Ship Docking Locations

Hi - We were on the June 2018 cruise Bud-Ams. It was one of our favorite trips. In Budapest the ship was docked within walking distance of the huge covered market. (Note: the market is closed on Sunday.) We were often docked near the town or in some cases they had regular shuttles from town center to the ship. At one stop some of the more energetic folks rode bikes led by the Tauck director from one town to the next and re-boarded at the next stop. This tour had many options for activities. You could often choose from two or three things to do which may be a better fit for your activity level. In some cases there was a slow pace, regular pace or fast pace so you could still participate based on your own energy. Some days were filled with sightseeing and others included calm lovely time of viewing old castles and wildlife from your cabin window. And there were onboard entertainments which were a nice surprise and much enjoyed. Much of the sightseeing was scheduled and organized but a good amount of free time was available for you to explore. Timing could change based on the progress of the ship or the weather. We had fantastic weather with only a few very hot days. Tauck makes their trips worth the cost and you will normally have plenty to do with what they have in store.

Claudia Sails wrote:

Thanx for the responses guys. I appreciate it.

Sounds like the Budapest docking is similar to what a friend experienced on a Danube cruise with a different cruise line. We have 2 extra nights at the Tauck hotel - the Intercontinental - which is between the market and the Chain Bridge. With any luck, we can walk to the ship instead of the usual bus transfer from the hotel. That will give us a little extra touring time. I'm interested in visiting the market (Sun isn't an issue for our tour). From what I've read it's a good place to get a reasonably priced meal of local favorites, but the other shopping is soso. Hmmm

Thanx again.

While our (eastbound Blue Danube) boat docked down river near the Great Market Hall and across the river from the Gellert Spa, a number of Viking boats were docked right by the Chain Bridge in front of the Intercontinental Hotel. I guess where you dock depends on how spots are assigned and how much in advance- 1, 2, 10 years in advance, first come/first served, some sort of seniority or legacy process, a lottery, or palm greasing : ), etc. We stayed in the Ritz-Carlton which is a few blocks inland from the InterContinental near the park with the Budapest Eye, so we had already bid farewell to the ship.

The first floor of the Market is all food- individual stalls selling single and bulk fruits, vegetables, baked goods, meats, etc. There are a few small stand-up and sit-down eating establishments scattered around. The second floor is mostly small stalls selling clothing, crafts, toys, souvenirs, etc. I'll update this post this evening with some photos of the Market.

The Market is a long brick building and its axis runs parallel to the river. This is the river side and Pipa Etterem is on the other side at the far end.