The Danube is beautiful, but if you come to Budapest, it is especially beautiful. While it is only a river flowing through Vienna without making a big impression, it is maybe the most important thing when it comes to the beauty of Budapest. The city is built on both sides of the river and during a river cruise on the Danube, you can enjoy beautiful buildings and it is a stunning experience, no matter how many times you have done it before. Are you considering whether or not you should try the “Danube Cruise with Hungarian Dinner and Live Music” while in Budapest? This program is available for booking on our page about boat trips on the Danube and you can also book it on popular pages such as GetYourGuide. Is it worth the money?
First of all, many people ask whether they should travel on the Danube in Budapest during daytime or nighttime. That is a valid question to which there is one good answer: “Do both!” If you feel like that is an expensive answer and you need to choose, then a boat trip on the Danube in the evening (when it’s dark outside) is the best experience.
Budapest is a magical city in the evenings with all the buildings illuminated, and the best place to enjoy this is on a boat trip on the Danube. But, if you decide to buy tickets for a river cruise on the Danube in the evening… should you buy a ticket for a cruise with or without food included in the price?
In most cases I would say that food makes everything better. Something good to drink boosts the experience. Not only do you enjoy the experience because of what you see, but at the same time you feel sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory on your tongue. At the cruise with Hungarian Dinner, you also listen to Hungarian music, making sure that even more senses receive satisfaction. So, is it worth it?
The trip in itself is amazing!
This trip is normally arranged on a large boat named Grof Széchényi. It starts not far from the Chain Bridge in Budapest, and the trip lasts for two hours in total. During the trip you travel in the area between the Margaret Bridge and the Rákoczi Bridge, meaning you can see famous buildings such as the Castle, the National Theater, the Parliament, the Matthias Church and the Fishermen’s Bastion, the Gellért Hotel, the Palace of Arts, and you also see the Liberty Statue at the top of the Gellért Hill and much more.
But, there are cheaper trips available in which you don’t listen to live music and don’t eat food. Should you rather travel with such a boat, or does this trip give you good value for your money?
What about the food and the music?
As you sit down and the boat starts, so does “An der schönen blauen Donau” by Johan Strauss. The music is played by very good musicians on the boat, and throughout the trip they will play this and many other famous classical songs, sometimes combined with more modern music. During the trip, they sometimes walk through the room offering to play songs by the different tables (if you have any requests), so don’t be surprised if they show up by your table during the trip.
The music isn’t disturbing, which means you can easily have a good conversation by the table without shouting. If you like this type of music led by a violinist, accompanied by a person playing the cimbalom and another on a contrabass, this will for sure increase the satisfaction you experience during such a trip.
The food is served in a buffet, which means you have to stand up and walk to the buffet table to get your food. This might remove some of the focus from the attractions outside the window, but if you wait for a few minutes, then the lines are gone and you can easily grab your food within a few minutes, meaning that you will not miss out on any of the important attractions in Budapest.
The quality of the food is good and you get the chance to taste traditional Hungarian Goulash soup, a typical Hungarian beef stew with homemade dumplings, and various strudels for dessert. Besides this, you get a welcome drink and one more selected drink during your meal.
Are you worried about the quality of the food? If you are in love with Michelin stars, this might not be your place. But, if you are happy to taste traditional Hungarian meals prepared in a tasty way, and like the thought of dining from a buffet, then this shouldn’t disappoint you.
All in all, this is a fantastic experience if you want to see Budapest by night and combine it a dinner-buffet with live music.
Is this article an advertisement for the trip? Not at all! Even though we love boat trips on the Danube, there are some trips we would rather avoid, and if you read other blog posts, you will see that are not afraid to give out warnings when needed.
Would you like to book a river cruise like this in Budapest? You can reserve tickets at our page about boat trips on the Danube in Budapest, or you can use the GetYourGuide widget below and do your booking there.
Have you tried this trip yourself? Do you have any questions regarding the trip? Write a comment or a question using the forms below.
