Festetics Castle – Palm House and Bird Park

Exotic World in the Neighborhood of the Castle

If we turn left in the Castle Park, before we reach the lion fountain, and cross the gate, we can feel as if we have dropped into a fairy-tale, foreign world. The foundations of this world were created by Count Tasziló Festetics II. in the 1880s. The exotic plants, animals, aquariums, garden ponds, rock gardens were part of the court of rulers and noblemen in that era.

“Palm House and Bird Park. Very decorative and captivating. We were lucky, the swamp hibiscus and the demonstration pieces of the cactus exhibition were in bloom. The Bird Park is very cute. The birds walk around arm’s length, living their everyday life. One would think they let themselves be petted.”

Attila KiszelLocal Tour Guide

An interesting factDo you want to know more about the past of Keszthely? Then the book KESZTHELYI TÖRTÉNETEK was written for you, get it in the Tourinform office on the walking street!

Palm House

Originally opened in 2012 as a “plant sanatorium” or “orangerie”, the large palms and potted plants of the castle were cared for here. We can see the most special and beautiful plants of the Mediterranean world and distant lands, such as Hawaiian roses, various cactus varieties.

Our favoriteThe group of multicolored tropical hibiscuses stands out from the flora of the Palm House, which is among the first in Europe.

There are also plants that need protection, which are in danger of extinction. Another group consists of “useful plants” whose fruits we consume every day, but we do not know where and on which plant they grow. This includes coffee, sugar cane, cocoa, banana, ginger or citrus fruits. The museum’s undisguised goal is to educate visitors to be sensitive to nature and emphasize how important environmentally friendly farming is today. The Palm House is surrounded by a nearly 1000 m2 rock garden, lake and aquarium, in which Balaton fish swim.

An interesting factThe structural elements of the Palm House were made in the factories of Gustave Eiffel in Paris. Its excellent quality is evidenced by the fact that the main supporting elements, twisted columns, have not yet been replaced. Eiffel is associated with the tower named after him, or the conception and design of the Statue of Liberty in New York, but his company also designed the plans for the main building of the Western Railway Station in Hungary.

Bird Park

The Bird Park opened its doors to visitors in 2016. In the park we can meet waterfowl, peacocks, even species native to China and Australia. If we are sharp-eyed, we can even spot the world’s smallest waterfowl, the Hottentotta rail. If we wish, we can even feed the park’s inhabitants from our hands!

Tickets and Other Services

The Helikon Castle Museum offers several discounted tickets (e.g. for large families) to its visitors. We can choose from various ticket combinations.

HintCheaper together! Buy a "Castle+1" combined ticket, with which you can visit the Palm House at a cheaper price in addition to the exhibition in the main building of the Castle.