Margaret Island

Margaret Island is where Budapest goes to breathe. It sits in the middle of the Danube between Buda and Pest, about two and a half kilometres long and a few hundred metres wide, reached by the Margaret Bridge at its southern tip and the Árpád Bridge at its northern end. It is almost entirely closed to private cars, and it is covered in lawns, plane trees, flower beds and walking paths, making it the city's favourite place for picnics, running, cycling and doing nothing at all. The island is named after Saint Margaret, the daughter of King Béla IV, who lived in a Dominican convent here in the thirteenth century; the ruins of the convent, and of a Franciscan church, still stand among the trees. At the southern end, a short walk from the bridge, the Musical Fountain plays choreographed shows set to music several times a day in the warmer months, with lights after dark. A rubber-surfaced running track loops around the whole island, more than five kilometres long, and is one of the most popular running routes in the city. Other highlights include the Art Nouveau water tower, a Japanese garden with a pond and small waterfall, a small animal park, an open-air stage that hosts concerts, opera and theatre in summer, and the Palatinus Strand, a huge outdoor lido with thermal pools and slides, open in summer. You can rent bicycles, pedal carts and electric buggies to get around. Entry to the island is free, and it is open at all times.

Getting there: tram 4 or 6 on the Grand Boulevard stops on the Margaret Bridge at the island's southern entrance, and bus 26 runs the length of the island from Nyugati station. Walking from the Parliament along the Pest embankment to the Margaret Bridge takes about fifteen minutes, with lovely views of the river. Once on the island, the Musical Fountain is just inside the southern entrance, and the rest of the island unfolds as you walk north. To see it all, rent a bike or a pedal cart near the southern entrance and loop the island in an hour.

When to go: spring and summer are the island's seasons, when the fountain plays, the lawns are full of picnickers and the open-air stage and lido are open. Summer evenings are lovely, with the fountain show lit after dark. In autumn, the plane trees turn gold, and the island is quiet and beautiful; in winter, it is peaceful and bare, popular with runners, and the fountain is switched off. Weekday mornings are calm at any time of year.

Know the trade-offs. The island is a park, not a sight, so its pleasures are slow ones: a picnic, a run, a swim, a sunset from the northern tip. Food options are limited and seasonal, so bring a picnic from the Great Market Hall or a bakery. On summer weekends, the lido and the lawns are crowded with families. But as an escape from the city's crowds, with views of the Parliament and the Buda hills from the riverbanks, it is unmatched, and it is free. For the best of both worlds, walk onto the island from the Margaret Bridge in the late afternoon, loop up the eastern bank to the medieval ruins and the Japanese garden, and come back along the western bank for sunset over the Buda hills, finishing at the Musical Fountain as the evening show begins. Bring a blanket and a bottle of Hungarian wine in summer, and you will understand why locals call the island the city's back garden.