27-05-2025
European ‘pleasure island' with lido, flumes and wave pool gets new TUI flights from the UK
NEW TUI flights are launching to Budapest which is home to a cheap 'pleasure island' with a lido, wave pool and flumes.
Margaret Island is a great family-friendly destination to escape the hustle and bustle of the capital.
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And from next summer it will be easier to visit as TUI will be launching new flights between Birmingham and Budapest.
The island - which one visitor has described "a huge pleasure Island in the Danube River" - stretches two-and-a-half kilometres is home to several sports facilities and 11 pools.
Vehicles are banned on the island, where the thermal water - which is believed to have healing effects - has been gushing out since 1886.
To reach the island, travellers can head there on foot or by tram.
The most popular spot on the island is Palatinus Bath.
This scenic leisure complex has a network of 11 pools and baths including thermal pools filled with the island's mineral-rich water, adventure pools featuring flumes and slides, long swimming pools, a children's pool and a wave pool.
Visitors can even swim directly under a water fountain and a tannoy announces when the waves will occur in one of the pools.
At the slides, once in the pool at the bottom, riders can look at a board that shows at what speed they reached zooming down the slide.
There are also a number of destinations around the island and pools that serve up typical beach food, including burgers for as little as £3.52 and cocktails for £4.56.
Tickets can be bought for either the day or a two-hour slot.
New £4million lido to open in UK next year
Adult admission costs from £4.97 and entry for a child costs from £4.76.
If visitors have not had enough of the water, there is also a musical fountain on the island.
Shows at the fountain occur five times a day and it is Budapest's version of the famous Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas.
Across the entire island, there are several walking routes through meadows and gardens too.
Visitors can choose to either walk or hire a bike, and head past tree-lined avenues.
Towering above the canopy of trees, the Margaret Island water tower overlooks the park.
It is an octagonal Art-Nouveau-style structure and supplies water to the island.
At the top, there are incredible views - from which visitors can see the Parliament Building and beyond.
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The island is also home to a number of ruins - one of which is the Domincan Convent.
This nunnery was originally founded in the 13th century and remained a working convent until the nuns left the island in the 16th century.
The remnants can still be explored today.
Opposite the baths, there is also a rose garden with hundreds of roses of myriad varieties.
Additionally, there's a Japanese Garden on the island, which features dwarf trees, artificial waterfalls and ponds filled with exotic fish.
TUI Airways will be launching it's new direct flight from Birmingham to Budapest for summer 2026 to support it's River Cruise programme.
A first look at a huge new £200million indoor waterpark opening in the UK with aquadrome and adventure zone has also recently been revealed.
Plus, the English island theme park that has revealed plans for huge expansion ahead of summer.
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