Ferries have a long tradition in Budapest. Not so long ago their purpose was to transport goods between the capital and towns along the Danube. Nowadays ferries are still a popular means of transport, especially when summer is upon us.
Sailing and the Danube are two inseparable things. The shipping on the about 2800-kilometre inland waterway includes daily excursion boats, cabin boats, cargo ships, motor boats and many more. As the first warm summer days arrive, more and more ferries appear as well.
Hungarian river transport provider Mahart and the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) both operate ferries within the territory of the city centre. BKK’s ferries especially are increasing in popularity, since they offer both to tourists and locals the same opportunity: to get to know the city from another angle, for a small cost.
BKK operates ten boats on four different routes at present: D11 (only on weekdays) from Újpest, Árpád út to Haller utca; D12 and D13 (only in summer), both from Rómaifürdő to Haller utca with different stops; and the newest line, D14, which runs between Csepel-Királyerdő and Soroksár, Molnár Island.
Tickets cost HUF 750 but children under six years and seniors over 65 can travel for free. If you own a monthly or weekly pass or a 24-hour ticket for the Budapest public transport, you can travel on the ferries for free on weekdays.
For an extra fee it’s possible to take your bicycle on board, up to a limited number of bikes per boat.
Besides the very frequent runs of the Mahart ferries in Budapest city centre, the company offers different daily excursions to other towns along the river, such as Szentendre, Visegrád and Esztergom.
Currently the most popular is Budapest-Szentendre, which runs each day except Monday. You can reach the beautiful cobblestoned artistic town in one and a half hours by boat. The return ticket costs HUF 3000, making it the least costly offer of Mahart.
Budapest-Esztergom line is HUF 4500 but it offers a lot more to see as well: boats start from Vigadó tér from Tuesdays to Sundays, passing Szentendre and making their first stop in Vác. Then they continue further north through the unspoilt scenery of the Danube Bend, offering a panorama with lush vegetation.
The ferry reaches Esztergom, the town that was the Hungarian capital in the Middle Ages, at 2pm.
Tourists who would like to see Gellért Hill, Buda Castle, the Fisherman’s Bastion and Parliament from the Danube can ideally use the BKK or Mahart ferries running in the city centre. The Mahart boats offer live music and Hungarian specialties such as goulash soup for a total price of HUF 3000.
For more information visit the website of the Budapest Transport Centre at www.bkk.hu or see Mahart’s offer at www.mahartpassnave.hu.
