Find tiny sculptures
You might have heard about Kolodko, the sculptor. He has many mini-sculpture installed all around the World, with each of them rhyming with their location. We have a lot of these in Budapest, on both sides of the Danube. So you can hunt for a few before brunch on Pest side, and for the afternoon you can catch a glimpse of more on Buda side.
Google is your friend for sure on this scavenger hunt. Just connect the dots, as many as you like.
3in1 walk from the Venue
Gellért-hegy
From Gellért square, which is 15 mins walk on the bank of the Danube from the Venue, A38 (I suggest the upper bank with sidewalk), you can climb on the Gellért hill, to catch your first sight of the beautiful Budapest with the Danube at your feet. No need for a map, just always choose the way that leads upward. Or search for the Green - sign.
This walk from the Gellért square takes around 40 mins to the top of the hill, meaning 100 meters altitude.
Continue if you wish from Gellért-hegy to Vérmező on the Green sign.
Vérmező
Following the Green sign, you walk on the Panorama trail. You will pass by the Gellért sculpture, the Philosophers park, Tabán, and Horváth garden.
This walk takes from Gellért-hegy to Vérmező 3.5km, 130m altitude, around 60mins.
You may go for more: follow the Green sign to Kis-Sváb-hegy
Kis-Sváb-hegy
Follow the Green sign through Hajnóczy József utca, Városmajor park, Alma utca, Bíró utca, Csaba utca, and arrive to the Kis-Sváb-hegy. There you will find a park, some place to rest, a learning trail (Google translate from camera comes handy), and a couple of bunkers from 1930.
The walk takes one-way 2,8km, 135m alt.
RunWalk the city
Just like many other cities, Budapest also has its marathons (not in August, sorry). Why not walk the way, though?
Pick 8.3km or 15.3km, you can find the map here. Do not forget that Buda side has hills!
Tours around and away from Budapest
The tours listed here are available by a short travel by train or bike. You may plan to rent a car, then check Pécs, Balatonfüred, Sopron, Kékestető.
Esztergom
Before our main river the Danube flows through Budapest, it has a beautiful bend among green hills. One of the cities there is Esztergom. We suggest to approach Esztergom by train from Nyugati pályaudvar, and come back by ship straight to the center of Budapest.
Visegrád
Visegrád is not available by train, however for bikers it is a nice round-tour from Budapest. For serious mountain bikers it would be a challenge to go through the Pilis hills. For less physical challenge, choose the way all along by the Danube (EuroVelo 6).
Hármashatár-hegy
Fancy to stay within Budapest? Check the highest point. Available by Budapest transportation, or walk the hills.
A Hungarian intro for this tour is available here. Ask Google to translate this page.
Hike Route: Fenyőgyöngye – Látó-hegy – Árpád-kilátó – Határnyereg – Újlaki-hegy – Virágos-nyereg – Guckler Károly út – Fenyőgyöngye
Distance 10.8 km, appr. 3 hours, alt. 310 m up and the same down.
Our Favorite Museums
My personal favorite is the Fine arts. It is located in the so-called Villa district, and by one of the biggest parks in Budapest.
However, if you are not a fan of fine arts, you can also find the House of Hungarian Music in that area, an interesting, interactive exhibition.
With children, there is always something to discover in the Vajdahunyadvár. Worth checking the program there.
Info Book - Active in Budapest
You can read the Active in Budapest information book about outdoor activities here as a pdf.
Budapest Transportation
You can find the the starting page for Budapest transportation clicking here.
We have bike sharing, e-scooters sharing (Lime, Tier - Tier goes better on hills), and car sharing (MolLimo and GreenGo - GreenGo has the same carfleet all over the city, while MolLimo has various options, you can never know what type of car you will find the nearest).
We do not have Uber, but have a lot of Taxies, all are yellow.
Always try to order a licensed taxi for yourselves, there are some shady practices that focus on charging foreigners more with unofficial rides. Ordering one on phone or by app will get you a licensed, oficial taxi.
The Licensed Taxi fleet: Főtaxi, Bolt, 6X6 Taxi, City Taxi, Elit Taxi, Taxi 4