Napolizza
What to order: One of their classic pizzas with San Marzano tomato and fior di latte; the kitchen closes half an hour earlier.
Closed Monday and Tuesday. Also takeaway.
geocalia
Day itinerary · 47.60° N · 19.35° E
Sisi's palace in a day, 45 minutes by HÉV from Budapest.
Gödöllő is 45 minutes from Budapest on the HÉV H8. Sisi's palace, wood-fired pizza, the park and, from October to January, the light garden at dusk.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Budapest fromBarcelona 2 h 45Bilbao 3 hValencia 3 hAlicante 3 h 15Madrid 3 h 15Málaga 3 h 45Sevilla 3 h 45Gran Canaria 5 h 30Tenerife Sur 5 h 45
Part of Gödöllő
Add to my trip
Total time9 h
By car30 min each way
From BudapestHÉV H8, about 45 min
WalkingAbout 2 h spread out
DifficultyEasy
With childrenYes, under-6s free at the palace
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Budapest 45 min by train
HÉV H8 from Örs vezér tere (metro M2); get off at Gödöllő, Szabadság tér
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1
Gödöllő Royal Palace, Sisi's Rooms
5,400 Ft at the weekend; tour in Spanish with a reservation
- 30 min on foot
- 2
- 30 min on foot
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3
Gödöllő Palace Park
free · in winter it closes at 16:00
- 5 min on foot
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4
CaFE IDA, the Palace Café
coffee in Sisi's salons, without a ticket
Grassalkovich-kastély, 2100 Gödöllő
Café €€Book - 5 min on foot
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5
Queen Elizabeth Light Garden in the Palace Park
Story of Lights · from 4,800 Ft online at the weekend
+36 70 788 2529
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Back home 45 min by train
HÉV to Örs vezér tere; the return platform is on the tracks opposite
Approximate cost
About €4350 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Gödöllő Royal Palace, Sisi's Rooms
A day trip from Budapest: Gödöllő is 45 minutes away on the HÉV suburban train and is the country house where Sisi spent her seasons in Hungary. The plan follows the palace in the morning, a wood-fired pizza, the park and, from late October to January, the light garden dedicated to the queen at dusk.
The day, hour by hour
10:00 · Departure. HÉV H8 from Örs vezér tere, the end of the M2 metro. Get off at Gödöllő, Szabadság tér: the palace is across the road. MÁV sells a combined transport and entry ticket.
11:00 · Royal palace. The rooms of Franz Joseph and Sisi, her violet apartments and the ceremonial hall. At weekends, 5,400 Ft; under-6s, free. If you book beforehand, there is a guide in Spanish.
13:00 · Lunch at Napolizza. Twenty-five minutes' walk to the west, Neapolitan wood-fired pizza with 48-hour sourdough. On Sunday it opens from 12:00 to 20:00; closed Monday and Tuesday.
14:45 · Palace park. Go back to the palace and stroll through the 26 hectares of the park: the barefoot path, the playground locomotive and the Királydomb pavilion among the trees. In winter it closes at 16:00.
16:00 · Coffee at CaFE IDA. In Sisi's ground-floor salons, without a museum ticket. It is the hour when the light garden is being prepared.
17:00 · Queen Elizabeth Light Garden. The park lit up at night tells the story of the palace. Online ticket from 4,800 Ft at the weekend.
18:30 · Return. HÉV to Örs vezér tere; you reach Budapest around 19:30.
Time1 h 30
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
CaFE IDA, the Palace Café
What to order: A coffee and cake in Sisi's salons after the visit, or before the light garden.
Inside the palace, on the ground floor; no museum ticket needed.
Erzsébet Királyné Restaurant
What to order: Ask for a table in the inner courtyard if it is summer; the menu is on the hotel's website.
Book by phone; also serves breakfast for hotel guests.
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Gödöllő
The full plan, with the light garden, from 24 October to 31 January. The rest of the year swap the lights for the guided tour of the Baroque theatre and riding hall, and the park opens until 20:30.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Outside light-garden season, change the afternoon
From February to October, the guided tour of the Baroque theatre and riding hall or the Horthy bunker.
- 2Buy the lights online
They are cheaper than at the ticket office.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Budapest to Gödöllő?
About 45 minutes on the HÉV from Örs vezér tere.
Is the palace open on Mondays?
Yes, every day from 10:00 to 18:00. Napolizza, however, is closed Monday and Tuesday.
Is there a light garden all year?
No, from 24 October 2026 to 31 January 2027.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/hungary/godollo/itineraries/sisis-palace-and-lights
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.