The Park of the Festetics Castle

Nature Reserve in the Heart of Keszthely

Originally 42 hectares, the castle park has shrunk to 10 hectares today. The park was restored in 2015 using 19th century plans.

A Walk in the Park?

If you are around the Festetics Castle, but you are not able to admire the building from the inside, be sure to explore its park! The castle park is open to visitors from morning to evening for free. If you are looking for a meeting place in the city, the park is perfect, quiet, spacious, and you can rest on its benches. Some come with a baby carriage or a dog, the park is open to everyone who chooses the beautiful park in any season.

HintThe castle park is a popular location for wedding photography, especially in the summer.

Don’t forget that the park area is a nature reserve, protect and take care of it! Its landscape values include the pheasant pine from the time of George Festetics, the garden lake and its surroundings, while its nature conservation interest is the wintering stand opened in February. At the entrance of the castle, two Japanese acacias, which are the symbol of the building, greet the visitors.

“The park is one of the few places that can still be visited for free. Anyone who is around should not miss it, it is beautiful. It can be seen that the park is kept in constant condition, there is order and cleanliness, and there are many colorful fish in the artificial lake. Perfect for a pleasant afternoon walk. Parking in the nearby streets can be easily solved, of course it is paid, but not expensive. I can only recommend everyone to visit it.”

Gyula NagyLocal Guide

Park of the Most Visited Castle in Hungary

The park was designed and realized by Henry Ernest Miller, a renowned European gardener from London, who was called by Festetics Tasziló II., between 1885 and 1889, following the pattern of the contemporary English garden art. The tripartite division of the Baroque castle parks is also observed here: the park has a front garden, an inner courtyard and a back garden. The former are characterized by regular shapes typical of French gardens, while the back part of the park is “more natural”.

The sound of the fountains is refreshing in the summer, especially beautiful at night, lit up. The front garden fountain is shaped like the coat of arms of Lady Hamilton’s family, the lily. The abundance of statues in the castle park reveals the art-loving and -supporting side of the Festetics family. At the entrance, we are welcomed by a statue of György Festetics, but we can also encounter representations of the Virgin Mary, Saint Ilona and Mihály Csokonai Vitéz during our walk. As we move towards the back of the park, we meet the classicist-style lion fountain, on which the family’s coat of arms animals are featured.

If you are already in the park…

Visit the Carriage Exhibition in the park, where you can learn about the former means of transport of the Festetics family! Turning left in front of the lion fountain, you will find the Palm House and Bird Park, if you are interested in the exotic world, be sure to come in! After touring the vast area, you will find the beautiful building of the Hunting Exhibition and Historical Model Railway Exhibition at the back exit.
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!

Programs in the Park

The park offers colorful programs throughout the year. It hosts a gastrofest, festive programs, park movies, exhibitions, concerts, and horse festivals. Its most famous event is the Museum Night at the end of June.

Parking and Accessibility

If we arrive at the park by car, there are paid parking lots in the streets around the castle. Several larger parking lots have been created in the area behind the park, so we are sure to find a free space there. If we approach the building on foot, it will be easy for us, as we can recognize the castle at the end of the Promenade Street from several points of the city, thanks to its tower visible from afar. We can enter the castle park through 3 entrances: the Promenade Street, the Sopron Street, and the small gate from the side of the Hunting Museum.