Best Danube Dinner Cruises
Danube dinner cruises are the perfect way to enjoy a good 1.5 to 2+ hours on the Danube, taking in the sights and tucking into a classic Hungarian or international gourmet meal. When planning your own dinner cruise, then the first things you will immediately want to check are the availability and price, alongside the menu. For a local, aspects like the authenticity of the foods, the ship size (and therefore crowd size) and type of show are also key points, defining how traditional you want your dinner to be, and how many people make a crowd.
Dinner Cruise Menu, Show, Atmosphere
The food, entertainment and atmosphere are the three things you are going to remember the most about your dinner cruise. When assessing the different Budapest dinner cruise programmes, think about the following:
- Food kitchen: Hungarian specialities, international dishes, or gourmet dining
- Menu flexibility: Set menu or a la carte (flexible) options
- Dietary requirements: Most Hungarian classics aren’t vegetarian. Options may be limited
- Entertainment: Hungarian folk music show with dancing vs background music
- Boat and atmosphere: Bigger, grander boats vs smaller more intimate boats
- Sightseeing: Do you want photos on deck or window seats, or is the cruise feeling enough
Each of the dinner cruises has its special vibes, you just have to decide whether you want loud and grand or intimate and cosy. Traditional set menus or a la carte options. Live gypsy music and dancing shows or something that blends into the background.
Comparing Danube Dinner Cruises
| Cruise | Provider | Price | Start / Time | Menu | Kitchen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinner Cruise with Live Music and Dance | Hungaria Koncert | €79 | 19:00 / 1.5 hours | 3-course set menu + welcome drinks | Classic Hungarian |
| Goulash and Langos Dinner Cruise | Hungaria Koncert | €49 | 19:00 / 1.5 hours | Set menu + welcome drinks | Goulash and Lángos |
| Wine and Dine Cruise on the Danube | Hungaria Koncert | €125 | 19:00 / 1.5 hours | 5-course wine and food set menu | Regional Hungarian with Wines |
| 4-Course Dinner River Cruise with Live Folk Music | Budapest Sightseeing | €95 | 19:30 / 2 hours | 4-course set menu + welcome drink | Hungarian Gourmet |
| Live Music and Unlimited Drinks Dinner Cruise | Duna-Weser | €99 | 17:30 / 2.5 hours | 4-course buffet menu + unlimited drinks | Hungarian and International |
| Candlelit Dinner River Cruise with Live Music | Legenda | €110 | 19:00 / 2.5 hours | 4-course a la carte menu + welcome drinks | Gourmet (not Hungarian) |
| Evening Cruise with 4-Course Dinner | Silverline | €77 | 18:30 / 2 hours | 4-course a la carte menu + welcome drink | Gourmet (not Hungarian) |
| Prosecco Dinner Cruise with Live Music | Silverline (different cruise from above) | €91 | 18:30 / 2 hours | 4-course a la carte menu + welcome drink | Gourmet (not Hungarian) |
Best 8 Budapest Dinner Cruises
Before starting with the Hungaria Koncert options, it is important to note that the Set Menu, Goulash and Langos, and the Wine and Dine options are all on the same cruise. Also, with the Silverline, the two options are different cruises, one with a live show and the other without.
#1. Dinner Cruise with Live Music and Dance Show (Hungaria)
Hungaria Koncert is the top Danube River dinner and show provider, and this experience aboard its historic Grof Szechenyi or Stadt Wien ships is unique. With Hungarian culinary classics and folk music, it easily justifies its “best-seller” tag.
- Starting time: 19:00
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Price: €79
- Menu: Set menu (3-course) + welcome drink
- Food kitchen: Classic Hungarian
- Special diet: Vegetarian options available
- Show: Rajkó Folk Ensemble music and dancing
- Provider: Hungaria Koncert
- Starting dock: 1051, Budapest, Antall József Rakpart, Akadémia Pontoon 2
- Upgrades: Window seat (€) birthday cake (€)
Menu (3-course set menu with vegetarian option)
Pork 3-course meal
Starter: Welcome drink
Starter: Amuse bouche
Soup: Beef goulash soup
Main: “Széchenyi” pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes
Dessert: Somlói sponge cake
Poultry 3-course menu
Starter: Welcome drink
Starter: Amuse bouche
Soup: Tarragon chicken stew
Main: Chicken paprikas with salad and potato gratin
Dessert: Somlói sponge cake
Vegetarian 3-course menu
Starter: Welcome drink
Starter: Amuse bouche
Soup: Vegetable cream soup
Main: Pasta Marinara
Dessert: Somlói sponge cake
Hungaria Koncert (within Hungaria Group) are known for their gastronomic and cruise experiences, and this programme is as historically authentic as it gets. You get a Hungarian folk music live show from the Rajkó Folk Orchestra with dancing, and everyone is in traditional Hungarian attire. A welcome drink is included with the price, and there are 3 set menu options. You can also pay extra to get a window seat and there is a birthday cake upgrade too. The window seat is not really worth it, as the highlight of this cruise is the concert. Some visitors got window seats without booking this feature.
Overview:
Having a live show in the middle of the room, the room decor and crockery, and the menu are all very traditional. This is perhaps the best experience for families, couples and groups, especially anyone who wants to soak up the local dining traditions.
#2. Goulash and Langos Dinner Cruise (Hungaria)
Also aboard the Grof Szechenyi, this features a smaller menu, with only a soup and Hungarian Lángos. You also get to enjoy the live entertainment, and sit in the main area of the ship alongside the set-menu guests.
- Starting time: 19:00
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Price: €49
- Menu: Set menu + welcome drink
- Food kitchen: Classic Hungarian
- Special diet: Vegetarian options available
- Show: Rajkó Folk Ensemble music and dancing
- Provider: Hungaria Koncert
- Starting dock: 1051, Budapest, Antall József Rakpart, Akadémia Pontoon 2
Menu (2-course set menu)
Starter: Welcome Drink
Main: Goulash / Vegetarian soup
Main: Lángos
This is a good option if you want the environment aboard Hungaria Koncert’s Grof Szechenyi, but want to save some cash or would rather skip on the 3-course menu. Though we would warn you this is a heavy food combo.
Take note that while you can buy more drinks, you can’t buy more food on board. If you want the full meal, refer to the option above. For just the Goulash/vegetarian soup and the Lángos, this is the cruise to pick.
Overview:
Don’t take this option if you skipped out on lunch, the combination of goulash and lángos is rich on the stomach, and you don’t have any sides (save bread with your goulash) to soak it up. It is a good budget option if you want the vibes, but this is not a big meal, but it can be rich (and greasy).
#3. Wine and Dine Cruise on the Danube (Hungaria)
And the last of the Grof Szechenyi cruise options, the Wine & Dine experience features a 5-course wine and food dégustation meal, sampling regional wines from across Hungary.
- Starting time: 19:00
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Price: €125
- Menu: Set menu 5-course wine and food pairings
- Food kitchen: Hungarian regional specialities and wines
- Special diet: N/A
- Show: Rajkó Folk Ensemble music and dancing
- Provider: Hungaria Koncert
- Starting dock: 1051, Budapest, Antall József Rakpart, Akadémia Pontoon 2
Menu (5-course wine and food pairings - no vegetarian option)
Starter: Welcome drink
Starter: Aubergine cream with sourdough
Starter: Duck breast with sweet potato
Main: Beef stew with dumplings
Main: Hungarian stuffed cabbage with turkey meat
Dessert: Somlói sponge cake
Balatonfüred-Csopaki, Balatonboglár, Villányi, Nagy-Somlói and Tokaj-Hegyaljai wine regions and you get 1 glass of wine with each of the courses. With rare classics like the stuffed cabbage, duck breast and beef stew (cooked with Villányi Merlot), you are really tasting some of Hungary’s most refined regional specialities.
Overview:
The menu has many regional classics and 5 wines. It is a full meal with plenty of variety, and worth exploring if you have already eaten goulash, chicken paprikas and other well-known staples.
#4. 4-Course Dinner River Cruise with Live Folk Music (Budapest Sightseeing)
Led by BudapestSightseeing on the relatively small Renate boat, this dinner cruise features Hungarian classics with a Prosecco welcome drink.
- Starting time: 19:30
- Duration: 2 hours
- Price: €95
- Menu: Set menu (4-course) + welcome drink
- Food kitchen: Hungarian Gourmet
- Special diet: Vegetarian menu
- Show: Hungarian Ökrös Band folk music and dancing
- Provider: Budapest Sightseeing
- Starting dock: 1051, Budapest, Jane Haining rakpart, Vigadó Dock 6
Menu (4-course set menu with 2 kids menus and vegetarian menu option)
Traditional menu 1
Starter: Welcome Drink
Starter: Duck liver paté
Soup: Goulash soup
Main: Roast duck leg with mashed potatoes and stewed cabbage
Dessert: Apple and sour cherry strudel
Traditional menu 2
Starter: Welcome Drink
Starter: Duck liver paté
Soup: Chicken soup
Main: Veal stew with egg noodles
Dessert: Apple and sour cherry strudel
Vegetarian menu 3
Starter: Welcome Drink
Starter: Aubergine cream and vegetables
Soup: Green pea soup
Main: Grilled goat cheese with sweet potatoes and salad
Dessert: Gundel pancake
Traditional menu 4
Starter: Welcome Drink
Starter: Duck liver paté
Soup: Chicken soup
Main: Chicken Paprikas with potato gratin
Dessert: Cheesecake with strawberry marrow
Kids menu 1
Starter: Welcome Drink
Soup: Chicken soup
Main: Nuggets with French fries
Dessert: Pancakes with jam
Kids menu 2
Starter: Welcome Drink
Soup: Green pea soup
Main: Spaghetti bolognese
Dessert: Hungarian trifle cake
A small boat means the views are less obstructed and the overall atmosphere is cosier. This cruise also has cleaner interiors and more modern tables and crockery. So if compared with other more “traditional experiences” this cruise definitely feels more polished, but you could also argue that it loses a bit of the authentic charm too. If you are after Hungarian meals gourmet style, this is the dinner for you. For more authentic cuisine, there are other options.
Overview:
The menus are authentic, and this is a much smaller boat than the Szechenyi or River Diva. It doesn’t have the same noise levels, nor dense aisles of tables so you can see more. It is a good alternative to the Hungaria Koncert set menu option, with less of the show spectacle, but a cosier atmosphere.
#5. Live Music and Unlimited Drinks Dinner Cruise (Duna-Weser)
The dinner cruise on the River Diva boat is more about bonding over foods, with a seasonal buffet provided by the acclaimed Executive Chef Viktor Moldován.
- Starting time: 17:30 (selected days only)
- Duration: 2.5 hours
- Price: €99
- Menu: Seasonal buffet menu with unlimited drinks
- Food kitchen: Mixed (Hungarian and Gourmet)
- Show: Live music no show
- Provider: Duna-Weser
- Starting dock: 1051, Budapest, Akadémia 3 Dock
Menu (unlimited drinks, buffet menu)
Buffet-style, it is liable to change.
Salad Bar: Around 5 to 8 options. For example Red cabbage salad, mixed green salad, sheep’s cheese with quince and roasted peppers, cured salmon with fennel salad
Soups: Generally only 2 options. For example goulash, spinach cream soup
Mains: Generally 15 options. For example chicken breast with ham and smoked cheese, aubergine schnitzel, pork cheek with beetroot puree, BBQ beef brisket with fresh salad
Desserts: Generally 5-6 options. For example sour cherry pie, Somlói cake, Medovnik honey cake, red currant cake
Drinks: Lillet Spritz, Lillet Rosé Spritz, Nergoni, Tommy’s Margarita, Old Fashioned, Strawberry Daiquiri, Signature cocktails, mocktails, beer, wine, soft drinks and sodas
While there is live music on this cruise, it is usually a solo artist or a DJ, and there is no show. The main draws are the relaxed buffet-style menu, which has tonnes of dishes to pick from including multiple vegetarian options. These are liable to change, but generally you get a handful of options at the salad bar and sweets station, just a few soups, and plenty of mains to sample. You also get unlimited drinks with the menu, including signature cocktails, classic cocktails, wines, draft beers, soft drinks, and mocktails.
Overview:
You choose this cruise for the expanded menu and laid back buffet-style dining and bottomless drinks. It has no live show, instead creating an atmosphere where you can bond over the meal and take in the sights. It is a larger affair which can seat around 250 guests.
#6. Candlelit Dinner River Cruise with Live Music (Legenda)
Instead of live shows and grand palatial rooms, Legenda has gone for quiet, candlelit romantic ambiance in this cruise, with an a la carte 4-course dinner.
- Starting time: 19:00
- Duration: 2.5 hours
- Price: €110
- Menu: A la carte (4-course) + welcome drinks
- Food kitchen: Gourmet (not Hungarian)
- Special diet: Vegetarian options
- Show: Live music no show
- Provider: Legenda
- Starting dock: 1051, Budapest, Jane Haining rkp. Dock 7
Menu (4-course a la carte menu with kids option and vegetarian options)
Starter: Welcome drink
A la carte menu
Starters: Scallop with chili, cold goose liver, goat cheese mousse, beefsteak tartare, chicken breast with rhubarb and brie
Soups: Cold sour cherry cream soup, consommé with pork bone marrow
Mains: Roasted trout with rice pilaf, shoulder of pork with vegetables, duck breast with sweet potato, beef confit with carrot puree and bread dumplings, red tuna steak with fresh mixed salad
Desserts: Panna cotta with forest fruit jam, cheese cask with raspberry, chocolate cake with strawberry ragout
You take to Legenda’s famous “bubble boat”, in a small indoor deck that is enclosed by curved glass walls. This way, you get the full panorama of the Danube River, all while sitting inside this dimly lit boat with candlelit tables. The glass walls have rectractable windows so you can also get the pictures you are after, and the cruise features live lounge music to set the mood.
Overview:
This dinner cruise is popular with couples, although it can also be the perfect atmosphere for friends to enjoy a fancy meal on the Danube. The music and atmosphere is light, the highlights of this trip are the views that you can get at sunset while tucking into your meal. As gourmet meals go, this one has plenty of options and while it is not necessarily traditional Hungarian, it is well assembled for every palate.
#7. Evening Cruise with 4-Course Dinner (Silverline)
Silverline Cruises, one of the main Danube River tour providers, offers a straightforward dinner cruise package with a flexible set menu. This cruise doesn’t have a live show but general background music, leveraging the ticket price and giving best value for money (if you aren’t fussed about traditional folk music)
- Starting time: 18:30
- Duration: 2 hours
- Price: €77
- Menu: A la carte menu (4-course) + welcome drink
- Food kitchen: Gourmet (not Hungarian)
- Special diet: Vegetarian options
- Show: None
- Provider: Silverline Cruises
- Starting dock: 1051, Budapest, Jane Haining rakpart dock 11
Menu (4-course a la carte menu with vegetarian options)
Appetiser: Pear and burrata panzanella
Soups: Beef ragout soup, or seasonal soup
Mains: Cod with broccoli risotto, pork tenderloin with potato fritters and sides, curry-spiced lamb rack with red lentil purée, or sweet potato with vegetable ragout and pesto
Dessert: Lemon curd, apple pie truffle, or red bean chocolate brownie
Onboard the classic purple Silverline catamaran boats, this cruise skips on the live show in favour for a quieter atmosphere. The 4-course menu is flexible, you can pick from several options, but none are Hungarian classics.
Overview:
Skipping out the show frees you up to enjoy the meal and take in the sights, which is precisely what this tour is good for. It is hosted on one of the silverline purple sightseeing tour boats, which has a spacious lower deck for comfort, and you can also hit the rooftop to snap some photos.
#8. Prosecco Dinner Cruise with Live Music (Silverline)
At the same time as its “no show” dinner cruises, Silverline also has live show cruises with a band and traditional Hungarian folk music. The menu is the same as the cruise without the show, the only difference is that this cruise has the show.
- Starting time: 18:30
- Duration: 2 hours
- Price: €91
- Menu: A la carte menu (4-course) + welcome drink
- Food kitchen: Gourmet (not Hungarian)
- Special diet: Vegetarian options
- Show: Live music with dancing
- Provider: Silverline Cruises
- Starting dock: 1051, Budapest, Jane Haining rakpart dock 11
Menu (4-course a la carte menu with vegetarian options)
Appetiser: Pear and burrata panzanella
Soups: Beef ragout soup, or seasonal soup
Mains: Cod with broccoli risotto, pork tenderloin with potato fritters and sides, curry-spiced lamb rack with red lentil purée, or sweet potato with vegetable ragout and pesto
Dessert: Lemon curd, apple pie truffle, or red bean chocolate brownie
The folk music is the difference here, and it is structured a little differently than other cruises. Instead of putting the entertainers in the centre of the deck, they are at a dedicated zone at the end of the cruise. The atmosphere feels more formal than other dinner cruises.
Overview:
You get the music and an a la carte menu full of gourmet dishes, which is ticking the basics. The music and dancing happens at one secluded end of the boat, which loses a little of the appeal, but it also means that its not right "in your face" like the other cruises. Apart from that, the menu and service is identical to Silverline's basic dinner cruise option.