You have probably already heard of Szentendre, the picturesque village that makes a perfect half-day trip from Budapest (or even a full day). Indeed, Szentendre is a wonderful place to spend a few hours outside of the bustling city. Well, in this post you will learn what to do on your Szentendre day trip with a baby or a toddler: travelling with a stroller can be tough, but here you’ll find everything you need to know!
I have been to Szentendre many times over the years, with friends, family, and now with 13-months-old Alexander in the pram. I love the cheerful atmosphere, the colourful houses and the relaxing Danube promenade. I always go back home tired and satisfied.
Keep reading to learn about the best things to see in Szentendre, how to get from Budapest to Szentendre, what to keep into account when travelling with a baby or a toddler, and much more.
Travel tips for a day trip to Szentendre
Before we get to the activities to do in Szentendre with a baby or toddler, here are some useful travel tips, from mother to parents.
What to wear for a day in Szentendre
Wear the same comfortable clothing that you wear during your days in Budapest – especially the shoes: Szentendre is all cobblestone streets.
Just like in Budapest, breastfeeding in public is widely accepted, so plan ahead with suitable tops to nurse your baby.
Your baby or toddler can wear the same clothing as well. Remember a hat and sunscreen on sunny days.
What to bring to Szentendre
As a parent with a 13-month-old boy in Szentendre, I recommend bringing these personal items:
- Hungarian forints in cash (some places don’t accept card), as well as cards – I always recommend the Wise debit card which can hold different currencies and helps save on fees
- A bottle of water – pushing the stroller is tiring!
- Some paper tissues or handkerchiefs
- Hand sanitizer
- Battery bank and charging cable
- Plasters – blisters are the worst!
What to pack for your child in Szentendre
Considering my last trip to Szentendre with my 13-month-old Alex, as well as with a friend of mine and her 2 children, I recommend bringing these important items for your baby/toddler:
- Nappy changing equipment (I had 2 extra diapers, wipes, a plastic bag to store the dirty diaper)
- Baby food and toddler snacks (we brought sliced fruit and veggies in a box, and cookies. Nothing that requires heating or cooling. Also, they wanted a taste of our lunch!)
- Eating equipment, such as a bib, a napkin, a spoon, etc.
- Water, especially in the summer (we bought another bottle there because we didn’t want to carry the weight from Budapest)
- One/two changes of clothing, especially if you may go to the Danube beach
- A toy or a book, for the train or other “boring” moments
I didn’t bring any extra clothing, and then we decided to get the babies’ feet in the Danube at the small beach. Super cute, right? I’ll just roll up his trousers and he’ll stay dry. Next thing I know, Alex is super excited and walks a couple of extra steps further: his trousers are soaked 🙁 Luckily it was a warm day and he didn’t complain.
I changed Alex’s nappy just once, on a bench in a quiet place; my friend changed her baby in the pushchair that flips down horizontally – much more convenient. I don’t know if the restaurants have a changing mat in the restrooms, but I wouldn’t rely on it too much. Better be prepared to do it somewhere else.
All this stuff fit in the baskets under the pushchairs, and on the bags hanging from the handlebar. I had a cross-body bag for my own stuff. Since we were going to lift the strollers up and down on stairs and trains, push them on cobbled streets, and hopefully make the toddlers sleep, we left at home any extra unnecessary weight.
How long to stay in Szentendre with a baby or toddler
The five of us (2 moms, 1 child and 2 toddlers) spent basically the full day in Szentendre: we left from home at 10.30 am and made it back at 5.30 pm. We took it slow, stopped frequently for snacks and water, enjoyed the sun and let the children play.
However, if you spend just a few days in Budapest on a trip, you could easily push yourself a little bit and spend just a half-day, in order to spend the other half in Budapest.
How to get from Budapest to Szentendre
The easiest way to go from Budapest to Szentendre is by train, more precisely with the suburban railway line HÉV H5 on Buda side. It takes 40 minutes and a one-way ticket costs 310 HUF, less than 1 EUR. The train leaves every 20 minutes from Batthyany Metro Station and from Margaret Bridge Station in Budapest; the schedule shown on Google Maps is accurate (search for Szentendre and then ask for directions by public transportation).
Here is a detailed post about how to get to Szentendre – including also a boat!
How to get from Budapest to Szentendre with a stroller
The HEV train is definitely the best solution to go to Szentendre with a baby or toddler.
Here are a few tips to help you navigate the stations and trains with a pram or stroller:
- Batthyany Metro Station is the easiest for several reasons: it’s the departure station so you have all the time to get on the train; there aren’t any stairs from the ticket machines/booth to the track; there are stairs and an escalator only from the square to the station underground. No lift, sorry.
- At Margaret Bridge station, if you arrive with tram 4/6, you can avoid the stairs by walking around, near the trees. However, you can’t avoid the 36 steps that lead from the ticket machines/booth to the track, AND you will have to hurry to get the stroller up when the train arrives.
- At Szentendre station, you have to go down an underpass. It quite a lot of steps, but there’s also a slide for bicycles to the side! I was able to go down and up again with Alex in the stroller.
Useful train tip: look on the pavement for a bicycle sign – that’s where the wide doors without the handle in the middle will be. They are wide enough to lift the pram/stroller on, and nearby there is space for the stroller.
How to get around Szentendre with a stroller
You’ll need a lot of patience.
The cobblestone streets are picturesque, but you’ll need to watch for holes, as well as pull the stroller out of a jam from time to time. But who knows, maybe your baby will fall asleep to this rocking! 🙂
Even though the main streets are crowded with restaurant tables, handcraft stands, and obviously tourists, I had no problem navigating them with Alex.
Pushing the stroller up the hill to Templom tér square was a bit tough, but we were rewarded with a lovely view and with a lot of space to walk and relax. There are also a few benches.
The Danube promenade is easy and lovely to walk along with a pram. If you want to go back to the train station from there (the southern part of Duna korzo street), take the right onto the bike path next to the canal (parallel to Fürdő street) and you’ll be there quickly. The last part of Duna Korzo street doesn’t have a pavement and isn’t too safe with children.
What to do in Szentendre with a baby
Let’s get to the point! Now, let’s be honest: our babies or young toddlers may enjoy the activities, but I’d still say that most of this day trip is still focused on us parents. It’s our holiday, so WE want to have a good time in a nice town, going to places where the stroller fits and doing things that baby will probably enjoy.
Here are my suggestions of things to do in Szentendre as a family – and here you can find more things to do in Szentendre.
Stroll around the Szentendre Old Town
The old town of Szentendre is small and compact, perfect to explore slowly.
The main streets of Dumtsa Jenő utca, Bogdanyi út, and the central square Fő tér, are the most colourful and picturesque, so obviously they get crowded easily.
Find some peace at Templom tér, the square on top of the small hill: enjoy the view, rest on a bench with an ice cream, or let your toddler explore the uneven stones scattered with leaves. This is where we sat down on the floor to eat the veggies and fruits!
Our stroller has small wheels, which made it a little harder to push it on the cobbled stones. However, if your pushchair has bigger wheels, you could even explore a few of the picturesque side alleys. Just be aware that some could be quite steep.
Relax at the Danube promenade
The Danube promenade at Szentendre is a lovely place to walk and chill. The path is wide enough for strollers, people and bikes (keep an eye out or hold your toddler’s hand tight).
It’s also nicely paved in cement, a much easier surface to push the stroller/pram on.
Sit on the steps or on the grass and let the green panorama in.
Towards the right, you’ll find some stones painted colourful, a nice addition to the boring grey. Just there is the beach where you could let baby dip their toes in the Danube! Just remember, ticking this box and snapping that picture requires some kind of towel (mostly for your own feet) and possibly a change of baby’s pants (their legs are shorter than you think!)
Don’t plan too much time here: the sand is muddy and the water is a bit stinky.
Shop traditional Hungarian gifts and souvenirs
In Szentendre there are shops and stalls of handcrafted items everywhere! Painted leather, jewellery, ceramics, art: it’s the perfect place to buy quality gifts and souvenirs.
For your child, check out the adorable shop on Dumtsa Jenő street 11, right opposite the info point, for cute stuffed animals and hand puppets.
Visit a museum or an art gallery
Disclaimer: I haven’t been to these places with Alex, but they are on my list, as I think he may enjoy looking at the exhibits. However, I don’t know if the stroller fits, if the exhibits are safe from his curious hands, etc.
- The Szamos Marzipan exhibition and workshop – wonderful creations from flowers, to Michael Jackson, to the Hungarian Parliament, all made of marzipan!
- The Retro Design Centre – toddlers could be fascinated with these old cars, magazines, kitchen items, toys, electronics, and lots of memorabilia from Eastern Europe during Communist times.
Activities that I don’t recommend in Szentendre with a baby or toddler
Unfortunately, you’re going to have to come back another time to do these things:
- Wine tasting at Labirintus Étterem restaurant – it’s fun and interesting to discover Hungarian wine, but this experience takes place in an underground cellar not suitable for strollers.
- The Transportation Museum – children love old trams and buses, but parents don’t like to lift the stroller up and down tracks, nor pull toddlers up and down steep stairs. Come back when your child is a bit older.
- Art museums – there are many art galleries at the Artists’ Village! Toddlers will probably get bored quickly, though. Well, if baby is asleep, why not.
Where to eat in Szentendre with a baby or toddler
The main issue is space, right? Space for the stroller and/or for the high chair.
On a busy day, you can certainly try to get a table at one of the inviting restaurants on the main streets or by the Danube, but it may be hard to sit your family down comfortably. You’ll have to be flexible and patient.
Another possibility is street food! We got lucky at the legendary Álomlangos stall, hidden in a narrow alley by the main square: this is the must-go place for the fried “langos” Hungarian bread, topped with sour cream and cheese. You’ve got to try it at least once during your stay in Hungary!
There is just one table at Álomlangos (map here), and we were able to squeeze both strollers in (otherwise, we would have walked back to the main streets and found a bench). Our toddlers enjoyed a taste of langos, and then we ordered also a few “palacsinta” crepes: empty for the children, filled with apricot jam for us. Yum!
On a hot summer day, you can definitely rely on ice cream, or on cakes and lemonades from the numerous cafés. Hungarians make excellent fresh lemonade!
Otherwise, take the occasion to be spontaneous: pack some more fresh fruits and veggies in a box and eat them with your toddler on a bench. That’s what we did – and we loved it. 🙂
Final thoughts on visiting Szentendre with a baby or a toddler
Excellent job! You are ready to bring your family to the lovely village of Szentendre. I had a great time there with Alex, and we will definitely visit again soon.
I hope you will enjoy these relaxing activities and that you will spend a great day together.
What else did you need during your day in Szentendre? Let me know in the comments!
Are you visiting Szentendre with older children? Check out this useful page.
