The Danube Bend beckons with countless stunning landscapes. You don’t have to miss out on its unique panorama and wonderful natural scenery in the lack of a babysitter.
Our favorite region offers a ton of opportunities for both the tall and small of the family. You can’t awaken children to the love of nature early enough, so you can bring even the smallest ones there.
In this article, we have assembled a diverse collection of excursions in the Danube Bend, which will provide a thrilling adventure to children between 4-10.
How to prepare for a trip to the Danube Bend with children?
Below are some ideas to help you arrive prepared for your trip, and to be able to just enjoy your time together.
What should go in the backpack?
- Beverages
- Snacks (some fruit, biscuits, or sandwiches)
- Warm top (sweater/cardigan)
- Change of clothes for the kids (if they get dirty or sweaty)
- Handkerchief/wipes (comes in handy with children)
- Blanket (if you sat down in a meadow for a picnic or to play)
How to get to the Danube Bend with kids?
- By car you have the freedom to head off whenever you like, and you don’t have to carry your backpacks to the starting point 😉
- Railway is also an excellent choice, because trains are fast, clean and you can enjoy the beautiful scenery
- Those who want to be really stylish can board one of the Mahart boats in Budapest, and after a pleasant Danube Bend cruise, they can continue the excursion in Vác, Visegrád or Zebegény
Where should you stay?
The Danube Bend area offers a wide variety of apartments, hotels and hostels. However, a camping trip is what promises the most eventful family weekend.
In Danu Camping Dömös you can rent a wooden house, set up tent, or just enjoy the proximity of nature in yurts equipped with comfortable beds. Whatever you choose, kids are guaranteed to love it.
If you don’t feel fully prepared for camping, our camping crash course will give you all the information you need before you embark on your first big family adventure.
What sights can you choose from?
Now that you’re done packing, traveling, and knowing where to spend the night, all that remains is the most important thing. The excursion itself!
It is difficult to choose from the many exciting and beautiful events and locations, so we will give you some ideas for different types of recreation.
Visit a wildlife park
If you are going on a trip with children, a walk in a wildlife park will always be an easy success. There are several options for this in the Danube Bend.
- In Visegrád’s Mogyoró-hegyi Wildlife Park you can admire horses, red deer and wild boars grazing on about 37 acres of land.
- If you are in Vác, it is definitely worth popping in the Vácduka Wildlife Park, where you can spot red deer, fallow deer, goats, lambs, wild boars and donkeys. It is possible to take a group guided tour around the park every Sunday.
- In the Törökmező Small Animal Park of Nagymaros you can meet real curiosities, such as the Cameroonian dwarf goat, the coati, the llama, the ball python or the boa constrictor.
- In the Nógrád Wildlife Park you can admire fallow deer, red deer, ostriches, mouflons and wild boars in their own habitat. This location’s special feature is that animals are not locked up, they can roam freely in the area at the foot of the fabulous Börzsöny hills. Visitors may watch them from elevated lookout booths, or even from the back of a pickup truck.
Tour the historic town of Vác
It is definitely worth looking around on Vác’s beautiful, orderly main square, called March 15th Square.
The square was thoroughly renovated in 2006, so the stylistic features of XIIIth century German settlers and Turkish occupation can be spotted on several buildings and the arrangement of the space. The entire city center is a monument of historic significance.
Less than 1 km from the square stands the famous late-baroque-classicist-style triumphal arch, ordered by Bishop Migazzi for the reception of the empress Maria Theresa. From here, it’s only a few minutes walk to the Danube. Strolling along the charming, cobbled streets, you can get to the riverbank, lined with benches, bike paths and majestic trees.
You can admire the local flora by walking on wooden planks along the reeds of the Vác Floodplain Nature Trail. These are just a few of the many treasures of this city. If you’re hungry for more ideas, read our article on the topic!
Climb through the Adventure Park of Visegrád
The rope tracks running among the foliage are guaranteed to bring out the Tarzan-vibes from children.
In addition to improving their balancing skills and adaptability, they will be more engaged than when playing a computer game… in most cases.
In the Nagyvillám Adventure Park of Visegrád you can play pool, air hockey, darts, archery, go-karting, or even jump around on their huge trampoline.
From Tuesday to Sunday, the Adventure Park provides an all-day experience to little and big adrenaline-junkies alike, from 10 am to 5 pm.
After your time here, all you’ll hear on the way home is the kids’ gentle snoozing…
Take a light hike through the wilderness of Zebegény
The Koós Károly lookout is just a short walk from the city center, so you can safely take the little ones there on foot.
From the top of the wooden tower, a beautiful panorama extends before you. You may walk to the Gründl Meadow from here, which is the site of the Zebegény Woodland Tent Camp. On Sárkánydomb (Dragon Hill) you can admire the fabulous skyline during a pleasant picnic, but in windy weather it is worth to come equipped with kites.
This highland is perfect for the art of flying kites. As a perfect end to the tour, you can sit on the patio of the Danu Föccsterasz, taking a breather with a cold lemonade and a plate of delicious food, facing the beautiful panorama.
Walk from Dömös to Prédikálószék
With bigger, trail-experienced children, you can start a longer hike in Dömös, and arrive gazing upon the most beautiful view of the Danube Bend at Prédikálószék.
The 639-meter-high summit is the highest point of the Visegrád region. With a family-crew prepared for steep, rocky terrain, you can visit the Vadálló Stones on the way, the robust rock formations will certainly be an impressive sight.
Be sure to prepare for the hike with well-adhering hiking shoes, layered clothing and a sufficient amount of liquids. In Dömös, you may relax in the Danu Camping with a delicious lunch, a cooling splash at the beach or a pleasant evening barbecue.
Go swimming in the Danube Bend or ride the monorail
During the summer season, the Danube Bend’s beautiful, clean beaches invite you for a pleasant swim.
In Dunabogdány, Nagymaros, Zebegény or even on the romantic island shore of Kisoroszi, you can take a comfortable plunge with the little ones.
The pebbled-sandy banks all radiate the characteristic Danube Bend atmosphere, with the gorgeous mountains and floodplain forests in the background. In this article, you can read about unique beaches in the area.
However, if the weather does not favor swimming, you won’t get enough of the monorail at Kismaros. No child will get bored of the thrill when the train cars rattle through the forest.
One of the oldest forest monorails in Hungary runs in the valley of the Morgó Stream (Growling Stream), through the beautiful region of Szokolya, all the way to Királyrét (King’s Meadow).
Head out to nature!
We can only encourage you to start your journey with the little ones, show them how much beauty is hidden in nature, how good they can feel away from screens, what beautiful animals live in our country and how much fun camping is. There is no greater gift you can give them.
We wish you collect great experiences and have wonderful family trips together!
