boat/ferry trip to Budapest

There are no longer any non-cruise passenger boats going from Vienna to Budapest.

So, a very short version does exist. Fly to Budapest. Transfer to Szentendre from the airport. Spend 3 ot 4 hours in Szentendre, then take the 45 minute boat ride into Budapest.

I arranged this for a friend a few years ago and she said rounding the island, seeing the Parliament rising before her as her first view of Budapest was spectacular.

Really was too.

If you are coming fronm Vienna, here is another option. Day Trip Transfer Service from Vienna to Szentendre. Then the boat. https://daytrip.com/configurator?adults=2&children=0&currency=0&departureAt=1718701200000&dropoffAddress=&isOtherDirection=true&luggage=2&passengers=2&pickupAddress=&routeId=6ac082ac-fb11-4ca1-ac2a-d7b436b7700b&vehicles=0 I would stop at the Pannonhalma Archabbey along the way.

Of course if you have luggage in tow, we would need to figure that out, but I bet we can..,,

The Danube river is more than 1500 miles long, but only a very few stretches are really scenic, e.g., the horseshoe bends at Schlögen, the Wachau valley, the Iron Gates. For me it does not make sense to go to Budapest by boat.

The 45 min into Budapest is "pretty," but what
It really does is give you the unforgettable and historic experience of entering Budapest on the river. There is a reason the Viking advertisements feature mostly Budapest river views.