Royal Palace in Gödöllő
If you want to spend a truly active day with the family, don’t stop until you reach the 18th-century Grassalkovich Palace, where you’ll experience an unparalleled adventure. Hungary's largest Baroque palace, with its romantic park, holds plenty of surprises. Within the imposing walls of the building, the permanent exhibitions let you recall the significant events of Hungarian history. In this splendid environment, it is not difficult to imagine the legendary beauty Sissi, that is Queen Elisabeth, who fled from her mother-in-law and broken marriage from the Viennese court to Grassalkovich Palace in Gödöllő, which she received as a coronation gift. The past comes to life in the halls, as if we were seeing the queen in front of us, as the chambermaids comb her ankle-length hair, or as she jumps onto horseback in the riding hall, or walks in the palace park dotted with eye-catching lemon, orange and laurel trees. Be sure to visit the Baroque stone theatre with a backstage, considered rare and unique in Europe and which still serves as a venue for high-quality theatrical performances. If you’d like to travel back in time, visit the exhibition that tells the history of the palace in the 20th century, but also don’t miss the Horthy Bunker, which served as a bomb shelter for the governor’s family during WWII, 10 metres underground. In recent years, the palace has also functioned as a real family-friendly space, with constant children's activities and educational museum programmes for the little ones. Separate audio guides for girls and boys provide personalised entertainment. The museum also offers a real specialty for the little ones. A storybook written by Ildikó Faludi and Márton Reményi entitled The Diary of Elemér Herceg Egérváry was published in 2010, with illustrations by an artist from Eger, Tamás Ferencz, bringing the characters to life.