Is a Budapest River Cruise Worth it?
Budapest has been one of our favorite european cities that we have been able to visit so far in our travels. Our favorite thing to do in Budapest was a river cruise down the Danube River. There are many Budapest river cruise options to choose from, however, if you are looking for the best cruise line for the Danube river on a budget, I recommend the one we took! For around $20 ($27 last time I checked… thanks inflation!), we enjoyed unlimited Prosecco while cruising on the Danube River at sunset and then got to see the city lit up at night on the second half of the cruise (my favorite part was seeing the birds soaring above the lit up Hungarian Parliament Building at night). So yes a Budapest River Cruise is 1000% worth it especially if you are able to do it at sunset!
We have been traveling around the world for over 2 years now, and this Budapest River Cruise has been one of our favorite activities from all of our travels. During our first year of travel we had a budget of $123 per day, so we had to get good at finding fun budget activities while traveling. When we found that you could get a sunset river cruise to take in views of Budapest from the Danube river and have unlimited drinks on top of that it was a no brainer especially for around $20! We were able to get our money’s worth and some! Here is a video from our Budapest evening sightseeing cruise with unlimited prosecco:
Tips for a Budapest River Cruise:
- Sunset Timing: Check the sunset time before booking your cruise to line up sunset while cruising and also see the city with the lights on the second half of your river cruise.
- Early Arrival: Arrive early to secure your preferred seat, as the rooftop fills up quickly. We arrived 5-10 minutes before the cruise and got a front table for two since the top area was full. I would suggest aiming for at least 15 minutes early if you want to be towards the front of the line.
- Timing Strategy: Observe the server’s route to maximize Prosecco refills. After the third round, we had it down.
- Left or Right: Both sides of the boat offer views of the Hungarian Parliament Building. Opt for the right side for a closer look on the return trip with the building illuminated.
Other Questions About a Budapest River Cruise:
How much does a Budapest River Cruise Cost? $27 is the current cost of the river cruise we took and it lasted for a little over an hour
Where does the Danube River Cruise start and end? We booked our river cruise with GetYourGuide, and we received easy to follow instructions for the meeting point of the cruise. There was already a line when we got there, so I suggest getting there at least 15 minutes early if you want to get a good spot on the boat. You will get dropped off where you started.
