Hungary awaits: Let's dive into child-friendly adventures!

For those arriving with animal-loving children, the tiny, charming bird park of the Festetics Castle in Keszthely, featuring forty species of waterfowl (including the world's smallest waterfowl, the Hottentot duck), is a must-see. In the Africa Museum in Balatonederics, adults can encounter objects and beliefs of a distant culture, while children can encounter the inhabitants of the zoo (buffaloes, lemurs, camels). In the neighbouring Gyenesdiás, at theFestetics Imre Experience Centre, deer, asses, wild boars and native domestic animals pose. Little nature lovers can get to know the wildlife of Lake Balaton in more detail at the Bodorka Balaton Water World Visitor Centre in Füred, which features fifteen freshwater, two marine aquariums and two terrariums.

At the historical model railway exhibition at the Festetics Castle in Keszthely, children can adventure among nimbly rattling trains: the giant model illustrating the railways of Hungary, Austria and Germany from the 19th to the 21st centuries is a faithful replica of the original station buildings, railway tracks, locomotives and trains.

Photo: Hello Keszthely / Facebook 

The exhibition "This is what cows are like" invites you to the historic playhouse of the neighbouring Dairy Farm, followed by family play in the "boys'" and "girls'" rooms. You can also travel back in time to the recently revived Szántódpuszta Manor, where you can experience the everyday life of a working farm.

In the lookouts near the shore, you can admire the beauty of the lake in its autumnal scenery from a bird's eye view. From the Festetics lookout in Gyenesdiás, a fabulous view of the Keszthely Basin opens up before us, the Kishegyi lookout terrace in Balatonlelle offers a panorama of the monadnocks of the northern shore, and the Kőhegyi lookout in Zamárdi offers a panorama of the Tihany Peninsula. If you climb to the top of the Halom Hill between Mencshely and Dörgicse, you can also view the monadnocks from the Kossuth lookout.

Photo: BalatoniBob Leisure Park

As long as the weather permits, teenagers and young adults can burn off their excess energy in adventure parks (such as Zamárdi Adventure Park). You can ride a bobsleigh in Balatonfűzfő, at the BalatoniBob Leisure Park, or at the Balatonboglár Bobsleigh Track and Adventure Park next to the Sphere Lookout. If the weather turns bad, take older children to the Bobo Fun Park in Alsópáhok, and younger children to the BalaLand Family Park in Szántód.

In rainy weather, visiting the caves lining the northern shore is a great choice. The Csodabogyós Cave in Balatonederics can be visited with children over 10 years old, and the passages can be explored in overalls, safety helmets, headlamps, sometimes on all fours or on your stomach. In Balatonfüred, the beauty of the uniquely shaped rocks of the Lóczy Cave can be enjoyed with younger children as well on half-hour guided walks, but the interactive exhibition and the educational trail also contain many interesting things.

Photo: Csaba Egri

The Maritime History Visitor Centre in Balatonföldvár is all about sailing on Lake Balaton, you can practice mooring with a simulator and even stir up wind. The experience can be crowned with a boat trip on Lake Balaton, for example on one of the Bahart's new boats.