We didn't have a very clear idea of how one could join one of the cruises that give tours of Budapest as seen from the Danube, but from the top of Castle Hill there appeared to be a number of tour boats moored along the Pest side of the river. Though downhill, this appeared to be pretty far away, so we looked for a bus that would get us close. We boarded one that took us across the Chain Bridge, doing so by first going down the back side of the hill and then going underneath it by way of the Buda Castle Tunnel. After crossing the bridge, we got out at a stop on the Pest end and started walking south along the river, looking for a boat tour ticket office. We eventually found one, though we had to walk almost as far as the next bridge south, the Elisabeth Bridge. The boat's tour route looked like it went downstream a couple of bridges and then back upstream, circling all the way around Margaret Island before coming back to its starting point. This suited us fine.

We bought ourselves tickets for the next tour and were directed to the boat. As luck would have it, the boat was pretty empty, so we went for seats in the bow, from which we would have a mostly unobstructed view in all directions. Each seat had a headphone set with a language selector, which would supply the narration.

Eventually, after some more customers had boarded (though it was far from a full boat), we left the shore, heading northward toward the Chain Bridge before turning back south.


The first bridge south of the Chain Bridge is the Elisabeth Bridge, named for the popular Empress Elisabeth (AKA "Sisi") of Austria-Hungary, of whom there is a statue at the Buda end. This bridge is located at the narrowest section of the Danube in Budapest, and is not the original bridge built at this location. The original was built between 1897 and 1903, and was blown up by the Nazis in the waning days of World War II. It was much more stylishly elaborate than the present bridge, which was built between 1961 and 1964.

The next bridge, visible in the distance as we passed under the Elisabeth Bridge, was the Liberty Bridge, first completed in 1896 and then blown up and rebuilt (in the original style) in 1945. As we floated toward it, we idly gazed at the buildings and cruise ships moored along the Pest bank.

Shortly before reaching the Liberty Bridge, we noticed a small castle-like construction seemingly embedded in the side of a hill on the Buda side of the river. This was the entrance to Gellért Hill Cave, which is a tourist attraction as well as a chapel used for religious functions by the Pauline Order of monks. The cave was first used as a chapel and monastery in the 1920's by the monks, who had been inspired by a similar cave arrangement in Lourdes, France. During the war, the Nazis used it as a field hospital, and in 1951 it was closed to religious uses by the Communist government. The chapel was reopened in 1989, and was restored by 1992.

After passing under the Liberty Bridge, we turned around to head back north.

On top of the Gellért Hill we could see Budapest's Liberty Statue (not to be confused with the Statue of Liberty, which is bigger and located elsewhere), erected in 1947 with an inscription of gratitude toward the liberating Soviet forces of 1945. It didn't take long for the Hungarians to want to be liberated from their liberators, culminating in a 1956 revolution which was ultimately crushed. The statue took on a different meaning in 1989 as the Soviets finally departed, and the inscription was changed to memorialize those who lost their lives struggling for the "independence, freedom and prosperity of Hungary".

We passed back under the Liberty Bridge, and eventually under the Elisabeth Bridge.

Continuing north, we passed the point at which the tour started, eventually crossing under the Chain Bridge as we looked up at Buda Hill.

Not far upstream of the Chain Bridge, we passed by the Hungarian Parliament Building, a massive neo-gothic edifice which could not be ignored. This building will be discussed at length in a future page.

Across the river from the Parliament Building were a couple of distinctive churches, a Calvinist one and a Catholic one (the Church of Saint Anne).

Beyond the Parliament Building the Danube is crossed by another bridge, called the Margaret Bridge, which connects both banks with a large island called Margaret Island (named after the Hungarian Saint Margaret) and with each other. The bridge was first built between 1872 and 1876, but had to be largely rebuilt after its 1944-45 destruction by Germans. It was renovated between 2009 and 2011 due to poor condition. It now accommodates foot traffic, vehicular traffic and rail traffic.

Margaret Island is a 1.6-mile-long island in the middle of the Danube, located north of the Parliament Building. It's used for recreation, with substantial green space, fountains, a small zoo, places for summer musical performances and two hotels. The buildings which line the banks of the Danube give way to trees by the time the north end of Margaret Island is reached.

After reaching the end of the island along the Pest-side channel, we rounded the island and returned using the Buda-side channel. Passing under the Margaret Bridge gave us a fine view of the Parliament Building.

We eventually got back to where the tour had started and disembarked. Having had enough activity for one day, we headed back toward the hotel. On the way we passed through an area of street vendors, one of whom was making cylindrical pastries advertised as being originated in Transylvania. We bought one and took it back to the hotel room. It was tasty and did not turn us into vampires. My stomach, however, had some difficulties with it, though Nella's was fine.

Later, we found a light dinner and rested up for the next day's planned exertions, which would start with a visit to Budapest's Great Synagogue.