Budapest Spotlight: Margaret Island (Margitsziget)

Bike-powered cars - we took the blue one!

I have a new favorite place. It's a sprawling public park in the middle of a densely packed city. There are locals basking in the sun, tourists wandering around, and quaint food vendors along the edges. Oh, and it is NOT in New York City.

Margaret Island was my favorite part of our recent trip to Budapest. It is literally an island in the middle of the Danube River with no motorized traffic except for one bus line. Instead of driving, people stroll, roller blade, bike, or take one of the bike-powered cars we ventured on for a 30-minute adventure.

Musical fountain with spectators

Sunbathers along the Danube

Unlike most city parks, Margaret Island has a wide range of entertainment options, including a Budapest thermal spa, beer gardens, 13th century ruins, restaurants, a musical fountain (think mini-Bellagio), an impressive pool facility, and jogging path. They hold an annual summer festival in the park, along with several open-air concerts. Even just walking with a Hungarian beer is a treat on a nice day on the island.

Before it became a park in 1908, Margaret Island was home to nuns and monks for hundreds of years.

Margaret was a 13th century princess whose father, King Béla IV, vowed to send her to the newly built nunnery on the island if he could fix his country, recently devastated by the Mongol invasion. Hungary was restored and Margaret was sent to the island at the ripe age of 11. You can still see her burial site on the island today.

We have seen our share of city parks in Europe, but Margaret Island offers everything you could want in a park. I highly recommend building in at least a few hours - it's an easy stopover between Buda and Pest as you cross either the Margaret Bridge on the southern tip or the Árpád Bridge at the north end. We were caught off guard by this gem in the middle of the city!