Walking Tour Around Margaret Island

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 - Walking Tour Around Margaret Island Margaret Island on the river Danube is a popular recreational area. Stretching for around 2.5 km, this place was declared a public park in 1908. Beautiful landscaped parks, ancient ruins and various sports facilities dot the island. The island can be accessed by the Margaret Bridge on the south and the Arpad Bridge in the north. This is a quiet place to laze around and enjoy your day. Vehicular traffic is not allowed on the island and is pedestrian friendly. Guide Location: Hungary» Budapest # of Attractions: 8 Tour Duration: 2 hour(s) Travel Distance: 2.5 km Please note: This walk is also featured in the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" downloadable on itunes App Store and Google Play. The app provides turn-by-turn GPS navigation to guide you from one tour sight to the next, so you will never be lost. The apps offer additional walking tours in Budapest. Check them out! GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 city around the world. Please visit https://www.gpsmycity.com for more walking tour offers. List of attractions included in this self-guided walking tour: A) Árpád Bridge B) Musical Well (Fountain) C) Japanese Garden D) Water Tower E) Medieval Ruins F) Palatinus Water Park G) Tamas Szechy Swimming Pools H) Holdudvar Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 -

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 - A) Árpád Bridge Árpád Bridge, located in Budapest, connects the Pest and the northern region of Buda. It goes over the top of the Danube River. To date, it is the longest single bridge in all of Hungary. The massive structure is 1.25 miles long. Along the way, through an embranchment, you can be connected to Margaret Island. This expansion is named after Hungary s historical figure Arpad. He is credited with having brought the people to the area in 896. For a period of time from 1950 to 1958, during Communist rule, the bridge was renamed as the Stalin Bridge. Besides being the longest bridge in Hungary, it is also the most used. Approximately 150,000 vehicles pass over the structure every day. The Arpad Hid metro system is available on the Pest side. An HEV stop is available on the Buda side. This city train can take you all the way to Szentendre. The view of the Danube River is the best part of this tourist attraction. The bridge itself, other than its obvious length, is of no particular artist value. Still, you can get a great view of the city from here. Address: Aprad Bridge, Budapest, Hungary Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Christo B) Musical Well (Fountain) (must see) The musical fountain on Margaret Island is an exact replica of the first musical fountain in the world. The first one was designed by a Hungarian and to commemorate that, a second one was built in Budapest. The fountain has two staircases and a dome with a statue of Neptune (Apollo) at the top. The background music is played every hour. Address: Musical Well, Budapest, Hungary Image Courtesy of Flickr and filmfrog Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 -

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 - C) Japanese Garden (must see) The Japanese garden located on the northern side of Margaret Island is one of the most popular places to see in Budapest. On the weekends, the whole area is also frequented by locals. It is a series of lakes and interconnected channels. Water lilies, gold fish, turtles, and other natural life can be seen. There are also a series of hiking and walking paths that will take you through trees that are hundreds of years old. The garden was created after WWII, and was made out of the debris of the old Budapest Zoo. The Japanese style of the area was put in place in 1958, after the original park design and library did not do very well. The Forest Institute donated the evergreens that can be found there in 1966. The botanical gardens at the Hokkaido University also donated seeds for many of the Japanese plants that now have their home here. You can also find contributions from Nippon shinyacu Institute in Kyoto. In 2000, Master Gardener Sugimura Fuimo was hired to make some improvements to the garden. A stone lamp (isodoro), knocker (sisodosi), and ritual hand washing basin (csozobacsi) were added. More native Japanese trees were added in 2002. Quite frequently, the Tea School from Kyoto comes and holds traditional tea ceremonies here. The best time to visit is during the spring, when the place is covered in blossoms from the Cherrie tries. Address: Japanese Garden, Budapest, Hungary Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Rimanóczyjeno D) Water Tower (must see) The Water Tower that is located on Margaret Island was opened to the general public in 1913. It was visited by the whole city on opening day. The size of the structure is impressive. It rises to a height of 57 meters. It has a viewing level just 5 meters below. A top the place is a massive 600million liter water tank. In its day, the tower was considered very modern technology. It was the first reinforced concrete building erected in the city of Budapest. Over time, the water tank fell out of use. Now the facility is mostly sought after as a place to hold art venues, as well as a place to enjoy the scenic view of Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 -

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 - Margaret Island. The look over Budapest is best from the Dome Chamber. The trunk of the tower also houses a permanent art exhibit. The Lookout tower is accessible by bus 26 from the Western Railway Station and Margaret Bridge. It can also be reached by car and there is a large parking area for private cars at the Northern corner of the Island by Árpád Bridge, close to the tower. It is a must see, if you go to the island. Address: Water Tower, Budapest, Hungary Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Marion Schneider E) Medieval Ruins (must see) Margaret Island has been the home of many religious orders throughout the years. There are some of the best examples of medieval ruins to be found here. During the time of the Middle Ages, the location was referred to as the Isle of Rabbits, or Hares island. The Dominican nunnery that was built here is one of the most classic examples of medieval monastic complexes. It was built in honor the Virgin Mary. The nunnery and order proper were very wealthy and powerful. Many of the miracles attributed to the area were supposedly performed by Margaret, daughter of Bela IV. The religious house became the place to be for aristocracy. The King of Hungary also founded a Friary and Monastery here. The façade and sidewall of an old Gothic church still remain standing. Sadly, much of the stone was lost in 1796, during the Turkish Occupation, in order to build the palatine s villa. Ruins of a Franciscan Friary The small chapel from the Premonstratensian monastery dates back to 1225, and was reconstructed by Karoly Lux, after an excavation of the area. This set of ruins was also the result of Turkish raids in and around 1526. Address: Medieval Ruins, Budapest, Hungary Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Darinko Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 -

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 - F) Palatinus Water Park (must see) Budapest s most popular water park is located on Margaret Island at Palatinus Strand (Beach). It rests a top a real hot spring that makes the area a great spa location. The natural thermal energy also provides power to the whole area. The location has various sizes pools, including one of the wave variety. The venue of family friendly, and can be enjoyed by all. The whole complex is outdoors. The surrounding beach and park complex is a very popular location for nude sunbathing, walking, and eating. Many snack bars are located there. The park facility also offers many games to play, from billiards to ping-pong. There is plenty to do here to enjoy an entire afternoon. The huge swimming area covers 30, 00 square meters of the park. The pool is 100m long. There is a section for women only (for nude sunbathing) and a mixed area. You will also want to try out the wave bath. The facility has been in operation since 1919, when it was first opened as a beach. The large pool was built in 1919, and the larger complex was completed in 1937. In the 1980s, more of the modern water park features were completed, and the whole park was renovated in 2002. Address: Palatinus Water Park, Budapest, Hungary Image Courtesy of Flickr and music4stage G) Tamas Szechy Swimming Pools The Alfréd Hajós Tamas Szechy swimming complex is a world class location. This place hosted the European Championships in 2006. It has ten lanes, and an overall length of 50 meters. You can also find state of the art diving platforms, two fitness rooms, and a sauna here. The venue can hold up to 8000 spectators for some kind of event. As you tour the building, take note of all the plaques that hang on the wall, representing winning athletes that have trained here over the years. The whole swimming pool complex is named after two very famous Hungarians. The first is Alfred Hajós. He was born Arnold Guttmann, and took up the mission of becoming a good swimmer at the age of 13, after watching his dad drown in the Danube River. Later, he took the name Hajós (which means sailor in his native language.) He went on to win two gold Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 -

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 8 - medals in the Athens Olympics and many championships thereafter. The second person is Tamas Szechy. He was one of the most famous swimming coaches in the history of the country. His students have won 15 Olympic medals through the years. He is best known for the three macro-cycle training program he developed. It is still in use today. Tamas passed away in 2004. Address: Tamas Szechy Swimming Pools, Budapest, Hungary Image Courtesy of Flickr and brownpau H) Holdudvar Holdudvar is located in the southern part of the Margaret Island. Built upon the ruins of an older casino, the place has been renovated and is one of the favourite partying spots in Budapest. The place houses an open air restaurant, a casino, an open-air cinema and an art gallery. At night the lights of Holdudvar shine giving it a fantastic look. The Pálinka bar is open at night and you can dance inside. The restaurant offers a wide variety of quality dishes. Address: Holdudvar, Budapest, Hungary Image Courtesy of Flickr and kyz Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 8 -