Opening Hours, Ticket Information, Contact
Margaret Island Water Tower

Opening Hours
Tuesday – Friday: 12:00 – 18:00
Saturday – Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00
On performance days, the ticket office is open until 21:30

EASTER OPENING HOURS:
April 3–6, 2026 (Friday to Monday): 10:00 – 18:00

Admission Fees:
Free for children under 6
Ages 6–18: HUF 300 / person
Ages 18 and above: HUF 500 / person

With a valid theatre ticket for the 2026 season performances, the Water Tower can be visited free of charge before the performance until 20:00 and during the intermission.

Free admission with a Budapest Card.
No discounts apply to the admission ticket.

Group visits are possible by prior appointment.

Contact (during opening hours):

Margaret Island Theatre Ticket Office
H-1007 Budapest, Margaret Island, Open-Air Stage and Water Tower, hrsz. 23800/3
Phone: +36 1 340 4196
Email: jegy@margitszigetiszinhaz.hu

PLEASE NOTE!
A maximum of 30 people are allowed inside the Water Tower at the same time.

During the flourishing period of Art Nouveau, numerous outstanding architectural works were created, many of which are associated with the architect and designer Rezső Vilmos Ray, including the Margaret Island Water Tower.

A landmark of Hungarian reinforced concrete architecture, the structure is a defining feature of the Margaret Island skyline. The growing and uninterrupted water supply of the island was ensured by the construction of the water tower. The significant architectural and engineering challenge was entrusted to Dr. Szilárd Zielinski, professor at the Technical University.

Zielinski was among the pioneers of reinforced concrete application in Europe and introduced this previously unknown material in Hungary. The collaboration between Rezső Vilmos Ray and Szilárd Zielinski represented a major technological innovation and holds outstanding importance in the history of modern Hungarian architecture.

Technical data:
Height of the water tower: 57 m
Diameter of the water tank: 13 m
Capacity: 600 m³
Free height of the main columns: 13.2 m
Load per column: 220 tons
Height of the internal concrete staircase: 24 m
Height of the iron staircase: 20 m
Number of steps: 153

Completed in 1911, the designer successfully implemented a dual function, allowing the building to operate both as a water tower and as a lookout tower.

In 1977, it was declared a monument of townscape significance.

Since 2011, it has been operated by the Open-Air Theatre, and since 2020 by the Margaret Island Theatre Nonprofit Ltd.

Since 2012, it has functioned as a lookout tower, a Visual Art exhibition space, and a venue for the Budapest Summer Festival.

The reconstruction of the Margaret Island Grand Stage and the Water Tower was carried out in two phases, in 2013 and 2014, with the joint support of the Government of Hungary and the Municipality of Budapest.