💡 Tip: Remember that the decorative city lights are turned off at 23:00 from Mar 26 to Oct 29 (daylight savings time) and at 22:00 from Oct 30 to Mar 31 (standard time).

To truly immerse yourself the breathtaking beauty of the city, there's no better way than embarking on a river cruise. During such cruises, you'll be treated to a captivating array of iconic landmarks and attractions in Budapest, including:

• Hungarian Parliament
• Buda Castle
• Matthias Church
• Fisherman’s Bastion
• Gellert Hill/Citadella
• Gellért Spa
• Budapest University of Technology and Economics
• A host of historic bridges, including the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Margaret Bridge, Liberty Bridge, and Petőfi Bridge
• Margaret Island
• Palace of Arts
• National Theatre

Most cruises follow a circular route between the southern end of Margaret Island at Margaret Bridge and just south of Liberty Bridge. This route covers most of the significant landmarks in Budapest.

South of Liberty Bridge are two nice-to-see-but-not-obligatory landmarks, the National Theatre (below) and the Palace of Arts (above), which are as beautiful as the Parliament and Buda Castle. However, they are not included in every boat tour's itinerary - check before booking your cruise.

Some cruises, like Legenda, Hungaria Koncert and Silverline, have a complete itinerary that includes these offbeat landmarks.‍‍

Summary

❓ Is buying food or drinks while on a river cruise in Budapest possible?
💡 Food is not typically included on standard sightseeing cruises. However, you can purchase snacks and drinks at the ship's kitchen bar.

The Rubin Group's boat tour is an excellent choice for those seeking an affordable cocktail-party atmosphere with unlimited prosecco and lemonade. The attentive servers are always on hand to keep guests' glasses full.

The top deck boasts breathtaking 360° views of the cityscape during the 90-minute river cruise, while the two indoor decks offer a cozy and inviting ambiance.

As for the less rosy aspects of this cruise, the optional food platter isn't worth the 10€ price, and the audio guide may be difficult to hear over the party noise. Additionally, the meeting point is further from the city center, so getting there may take some extra time and effort.

Overall, if you're looking for a leisurely cruise centered around drinks and stunning views, the Rubin Group's boat tour is an outstanding choice.

🎥 Video: Watch my video summary with live footage of Rubin Group's booze cruise.

About Rubin Group

Rubin Group is another solid company, operating since (at least) 2015. They specialize in gastro-themed events rather than standard sightseeing cruises.

Detailed Breakdown

• The ship was impressive with a spacious 3-level design and a cocktail party atmosphere. Passengers were seated at 2-person tables.

• The top deck offered stunning, unobstructed 360° views. It was the perfect spot for taking photos and enjoying the sights. This is the best place to be during the warmer months.

• There are two indoor decks with plenty of seats and tables where the atmosphere is cozy and inviting.
• The first passengers to board tend to get the best top deck spots, so it's worth arriving early if you want a prime spot.

• The servers were attentive, constantly refilling glasses with prosecco as soon as they were empty.
• Self-service lemonade is available in two flavors — regular and one with a strange cucumber taste.

• The optional assorted food platter for 10€ wasn't what I wasexpecting.
• It didn't match the advertised images and wasn't gourmet but ordinary, including simple fruits and vegetables, cheese and ham with two sauces, and a pastry dessert. The portion size was smaller than expected.
• Save your money and skip the platter.

• The loudspeaker audio guide was inaudible due to the passengers crowding out the narration.
• They increased the volume upon my request, but the audio guide's content was too basic.

Quick Facts

• 📅 Schedule: every day at 19:00 and 21:00
• 🎟️ Ticket type: mobile or printed
• ✔️ Onboard wi-fi: yes
• ✔️ Open air deck: yes
• ✔️ Air conditioning/heating: yes
• ❌ Pets allowed: no, except service animals
• ✔️ Smoking: yes, outside
• ❌ Wheelchair accessible: no
• ✔️ Baby stroller accessible: yes (at least the bottom deck)
• ✔️ Infant/children discount: free for children (age 0-3)

How to Get There

• 📍 Meeting point: Budapest, Szent István park 5, 1137
• ❌ The meeting point is north of Margaret Bridge, which is slightly out of the way compared to other centrally located cruises.
• 🗺️ Use the 2 or 4/6 tram line and get off at Jászai Mari tér. From there, walk 500 meters towards the north of Margaret Bridge until you spot a large red "0" sign.