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Vacation Rentals in Budapest |
Facilities for children in Budapest do leave something to be desired, though that is not a reflection of Hungarian attitudes to kids: Hungarians love children and will often talk to them on the bus, give up their seats for them, and roundly criticize you if they think your child is not sufficiently wrapped up in winter.
From Klauzál tér's scaled-down assault course to the folksy wooden see-saws and swings erected on Széchenyi-hegy, there are children's playgrounds all over Budapest - the best are in the new Millenarium Park and the Zoo . Recent improvements to the Zoo have made it a great place to visit; kids can feed the camels and giraffes, tickle the rhinos, stroke the goats, sheep and farm animals and explore the new Palm House. Nearby is Városliget with its mock castle and lake - allowing skating or rowing according to the season - as well as the Transport Museum with its old trains, the fairground and the circus . The " railway circuit " of the Buda Hills should also appeal to all ages, but the best place for young train buffs is the new Rail Heritage Park , where kids can clamber over all kinds of locomotives and even get to drive a steam train. Finally, the Labyrinth of Buda Castle under the Várhegy offers an exciting exploration for 6-12 year olds, and there's fun hands-on science at the Palace of Miracles .
Budapest has a strong tradition in puppetry but at present has only one puppet theatre ( bábszínház ); this occasionally puts on English-language performances. Morning and matinée performances are for kids, while the evening's occasional masked grotesqueries or renditions of Bartók's The Wooden Prince and The Miraculous Mandarin are intended for adults. Tickets are available from the puppet theatre itself at VI, Andrássy út 69 (tel 1/321-5200), or the Central Box Office at Andrássy út 15 (tel 1/267-1267).
" Kidstown " ( Kölyökvár ) is a play and activity centre open every Sunday (10am-1pm) from mid-October to April at the Almássy téri Szabadido Központ. This offers all sorts of activities from face-painting to model-building, plus films, music and drama; call 1/342-0387 for details. Another popular destination for kids is the Görzenál Skatepark at III, Árpád fejedelem útja (Szentendre HÉV to Timár utca; March-Oct Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat & Sun 9am-9pm; Nov-Feb Sat & Sun 9am-6pm; tel 1/250-4800), where you can rollerblade, skateboard and cycle on ramps and jumps to your heart's content.
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