The most pressing question when it’s this hot outside: where do you go to escape the heat this summer?
You could spend the whole day at home under the air conditioning, but it’s much nicer to be outdoors in the shade of some trees. There’s a place in Budapest that’s well known among locals but almost invisible to tourists: Népsziget, or People’s Island.
How to get there: take the metro to Újpest-Városkapu, then walk across the bridge. On the way you’ll pass a small zoo/sanctuary/farm that a man named János has been running on the island since 1976. You can pet and feed the animals!
Where to go:
- Kabin — drinks with the best view
- Perem — cheap lángos
- Wasser — live music in the evenings
- Szitakötő — football matches on a big screen
What to do: sit in the shade and enjoy nature. You can even swim in the Danube if you feel like it, and plenty of people bring their dogs for water play.
Note that at most of the riverside bars you’ll need to pay a 500 HUF deposit for your cup — you get it back in cash when you return it. If you’re planning to stay until dark (the island has a completely different vibe at night), bring mosquito spray.
The heat isn't letting up, but the Danube has retreated from its banks (along with every other body of water in Hungary)
