Living in Budapest has its perks. The walking culture, the open and free playgrounds are fantastic. And what better way to spend your Saturday afternoon than visiting a beautiful free island park at Margaret Island in the heart of the Danube River.
Things to Do
Holy smokes, there is so much you can do at Margaret Island! You could spend a whole day and feel like you haven’t explored the entire island. But here is a list of activities you can do on the island:
- Palatinus Strand – water park/swimming pools/outdoor thermal baths
- Musical fountains
- Medieval ruins
- Tiny zoo (recommend the Budapest Zoo instead)
- Walkways and gardens
- Playgrounds
- Street food vendors (cotton candy, ice cream, langos, alcoholic drinks, etc.) and restaurants
- Picnic areas
- Casinos (currently under construction)
- Playgrounds
- Bikes, skates, and other cool rides
- Running trails
Take a look! Here are the gorgeous rose gardens:
A Day at Palatinus Strand
But we spent our glorious afternoon at Palatinus Strand, which had at least seven different swimming pools, thermal baths and water slides combined. We arrive in the mid-afternoon, but we wished we got there sooner to spend more time. For about 8100 HUF, which is the price of a family ticket for four people. I’d say that’s a pretty decent price.
After a lovely afternoon at Palatinus Strand, we noticed these cool bikes around the island:
What’s so great about these bikes? You can rent these bikes for two people, four people or six or more. And then you can also find little tiny versions for your little preschooler to ride and drive around. Or you can check out this medieval ruin and explore the history of Margaret Island. This place reminded me a bit of our exploration of St. Hilarion Castle in the northern occupied territory of Cyprus.
The musical fountains are a whole other fun activity to enjoy the day or make a romantic gesture.
Much like the fun street artists in Prague, we saw more bubble makers on Margaret Island. The kids had a blast!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJH048ABgQi/?taken-by=travelingseouls
And if you feel like having a snack, you can eat a bunch of sugary stuff from a color infused cotton candy vendor.
How to Get There:
You can take Trams 4 or 6 and walk to Margaret Island (southern side of the island), or you can ride the BKK ferry to Margaret Island, which was our mode of choice. But you should note that you have to pay the fee to ride it on the weekends. Monday through Friday is a commuter ferry, so you can show your pass. You can also take a taxi and ride Buses 26 and 234, which is accessible on the island.
For More Information:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margaretisland/
10 comments
Looks like great fun! My kids would love going there. We are planning to travel to Budapest in April 2017 so we’ll go check out Margaret Island!
Wendy, I hear spring is the best time to go. I hope to see your images of your trip to Budapest next year. =)
I missed out on Margaret Island when I visited Budapest a couple of years back. Hoping to go again so I can remedy that 🙂
That would be wonderful. I am sure there are new exhibits and places to check out as well. =)
I head no clue there was an island near Budapest until now haha. Looks like there’s a ton of fun things to do there 🙂 I’d definitely be interested in checking out those medieval ruins!
We didn’t get a chance to visit the ruins, but I hope to go back in the next few weeks with our kids.
Haven’t been to Budapest yet but will add Margaret Island to the itinerary for sure! Looks like there is so much to do!
Thanks for reading, Priya.
Budapest and other places in Eastern Europe is something that we have been planning for some time now. You bring out the vibrant colours and elegance of Budapest very well in your post. We hope to get there soon, till that happens we enjoyed Budapest through your words and photos.
Vyjay, thanks for reading. I look forward to reading your posts about Hungary. =)