Budapest is a revered city blessed with countless tourist attractions, fascinating monuments, cultural venues and old-world architecture. But few people realize that amid the hustle and bustle of this city there is an oasis of green nature where you can spend a relaxing day away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This resort is Margaret Island (Margaret Island), a 225-acre alluvial strip formed eons ago in the Danube River, right in the center of Budapest.
How did Margaret Island get its name?
In the Middle Ages, this island was known as Rabbits Island It was used as a hunting ground. In 1241, following the Mongol invasion, King Béla IV of Hungary and his wife Maria Laskaris founded a nunnery on the island and pledged to send their daughter Margit there if God freed Hungary from Mongol invaders.
Béla won the war against the Mongols, so he entrusted his 3-year-old daughter Margit to the Dominican nuns in Veszprém to raise. After that, she was sent to the Monastery of the Virgin Mary, which her parents founded on Rabbit Island.
Margit took her vows seriously, lived a simple life and rejected two marriage proposals. She died in 1270, one week before her twenty-eighth birthday, and was buried in the abbey grounds. Later she was canonized. In the 14th century the island was renamed Margit-Sziget (Margaret Island) after her.
Arrival to Margaret Island
Margaret-sziget, as the Hungarians call it, is located in Budapest, under the bridge of the same name – Margaret Bridge – and can be reached either on foot or by public transport. Tram lines 4 and 6 stop just opposite the bridge on the Buda side of Budapest, from where you can reach the island. From here you will have to cross the small bridge connecting Margate Head to the island on foot.
Cars are not allowed on the island, so you will not be able to take a taxi here. However, bus 26 has direct access to the island and runs along it comfortably. The bus comes from Nyugati tér and departs every 10-15 minutes, depending on the time of day.
Wandering around the island
Margaret Island is ideal for walking, but if you can't hike, you can pedal around instead. In fact, rentBuggy“Bicycle for 4 people” is a very popular activity that you can enjoy with your friends or family when you are on the island.
Top things to do on Margaret Island
If you want to spend a day in nature without ever leaving Budapest, you'll find quite a few fun things to do on Margaret Island. Once you make the short trip over Margaret Bridge, you'll find yourself in a completely different scene. You will be surrounded by tall green trees, green lawns and beautiful gardens where you can enjoy breathing fresh air.
Walk around the romantic lanes
One of the most enjoyable activities on Margaret Island is to wander around without any specific purpose. The island is 2.5 kilometers long and has endless paths through green meadows and colorful gardens. It is very relaxing to walk around or sit under a tree and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you! Or maybe bring a picnic and eat it on the grass.
If you're feeling extra active, you can put on your running shoes and jog around the path that circles the outer edge of the island. The path runs under the trees, so you won't feel the heat of the sun if you run in summer.
Watch the musical fountains
There are two musical fountains on the island whose jets move to the rhythm of the music. It's very similar to the one you see in front of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.
The fountains put on a dramatic show several times daily (at 10:30 a.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7:30 p.m., and 9 p.m.). If you come here in the evening, you will also be able to see the colorful lights around the water jets. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay until after dark, as we visited the island on our last day in Budapest.
Stop to eat at Stég Terasz
If you want to take a break from walking, you can stop at one of the restaurants or cafes to enjoy some food and refreshments. There are quite a few of them on Margaret Island but the one we really enjoyed was Stég Terasz.
Climb the water tower
Margaret Island in Budapest has a beautiful water tower built in 1911 in the Art Nouveau style. The tower still provides water to the island's restaurants and hotels.
Since 2012, when it was opened to visitors, the water tower has been a venue for art and photography exhibitions. For a small fee, you can climb to the viewing platform at the top.
On a clear day, you'll get unbeatable views of the city from here, extending all the way to the impressive Parliament Building.
Below the tower is an open-air theater with a seating capacity of approximately 3,000. The theater is a great summer venue – not just in Budapest, but in the whole country. From June to August, the theater is home to the Margaret Island Summer Festival. But in addition, it also hosts plays and other events when the permanent theaters close in the summer.
Tour the ruins of a Dominican monastery
Not much remains today of the Dominican monastery built by Bela IV, but even what little remains is still worth a visit.
Inside the ruins you will see a marble tomb surrounded by a wrought iron frame which marks the original resting place of St Margate. But her remains are no longer here. In the 16th century, when the Turks invaded Hungary, the nuns of the Monastery of the Blessed Virgin fled to Bratislava and took Margaret's bones with them. Over the centuries, the relics have been moved several times and partially destroyed in the process. However some of them have been preserved and are kept today in Esztergom and Győr,
Despite this, Hungarians still cover her grave with fresh flowers to this day. A short distance from the grave is a brick shrine with votive candles where people come to pray for Saint Margit.
Visit the remaining wall of the Franciscan church
Margaret Island was once an important religious centre. In addition to the Dominican monastery built by Bela IV, you can also see some small remains of a once stunning Franciscan church and monastery. The church was sometimes built in the 13th century.
Although there is not much left of this monastery, the tower and wall that still stand today look very attractive. In 1867, Archduke Joseph of Habsburg built a summer residence on the ruins of the church after inheriting the island.
Relax at the Palatinus Baths on Margaret Island in Budapest
Visiting the outdoor Palatinus Bath is the perfect thing to do on Margaret Island in the summer. The bath has 11 swimming pools, some of which are indoors. The complex includes swimming pools with natural spring water from cold to cold and hot, which are open all year round.
This series is especially popular with visitors with young children as the pools contain several giant slides.
last word
Margaret Island is very close to our apartment in Budapest, so we have visited several times over the years. However, when I mention it to visitors, I realize that many of them don't know about it, or realize how many attractions it contains. This proves that this island is truly one of Budapest's best kept secrets, which is a shame, considering how quiet and relaxing this place really is!
