Budapest activities

There are many activities available in beautiful Budapest . Spelunking is one unlikely, but popular activity and swimming is probably the most popular outdoor activity. Another unusual possibility is the Children's Railway where kids can manage a train. Golf has just begun to put down roots in Hungary.

Spelunking
Spelunking, or cave exploring, is a popular Budapest activity. Approximately 200 caves large and small are under the capital city and many of them were not discovered until the early years of the 20 th century. Three caves are open to the public: Pálvölgyi, Szemlohegyi, and the Castle Cave.

Pálvölgyi is full of beautiful stalagmite rock formations and has passageways 1200 meters in length. For the more adventurous or experienced spelunker there are also guided tours available that explore the less-easily accessible areas of the Pálvölgyi cave system. Szemlohegyi is popularly known as the underground flower garden for it's cave walls decorated with minerals that take on the appearance of flower bouquets. Castle Cave is a network of passageways constructed within underground cave formations by people living near Buda Castle.

Group tours at all these caves are organized every hour. Pálvölgyi tours are available from Tuesday through Sunday between the hours of 9am and 4pm. The Szemlohegyi cave is open from Wednesday through Sunday between, 9am and 3pm and the Castle Cave is open to the public daily between the hours of 10am and 6pm.

Children's Railway
Traveling families will be delighted with the Children's Railway located in the western area of the city, known as Buda. The narrow gauge rails run a length of 11 kilometers through the hills and woods with children aged between 10 and 14 solely maintaining the traffic, including switches and signals, and commercial services of the train such as passenger information and ticketing. The engine itself is run by adults and supervision of participating children is maintained by railway employees. The Children's Railway is open throughout the year except on Mondays from September to April. The trains begin their run between 9am and 5pm in the winter and from 9am until 7pm in the summer.

Swimming
Located on Margaret Island is Palatinus Strand (Beach). However, this beach is really a large outdoor network of pools fed by the thermal springs located on the island. Within the vast, grassy grounds is a huge swimming pool, a smaller wave pool, a water slide, and a separate nude sunbathing area. There are also numerous ping pong tables, pool tables, trampolines and snack bars located at the site. Palatinus Strand is open daily from May until the middle of September between 8am and 7pm.

Golf
The best golf in the Budapest area is the Pannonia Golf and Country Club located about a half hour from the center of the city. The course was constructed on land once owned by the Hapsburg family who used it as a weekend retreat in the first half of the 19 th century. The clubhouse is surrounded by trees that are over 200 years old. There are also activities here to keep the non-golfers entertained such as childcare services on the weekends and a lake for swimming. The golf course is open daily between the hours of 8am and 6pm. Reservations are recommended and a minimum handicap of 36 is required.

There is also a golf course located within the city limits that is recommended for novices. The Old Lake Golf Course is 18 holes and is located in the eastern ( Pest ) outskirts of the city. There is also a driving range available called the Petneháza Golf Club where golfing lessons are also available.