Eastern Europe in 10 Days (Day 2): Night River Cruise, Budapest
One of the main attraction in Budapest is definitely its late night Danube River Cruise. You can book one of the timings: 7pm, 8pm, 10pm or 11pm. The cruise usually departs from either the docks at Buda or Pest side of the city. Dinner and drinks may be available on the cruises (except for the 10pm timing) but it depends on your booking arrangement. Some the cruise rides are even themed for instance the 11pm Budapest Party Boat/ Booze Cruise. I joined the 10pm cruise which is the general sight-seeing cruise without any booze or dinner provided. The cruise lasts for 1.5 hours and it will bring you to see many famous historical sites, bridges and buildings in Budapest. Most of the 10pm cruises leave from the Pest side instead of Buda. Our night river cruise started by passing through underneath the shortest bridge in Budapest, the Liberty Bridge which was built for the Millenium World Exhibition in 1896.
Next we passed by Buda Castle and the Fisherman’s Bastion, which we visited earlier in the evening. If I was a citizen of Budapest, I think I will spend my dating days at this castle because it really looks pretty much romantic in certain way.
We crossed yet another bridge in Budapest, the Chain Bridge, a suspension bridge that spans the river Danube between Buda and Pest, the western and easter sides of the city. During its construction, Chain Bridge was considered one of the wonders of the world. Nothing lasts forever, I suppose.
At the end of the next bridge, the Elizabeth Bridge, lies the oldest church at the Pest side of Budapest, the Inner City Parish Church. The church is designed under heavy influence of Baroque and Gothic era combined with Romanesque basilica in the 12th century. The Elizabeth Bridge is the third newest bridge of Budapest which connect Buda and Pest across the river Danube. The bridge is located at the narrowest part of the Danube and hence only spans for 290m.
We are now passing by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. It is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. It has the responsibilities to cultivate science, disseminate scientific findings, support research and development and represent Hungarian science domestically and around the world. I wonder if science is a popular career choice in Hungary.
The last building that we passed by is definitely my most popular site that night. The 100 years old Hungarian Parliament Building is a magnificent example of Neo-Gothic architecture with Renaissance and Baroque characters. It was constructed in 1885 and augurated in 1896. Hungary adopts a parliamentary republican system and its election system is said to be one of the most complicated in Europe. Guided tours of the Parliament are available when the National Assembly is not in session. The tour takes about 45 minutes and it covers the main entrance stairs and hall, one of the lobbies, the old House of Lords and the Hungarian Crown Jewels. The admission is 2,000 HUF for EU citizens and 4,000 HUF for non-EU citizens.
Details on the 10PM Budapest Night Cruise:
- Embarking time: 9.30pm
- Dock: Pest dock
- Cruise time: 10pm - 11.30pm
- Live music (salon music)
- Options: Wine tasting cruise/ Cocktail cruise with 2 cocktails/ Craft beer tasting cruise/ Dinner in buffet style
- Dates: The late night 10pm cruise is not a daily cruise all year. Prior check on the dates is necessary.