Budapest with children

So many of Budapest’s attractions are suitable for children, you will hardly need to tweak your plans to ensure the whole family is satisfied. Here are a few family-friendly suggestions for making the most of your visit.Even young children will be impressed by the grandeur of the city’s famous bathsperfect for all-weather fun, with multiple indoor and outdoor pools. Gellért has a wave pool and Széchenyi has a whirlpool.vast lawns for lounging or playing in the sun.Budapest’s children’s dance houses have instructors who will put your kids through their traditional paces to a soundtrack of live folk music. Check thecalendar for upcoming shows.The marionette and puppet showsmesmerise your little ones regardless of the language barrier. Shows designed for children are performed twice daily.At Széchenyi-hegy, you can board the narrow-gauge children’s railway,Built in 1951 by pioneers, the line is now staffed almost entirely by schoolchildren aged 10 to 14. The little train chugs along for 12km, terminating at Hűvösvölgy. Departure times vary depending on the day of the week and the season but there is usually one every hour or so between 9 am and 6pm. The line is closed on Mondays from September to April.When the sugar levels start to drop, head to one of Budapest’s ubiquitous cukrászdák (pâtisseries). Hungarians love sweets and pastries such as Dobos torta, a layered chocolate and cream cake with a caramelised brown sugar top, and piték (fruit pies). These are usually consumed mid-afternoon, a perfect time to revive flagging spirits. For a classicBudapest treat take the kidswhich has been satisfying sweet teeth since 1887.attractive landscaped complex, comprising fountains, ponds, little bridges, a theatre, a gallery and, for kids, the wonderfulIt is an interactive playhouse for children of all ages, with smart toys and puzzles, most of which have a scientific bent. Next door in building B is the House of the Future Exhibition, which hosts some unusual shows for kids.situated on 2.5 hectares and dates back to the mid-19th Century. There are a couple of dozen thrilling rides, including the heart-stopping Ikarus Space Needle, the looping Star roller coaster (alongside a vintage wooden one from 1926), the Hip-Hop freefall tower, go-karts and  a carousel built in 1906.If the children are getting beastly, it is best to visit This large zoo and garden, which opened with 500 animals in 1866, has a good collection (big cats, hippopotamuses, polar bear, giraffe), but most visitors come for a glimpse of the calves born to Lulu the white rhinoceros.