4 Best Sights in Hungary

A beautiful botanical garden and park, created in the late 1800s and now part of a university campus, the Buda Arboretum is home to almost 2,000 species of trees, flowers, and plants. It's a very pleasant spot for a stroll or a jog any time of year, but particularly in autumn or spring, when the colors are beautiful. Note that, while the Lower Garden is open every day, the Upper Garden is closed on weekends.

Established in 1866, the Budapesti Állat-és Növénykert was one of the first urban zoos in the world. In the early days, most of the zoo's residents came from the Pannonian Basin, with only a handful of more exotic tenants. One of them was a giraffe gifted by Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who was Queen Consort of Hungary at that time. Her husband, Franz Josef, King of Hungary, sent 34 animals to the zoo from Schönbrunn. The lovingly preserved architecture, which seems to be endlessly under renovation, makes for a uniquely elegant urban zoo experience. Don't miss the Art Nouveau elephant pavilion, decorated with Zsolnay majolica and glazed ceramic animals. In the early 1900s, the elephant house had to be rebuilt at the request of the Turkish ambassador, who thought it resembled a mosque and found it offensive. The neighboring lot, once the amusement park immortalized in the classic Hungarian film about the Kádár era, A Tanú (The Witness), has been annexed by the zoo. The buildup of an enormous biodome, which would have recreated the nature and wildlife of the Pannonian Basin, was canceled halfway through construction in 2022 due to excessive costs (the building’s torso can be seen from the outside). Some of the antique relics, like the wooden roller coaster, remain on display. Note that the last tickets are sold one hour before closing, and animal houses don't open until an hour after the zoo gates.

Around 14 km (9 miles) southeast of Vác, on the road to Gödöllő, lies Hungary’s biggest and best botanical garden. Home to more than 12,000 plant species, the arboretum’s top priority is botanical research, and the collection falls under the auspices of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. You’re welcome to stroll along the paths and sit on benches in the leafy shade. The greenhouse opens a bit later and closes earlier than the surrounding garden.

It may look centuries old, but this beautiful complex of palatial riverside buildings was actually only constructed in the late 1800s by architect Miklos Ybl; the use of neobaroque and neo-Renaissance architecture was very fashionable at the time. The buildings are today home to everything from theaters and art exhibitions to restaurants and shops, but the complex's highlights are the spaces in between, including the manicured ornamental gardens and the lovely, strollable footpaths. You can take an elevator and escalator from here up to the top of Castle Hill for free.