10 must see Hungarian animal parks and botanical gardens

If you are planning to visit a zoo, a wildlife farm, a national reserve, or a botanical garden in Hungary during the summer period, you have dozens of opportunities to do so all around the county. Itthon.hu listed ten such places worth visiting with your partner, your family, or even alone.

1. Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden

Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden is the oldest and biggest zoo in Hungary, located at the City Park in Budapest. The zoo opened its doors on 9 August 1866. The park has more than 1 million visitors each year. It currently has 1021 animal species.

Photo: facebook.com/zoobudapest

Opened in 2014, Once Upon a Time Park (Holnemvolt Park) is the new family leisure park of the zoo. Besides the various exotic and local mammal and bird species, the majority of indigenous and exotic domestic animals are displayed in the park, which also has various animal petting sites.

Besides the new facilities and new-born animal babies, feeding spectacles, animals brought to the visitors, snake petting, and other programs by the staff of the zoo await to please the public.

Entrance fees:
Adult: 2500 HUF
Child: 1800 HUF

Opening hours:
Monday-Tuesday: 9:00-18:00
Friday-Saturday: 9:00-19:00

2. Nyíregyháza Zoo

The Nyíregyháza Zoo is located 5 km north of Nyíregyháza, Hungary in the Sóstó recreation area which also includes abeach, a spa, a pool, an open air museum, and a wood park.

Photo: MTI

The zoo lies in a natural, almost untouched birch forest. In the 30 hectare area of the zoo, the visitors find themselves in different continents. Who enters can walk along the continents to observe how the animals live in certain parts of the world. The visitors can also have some rest in Hotel Jungle.

Entrance fees:
Child (under 3 years): 100 HUF
Child (3-14 years): 1900 HUF
Student: 1900 HUF
Adult: 2800 HUF
Pensioner: 1900 HUF
Over 70 years: 500 HUF
Disabled person: 1200 HUF

Opening hours from April to August: 9:00 – 19:00 (every day)

3. Kittenberger Kálmán Zoo and Botanical Garden

The Kittenberger Kálmán Zoo and Botanical Garden is located in Veszprém, Hungary. The zoo is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the region, located only 15 kilometres away from Lake Balaton. The zoo offers entertainment for both young – in the Kids Jungle and Vivarium – and elderly visitors.

The zoo consists of two parts, one in the Fejes Valley, the other in the adjacent Gulya Hill. The Fejes Valley Zoo offers visitors a view of traditional zoo animals, including exotic cats, Kamchatka brown bears, water birds, Madagascan lemurs, the Gelada baboons, tapirs, and red pandas.

facebook.com/AllatkertVeszprem

In 2012, new developments were made in the upper part on Gulya Hill, such as the Africa House, the Chimpanzee World, and African Savannah enclosures, where visitors can see zebras, giraffes, and the three members of the rhino family.

The Kittenberger Kálmán Zoo and Botanical Garden, opened on 1 August 1958, was built in five months through the support of community volunteers.

The Zoo bears the name of Kálmán Kittenberger, famous Hungarian Africa traveller, zoologist, hunter, and author.

Entrance fees:
Child (3-18 years):1600 HUF
Student: 1800 HUF
Adult: 2400 HUF
Pensioner: 1600 HUF

Opening hours from May to September: 9:00 – 18:00

4. Budakeszi Wildlife Park

Photo: Linda Suranyi

The Budakeszi Wildlife Park is the perfect place for those in love with nature, animals, and fresh air. It is located in the suburb area of, but it is still very close to Budapest.

The wildlife park is a 350 hectares protected area in the Buda hills. It’s an out-of-town alternative to the Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden, with wild animals (rabbits, deer, foxes, wild boars, wolfs, brown bears, etc.) and farm animals (donkeys, goats, sheep, ducks, etc.) native to Europe and Hungary. There is a petting zoo, a lookout, a play area, and several tracks suitable for hiking.

Entrance fees:
Adult: 1300 HUF
Child (2-14 years): 650 HUF
Student/Pensioner: 850 HUF

Opening hours:
9:00 – 17:00 on weekdays
9:00 – 18:00 on weekends and holidays

5. Szeged Zoo

Photo: facebook.com/szegedivadaspark

The youngest zoo of Hungary has been expecting visitors since 1989. Covering an area of almost 45 hectares, the zoo is one of the the biggest animal territories in the country. It has got a unique animal collection, and it is conducting nature conservation and educational activities.

Visitors can meet more than 600 specimen of about 140 species in the zoo. Among these are such animals as the wolverine, L’Hoest’s monkey, fossa, Alaotran gentle lemur, bat eared fox, North Chinese leopard, lowland anoa, Chinese water deer, silvery marmoset, red-cheeked gibbon, giant anteater, and maned wolf. Of course, no such usual zoo favourites can be omitted from the list as the lion, the slender-tailed meerkat, the Bactrian camel, and the Siberian tiger. Living in modern, natural and spacious exhibits, the animals are presented according to the geographical range of their species.