Dent, Bob: Budapest for Children - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1992)
9. Fintess and Fun - Sport activities
76 FITNESS AND FŰN Ice skating In winter (Nov-Mar) part of the City Park lake behind Heroes Square is frozen to make an open-air, artificial skating rink. Skates can be hired on the spot. For non-skaters the sight itself is a spectacle. Open Mon-Fri 9-13 (Sat-Sun 10-14) and 16-20 every day. Skiing Possibilities for skiing, even if there is snow, are limited in Budapest. Normafa (13) is the most common place. There are a couple of ski jumps [síugrósánc] near here, but no lifts. The “Harang-völgy” area below Normafa is particularly suitable for children and beginners. From János Hill (13) there are marked, gentle, cross-country ski runs [sítúra-út] through the woods, as there are around Nagy-Hárs Hill near Szépjuhászné (13), on the “glider’s airfield” near Hármashatár Hill (13) and in the Budakeszi Game Park (13). Skis can be hired from the “hire-shop” at 71-73 József körút and from the “Suli Sí” hire centre in the Komjádi Béla baths on Árpád Fejedelem útja near the Buda end of Margaret Bridge. Tobogganing Good places are Normafa (signed “szánkópálya”), Hármashatár Hill (13), Óbuda Island (6) and, more centrally, the “Tabán” slopes just to the north of Gellért Hill, and the gentle mound near Petőfi Csarnok in the City Park (6). Sports centres There are a number of sports centres in the city which provide opportunities for a variety of activities from gymnastics for small children to basketball. Three of the best, in terms of the range of what they offer, are: “Erzsébetvárosi”, 9-23 Százházi u., Bp. VII (122-7804) “Ferencvárosi”, 10-16 Vendel u., Bp. IX (113-4463) “Újpest”, 4-6 Pozsonyi u., Bp. IV (169-2118) Some clubs and centres organise special sports activities for children with disabilities. Information from the federation [Mozgáskorlátozottak Sportszövetsége] 76 San Marco u., Bp. Ill (tel: 188-2388). In the summer the Margaret Island Youth Stadium (near
