While the evenings of December 24 and 25 are mostly quiet in the city of Budapest, as many Hungarian families are celebrating the Christmas holiday with their loved ones, we invite you to spend a splendid night on the Budapest Christmas Buffet Dinner Danube river cruise with live music and a beautiful, 3-hour program.
Budapest Winter Cruise Night and Dinner
The Budapest Christmas river cruises will run throughout the Christmas holidays in Hungary, on Dec 24 and Dec 25 while the daily cruises run throughout December from Monday to Sunday, as seen in our Budapest Winter Cruise Calendar.
Christmas Cruise in Budapest 2023
Here are the details of the Budapest river cruise on Christmas days:
Inclusions:
- 3-Hour Festive Programme: You can enjoy the 3-hour programme with 2 Hours of Cruising plus 1 extra hour at the dock (anchored heated boat) in the vicinity of the Chain Bridge, city centre
- Christmas Dinner on the boat: Buffet style Dinner with multiple options for Soups, Starters, Main Courses, Sides, Desserts, catering for meat lovers and vegetarians alike. All-inclusive meals on the Christmas boat. Please see the menu below.
- Unlimited Drink Package (5x shots of spirits, wines, beers, soft drinks, hot drinks including Hot Chocolate and Mulled Wine)
- Live music performed by award winning Hungarian Gypsy musicians
- Folk Dancers
- UNESCO World Heritage sites, and many more beautiful historical attractions illuminated at night await you during the city cruise on the Danube
- E-Ticket via email (no printing needed)
- Note: guide is not included (there will be no live or audio guide on this cruise)
Christmas Cruise with Gypsy Music
Prices of the Christmas Dinner Cruises
Prices are indicated in Euro. See the Christmas cruise inclusions above what the costs include. Booking is in advance via our online system with PayPal account or Bank Card or Credit Card. Larger groups (15+) may opt for bank transfer payment if preferred.
- Adults: €125
- Children (6 – 12 years) €60 Euro
- Children (under 6 years) Free
- Window upgrade: kindly note that on this cruise there is no option to book a window seat for a surcharge.
- Group discount – the cruise will be sold out at the normal price, so we cannot offer a reduced price for groups
Cancellation policy
Please note that the order cannot be cancelled. In case of Covid related cancelation at least 1 week before the actual date, we will consider to provide an open date voucher in the value of your booking, which is valid for 1 year (or can be extended further, subject to approval). The voucher can be transferred to someone else (again, subject to approval via email). In case of no show, no compensation is offered.
Booking 2023 Budapest Xmas Cruise
Booking is via our online system with Credit Card.
Note: booking in advance is the only way to make sure you will get a seat on the Budapest Christmas boat, which is one of the most popular river cruises in a year (along with the Fireworks Cruise). There are few things to do on Xmas days in Budapest (see Budapest Christmas for more info), and we usually fill the places on the festive Xmas river cruise by December 20 (especially Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day cruises). After Dec 20, please email us to check available seats and cruises: info [at] budapestrivercruise.com. Merry Christmas!
Christmas Cruise Budapest
Schedule for the Christmas Cruise
Days of the Festive Christmas Holiday Cruise: Dec 24 and Dec 25
- 6.30 pm – Boarding the ship is from 6.30 pm (please arrive on time at the meeting point specified in your cruise ticket / confirmation email. In 2023 Port 3 near the Chain Bridge Pest side)
- 7 pm – Departure of the ship is at 7 p from the city centre.
- 7 pm – 9 pm – Cruising time on the river Danube: 2 hours of cruising, from north to south in Budapest, then back to the pier,
- 9 pm – 10 pm – After the cruise the boat will stand at the dock for 1 extra hour.
- 10 pm – The Christmas cruise programme finishes (at the same dock where it set off)
Christmas Cruise on River Danube
Sights & Lights from the Xmas River Boat
You can enjoy the Budapest river attractions from inside the heated boat or go to the open deck and take in the views, take photos / selfies with a most fascinating backdrop. While the dinner hall is heated, the open air deck is not, so do bring your winter coat and hat to withstand the chilly winter nights in Budapest, Hungary.
Although the river Danube flows through many countries and even four capital cities (like Vienna, Bratislava), only in Budapest can you enjoy such spectacular attractions glowing in the night with festive lights. Are we biased? No, we are not. Our proof: the UNESCO World Heritage site appreciation, and the hundreds of thousands of visitors in the last years (since 1989, when the Iron curtain fell, Budapest has opened its gates to foreigners).
Budapest is the only city along the river Danube that has been awarded the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage title for its Danube panorama. A perfect Christmas gift on a Budapest winter holiday.
While the Danube actually flows outside Vienna (but you can cruise the canal), and past Bratislava, in Budapest the river is the focal point of the city, dividing the Hungarian capital into the Buda side with the Castle and hills, and the Pest side with the Hungarian Parliament, the St Stephen Cathedral, the Gresham Palace, the Great Market Hall, etc.
The boat is of course heated, but if you want to admire the Budapest winter panorama from the open upper deck of the ship, you can. However, for standing on the upper deck in the open air we recommend bringing a warm winter coat and hat, as winters in Budapest are quite cold, often going below the freezing point (0 degrees Celsius / 32 degrees Fahrenheit). Staying inside the warm ship, in a Christmas ship is special. And we will do everything we can to give you the best possible Xmas cruise in Budapest.
As you can expect, during the Christmas holidays this is one of the most popular special Danube cruises in Budapest.
Christmas cruise in Budapest during the festive season
Count Szechenyi Boat
The Christmas boat tours are unique and will make your Christmas Holiday festive dinner program unforgettable with one of the most beautiful panoramas in the world in the heart of Budapest, Hungary.
New Year Cruises in Budapest
New Year’s Eve cruise in Budapest on December 31: this VIP party tour is a special all night river cruise and night party, and can only be booked in advance. No river cruise bookings on the spot in Budapest, sorry.
Cancellation policy
Christmas Buffet Dinner Menu -River Cruise Budapest
The Christmas Buffet Dinner Cruise menu will be full of local flavors. The dinner menu will reflect some of the culinary traditions of Hungarians at Christmas time, and also include some of the typical Hungarian meals.
Soups
- Goulash Soup (LF) (GF)
- Vegetable Soup (Vegan) (LF) (GF)
Main Courses
- Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage (GF) (LF)
- Cous Cous with Vegetables (V)
- Baked Vegetables (V) (GF)
- Chicken Tights baked with Potatoes (GF) (LF)
- Beef Stew cooked with Red Wine served with Homemade Noodles (LF) (GF without the Noodles)
Side Dishes
- Rice and Peas “Rizibizi” (GF) (LF) (Vegan)
- Homemade Noodles “Nokedli” (LF) (V)
- Parsley Potatoes (GF) (LF) (Vegan)
Salads
- Pesto Mixed Salad (LF) (GF) (Vegan)
- Pasta Salad with Joghurt (LF) (V)
Desserts
- Strudel Selection (LF) (Vegan)
- Beigli Selection (Traditional Hungarian Christmas Cake Roll – Walnut/poppy/chestnut Filling) (V)
- “Somloi” Trifle (V)
There is no Christmas without Beigli, the tasty rolls are basic parts of Hungarian Christmas dinners, and the fillings are traditionally Walnuts or Poppy seeds but nowadays Chestnuts are also popular.
GF: Gluten-free
LF: Lactose-free
V: Vegetarian
Vegan: Vegan
Unlimited Drink Package
The unlimited drink package is part of the cruise ticket in 2023 (under 18 guests will be served non-alcoholic drinks only. Kindly bring an ID if there could be any doubt about proving your adult age). The drink package includes a selection of house wines, beer, soft drinks etc. and Festive Winter Drinks.
- Wines
- Draught Beer
- Water
- Soft Drinks
- Tea
- Coffee
- Hot Chocolate
- Mulled Wine
Hello.
I would like to book a Christmas Dinner Cruise for 2 adults and 1 child for 24.12. It is not very clear about the payment. I wanted to pay by card, but here ia only one option which I do not use PayPal???
And there is one more question where the Cruise starts
Dear Natalja, We have replied to you via email.
The dock is next to the Chain Bridge in the city centre, for this particular programme at least (boats and docks depend on many factors, so it may vary for other Christmas / winter cruises)
Hello,
I would like to book 2 tickets on your Christmas Eve 2020 Dinner and Piano 3 hour Boat tour. But, everything I see says 2019. Are you booking for this Christmas?
Hello Daniel,
Thank you for your Budapest Christmas Cruise inquiry.
We have sent you an email – in short, the Christmas period cruises will be confirmed later on and we would like to kindly ask you to check back late November or early December for the complete range of available cruises.
Hi, my mom and I would like to join any of your dinner cruises tonight. Preferably the dinner with Piano at either 7pm or 9pm. I’m not sure how to book it through your site though. Is it sold out?
Dear Ann,
I’m afraid they are all sold out. Thank you for your understanding.
Hello,
I’m interested in the 60€/pp Christmas eve dinner.
Will there only be a buffet dinner with no food served at the table? Not even main courses and other warm dishes?
Dear Celi,
thank you for your inquiry.
Yes, the Christmas Dinner on this program will be a Buffet style Dinner (not served at the tables) with multiple options for Soups, Starters, Main Courses, Sides, Desserts, catering for meat lovers and vegetarians alike.
Hello, me
And my girlfriend are very interested in going tonight at 9pm to the Christmas Eve dinner. However, it is not clear where the boat departs. Could you please send us the information on that, so that we can proceed with the booking?
Thanks in advance
David
Dear David,
thank you for contacting us.
I have sent you a confirmation email minutes ago with all the necessary info in it.
I will re-send it again.
Wishing you a lovely time on board and a happy Christmas holiday in Budapest.