Big shots in and around Budapest

Whatever the sport, every spectator needs a little rest after the excitement of the matches. You can find this outside the city limits, in the towns and villages south of Budapest, where there are hidden gems to be discovered. After visiting Ráckeve's churches, including Hungary's only remaining Gothic Serbian church, the always busy Boat Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays offers an exciting experience. The boat mill in Ráckeve takes you back to the age when grain was ground in water mills and used in bakery products taken to market. From the end of the 17th century, milling was one of the most important activities for the people of Keve, and in 1694 five Danube boat mills were operating in the settlement. In 1914, the Little Danube was closed in Ráckeve, from then on the boat mills were towed to the Old Danube in the spring and towed back in the autumn, thus protecting them from the Danube ice in the winter. The boat mill that can still be seen today is a working model of the Gyurcsik mill (no. 12), the last boat mill in Hungary. It was reconstructed between 2007 and 2010 based on the original documents. On Sundays you can learn about the old milling technology. 

If you want to do something really special on the way to the capital, join a bunker tour in Csepel. Get to know what it was like in Hungary's largest factory during WWII and visit the concrete basements of the shelters with darts competitor Pál Székely. 

The thatched buildings of the Ócsa country house and open-air museum present the life of old Hungarian villages. Among the locally collected furnishings and household items, work tools, clothes and furniture you can look into the lives of people in Ócsa who lived a hundred or two hundred years ago. The bread kneader and the beehive oven, which are still in operation today, show how basic, everyday food was made from the grain ground in the mills. The “Csikó” stove, which is used for heating and cooking, provides an insight into traditional kitchen technology.

Right next to the open-air museum is the pride of Ócsa, the listed Romanesque church used today by the Reformed Church. The monastery in Ócsa was first mentioned in a document from 1234. The building was probably built by the local Premontre monks based on a royal decree. The three-nave church, known as one of the most important national monuments of Romanesque architecture, was damaged by the Mongols and then by the Turks. It also functioned as a mosque during the Turkish era, and was finally taken over and renovated by the Reformed Church. The most valuable part of the interior of the church is the rib vaulted main shrine, where frescoes created around 1275-1300 have also come to the surface. 

The Szigethalom wildlife park and petting zoo, which includes a fish pond, a picnic spot and a playground, is a great spot for animal lovers. Visitors can pet lambs, horses, ponies, goats, mouflons, rabbits, and parrots. In addition to petting the animals, you can also try pony riding and the miniature train, but the game park can also host events and parties.

For those who want to spend a day in the cool of the trees and among special plants, the Alcsút Arboretum, located in the Vál Valley between Tata and Székesfehérvár, is an ideal spot. Palatine Joseph's former 40-hectare palace garden is famous for its snowdrop field in February and the dazzling firefly swarming in June, but it provides enjoyable sights all year round. The most beautiful part of the English garden is the large meadow in front of the palace with the lake, but the trees also hide other buildings, bridges, a lookout music pavilion and a cave. The park is a collection of more than 540 trees and shrubs. Next to the park, in the Csaplár forest, you can see Hungary's oldest Lebanese cedar, and on the road to Etyek, you can see a row of sycamores that are just as old.

If you get hungry during the trip and want something great to eat and some fine wines you should visit the cellars in Etyek, which is known as the "Vineyard of Budapest". The gems of the town are the historically significant Körpince cellar complex, the Kecskegödör, the row of cellars on the Sóskút road and the vine press houses. In the cellars, you can taste fine wines, spirits, village dishes and homemade cheese. And if that isn’t enough you should join the film experience tour at the Korda studio in Etyek, which is the Hungarian stronghold of international film production.

Of course, those looking for recreation within Budapest will also have plenty to choose from. For example, the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden is unmissable, especially if you have children. You’ll find yourself travelling through the world's landscapes in your imagination on the winding paths. Join András Borbély, three-time Hungarian darts champion, will guide you through the more than 18-hectare garden.