The Danube boating season has begun, and in addition to sightseeing cruises, several scheduled and special-event boat trips are now available, Mahart-Passnave Kft. announced on Thursday.
The Budapest-Szentendre-Budapest sightseeing boat and the hop-on circular route on the Visegrád-Nagymaros-Zebegény route are already in operation, and the Esztergom, Visegrád-Esztergom, and Budapest-Szentendre-Visegrád sightseeing boats will begin service on May 1. The hydrofoil services operate seasonally.
Boats on the Danube in Budapest on April 27, 2025. Photo: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert
Starting in April, the “Prosecco & Aperitivo Spritz” cruise will depart from the pier at Batthyány Square 1 for a one-hour trip, running three times a week due to high demand, Mahart-Passnave announced in its press release.
The company previously reported that
demand for scheduled boat services surged in 2025: while 183,000 passengers traveled on scheduled boats in 2024, that number rose to 413,000 in 2025.
Photo: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert
This growth was primarily driven by the expansion of services in Budapest, an increase in the number of departures, and the introduction of dynamic pricing, the company said.
They reported that, based on the regional distribution of traffic, the growth in 2025 was driven by the cruises in the capital. In Budapest, 122,000 passengers used scheduled services in 2024, while 329,000 did so in 2025.
Stable growth was also observed in the Danube Bend region: 61,000 passengers traveled in the region in 2024, and 84,000 in 2025.
Photo: MTI/Hegedüs Róbert
Via MTI, Featured image: Pixabay
