Hotel for 1 night before boarding a Viking River Cruise - March 2022

Marriott or Intercontential. Both on the river front. Or $$$$ the Four Seasons. Or $$$ Sofitel. You may come to regret one night, or 2 or 3.

But have a blast.

I took a Viking River Cruise that went from Budapest to Bucharest (Passage to Eastern Europe).

Viking's dock was right under the Chain Bridge, next to Stephen Széchenyi Square (Széchenyi István tér). Our particular cruise itinerary included a night in Budapest, and Viking booked us all at the Sofitel right there on the square. There's a whole host of other hotels right in that immediate vicinity, as well (Four Seasons, Intercontinental, and many more). To be quite honest, though, with all the busy streets between the hotels and the actual dock you might be just as well off leaving yourself the option of a taxi to get to the dock itself rather than wheel your luggage over streets and down steps and across tram lines?

Double check to be sure your Viking itinerary doesn't also include a night or two on land, at a hotel pre-embarkation. Usually if you check out an itinerary and see the first and last locations listed 2 days in a row, it means your itinerary includes a night in those places and that's more likely to be in a hotel than on a docked boat at the start or end of your trip. So you might already have your hotel taken care of, or can book yourself at the same one if you don't feel like moving.

Would you mind sharing which itinerary? We did the Budapest to Amsterdam in 2018. Our Viking itinerary time for Budapest had us on the boat. We arrived several days early and we’re glad we had the extra time. We spent our time in a different part of town, and used a taxi to get to the boat. The street running parallel to the docks is very busy. I also wish my memory was better on how Viking notified us as to the actual berth. I know we scouted it the day before and the boat moved berths between then and when we boarded. If there is any chance you’d look at hotels in another part of town, James E has great suggestions.

Thanks everybody. Patty we are doing the Viking Danube Waltz (Budapest to Passau). I understand that the specific docking area can change based on river traffic, but figured there was a "general area" that might be easier to stay. Though I am very open to something else as I figure we'll take a taxi anyway.

The lower embankment road is closed and that may affect where the boat is docked. If you are only spending one night to sleep off jet lag, stay on the river front, as much for being close to the boat as at the very least you get a stunning view before falling asleep. If you had 2 or 3 nights I would suggest elsewhere but there is no sense in it if you aren't going to see Budapest.

On my way home this morning I looked along the riverfront from the Parliament to the Chain Bridge. Usually the river boats are stacked 2 or 3 deep at the piers, but I saw none. Maybe further down river because of the road work? That would make the Marriott closest. By March, who knows.

James E - thank you so very much. Our plan will absolutely be to rest and help with the jetlag, so I've booked at the Intercontinental (as per your first post recommendation) and anticipate a fine time.

Our itinerary for Viking covered Budapest and Vienna with the same shore excursions listed for your cruise. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM. I had a hard time finding any specific reviews regarding things other than room size and meals when we went.

Here is your view from the hotel. https://cdn-us0.puzzlegarage.com/img/puzzle/10/1776_preview.v4.jpg