Budapest City Park, Budapest (2024) - Images, Timings

City Park, Budapest Overview

Városliget is a Public Park in Budapest, also the most populous and largest city in the world. Being the capital of Hungary, the city is a centre for the political, commercial, transport and industrial of the country. It is the second largest park situated at XIV district of Budapest.

Formerly known as Ökrösdűlő when it was a swamp land covered with pasture during the 18 th century. Ökrösdűlő also means Oxmeadow as cows and Oxes were grazed here but there was also risk of Malaria here. To avoid spreading of the disease actions were taken to control marshy lands and plant new trees. Later the park was also called as Batthyány-erdő or Batthyány Forest named after the family of the same name. The family also were tenants of this land and Prince Batthyány undertook to plant the new area. Rudolf Batthyány, an engineer along with his team set up a 10,000 square-square open waterlakes and removed the earlier two islands of swamp land.

Today on one of its land is the Széchenyi thermal site and Vajdahunyad Castle few of the popular attractions in Budapest.

In the 1896 Budapest was a lively place with festivities to mark the Millennium Celebrations of Hungary’s the City Park became the event venue. Being one of the city’s first green spaces, the park held a grand exhibition in this celebration and over the years it has been a cherished place. As the site grew as a prominent event place, construction of new buildings like Kunsthalle exhibition centre, Vajdahunyad Castle and Millennium Underground were constructed. Being Europe’s first metro line it was constructed to take passengers to Millennium Celebrations from downtown Budapest making various stops including the Heroes Square.

During the end of World War II like destruction of many well-known monuments and buildings Városliget was devastated as it had caught fire. After the war ended the majority of buildings at the City Park remained damaged for a long time and saw a brighter side at the end of Soviet Era. A huge landscaping project was set up in 1970 to bring back lush greenery to the Park

Városliget at Present

Today the Park is surrounded by buildings of Budapest Zoo, Vajdahunyad Castle, City Park Ice Rink, Városliget Café & Bar and restaurants like the renowned Gundel. Wandering nearby spots of Heroes Square, another major public spot featuring Seven chieftains of the Magyars, the place is a must visit for any tourist. It is home to Museum of Fine Arts and Palace of Art both contemporary and historic places displaying art forms of Budapest, Hungary.

The Municipal Circus is a great entertainment show for people of all groups, open all year round. Dated back from 1783 the traditional circus has evolved to contemporary over the years. This internationally recognized, multiple award winner show “Flying Circus” is being staged here from 20 th April-8 th September. Few other captivating shows part of the Circus is Fumagalli, Daniel Golla, Trio Dandy, Jana Posna and Anastasia Trushina. You can check the availability of different shows and ticket prices on the official website and book them accordingly.

Ticket Prices are usually in the range of HUF 1500- 4500.

With 1072 animal species located within the Városliget Park, the Budapest Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the world. Opened in August 9 th, 1866 the Zoo also has a botanical garden consisting of about 2000 plant species. Top attractions in the Zoo is the Elephant house, a tower at the right of the entrance giving you panorama view of the City, the butterfly garden, the Majomvilag (home to apes, gorillas, lemurs) are just few of them worth a visit.

Vajdahunyad Castle is believed to be a romantic castle located by the boating lake in the City Park. Each year the castle is home to exhibitions, concerts, events and festivals and was once celebration point for completion of 1000 years of Hungary. Designed by Ignac Alpar the castle features replicas of different landmarks belonging to Kingdom of Hungary. Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Romanesque architectural styles can be witnessed at various sections of castle. It also displays a figure of Béla Lugosi, a Hungarian- American actor known for portraying the character of Dracula.

Places to Eat at Városliget

One of the highly recommended places to eat near Városliget is the Városliget Cafe and Restaurant. Also called as Romantic Budapest, the interiors and atmosphere of the cafe is simply relaxed with good music. They also have an open area on the outside for customers to enjoy coffee with great views.

To enjoy best cocktails, drinks and good food of Mediterranean, European, Latin and Spanish cuisines head to Vicky Barcelona. The best part is that you get to relish on tasty menu along with live music creating an elating experience altogether. Another friendliest place near the City Park is this peaceful lakeside Bistro of Nyereg serving casual European and Hungarian dishes. Burgers, salads, soufflés, Lemonades, the vibe is quite relaxed as the place is surrounded by greenery.

Best time to visit Budapest

The months of March-May and September-November are the favourable ones to visit Budapest. During this time the city isn’t crowded and the temperatures are mild enough to wander for tourists. Also the main highlights which are the festivals of Budapest fall under this time frame thereby making it an ideal period. Budapest Dance Festival, Budapest Spring Festival, Budapest Beer Week, Macaron Day are some of the festivals worth experiencing in this city. Tourists also consider visiting Budapest in the fall to witness the appeal the city or the country has to offer.