Activities with kids for summer weekends to make the holidays fun

Most children are big fans of medieval stories and castles associated with heroic deeds are often high on their bucket list. While a summer holiday may not be enough to visit all the country’s forts and castle ruins with the underage members of the family, here’s some good news: you can kill two birds with one stone in the Dinnyés Castle Park. That’s exactly how many castle mock-ups you can see in the Castle Park and Skanzen. Inside the promenade, which forms a map of historic Hungary, are miniature castles that are in reality rather ruins.

Decades ago, many of us probably dreamed of going down in history as space explorers or astronauts – an idea that probably still exists in the minds of many children today – or, if it hasn’t happened yet, it will probably come to them after a visit to the Planetarium in Pécs. In the country’s first optical planetarium, thanks to technological innovations, a trip around the Earth or into space feels incredibly realistic, as the Digitarium allows visitors to find themselves on the Arctic Circle or at the other end of the Milky Way in an instant. Younger and older astronomy fans can also listen to interesting educational lectures and learn about the mysteries of electricity or magnetism through fun science experiments.

Just half an hour from Budapest, Gödöllő and its region is a real treasure trove for family outings. You can start the day in Mogyoród, at the Aquarena water park, which is loved both by young and by old. Here you will find dozens of slides, adventure zones and wave pools, you just have to try them all. From there, it is just a hop to Gödöllő, where you can wander among the fairy-tale scenery of the Sissi legends in the park of the Grassalkovich Castle, also known as the Royal Castle of Gödöllő – whether it is a light picnic or an exciting castle visit.

You can continue the excursion in Veresegyház, on the shady promenades of the Bear Farm, where you can observe friendly bears, wolves and other wild animals up close. And the day can be crowned with the artisanal offering of the nearby, justifiably popular Sissi Ice Cream: more than 40 flavours, made from fresh ingredients, with special flavour combinations. The Gödöllő region is therefore an excellent choice for all those who are looking for a meaningful family programme, full of experience, spiced up with gastronomic and cultural extras.

The firefly swarm is a special natural phenomenon that everyone should see at some point. In the Alcsút Arboretum, it has become a tradition that around Midsummer Night – that is, the second half of June – hundreds of people come to admire the amazing dance of the fireflies. We urge you to do the same, as it’s really hard to imagine the breathtaking spectacle until you have experienced it. Be prepared to answer the familiar “why?” question in the midst of all the astonishment. Here is a little help: the phenomenon is actually a mating dance. Waiting in the grass, the flightless females wait for the males – who are much smaller than the females but also light up – and fly around in search of their mate.

Every year, the organisers of the Veszprém Street Music Festival attract performers to Veszprém who, over the course of three days, make visitors feel as if they have travelled around the world, while remaining in the narrow but louder and more cheerful streets and squares of the city.

This summer, Veszprém, which will be the European Capital of Culture in 2023, will again feature street musicians from home and abroad, creating a carnival atmosphere that will have even the youngest members of the family dancing and clapping. They can even pick up a tambourine and join in the fun on the improvised stages.