Christmas Cruises in Budapest 2026: Dinner Boats on 24 and 25 December, Mulled Wine Sailings and Prices

Most Danube cruises sell the same thing: an hour on the river and the lit Parliament sliding past. In December the city does half the work for you. It is dark by late afternoon, so even an early evening sailing passes the floodlit Parliament, Buda Castle and the bridges at their best, and on 24 and 25 December a few boats turn the trip into a Christmas dinner.

This page covers city cruises in Budapest over Christmas, not the week-long Christmas market river cruises from Budapest to Vienna. Below you will find each boat with a Christmas program published by its operator, what the ticket includes, what it costs and where you board, plus how to fit a cruise around the Christmas markets.

For the rest of the Hungarian year, from carnival to Christmas, see our calendar of Hungarian holidays and traditions.

Photo: Hungary Unlocked, 2026-09-06

Why go on the river at Christmas

A Christmas cruise differs from a regular one in three ways. The timing: Budapest goes quiet on the afternoon of 24 December, shops close early and most families are at home, so a dinner on the water is one of the few ways to spend Christmas Eve out. The food: the Christmas dinner cruises serve a set holiday menu or a Christmas cake table rather than the usual buffet. And the drink: in December the short sailings swap Prosecco for mulled wine and hot tea, which is what you want on an open deck.

Dress for the deck either way. Inside the cabin you see the city through glass; outside you see it whole, and a moving boat on a December evening is cold.

Cruise	Dates in 2026	Departure	Duration	Price per person	Dock
Silverline Christmas dinner cruise	24 and 25 December	Boards 19:00, sails 19:30	3 hours	€195 (24th), €155 (25th), €210 with window seat (25th)	Dock 11, Jane Haining rakpart (Pest)
Christmas evening cruise on the Gróf Széchenyi	24 and 25 December	19:00 and 21:30	90 minutes	Check the operator’s page	Akadémia 2, Id. Antall József rakpart (Pest)
MAHART mulled wine cruise	4 November to 23 December	20:30, plus 17:30 and 19:00 on Fridays and Saturdays to 20 December	60 minutes	11,990 HUF	Batthyány tér 1 (Buda)
Silverline Christmas Market Cruise	Dates in the booking calendar	Times in the booking calendar	60 minutes	From €19	Dock 1/B, Batthyány tér (Buda)
Legenda candlelit dinner cruise (regular)	23 November to 31 December timetable	19:00	2 hours 30 minutes	€110, child 3 to 12 €84	Dock 7, Jane Haining rakpart (Pest)

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: the dinner cruises

Silverline’s Christmas dinner cruise

This is the full Christmas dinner on the water. You board at 19:00 at Dock 11 on Jane Haining rakpart, by Petőfi tér on the Pest bank, the boat sails at 19:30 and you are back at the same dock at 22:30.

The ticket covers a glass of champagne on arrival, a four-course candlelit dinner at your own table and a live piano in the bar. Every course is a choice. Starters are a pear and burrata panzanella or goose liver pâté with Tokaji Aszú; then a beer-braised beef ragout soup or a seasonal soup; mains run from walnut-crusted cod on broccoli risotto to pork tenderloin, curry-spiced lamb rack and an oven-baked sweet potato; dessert is lemon curd with mascarpone, an apple pie trifle or a red bean chocolate brownie. Hungarian wines, beer, sparkling wine and soft and hot drinks are on offer too, but the ticket lists only the welcome glass, so budget for the rest.

The price depends on the night. The base ticket is €155. On 24 December it costs €40 more, €195. On 25 December it is €155, or €210 with a window seat. Children aged 4 to 12 get a reduced ticket, listed at €20 off; confirm the child price in the booking step. Read the cancellation terms before you pay.

Who it suits: couples and families who want Christmas dinner, warmth and the view in one booking.

Source: Silverline Cruises, Budapest Christmas Dinner Cruise, dates, times, dock, menu, inclusions and prices read on 29 October 2026.

The Gróf Széchenyi’s Christmas evening cruise

The lighter option: 90 minutes on the river with an open bar and Hungarian music rather than a sit-down dinner. The Gróf Széchenyi sails on 24 December 2026 (Thursday) and 25 December 2026 (Friday), each day at 19:00 and 21:30, from the Akadémia 2 dock on Id. Antall József rakpart, on the Pest bank by Chain Bridge. Gathering starts at 18:30 in front of the boat; arrive at least 30 minutes before departure.

The ticket includes unlimited house wine, beer, Prosecco, soft drinks, mineral water, coffee and tea, one cold platter for every two guests, a Christmas cake table, live music and a folk dance show, with salon music played by members of the Rajkó Orchestra. The 21:30 sailing leaves time for dinner on land first.

The listing on jegy.hu, a ticket agency, shows no price and no child rate, so check the fare on the operator’s page or with the agency before you book.

Source: Christmas evening cruise with live music and a tasting dinner, listed on jegy.hu, dates, times, dock and inclusions read on 29 October 2026.

December cruises with a Christmas touch

MAHART’s mulled wine boat

From 4 November to 23 December 2026, MAHART PassNave runs a 60-minute evening cruise with unlimited homemade mulled wine and hot tea, plus a QR-code audio guide. It leaves from the Batthyány tér 1 dock on the Buda bank, a few steps from the M2 metro station.

Until 20 December it sails Wednesday to Sunday at 20:30, with extra sailings at 17:30 and 19:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. From 21 to 23 December it sails at 20:30. A ticket costs 11,990 HUF. MAHART’s annual timetable also lists Saturday mulled wine sailings until 26 December, so check the product page before you plan around the holidays.

Source: MAHART PassNave, mulled wine cruise, dates, times, dock, price and inclusions read on 29 October 2026.

Silverline’s Christmas Market Cruise

Despite the name, this cruise does not take you to the Christmas markets: the market is on board. The 60-minute sightseeing trip runs on the Zinuru of Purpleliner Budapest, with market stalls inside and the lit skyline from the upper deck. A cup of mulled wine or a hot drink is included, and alcohol is served only to over-18s.

It boards at Dock 1/B on Batthyány tér, on the Buda bank, and costs from €19. Dates and departure times appear in the booking calendar. You can cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund.

Source: Silverline Cruises, Christmas Market Cruise, price, duration, dock, inclusions and refund terms read on 29 October 2026.

26 December and the rest of the season

No operator lists a 26 December Christmas cruise on its own site yet. If that is your date, look at the regular dinner and sightseeing boats, which run on their December timetables. MAHART’s annual timetable also lists a Saturday mulled wine sailing on 26 December.

• Legenda’s candlelit dinner cruise departs at 19:00 throughout its 23 November to 31 December timetable, from Dock 7 on Jane Haining rakpart. It lasts 2 hours 30 minutes, with a welcome drink, live music and a four-course à la carte menu. The dinner package costs €110, the children’s package for ages 3 to 12 €84. On 24 December the timetable lists only daytime sailings at 11:00, 12:30, 14:00 and 15:30, so do not count on the dinner cruise that night, and confirm the 25th and 26th with Legenda.
• MAHART’s evening sightseeing boat from Batthyány tér runs Friday to Sunday until 27 December at 19:20, 20:30 and 21:40, except on 24 December. MAHART’s daytime hop-on boat does not run on 24 December either.

The Danube cruise guide compares the year-round boats, and for the night of 31 December see the New Year’s Eve Danube cruise guide.

Source: Legenda timetable, prices, candlelit dinner cruise and directions; MAHART PassNave annual timetable; all read on 29 October 2026.

Pairing a cruise with the Christmas markets

The two big markets, Advent Bazilika on Szent István tér and Vörösmarty Classic Xmas on Vörösmarty tér, are both a short walk from the Pest docks. Their holiday hours decide the plan.

• 24 December: Vörösmarty tér is open 10:00 to 14:00 and the Basilica market 11:00 to 15:00. Both close hours before any dinner boat sails, so do the market at lunchtime and the cruise in the evening.
• 25 and 26 December: Vörösmarty tér is open 12:00 to 18:00 and the Basilica market 11:00 to 20:00. On the 25th, walk Vörösmarty tér in the late afternoon, then go down to the river for Silverline’s 19:00 boarding at Dock 11. For the Gróf Széchenyi, the Basilica market sits a short walk inland from the Akadémia 2 dock across Széchenyi tér: see it in the afternoon and walk down for the 19:00 sailing, because it has closed by the time either sailing returns.
• Before 24 December: MAHART’s mulled wine boat and Silverline’s market cruise both leave from Batthyány tér on the Buda side. Cross the river by metro M2 or on foot over Chain Bridge and see the markets first, while they are open into the evening.

Opening hours for the whole season, the food and the smaller markets are in the Christmas markets guide, and what is open on 24, 25 and 26 December covers shops, baths and transport over the holidays. The Christmas in Budapest guide has the rest of the season.

Photo: Elekes Andor, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Source: Advent Bazilika opening hours and Vörösmarty Classic Xmas opening hours, 2026 holiday hours read on 29 October 2026.

Booking tips

Book early for 24 December. It is the night with the smallest choice: two Christmas evening cruises are on sale, and MAHART’s mulled wine boat, its evening sightseeing boat from Batthyány tér and its hop-on boat do not run.

Know what the ticket includes. Silverline’s dinner cruise includes the welcome glass and the four-course dinner, and further drinks are extra. The Gróf Széchenyi includes an open bar and a cold platter, which is a tasting, not a full dinner. The MAHART and Silverline market boats include the mulled wine, or one cup of it, and nothing more.

Traveling with children. The dinner cruises are the family choice: Silverline has a reduced ticket for ages 4 to 12, and Legenda a children’s package for ages 3 to 12. The market and mulled wine boats suit adults better, and the Gróf Széchenyi listing names no child rate, so ask before you book.

Check the dock. Silverline’s dinner cruise and Legenda board on the Pest bank, the Gróf Széchenyi by Chain Bridge, and MAHART’s mulled wine boat and Silverline’s market cruise on the Buda bank at Batthyány tér. Arrive at boarding time, not departure time.

Plan the trip home before you board. The holiday opening guide covers transport and what is open over the three days.