Budapest Dinner Cruise & Gypsy Band
One of the most popular options to enjoy a relaxing evening in Budapest is to take part in the popular Budapest buffet dinner cruise. The 120 minute sightseeing cruises are from 7 pm (with live music) or from 10 pm (90 minutes). Buffet dinner is included in the price, also some drinks.
Buffet Dinner Cruise Budapest
Buffet Dinner Cruise & Gypsy Band
The Budapest Buffet Dinner Cruise fee includes the following:
- Sightseeing on the river Danube in Budapest city
- 7pm – 9 pm cruise with top attractions
- optional Buffet Dinner (with dinner tickets) – self served all inclusive starters, salads, mains, sides, desserts – please reserve in advance
- 1 Glass of Sparkling Wine as a welcome drink (with dinner ticket only)
- 1 Glass of Wine
- 1 Bottled Water
- Gypsy Trio Band playing live salon music
- additional Hungarian drinks available for purchase at the Boat Bar (not included in price)
- optional Taxi Transfer for a surcharge of €14 per person (return trip in Budapest)
- Wine Tasting also available on cruise (7 tier Wine tasting tour)
- Student discount available
- Free for children under 6 of age
- E-Ticket via email (no printing needed)
Prices of Buffet Dinner Cruise
The price of the 7pm Dinner Cruise & Gypsy Band is very reasonable :
- Dinner Tickets: 54 Euro for Adults, 50 Euro for Students
- Cruise & 2 Drinks tickets: 21 Euro for Adults, €19 for Students (alcohol served for over 18 only, valid Student ID is needed)
- Wine Tasting tickets: €32 (please book here: Wine Cruise Budapest)
- Children under 6: free of charge
- for group discounts please send your inquiry to info [at] budapestrivercruise.com
Budapest Buffet Dinner Cruise
Picture the fairy tale riverfront of Budapest you will see during your dinner cruise: the two banks of the river Danube are spotted with brightly lit churches, the Buda Castle on the Castle Hill, the neo-Gothic turrets of the Hungarian Parliament, the palm leaved Statue of Liberty on the Gellert Hill, the cupolas of the Art Nouveau Gellert Baths, the elegant curves of the Gresham Palace (Fours Seasons Hotel) and the soaring domes of the majestic St Stephens Basilica behind them. You will be cruising in one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites with us, and one of the twinkling treasure boxes of the river Danube.
Budapest night views are charmingly romantic and breathtakingly beautiful as the city illuminates at night. Besides romance, the city is full of history, and telling tales of the faded glory, traces of the communist past. So your less romantic and more intellectual side can contemplate on the history of a nation, and of human fragility. But fate is the source of true beauty, isn’t it?
Buffet Dinner Cruises at Night: 7 pm and 10 pm
Buffet Dinner Cruise Budapest
Depending on your night program, you can schedule your Budapest river cruise at 7pm or at 10pm. The prices of the dinner cruises are slightly different as the duration of the 10pm cruise is shorter.
Don’t miss the boat. Locals and tourists alike love the river cruises in Budapest.
Dinner Cruise & Gypsy Band at 7 pm
The daily buffet style dinner cruises on the river Danube in Budapest start at 7pm, and the ship leaves from the Chain Bridge (note: the meeting point is not at the Chain Bridge, but in the Danube Palace, a 2 min walk from the river, behind the Gresham Palace).
The 7 pm river cruise includes: the river cruise, the dinner, the live music. We run our dinner cruises all year round (the boats are heated in winter time and cooled with AC in summer time).
Prices of the Budapest Dinner Cruise (Adults)
Dinner Cruise with Gypsy Music
Cruise with Buffet Dinner & 2 Drinks & live Music: 54 Euro
Cruise with Buffet & 2 Drinks & live Music & Taxi Transfer: 68 Euro
River Cruise & live Music & 2 Drinks: 21 Euro
Prices of the Budapest Dinner Cruise (Students, Children)
Cruise with Buffet Dinner & 2 Drinks & live Music: 50 Euro
Cruise with BuffetDinner & 2 Drinks & live Music & Taxi Transfer: 64 Euro
River Cruise & live Music & 2 Drinks: Euro 19 Euro
Taxi Transfer
You can upgrade your existing cruise booking with a return Taxi Transfer for the price of €14 per person. Taxi Transfer can be added min. 2 hours before the cruise starts.
Hotel pick up: 30-40 minutes before the cruise starts at the reception of your hotel.
Drop off after the cruise: at your hotel, or any other destination in Budapest upon request.
Budapest Buffet Dinner Cruise at 10 pm
The late night dinner cruises on the river Danube in Budapest start at 10 pm. The 10 pm river cruise does not run every day, but most of the days in the high season (the cruise are available from late February till December, see the timetable below). Note: the prices of the late night river dinner cruise differ from the prices of the evening and sunset cruises at 7pm.
Budapest Buda Castle Night Cruise BRC
Book your 10pm dinner cruise with live music now via the online booking form: please let us know about any dietary needs in the comments on the form (seen on the left side).
Dates for the 7 pm cruise 2018
The 7 pm river cruises with optional buffet style dinner run every day, even on Hungarian national holidays. However, on some of the public holidays like on August 20, at Christmas or at New Year, there are special Danube cruises. Please check our event calendar for the timetable of Budapest cruises.
Budapest night river cruise with dinner
The 10 pm river cruise includes Live Music (4 members of the famous Rajko Band), and offer the same dinner menu as the 7 pm program. The prices of the late night dinner cruise are slightly cheaper than the 7 pm cruises.
The 10 pm river cruise includes: the river cruise, the dinner and the entertainment (live music). We run our 10 pm dinner cruises all year round on certain days (the boats are heated in winter time and cooled with AC in summer time).
Prices of the Budapest Buffet Dinner Cruise (Adults) 10 pm
Cruise with Buffet Dinner and 2 Drinks, 46 Euro
River Cruise without Dinner, but with 2 Drinks 19 Euro
Prices of the Budapest Buffet Dinner Cruise (Students, Children)
River Cruise with Dinner and 2 Drinks, 42 Euro
River Cruise without Dinner, 17.5 Euro
Note: the late night boat tour is linked to the Hungarian Folk dance shows of the Danube Palace, when many guests would like to finish off the evening with a spectacular night cruise (note: the meeting point is not at the Chain Bridge, but in the Danube Palace or the Budai Vigado Concert Hall, a 2 min walk from the river – your confirmation email will let you know about the details of your booked river cruise and you can also ask further questions or add comments by directly replying to the confirmation email of your order).
Delicious Dinner on the Budapest Dinner Cruise
And the palate: the popular Budapest buffet dinner cruises are composed by a one of the well known chefs of Hungary, Peter Molnarka. Please see the rich and versatile menu below, which healthily mixes fresh tasty vegetables and meats too (our vegetarian guests are also very satisfied, though Budapest is said to be the heaven of meat eaters).
Cruise and Dinner Budapest
Nostalgia Boats with Open Deck (AC in summer, heating in winter time)
The nostalgia boats (Attila and Europa) will take you on one of the finest dinner experiences in Budapest: the night river cruise is 2 hours, and you are guaranteed to enjoy every minute of the 120 minute cruise from the Margaret Island down to the Rakoczi Bridge in the south and back to the Chain Bridge.
This well paced boat trip will let you feel the beauty of the night lit Budapest on your skin: the dinner cruise is reported to be the highlight of many tourists’ Budapest visit. If you ask fellow tourists or read dinner cruise reviews, you will hear ‘it was incredible, awesome, fantastic, exciting, romantic, unforgettable’ and most would use the term ‘beautiful’. Beauty indeed. Plus you will have a great dinner (buffet style) and live music!
Booking the Dinner Cruise with Gypsy Band Online
The 120 minute Dinner & Cruise Budapest night river cruises, which can be reserved through our online booking form (see on the left side), include a gentle ride on the river Danube right in the heart of the city, between Buda and Pest with many of the best sights Budapest can offer: the 19th century palaces, churches, residential houses, historical bridges, the turreted Hungarian Parliament, the green slopes of the Gellert Hill and the Castle Hill with the Buda Castle on top, the bustling bars along the river Danube, etc.). But a video of the night cruise attractions will let you in on more:
The drinks are included in the price of the river cruises, and if you want to enjoy a candle lit dinner on the boat, you can book a seat for a Dinner too. The optional Buffet Dinner is made by the one of the best chefs of Hungary, Peter Molnarka.
Budapest Chain Bridge Night BRC
When are the Budapest dinner river cruises?
Each night, Budapest offers a dinner river cruise of various programs and inclusions. Please check the full range of Budapest Dinner Cruises for further details.
The buffet dinner boats are air conditioned in the summer, and heated in cold weather, so the popular river cruises are on program all year round, including holidays.
Port of the dinner Danube river cruise
The meeting point of the Danube river cruise is close to the Chain Bridge, which you usually see on all postcards, just behind the Gresham Palace (the Art Nouveau palace of the Four Seasons Hotel Budapest).
We will meet with our dinner cruise guests half an hour before the cruise begins. Boarding time is approx. 30 min.
Please arrive in time for the river cruise at 6.30pm. All the details are sent to cruise guests in the confirmation email, please read it carefully.
Budapest Matthias Church Night BRC
The actual dock of the cruise depends on the river traffic, and the available piers for the cruise. The Danube River Authority of Budapest reserves the right to allocate the docks on the same day as the cruise takes place. As the Buffet Dinner Cruise with Gypsy Music has no set dock, please arrive at the meeting point of the cruise in the Danube Palace.
Please note that occasionally the 7 pm cruise dock is on the Buda side on Szilagyi Dezso Square (on certain days the dock by the Chain Bridge is assigned to other luxury ships visiting Budapest, so the 7 pm cruise leaves from the Buda side). If this should be the case, guests are transferred by private buses from the Pest to the Buda side, before the cruise. After the cruise, guests will be transferred back to the Pest side when the ship has docked on the Buda side.
How can I book my Budapest night river cruise?
You can book your Danube river cruise via our online booking forms (see on the left side). Please note that we can only accept registrations with payment, as seats are limited on the cruise ships.
Menu of the Budapest Buffet Dinner & Cruise
This is the Menu of the Dinner & Cruise with Live Music boat tour in Budapest (7.00 pm – 9.00 pm and 10 pm – 11:30 pm):
Soups on the Budapest river tour
- Goulash soup with noodles – Alfold style goulash is one of the most traditional Hungarian soups, rich in meats and vegetables
- Seasonal Soups: Vegetable cream soup from fall to spring cruises, Fruit Soup in summer cruises. Both soups are an ideal option for vegetarians. Fresh tasty Hungarian vegetables and fruits give a wonderful characteristic flavor to the soup
Taste of Local Toppings on the Budapest river tour
For a cold starter, take a gastronomical adventure: try two of the local specialties used as sandwich toppings in Hungary
- Korozott: Quark with Sweet Paprika, Caraway, Onion and Butter – usually eaten topped on fresh rolls with fresh vegetables (tomato, peppers, onions, cucumber) – ideal vegetarian option
- Tepertokrem: Pork Cracklings Cream (slightly chunky texture) with mustard, salt and pepper – hearty sandwich cream for pork lovers
Main courses on the Budapest river cruise
Budapest River Dinner Cruise
- Roasted Sea Fish with Chardonnay Sauce
- Roasted Chicken Breast with Basil & Cheese Sauce
- Pork Rib with Thyme and Mustard Sauce: slightly spicy pork ribs
- Mini Stuffed Cabbage: toltott kaposzta is a Hungarian style sweet and sour dish, the cabbage leaves are stuffed with a seasoned mixture of minced pork & rice, cooked in a rich sauce of stew sauce with lots of Hungarian pickled sauerkraut, usually served with sour cream topping – Hungarian specialty
- Chicken Leg Paprika: traditional Hungarian Chicken Paprika (csirkepaprikas) usually made with chicken legs with tomatoes, peppers, onions and sweet paprika – Hungarian specialty
- Vegetarian Courses: Homemade Dumplings with Spinach and Mustard & Mushroom Sauce, Grilled Vegetables, etc. (please see below)
Side dishes on the Budapest river trip
- Grilled / Steamed Vegetables
- Homemade Dumplings with Spinach and Mustard & Mushroom Sauce
- Grilled Polenta Terrine with Feta Cheese
- Hash-brown Potatoes / Potato Lángos
- Noodles / Dumplings
- Steamed Jasmine Rice with Corn
- Boiled Potatoes
Vegetarian dishes on the Budapest Danube cruise
- Grilled Polenta Terrine with Feta Cheese
- Homemade Dumplings with Spinach and Mustard & Mushroom Sauce
- Grilled Vegetables
- Soup of the Season: Vegetable Soup (Fall, Winter, Spring), cold Fruit Soup (Summer)
- Steamed Jasmine Rice with Corn
- Salads: see below
Desserts on the Budapest Late Night Cruise
Salads, Fresh Greens on the Budapest Cruise
- Salad of the Season with various Dressings
- Corn Salad with Mayo Dressing
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Caesar Salad
Desserts on the boat tour in Budapest
- Sponge Cake pudding in Somló style (Somloi Galuska) is a huge favorite in Hungary, a sweet delicacy with some rum, sultanas, sponge cake, dark chocolate, topped with whipped cream
- Home-made Strudel
- Mini Tarts
- Fresh Fruits of the Season
- Dessert Variations Europa style
Drinks included in the price:
- 1 Glass of Wine (or juice)
- 1 bottle of mineral water
Live Music on the Budapest Dinner Cruises
The performance also features a marvelous original Hungarian instrument, the famous “cimbalom”. The combination of string instruments and the cimbalom provides a uniquely Hungarian, unforgettable harmony and an outstanding atmosphere on-board.
Wish to hear your favorite popular song in a whole new adaptation?
During the performance, guests will have a chance to ask for their favorite songs from the artists to play.
* on former buffet dinner river cruises, our guests had the pleasure to eat the meals made by the former chef, Klöter Gregor-Grex, Gault Millau rated chef. We place great emphasis on the high quality of the meals (lunch and dinner cruises) to make your boat tour unforgettable. We strive to pick the best chefs. Gault Millau is one of the most influential French restaurant guides founded by two restaurant critics, Henri Gault and Christian Millau in 1965. Gault Millau restaurant guide is as well known and respected in Europe as Zagat is in the US, Harden’s in the UK or the Michelin Guide all over Europe (though each have their own rating system and distinctive style). Since September 2012, the buffet lunches and buffet dinners feature more traditional Hungarian foods as well as a wide range of options of healthy and popular meals of the international meals. The nice dishes are made by Peter Molnarka, Hungarian chef.
Last updated: April 30, 2018