The need for speed in and around Mogyoród

It’s not only racing drivers that can experience the Hungaroring feeling. On non-race days, you can look around the ring an experience driving on the track yourself. There is also a driving technique track, where even the most professional drivers can learn new techniques that guarantee driving safety. What's more, you can sign up for the go-kart track and off-road experiences.

At the Mogyoród Aquarena slide park, you can experience unbridled speed, though a little differently than at the Hungaroring. In the eleven and a half hectare adventure park, which is unlike any other in Central Europe, nine pools and 26 different slides with a combined length of one and a half kilometres – both under and above ground – await those looking for an adrenaline rush. The Black Hole, which has incredible visual effects, the underground Mole Slides, and for the really brave the Free Fall, offer a particularly exciting experience. But there is also rafting, a three-level, cliff-shaped diving pool, an adventure pool for those looking for more comfortable water fun, a glass mosaic jacuzzi reminiscent of the splendour of the Roman Empire, and a lazy river. The little ones can splash around in the special children's pool, and the older ones can relax in the waterfall of the rainforest and enjoy the view of the waterfalls. Sporty visitors can get moving on the football pitch or the volleyball and badminton courts.

The story of the Hungarians' favourite queen, Sisi, is inseparably intertwined with the Gödöllő Royal Palace. The palace, originally owned by the Grassalkovich family, was purchased by Franz Joseph's treasury during the Compromise in 1867 to serve as a resting palace for the Austrian imperial and Hungarian royal couple. Queen Elizabeth, or just Sisi, particularly liked Gödöllő, and often stayed in one of Hungary's largest and most impressive Baroque castles. Today, you can learn about the history of the building in the palace museum, which includes suites furnished according to the fashion of the late 19th century. But there are many other attractions too. You can visit the riding stables, the baroque stables, the palace theatre and the palace garden, where you can end your walk with a cake in the café. Discover the palace with sports reporter Zoltán Szujó. 

The area around Mogyoród also offers some wild experiences. The bear farm in Veresegyháza is the only bear shelter in Central Europe, where, in addition to the brown giants, you can also meet European grey wolves and reindeer. The first residents of the shelter were bears confiscated from Mafilm's premises in Gödöllő in 1998, and their shelter has been open to the public since 2002. They people that run the home have tried to create conditions similar to the bears’ natural habitat, with caves and artificial fish ponds. Visitors can also feed the bears. The wooden spoons are no longer filled with honey, but with vegetables and fruits in the name of good nutrition for the animals.

If you long for the silence of the forest after the loud racing cars, take the comfortable chairlift to the top of János-hegy, and then take the trip down after going for a hike. You will have a unique panorama, and it’s worth taking a comfortable walk at any time among the natural beauty of János-hegy and Normafa. Zsolt Baumgartner, a Hungarian racing driver, also likes spending his time here if he wants to recharge his batteries in nature.