When it comes to buying tickets for Budapest river cruises and boat tours on the Danube, there are essentially two ways to purchase them - onsite at the ticket office on the pier or online. If you ask us, there is no doubt that you should buy the tickets online. It is the most efficient, convenient and popular way among most travelers here in Budapest.
Why, how and where should you buy the tickets? Here is a detailed guide with everything you need to know before purchasing tickets for a cruise in Budapest:
For some reason there are still many travelers who prefer to buy tickets at the ticket offices on the piers. Although this is definitely possible we personally do not recommend it.
When you buy tickets onsite you are essentially taking the risk that the tickets will sell out and in the summer and holiday seasons there is a very high chance that this will happen. You will then have to wait for the next cruise which may be half an hour or an hour later. In addition in many cases the lines at the ticket offices are very long and you will have to wait a long time in line.
Another disadvantage of buying tickets onsite which is important to emphasize is that you are actually limiting yourself to one cruise company only.
What do we mean by that? If your plan is simply to arrive at the pier and buy the tickets there, you are in practice limiting yourself to the one company you happened to reach without checking other options, comparing prices or reading reviews from other travelers.
Therefore our recommendation is to go only for online ticket purchase in advance which solves all the issues mentioned here - No waiting lines, guaranteed tickets and the ability to compare prices and choose properly from a wide range of cruises and companies.
Today many cruise companies already offer the option to purchase tickets in advance by date and time directly on their official websites and it is quite easy to do. However even in this case you are limiting yourself to one company and missing the ability to compare prices and read reviews. That is why we always recommend booking cruise tickets through large and reliable ticketing platforms such as GetYourGuide, Tiqets, Headout and others.
Why? These are very large and well known ticketing platforms that officially work with all the leading cruise companies here in Budapest and allow you to see in one organized page all the cruises of all the companies so you can choose wisely the cruise that fits you. These websites are full of verified reviews from travelers who have already taken the cruises and shared their experience so you can know whether a particular cruise is recommended or not.
Another advantage of these platforms is the ability to purchase tickets in advance and pay only on the arrival date. In many cases there is also free cancellation with a full refund up to 6 hours before the cruise which means you do not need to take any risk in case of cancellation. The websites we mentioned here are reputable and well known and there is no need to be concerned about purchasing tickets through them.
The general price range for cruise tickets starts at around 10 euros per person for a simple sightseeing cruise, goes up to about 20 to 50 euros for cruises that include extras, and can reach from 50 to 120 euros per person for a cruise with dinner. On special dates such as Christmas cruise or New Year’s Eve cruise the prices increase further and can reach 200 euros or even more.
| Cruise Type | Price Range (per person) |
|---|---|
| Sightseeing Cruise | €10 - €20 |
| Cocktail / Pizza Cruise | €20 - €50 |
| Dinner Cruise | €50 - €120 |
