Zugló offers fascinating sights, its streets lined with a mix of Communist-era towers and bourgeois residential buildings. Its large park and leafy hubs offer a serene setting just outside the city center. Visit some of the many museums to piece together the history and culture of Budapest.
The Hungarian Agricultural Museum is among the city’s surprising highlights, hiding within a faux Transylvanian castle. Enter the gothic masterpiece and find yourself in a hall lined with countless antlers, horns and hooves. Even the chandeliers and chairs are made from antlers in the ostentatious Hall of Hunting, which is topped by glorious vaulted ceilings.
The museum is right in the heart of City Park, a large green area lined with attractions, such as the Millennium Monument, the Statue of Anonymous and the Jaki Chapel. Marvel at the iconic Vajdahunyad Castle, its immense structure reflected in the lake.
As for family activities, the Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden is one of the earliest of its kind in the world, dating back to 1866. The quarter is also a sports hub, with the Papp Laszlo Sports Arena and the adjacent SYMA Sport and Event Centre part of a complex just south of the park. Be sure to enjoy the Museum of Fine Arts and the Szechenyi Thermal Bath as well.
The area is synonymous with the city’s District XIV, a little east of the city center. Ride the metro to the Mexikoí út underground stop or take the train to the nearby Rakosrendezo station, getting around the area on foot or by bus. While in the city, consider visiting nearby neighborhoods such as Óbuda, Gellért Hill and Castle Hill.
Zugló’s museums are full of surprises, while the parks provide leafy settings in central Budapest.
