wear the plastic one provided or sold for a nominal fee.

Parts of Budapest - including City Park, Népliget, Margaret, Óbudai and Csepel Islands and the Buda Hills - are excellent places for cycling. At present bike paths in the city total about 140km (87mi), including one along Andrássy út. There are places to rent bicycles on Margaret Island

In winter a huge outdoor ice-skating rink in City Park. It opens daily morning and afternoon, with a break for lunch.

The best place for canoeing and kayaking in Budapest is on the Danube at Romai-part; take the HÉV suburban line to Rómaifürdő and walk east towards the river.

Tours in Budapest

Buda Hills

With 'peaks' reaching over 500m (1640ft), a comprehensive system of trails and no lack of unusual transport, the Buda Hills are the city's true playground and a welcome respite from hot, dusty Pest in summer. If you're walking, take along a copy of Cartographia's 1:30,000 A Budai hegység (Buda Hills) map to complement the trail markers. Aside from the Béla Bartók Memorial House, there are few sights, though you might want to poke your head in one of the trio of caves here.

With all the unusual transport options, heading for the hills is more than half the fun. From the Moszkva tér metro station on the M2 line in Buda, walk westward along Szilágyi Erzsébet fasor for 10 minutes (or take tram No 18 or bus No 56 for two stops) to the circular high-rise Hotel Budapest at No 47. Directly opposite is the terminus of the Cog Railway. Built in 1874, the cog climbs for 3.5km (2.2mi) to Széchenyi-hegy (427m/1400ft), one of the prettiest residential areas in the city.

At Széchenyi-hegy, you can stop for a picnic in the pretty park south of the station or board the narrow-gauge Children's Railway, two minutes to the south on Hegyhát út. The railway was built in 1951 by Pioneers (socialist Scouts) and is staffed entirely by schoolchildren aged 10 to 14 (the engineer excepted). The little train chugs along for 12km (7.5mi), terminating at Hűvös-völgy (Chilly Valley). There are walks fanning out from any of the stops along the way, or you can return to Moszkva tér on tram No 56 from Hűvös-völgy. The train operates about once an hour.

A more interesting way down from the hills, though, is to get off at János-hegy, the fourth stop on the Children's Railway and the highest point (527m/1729ft) in the hills. The Elizabeth Lookout (Erzsébet kilátó), a tower built on the summit in 1910, has excellent views of the city, and there are some good walks.

About 700m (2300ft) due east of the station is the chairlift, which will take you down to Zugligeti út. From here bus No 158 returns to Moszkva tér.

Hármashatár-hegy (Three Border Hill) is less crowded even in peak season and is a great spot for a picnic, hiking or watching the gliders push off from the hillside. The view is 360° and worth the trip alone. There's also a lovely restaurant here with a large open terrace. You can reach this hill by taking bus No 86 or tram No 17 in Buda to III Kolosy tér, from where bus No 65 goes to the Fenyőgyöngy restaurant on Szépvölgyi út at the base of Hármashatárhegyi út. The museum close by is the Béla Bartók Memorial House, which is also on the No 29 bus route. The house was the composer's residence from 1932 to 1940 before he emigrated to the USA.