Sweet Days Budapest

The Sweet Days Festival or “Chocolate and Candy Sweet Days festival” as it is called officially is a 3 days festival in the Buda Castle all about sweets, candy, ice cream and chocolate. Organized by the supermarket hipermarket chain Cora some 60+ manufacturers (list further down) of sweets present their products to the interested audience. Mostly small local sweets producers coming from all over the country are exhibiting their work which is far more than just a bar of chocolate or a bag of candy.

On the Sweet Days in Budapest you can find hand made chocolate in all different styles, types, shapes and colors such as green tea chocolate or little chocolate pieces on a stick turning into hot chocolate when you put them in hot milk. Also you can see and of course buy a lot of cookies and other candy but the chocolate is probably the most spectacular.

If you are a fan of sweets I think it is worth to go to the sweet days festival in Budapests castle even though you have to pay a tough entrance fee of 1900 HUF for the day which is around 6€ just for entering the area. The festival takes place in mid September so it is still reasonably warm and you can enjoy an home made ice cream while shopping or just exploring.

For more information please check out the website.

Here is the list of exhibitors in 2011:

90.9 JAZZY RÁDIÓ
Assist-Trend Duna Kft.
Bakos Marcipán Kft.
Balaton Ice Kft.
Bobojka Kft.
Bonbonetti Csoport
Bravico Trade Kft.
BTSZK
Budapest Cukrászda
Cacao.hu Kft.
Cadeau Bonbon Manufaktúra
Café Shambala
Chocim Kft.
Chocoland
Choc-O-Lait
ChocoMe Kft.
Choko-Pompadour Kft.
Cora
Csoki Anno és Ipacs Pince
Csokoládia Manufaktúra és Mézmúzeum
Detki Keksz Kft.
Disznókő Szőlőbirtok és Pincészet
DiVino
Eredeti Ziegler Ostya Kft.
Fast Hungary Kft.
Féda Kft. Csokoládé Múzeum & Rákóczi Pálinka
Fragola Fagylaltozó Kft.
Frőhlich Cukrászda
Gelarto rosa
G.I.F.T. Kft.
Gyulai Pálinka Manufaktúra
Harrer Csokoládéműhely és Cukrászda
Hegyközi Manufaktúra Kft.
Heinemann Testvérek Kft.
Hungarian Flavours Kft.
Karamell-Snack Kft.
Kertész Családi Pincészet Kft.
Kézműves Csokoládé, S. Nemzetes Krisztina
Királyi Marcipán Desszert Kft.
Kovács és Társa 2005 Kft.
La Delizia Kekszmanufaktúra
Levendulapince
Magyar Édességgyártók Szövetsége
Magyar Konyha és Heti Válasz
Maresi Foodbroker Kft.
Második Belga Praliné Kft.
Meggy és Jazz
Mevigold Progressio Kft.
Panyolai Pálinkabolt
Pap Emese
Pataki Cukrászda
Royalsekt Zrt. Pezsgőpincészet
Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé
Schoco Bon
Sixi 2000 Kft.
Stühmer Kft.
Szamos Marcipán Kft.
Szántó Tibor, Kézműves csokoládé
Szerencsi Bonbon Kft.
Szőke Food Kft.
Team Magic Kft.
Tiffán Ede és Zsolt Pincészete
Tony Bennett Hungary Kft.
Tortafaló Kft.
Turizmus Kft.
Urbán és Urbán Kft.
Vinoport Borbár
Vitéz Kürtős Bt.
Westcafe Kft.
Zangio családi csokoládéműhely
Zila Kávéház Kft.

http://www.sweetdays.hu/

MiniCity Playhouse Budapest

MiniCity in Budapest is a type of playhouse for children where your youngest ones can experience different scenes and parts of a city in a size that is more convenient for them such as a kitchen, a car repair service or a bank. So your kids can try out what it is like to work in such a place and how it feels like as an adult to visit places like this.

The model seems to be that they asked different companies to sponsor MiniCity and therefore they can expose their shop in miniature size in the playhouse and probably attract mothers and fathers for their products as well and strengthen their brand awereness as you can see it here with the bookshop Libri and Domestos but also you could find Erste Bank, TV2, Opel and many more who for sure have given some Forint as an investment in their future. But there is nothing wrong about it.

So the game for kids is that you get a card at the entrance where you need to visit 12 different parts of the MiniCity in order to get a present (I will tell you later what it is – a bit disappointing for kids) at the end of their visit. So they have to visit the Spar shop and shop plastic fruits and vegetable as well as empty coffee boxes and water bottles in order to go to the cashier at the end and get their stamp. Further there are the above mentioned bank, Opel car repair service and the Libri book store, a dentist, a flower shop and muh more which are not really attractive in terms of what you can do but for the kids its OK. However there is also a TV studio built up where kids can experience how it is to read from a teleprompter, a 3D cinema which is also interesting for parents who havent seen 3D movies yet and probably the most interesting is the stage with karaoke function which most of the kids were at. You can find all the stations here but as it is only in Hungarian I might list up all stations and give a  word about it.

Negative issues about MiniCity in Budapest

As cool as it is and as much fun as the kids have in there, there are some points which are a bit frustrating to me. I will not complain about the price (3.500 HUF for 1 kid and 2 adults) but about the willingness of the staff to work and entertain the kids. I have put a focus on that after I went to 3 stations and nobody was there to care about the kids and help them doing things like in the dentist, the bank, the car service, the Spar supermarket and so on. So I checked and saw that 7 (!) employees of the MiniCity where sitting in between the stations and having a chat with each other while kids were entering the different shops and playing around. In order to get the stamps on your card you had to go to them and ask for it so your kid gets the present. So basically the staff was sitting around doing nothing.
Coming to the present which is the second thing that disturbed me a bit, the prize kids get after they do all the necessary station, collected their stamps from not working people was a coupon for a toy shop that if you shop over 5.000 HUF you get 500 HUF off. Well for a kids in the age of 2 or 3 years that has no meaning and no value. They have no feeling for money, don’t even know what it is, where it comes from and what it can be used for. And than they get a coupon which reduces this thing called money? That must be frustrating to get something as a present you don’t know what to do with. So MiniCity, at least give a sticker next to it or a small package of chocolate.

But nevertheless, overall MiniCity in Budapest is a really cool experience for the kids and it is worth taking your little ones there. Have a look in case you have a free afternoon and need an indoor entertainment for your kids.

MiniCity Budapest Information
Address: Nyugati Ter 1-2 (Old Scala building opposite of Nyugati train station and West End City Center)
Or visit the official website (Hungarian only)

David Guetta has been playing already on Balaton Sound this year and according to the reactions on Facebook or Twitter it was a blast. Though very comercial, or probably that is the reason why, he fills up every venue and so he will do with the HungExpo as well. The “Nothing but the Beat Tour” which this concert is part of has been very successful for David Guetta and also his recent albums and singles such as Where them girls at or Sweat are mega successful.

David Guetta Tickets for the Budapest Concert

At the moment tickets and further information are only available on this website. I do not know if this is a original and approved website from DG himself or just a website opened up for this concert by the tour organizer. The direct link to the ticketing system you can find here. Anyways you should get your tickets as soon as possible because as I mentioned it will be sold out very soon, the information is going around Facebook like hell at the moment.

Children Train Budapest

The Children Train in Budapest (or as it is called in Hungarian Gyermekvasút) is a historical train from the Hungarian national railway company Máv which is still operated on a separated route and the interesting thing on it children are running it. Well not actually driving the train but all the things around like checking the tickets, working on the stations etc is done by kids from the age 8 – 16 I would guess. For the children it is a kind of hobby to do so and as we know all children would like to be a train driver once they are grown up so this is a good chance to check out what it is like to drive a train and what is connected with it, all the work around.

But why I am writing this here is because the Children Train is a fantastic chance for families with kids to go on a half day trip and see the country outside of Budapest (around Normafa), drive through the woods and have a great view over the Buda hills. Children love the train as most passengers are either children or there because of their children since the children train itself is not really usable as public transport. On one hand it is driving around in the middle of nowhere one the other hand it is simply too expensive to get from A to B.

There are some really historical trains which are also very interesting for adults, it is always the men taking the pictures about the locomotive with all the details, and there are some trains which are a bit more modern, not that lound and more comfortable. In either way it is a good idea for a sunny saturday with your family.

Children Trian (Gyermekvasút) Information:

Hűvösvölgy station:

Telefon: (1) 397 5394

Széchenyi-hegy station:

Telefon: (1) 395 5420

The best way is to check out the official website in English, German or Hungarian.

Aquarena Budapest / Mogyoród

Aquarena in Budapest, or to be specific in Mogyoród is a tremendously large water park with a lot of slides, many pools, spa area, kids pools and slides and much more. Who ever has been to the Formula 1 in Budapest or just left the city on M3 has seen the slides up on the hill where the Aquarena is located. You catually can see the Hungaroring from there.

The Aquarena is almost an own city measuring 11.5 hectar with shops, food, recreation area and so much more to do that you can spend days there without doing the same activity twice. You can find here 21 water slides which all together count a length of 1 mile which makes it a great experience. The pools in Aquarena Budapest are not just simple pools but an experience pool, Jacuzzi, three-level diving pool or the slowly streaming Lazy River, there is no way that you will get bored here.

Though promising a relaxed experience due to its size there is one point of critic I have to raise which is the waiting times for single activities. On weekends or public holidays the Aquarena is just heavily overcrowded and to slide once on one of the 21 slides you have to wait at least 20 minutes if you are lucky.

The Aquarena is probably the largest aqua park in Hungary and that costs a bit of money. The entrance fees per person are:

• Adult: 5.500 HUF (approximately 20 Euro)
• Children (Age 3 – 10): 2.500 HUF (Approximately 10 Euro)
• Students / Senior: 4.200 HUF (Approximately 15 Euro)

There are also special days like Monday where kids only pay 1.000 HUF or Tuesday where adults pay only 3.900 HUF but still that is a price you need to pay. Also do not forget that Mogyoród is approximately 25km outside the Budaepst city center with bad public transport connections and in case you want to go there bring your own food and drinks because that is another very pricey factor if you decide to eat there.
A family with 2 children, eating there and enjoying the day would probably not go home under 100 Euro I assume.

Nevertheless the Aquarena is a great place to relax and have fun, if you have the chance to go during the weekdays I urge you to do so to avoid the queues and maybe grab one of the specials.

Aquarena Budapest Information:
Address: 2146 Mogyoród, Vízipark út 1.
Phone: +36 28 541-100
Or visit the Aquarena website

What is the good about this Bear Park is the fact that the bears are not locked into a tiny area just for being watched like in the zoo but it is a wide area with hills, trees, water and much more that they live in. Still it is not freedom but it feels much better to go there and watch the bears. For your entertainment and also to get the bears to the fence of their area so that you can see them from close you can buy honey and get a wooden spoon with it which you can give the bears to lick. Of course this is a very popular scenery for an image.

The main attraction, the bear park itself, is like an island where you can walk around and see the other animals as well (have a look here on Google Maps), it is guaranteed that you will see a bear because you can oversee the entire area.

As a visitor you just have to pay for the parking to get in which is some hundred Forints one time fee, no matter how long you stay. The entire area also hosts a farm with horses, chicken and other animals which can also be visited and where you can go horse riding, for a ride with a Quad and much more. There is even a restaurant, which I have never tried so I cant say anything about the quality, where you can go after you have watched all the attractions and have a traditional Hungarian dish or just a pint of beer.

The Bear Park might not particularly a trip for tourists as they are most probably more interested in the city and do not want to take a 30 minutes ride outside Budapest just to see some bears but for expats it is a nice weekend one day trip with kids.

Bear Park Information
Address: 2112 Veresegyház, Patak utca 39, Hungary.
Phone: +36 20 397 0138
Or visit the official website of the Bear Park.

Bear Park Budapest / Veresegyház Photos

Bear Park Budapest

Bear Zoo Budapest

Medveotthon Veresegyház

Barefoot Park Tabajd

The Barefoot Park (Mezítlábas Park) is, unfortunately, not located in Budapest directly but around 30 minutes by car to the south in a small village called Tabajd. So what is the Barefoot Park? The Barefoot park is a free park where on specially created lanes you are experiencing different undergrounds barefoot such as stones of different sizes, water, sand, wood and even corn cobs.The other good thing is that it is outside in the wood near a little village and during the entire walk which takes around 30 minutes (often depending on the kids) you are on the fresh air. In winter it might not be a too good idea to go there.

Kids love this activity and are really interested in how the next lane will feel like and how they will solve walking there. At the end of the Barefoot Park there is a big playground for the kids and a recreation area for the parents and you either can turn back or you walk a bit to the start. I think it is a great experience even though it’s a bit far away from Budapest for only half an hour walking but I think it is worth it.

Barefoot Park / Mezítlábas Park Information
Address: Tabajd, Petőfi Sándor utca 2.
GPS coordinates:
N 47. 28,02797
E 18. 82,40827
Or visit the Barefoot Park Website (Hungarian Only)

Have a look at the pictures below what the Barefoot Park is like.

Barefoot walking on Corn

Stairs with Sand

Walking on Stones

Millenaris Park Logo

The Millenáris Park in Budapest is a venue for a big variety of events, concerts, exhibitions, programs for children or fairs such as the Budai Gourmet Festival or the press foto of the year exhibition. The reason for the big variety is that in Millenáris Park you have a lot of different smaller venues where those events can take place, no matter if inside or outside. Additionally there is the so called Palace of Wonders which is a constant exhibition with different physical “wonders” explained in a playful way which is extremely popular among children but also the parents are wondering about it. This Palace of Wonders is an absolutely recommendable place to go to with your kids or even alone, you will not get bored there and see a lot of fascinating things.

Concerts at Millenáris Park

There are several good concerts taking place in Millenáris Park mainly smaller bands, a bit of jazz and soul, alternative. Those would be the keywords if I needed to describe what concerts you can expect but for more information have a look at the concert section of the Millenáris Park website here. Sometimes there are famous DJs from around the world spinning the decks such as Dorfmeister from Kruder & Dorfmeister and many others.
Additionally there is theatre and dance shows taking place in Millenáris Park.

Exhibitions at Millenáris Park

Since the exhibitions usually take place for a longer time there is not such a thing as a program but you can check upcoming exhibitions here, there are something like 7 or 8 exhibitions per year. Mostly it is about images from around the world.

Programs for Kids

As mentioned above there is the Palace of Wonders which is quite difficult to explain, Millenáris Park website defines it as “Scientific Playground”. As an around the year program there is a big playground installed in the park which is superb for children of all ages. Additionally to the 2 programs above there are children concerts, theatres taking place and throughout summer there are assistants who give out books and toys for the kids to play. So it is really a good place to go for children and also parents.

Rammstein is most probably the most successful German band outside Germany next to Tokio Hotel and Scooter which is still performing today and now they come for a concert to Budapest again. Rammstein has been in Budapest I think 2007 the last time and even if you don’t like their music you have to admit that their live performance is a blast. I have seen Rammstein live last time they where here and the stage was full of fire, laser, special effects and other show elemets which you won’t see in any other concert.

Rammstein is in music business since 15 years now and they have performed all over the world in the biggest stadiums around the globe. With more than 10 million sold albums you can call them superstars. Their latest album “Liebe ist für alle da” is placed on the German Index by the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons which makes it actually illeagal to buy in Germany, if you get it because the album is banned from the stores.

So Rammstein is a controversial band which makes them even more attractive than being a well-behaved Rock band from next door. I urge you to get your tickets as soon as possible if you want to see Rammstein in Budapest otherwise you will have to buy them illeagally for a very high price.

Budai Gourmet Festival

The Budai Gourmet Festival in Budapest (Millenaris Park) is organized by Sziget.hu, the company organizing the Sziget Festival, Balaton Sound and the Volt Festival in Sopron as well. So it is ensured that this festival is professionally organized maybe even a bit too professional in my opinion. For the relativly high entrance fee of 2.900 HUF you are equipped with a wine glass and a payment card (based on NFC -Near Field Communication technology) in order to make your payments at the stands. This payment method seems to be very popular nowadays among festivals in Budapest, this was the case at the Pálinka Festival already, and the card will be valid for the Balaton Sound, Sziget Festival as well as the Volt Festival as well. OK, enough talk about the organizational issues, let’s jump into what the Budai Gourmet Festival has to offer in terms of Gourmet.

Basically the festival is built up on 3 types of stands: Wine and Pálinka producers, gourmet stores and resturants in Budapest.

Wine and Pálinka

The wine and Pálinka part to be honest is more or less the same as what you get at the dedicated Budapest Wine Festival and the Pálinka Festival so you have well known brands such as Rázangyal Pálinka, Bock Wine, Duzsi Tamás from Szekszárd and so on. So compared to the Wine / Pálinka Festival you will not get any benefit though it is always good to have good wine and pálinka on such a fetival an the Hungarian wine is quite good. Anyways you will get the typical tasting of different producers just in case you are interested in products like this.

Budapest Gourmet Stores

This part of the Budai Gourmet Festival was actually the most interesting since it is not too easy to find gourmet stores in Budapest apart from the well known such as Culinaris or the ones I wrote about already like for example Villa Bagatelle. But as I found out there is far more to discover in terms of gourmet stores in Budapest and other shops dealing just with good food, spices and traditions from around the world. There is for example a cooking school called ChefParade which gives courses in cooking exotic dishes from Thailand, Mexico or mainly for foreigners Hungary. Also I discovered a Spanish shop, which unfortunately does not have any website to link to, which sells Spanish sausage, ham, wine and much more. So you don’t always need to run to restaurant Pata Negra in Budapest to get your Tapas. So all these gourmet stores were present on the Budai Gourmet Festival and showed their products and gave bits and pieces to taste.

Restaurants

As you know I am writing quite much about restaurants in Budapest so this part was not too exciting for me, nevertheless there were some restaurants which I have not heard off and some which I have heard off a lot but never made it to go there such as Nobu, the newly opened restaurant in Hotel Kempinski. The restaurants offered a small range of really impressive creations that you could try for fairly high prices but that is normal for a festival like that so I tried only a few things and definitely I have some more restaurants on my “To Go” list for the coming weeks and months. One highlight was for sure the Café Dérnyé which I wrote a review about some time ago and all I wrote was about having a good breakfast, which is still true due to the fabolous bread they have, but I will for sure revisit the restaurant for a good dinner.

That’s it for the culinary part of the festival. Additionally I have to say that the flair and atmosphere on the festival was extremely nice, I felt like on a small holiday for the few hours I have been there. Due to this atmosphere with live music, the good weather and much more it made the festival also extremly children friendly so it is a good place to go as a family as well. Overall I can just recommend the Budai Gourmet Festival in Budapest to taste things from around the world, discover the gourmet corner of Budapest and try Hungarian products in one go.

Budai Gourmet Festival Information

For more information you should visit the website and for impressions I recommend to have a look in the galleries on their Facebook page. In both channels you will be kept informed about the next festival.