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The Danubius Health Spa Resort Margitsziget (formerly Danubius Thermal Hotel Margitsziget, on the left) was the first metropolitan thermal spa hotel in the world offering a wide range of spa and wellness services. The hotel has recently been renovated in harmony with its woodland setting on Budapest's beautiful Margitsziget.
The Danubius Grand Hotel Margitsziget (on the right) was designed by the famous Hungarian architect Miklós Ybl (designer of the Opera House and many famous buildings in Budapest) and built in 1873. It still reflects the turn-of-century atmosphere of a 100 years ago.
These hotels are situated on the wonderful Margareth Island (Margitsziget) in the heart of Budapest located in the middle of the river Danube between Margaret Bridge and Árpád Bridge. Only minutes away from the centre of the capital, it is literally an island of calm and relaxation. The island is a protected leafy botanical parkland with ancient trees, a Japanese Garden, a Rose Garden, an open-air amphitheatre, walking and jogging tracks. Bicycles, horses, carts and electric buggies can be hired to help you get around. (Of course, regular ways of public transportation also connect it to the city.)
Please note that this year both the main conferences and the satellite events will take place in these hotels.
We recommend that you check our dedicated GoogleMaps to check for yourself how you can get to the conference site or just to get around in Budapest. The following brief description is just a brief summary what you will find there anyhow.
Budapest has a very rich public transportation system with three underground (metro) lines, and over 100 bus and tram lines. The most important lines for getting to the conference site are summarized on GoogleMaps here.
Bus Line 26 (operating typically every 12-15 minutes) connects the Margareth Island with the main tram line 4 and 6 and the metro line 3. It departs from the Western Railway Station (Nyugati pályaudvar, with a station of the metro line 3) on the Pest side (east of the Danube), approaches the Margareth Island through the Margareth Bridge, crosses the island (take stop Szállodák (Hotels) for the hotels, 9-10 minutes from the first stop) and returns to the Pest side through the Árpad Bridge, and finally stops at the Árpád-híd station of the same underground line. In the opposite direction the bus reaches the island through the Árpad Bridge, crosses it, and then leaves it through the Margaret Bridge going first to the Buda side (east of the Danube). After stopping on that riverside, it returns to the Pest side over the Margaret Bridge without(!) touching the island again (see the GoogleMap again for clarifications).
The two terminals of the Budapest Ferihegy Airport is connected to various main European airports by several flights a day including various cheap flights. Low-cost airlines arrive at "Ferihegy Terminal 1" while main international flights land on "Ferihegy Terminal 2". More information available at the homepage of the airport: http://bud.hu/english/transport.
For getting to the city from the airport (which is around 20 km from the city centre), you have the following main options:
Taxi companies usually accept Euros, just as the shuttle bus company, therefore getting from the airport to the city is possible without having HUF. Public transportation tickets, however, are to be paid in HUF. There are exchange offices and ATM machines available at the airport.
When arriving by train at the Western Railway Station (Nyugati pályaudvar) take bus line number 26 directly. The Western Railway Station is a major hub for public transportation with the Metro line 3, trams 4 and 6, and many bus lines.
When arriving at the Eastern Railway Station (Keleti pályaudvar, main railway station for international trains) or at the Southern Railway Station (Déli pályaudvar) you can take the Metro line 2, go to the Blaha Lujza tér and change to the tram lines 4 or 6.
Please note that there are special reduced fares for various trains from Vienna, Munich, and many other cities.
Information about Budapest
Budapest is a city of nearly 2.000.000 inhabitants. It is divided into two parts by the river Danube. There are nine bridges over the river which connect the two sides. The most beautiful ones are Chain Bridge (Lánchíd), Elisabeth Bridge (Erzsébet híd) and Liberty Bridge (Szabadság híd).
One of the best places to walk around is the Castle District. It can be reached by bus (Várbusz) from Moszkva Square, on foot or you can take the funicular uphill. There is a breath-taking view of the city from the Fisherman's Bastion. Across from the Fisherman's Bastion is Matthias Church named after the Hungarian King Matthias. In the Castle District you can find the Royal Palace which is now the home of the Hungarian National Gallery, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the National Széchényi Library and the Budapest History Museum. In the National Gallery you can find paintings of the greatest Hungarian painters such as Mihály Munkácsy, Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka and József Rippl-Rónai.
Downtown is located on the Pest side. It's worth to walk through Váci Street all the way from Vörösmarty Square to Fővám Square. On Vörösmarty Square you can find Gerbaud, one of the most famous confectioneries in Hungary. On Váci Street there are a lot of shops, restaurants and cafes. On Fővám Square you can find Corvinus University of Budapest and next to it the city's largest market hall. Of course, there is a lot more to see. Click here for more information.
