First timers Guide to Visiting Margaret Island in Budapest: Things to do and see
If you’re coming to Budapest and need a little break from the hustle and bustle (read: the tourists), Margaret Island is exactly what you’re looking for! When Caleb and I lived in the city, we would spend many quiet mornings walking around the island and sitting on the banks of the gorgeous Danube River!
While Margaret Island isn’t really a hotspot for “cool things to do,” it still has this relaxing charm that makes it worth a visit! In our quick guide, we’ll share the need-to-knows and a couple of things to do so you can see it all without wasting time.
If you’re a couple like us looking for a chill place to start the day or take a pretty stroll together, Margaret Island has to be on your itinerary! Let’s get into it!
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✔️A Quick Guide To Budapest
When to go and how long: April, May, September or August for 2-7 days. But check out our guide to the Hungarian capital for more info to help plan your perfect time!
Where to stay: We love staying in the 7Seasons Hotel for the cheap, large rooms, friendly staff, and epic, central location. It’s in one of the best districts for first-time visitors!
How to get around: walking or tram.
Must-do foodie activities: this wine tasting, this local cooking class with flowing wine, or this food tour if you’re short on time and want to eat all the top traditional foods.
The Basics
Quick History
Margaret Island in Budapest, or Margitsziget if you want to speak Hungarian, is a 2.5 km long island in the Danube River that was named after Saint Margaret. She was a 13th-century princess who lived in a Dominican convent on the island, which you can now see ruins of (more on that below.)
It was originally a royal hunting ground and religious center but was transformed into a public park in the 19th century. Now, it’s where locals and tourists go to relax, see cute animals, or stroll and get outside the hustle and bustle of the big city life!
How To Get To Margaret Island
If you’ve read any of our other posts, you know that our preferred method for getting anywhere is walking! When you’re starting the day with epic brunches and ending them with sour-cream-ladden (🤤🤤🤤) Hungarian food and washing it all down with a chimney cake and epic Hungarian wine (not together, that would be weird), you need to move your body, you KNOW?
It’s only a 40-minute walk from the city center and only 15 minutes away from the Hungarian parliament building, which is why we recommend putting those two things together on the same day of your itinerary!
If walking ain’t your jam, take the tram number 4 or 6 (from the pest side) and take it to the stop called Margitsziget / Margit híd. This stop is on the bridge, and it’s a hop, skip, and jump over to the island.
Not actually a jump. That’s dangerous. Just a short walk. 😅
When you get to the island, bus number 26 goes all around it if you don’t want to walk.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION: if for some reason you rent a car in Budapest (don’t) you CANNOT drive to the island. It’s car-free, which is SO nice for walking around.
PRO TIP: If you’re in the area, we highly recommend checking out the nearby Lukacs thermal baths or Veli Bej baths, as they are our 2 favorite hidden gems! And, if you go in the morning, take a brunch stop at the delicious Breakfast Cafe-Kicsizso, just across the bridge on the Buda Side.
Best Time To Visit
We think that the best time to visit Margaret Island is in the spring or early fall and Daily News Hungary agrees. You’ll still get the flowers and color on the trees, so it’s quite pretty, but it won’t be as busy as the Summer. That’s the high season for tourists.
If you don’t care about the “pretty factor” and just wanna chillax (or if you’re planning your trip for an off season) we also love going in the winter. As you can tell by our photos (since we went in the spring before, I documented every waking moment of our trips, and I have no photos), it’s a little barren, but there’s almost NO ONE THERE.
How Long to Spend
If you’re just going to see the island and burn off last night’s heavy restaurant meal, you really only need about 1 to 2 hours. You can walk the entire loop of the island in about an hour and a half and from one end to the other in just under an hour.
If you plan to actually do some things (that we’ve listed below), then you should plan a little more time. Below, we’ve given you an idea of how much extra time to spend on each activity!
Things To See and Do in A Day
1. Check Out The Convent and Monastery Ruins
Remember the chick that the island was named after who lived in the Dominican Monastery? You can visit the ruins here.
We have to warn you, they are not exaggerating when they say ruins because there ain’t much left to see. But can you get some cool Instagram photos? It gave us old-castle-in-Ireland vibes.
How Much Time To Spend: 10 minutes? You don’t need long.
2. Ride on A Weird Vehicle (If you can call it that?)
There’s a 10/10 chance that you’ll see these weird little scooters, golf carts, and egg-looking things on wheels riding around the island. These little pedal cars are a fun little thing to do for an hour if you want a unique way to roll around and see the sights.
You can get the deets on their website here.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION: You can do this near the start of the island. Just Google Maps “Bringo Rental,” and you’ll see it!
How Much Time To Spend: Build this into your 1-2 hours since you’ll just be driving around instead of walking.
3. Visit The Mini Zoo
We don’t want to get your hopes up that you’re going to see cool things like Pandas, so lower your standards a little bit. The Mini Zoo/Game reserve has animals like hawks, eagles, peacocks, chickens, deer, and horses.
It’s super small and only open from March to November. However, you can see the animals from the outside when it’s closed, so just walk around the fences!
PRACTICAL INFORMATION: it’s always free entry, so if you’re there and it’s open, you may as well check it out for better animal views than we got in the winter!
How Much Time To Spend: If you’re going when it’s open, add an extra 30 minutes.
4. Climb The Margaret Island Water Tower
You won’t miss the huge and pretty water tower in the middle of the island. Typically, it’s just used for art and photography exhibitions and some festivals in the Summer.
You can climb the tower from May through September to get panoramic views of the island. But there are a lot of steps, so be warned!
PRO TIP: By the water tower just outside the ruins, there are public toilets that cost $1. Bathrooms are hard to come by on the island, so take advantage!
How Much Time To Spend: If you climb it, give yourself 30 minutes. If not, just a couple minutes to look at it and leave.
5. Check Out The Margaret Island Musical Fountain
On the south part of the island, you’ll find a pretty fountain that plays music 5 times a day: at 10: 30 am and then again at 5,6,7 and 9 pm.
It looks best at dusk or evening when it’s lit up!
How Much Time To Spend: Just a couple minutes to hear the music!
6. Visit The Japanese Garden And The Rose Garden
At the north end of the island, there is a super relaxing Japanese Garden – think tiny trees, a pond with koi fish (always, right?), and babbling man-made waterfalls.
If you walk to the huge thermal bath complex, Palatinus Strand, you’ll find a rose garden across from it. It’s pretty, but only in the late spring when it’s in bloom. Otherwise, it’s kind of underwhelming, to be honest!
How Much Time To Spend: Add an extra 20 minutes if you’re planning to walk slowly. Otherwise, you can factor a walkthrough into your 1 to 2-hour visiting time if you’re just walking the entire island for the morning.
7. See The Budapest Sign
When you get to the island, you’ll see the huge Budapest sign right at the start! Swing by to take a cute photo for the ‘gram!
The one thing we didn’t mention was Palatinus baths. That’s because it’s a thermal bath we typically avoid as a couple due to it being more of a waterslide-style pool with lots of kiddos. You’re better off visiting some of our favorite thermal baths in Budapest instead.
Well, that’s a wrap on our quick guide to spending a morning on Margaret Island! We can’t lie; it’s not like there are oodles of amazing things to do, but it’s just a really nice way to spend a day wandering along the water, and we love it!
If you’re trying to figure out how to fit Margaret Island into your itinerary, we’re here to help! We put all the top sights and best places to eat and drink together in our ultimate 3-day Budapest itinerary for couples who love food and wine!
Other Budapests Posts To Help You plan:
