With your Budapest Card, you can enjoy a completely free Danube sightseeing cruise once during your stay. You can choose from four different sightseeing boat trips, but the free ride applies to only one of them.
BKV boat services
During your visit to Budapest, you can use BKV’s boat services without any limit for a single day between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. This approximately 1-hour-long cruise will show you the capital city from a completely new perspective. See the Parliament, Buda Castle, Fisherman's Bastion, Gellért Hill and the most beautiful bridges of Budapest from the middle of the Danube!
To easily fit cruising into your busy sightseeing schedule, you can board BKV boats at 4 different stops: (Kossuth Lajos Square, Margaret Island Centennial Monument, Castle Garden Bazaar, and Petőfi Square). With a capacity of 100, these boats depart hourly between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. BKV boat services feature city guides in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.
Photo: BKV Zrt.
Departures: From 4 stops—Kossuth Lajos Square, Margaret Island Centennial Monument, Castle Garden Bazaar and Petőfi Square
Website: bkv.hu
Sightseeing Cruise
You can see the best attractions on the bank of the River Danube from the sightseeing cruises departing from Vigadó Square. These cruises offer an astonishing view of the monuments in Buda Castle District, the Citadel, the Parliament, the National Theatre, the Palace of Arts and more, including the panorama of Margaret Island. During the hour-long trip, you can also learn exciting facts about the attractions thanks to the English-speaking audio guide.
These sightseeing cruises depart several times a day: you can board them every hour between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. And if you would like to enjoy the panorama of the bank of the River Danube by night, take the last cruise leaving at 9:00 p.m. The cruises even provide free Wi-Fi.
Departures: H-1051 Budapest, Jane Haining Quay, Vigadó Square, Dock No. 6
Website: rivercruisebudapest.eu
Photo: rivercruisebudapest.eu
Danube River Cruise
With a capacity of 400, the Gróf Széchenyi paddle-wheel boat offers an exclusive cruising experience on the Danube. This cruise welcomes you with a wooden interior, stylish carpets, an on-board bar and live music, and you can even peek into the engine room!
During its 90-minute roundtrip on the Danube, the cruise passes by historic buildings of the capital city, and under 6 of its bridges—a breathtaking view is guaranteed. And beyond daytime adventures, you can enjoy cruising by night too. In peak season (1 May – 15 October; 1 December – 1 January), cruises depart at 12 noon and 10 p.m. every day, while off season (1 January – 30 April; 16 October – 30 November), they are scheduled at 7 p.m. daily.
Departures: H-1051 Budapest, Id. Antall József Quay, Akadémia Dock No. 2
Times: 12 noon and 10 p.m. in peak season; 7 p.m. off season
Website: thebudapestguide.com Phone: +36 1 317 2754
Photo: thebudapestguide.com
Duna Bella daytime sightseeing cruises
On the Duna Bella daytime sightseeing cruise, you can learn all about the history of Budapest’s landmarks through an audio guide available in 30 languages! The Duna Bella boats operate daily, and you can find the current schedule here.
During the 90-minute cruise, you can enjoy free Wi-Fi on board, and even a few drinks. Your ticket comes with two glasses of complimentary drinks: a choice of champagne, wine, beer, soft drinks or mineral water, and a glass of “Duna Bella” lemonade.
This cruise stops at Margaret Island too, so you can conveniently hop off and explore the largest green oasis of Budapest! You’ll have 45 minutes until the next cruise arrives, but you can stay longer if you want, as you can hop on any scheduled Duna Bella cruise on your way back.
Departures: H-1051 Budapest, Jane Haining Quay, Vigadó Square, Dock No. 7
Website: https://legenda.hu/
Photo: legenda.hu
