Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
on a tribune surrounded by a surging crowd of workers and soldiers (plus a bystander with an
umbrella).
Tropicarium and Palace of Miracles
Topicarium Campona Shopping Centre • XXII, Nagytétényi út 37-43 • Daily 10am-8pm • 2300Ft, children
1600Ft • 1 424 3053,
tropicarium.hu
• Palace of Miracles • Daily 10am-8pm • 1950Ft, children 1550Ft •
1 814 8050,
csopa.hu
• Bus #33 from Móricz Zsigmond körtér, or #114 and #214 from Kosztolányi Desző
tér, or quicker is the main-line train from Deli Station to Budatétény • See
map
A must-see for kids, Budapest's
Tropicarium
is the largest aquarium-terrarium in Central
Europe, covering three thousand square metres. Its saltwater section has an 11m-long glass
tunnelforintimateviewsofsand,tigerandbrown
sharks
,clownfish,triggerfishandwrasses;
not to be missed is the shark feeding, which takes place every Thursday at 3pm. The fresh-
water part has piranhas, mouth-breeding cichlids from Africa's Great Lakes, and an outdoor
pool to show fish lying dormant when it freezes over. Even better is the
mini-rainforest
,
complete with macaws, marmoset monkeys, iguanas and alligators, kept steamy by a down-
pour with thunder and lightning effects every fifteen minutes.
Also here in the Campona Shopping Centre is the
Palace of Miracles
, another big draw
for those with kids. With over a hundred interactive installations, this enormous playhouse is
the brainchild of two Hungarian physicists and aims to explain scientific principles to 6- to
12-year-olds, using devices such as optical illusions, a bed of nails and a simulated low-grav-
ity “moonwalk”. The hands-on physics show is held four times a day.
Nagytétényi Castle Museum
Nagytétényi Kastélymúzeum •XXII,Kastélypark utca9•Tues-Sun10am-6pm•1000Ft,1400Ftfortemporary
exhibitions • 1 207 0005,
nagytetenyi.hu
• Bus #33 from Móricz Zsigmond körtér (30-45min) or the
Tropicarium (15min) to the Petőfi utca stop; cross the road and follow Hugonnay utca down past the children's
playground to the
kastély
; or main-line train from Déli Station to Nagytétény (20min) and then a 15min walk •
See
map
Further out in the XXII district, the
Nagytétényi CastleMuseum
is strictly for lovers of an-
tique furniture. Though rendered as “castle” in English, “
kastély
” generally signifies a man-
or house or chateau without fortifications, which Hungarian nobles began building after the
Turks had been expelled - in this case by converting an older, ruined castle into a Baroque
residence. Nowadays, its 28 rooms display furniture from the Gothic to the Biedermeier
epochs,ownedbytheMuseumofAppliedArts;themostoutstanding exhibit isawalnut-ven-
eered refectory table from Trencsen Monastery.
