When parked at its gritty terminus alongside an ever-busy auto overpass by Budapest’s sooty Nyugati Railway Station, ordinary-looking bus 26 seems likely to be going someplace unappealing. However, anyone who rides this oft-crowded coach will soon be surrounded by the lush greenery of Margaret Island – a sprawling mid-Danube parkland featuring attractions for all ages, such as public swimming pools, a Japanese garden and an amphitheatre for open-air extravaganzas, not to mention acres of grassy grounds lined by flowers and tall plane trees.
Used primarily for recreational purposes since the Middle Ages, Margaret Island stretches almost three kilometres amid the Danube just before it flows into downtown Budapest. There were times when this city-centre isle was exclusive terrain, serving as royal hunting grounds before housing the local pasha’s harem during under Ottoman rule. Margaret Island has officially been open to the public for 110 years now – and bus 26 makes it easy to discover the park’s array of landmarks by running a north-south route along the entire isle, with stops located beside grand pleasure grounds and picnic spots aplenty.
This kind of fresh-air refuge feels a world away while waiting for bus 26 to leave its Nyugati tér terminus, found right next to a grimy Communist-era metro-underpass entrance near the glassy main doorway to WestEnd mall. But after the engine rumbles to life, it’s a quick ride to Margaret Bridge before the bus turns right onto the restricted roadway bisecting Budapest’s most popular parkland isle.
True, the 4-6 tram stops halfway along Margaret Bridge at the park’s southern end, providing an easy starting point for a splendid island stroll – but bus 26 cruises all the way to Margaret Island’s northern tip, passing a lot of attractions often overlooked by crowds filling the areas nearer Margaret Bridge. It makes the entire isle more easily accessible or handy for heading back into town. All buses on this line have low floors to accommodate strollers and wheelchairs.
Navigating through throngs of pedestrians and pedal-powered multi-person vehicles, bus 26 whizzes by the tulip-shaped Centenary Monument and the Musical Fountain before stopping at the Alfréd Hajós National Swimming Complex. This refurbished aqua-sports centre was originally designed by its namesake – swimmer Hajós won Hungary’s first Olympic gold medal in 1896, then became an architect. It also recently served as a prime venue for the FINA world aquatics championships in 2017.
Wide-open picnic grounds await beside theParkmozi köz stop, but if you ride on, make sure to spot the stone monastery ruins towering just beside the road on the right side of this stretch. Built in the 13th century, this Franciscan priory is a significant religious landmark on the island, but not its only one.
Saint Margaret was a 13th-century Hungarian princess who served as a humble nun here in the now-ruined Dominican Convent, earning the honour of having the island named after her, while the rebuilt Chapel of St. Michael dates back to the 12th century. Both holy sites are located a little further north.
Continuing in that direction, bus 26 soon stops by the Palatinus, a watery wonderland featuring numerous pools for all ages, playgrounds, sunbathing sites and huge water slides, all making this a classic Budapest summertime scene. However, after Palatinus recently renovated its indoor pools and extended its operations to welcome guests year-round, bus 26 offers a convenient way to enjoy this refreshing facility even in the depths of winter.
The next stop, Szabadtéri Színpad, is a busy destination during Budapest Summer Festival performances – with the century-old Water Tower looming overhead, this is where the Margaret Island Open-Air Stage offers hundreds of seats for alfresco concerts, opera productions and other grand shows filling the park with harmonies that can even be enjoyed by proximal picnickers. The aforementioned Dominican Convent and Chapel of St. Michael are also found near this bus 26 stop, just beyond the Water Tower and amphitheatre.
Margaret Island’s magical mystery tour continues at the Szállodák (Hotels) stop, where bus 26 deposits passengers just a few steps away from a historic complex of two impressive full-service resorts. The Danubius Grand Hotel Margitsziget was designed by Miklós Ybl – architect of the Hungarian State Opera House, Várkert Bazaar and many other monumental Budapest buildings – and welcomes the public to its sprawling shaded terrace for all-you-can-eat buffet lunches.
Nearby, the more modern Danubius Health Spa Resort Margaret Island houses a complete thermal bath with multiple indoor pools of mineral-rich spring waters at varying temperatures, presented along with massage, beauty and medical services. The poolside windows present soothing parkland greenery to gaze at while soaking before drying off on the huge sundeck upstairs, and all facilities are accessible with day passes.
By this point, bus 26 is close to its final stop, but first it delivers passengers to a peaceful nirvana of serenity and reflection. The Japanese Garden is an intriguingly designed highlight of Margaret Island that was renewed in recent years, and now features well-maintained exotic flora and ponds with lively residents such as golden fish and ducks, happily fed by gleeful youngsters.
After passing the ornate bandstand built in the 1930s with an 1820s design, bus 26 stops once more near Margaret Island’s northernmost tip, before continuing onto Árpád Bridge to the nearest Pest-side metro station. Alternatively, it is actually fairly easy to walk from the top of Margaret Island to the city’s hilly Buda side, where historic charms of the Óbuda district lie just beyond the bridgehead.
Meanwhile, bus 26 turns around to retrace its route southbound through Margaret Island and pick up passengers heading back to Nyugati tér. After a quick stop on the Buda side of Margaret Bridge, they arrive revived following a day enveloped by open space and river breezes.
