Address
Budapest
GPS
47.588155446276, 19.068574905396
Level of difficulty 2 paddles | Gastronomy 3 pitchers | Length 11.5 km | Time 2 hours
Budapest is not only one of the top cities in Europe, but also a die-hard paddling city. The Danube forms two large islands in the city area, which can be comfortably paddled around before admiring the imposing parliament building from the water.
General information
Navigation rules
There are no swimmers here on the Danube, but there is a lot of paddling going on (SUP, kayaking, regatta, etc.). In addition to commercial shipping, private boats can also stir up the water, so it is always important to keep enough distance and not block anyone's way. Only go on the water with a life jacket!
Dangers and risks
In the Budapest area, the Danube is a typical lowland river flowing quite comfortably most of the year and it is pleasant to navigate. After heavy rains, the river can speed up significantly (6 km/h and more) and coupled with the heavy vessel traffic, this can result in choppy swells in the city centre. That's why wearing a life jacket is mandatory here. In the (early) morning the water is the calmest because the traffic on the water is non-existent or at least little.
In general, the further you get into the city center, the more traffic and waves pick up, if in doubt just stay seated on your SUP. You should also keep a sufficient distance from bridge piers and moored ships to avoid being washed onto them under the above conditions.
Along the entire route you best keep to the right and refrain from crossing the river. This is especially true downstream from Margaret Bridge. The water exit in front of Elisabeth Bridge is a bit tricky because the bottom steps can be slippery depending on the water level. On the way up to the street (Friedrich Born Street) there may be shards of broken glass on the ground. If you are already walking barefoot, then at least keep your eyes on the ground and look out for suitable places to step. Ideally, put on shoes or sandals before going ashore.
Arriving upstairs at Friedrich Born Street, you walk behind crash barriers, but with the board in your hand it is a bit narrow and the busy traffic flows past quickly right next to you. Of course, there are no guard rails at the parking lot, so be particularly careful with the boards here!
Directions
Coming from the eastern part of the city (east of the Danube), for example, take the Árpád Bridge (Árpád híd), which crosses the river and also Margaret Island, heading west. Do not turn right immediately after the bridge, but take the long right-hand bend to the north about 260 m after the turn-off! Follow Szentendrei út street straight for 5 km and turn right at Mátyás király út. Follow the road for about 1.5 km to Királyok útja street and turn left at its intersection. After 400 m turn right into Piroska út, at the end of which you'll find the location of SUP Budapest to the right of it (in the direction of river).
ATTENTION: Google Maps shows a slightly different route, which leads via the next parallel street to Piroska út. However, this is a private road, which is blocked off by a gate - you cannot get over to the Danube from here. So please follow the directions above!
If you don't drive your own car, you can rent a two-wheeler, easily call a taxi using an app, or use the well-developed network of public transportation, the metropolis has it all.
Parking
You can park for free along Piroska út and you are very close to the starting point for this tour.
Swimming
The Danube is generally not blessed with clear water, we also advise against getting into the water in the city center. Ship and boat traffic is just too heavy, even light flow rates can quickly become a serious problem for unfit swimmers.
However, in 2021 the SHO Beach was opend in Lágymányosi Bay and it is the only lido on the Danube in Budapest. It offers not only sporting activities and entertainment but also great gastronomy. But locals love bathing primarily in the countless public baths and spas. No other capital in the world offers as many healing springs and spas as Budapest and its suburbs.
The highlights include the Gellert Spa as well as the Széchenyi Bath, which ensure relaxing hours in the water even on rainy days.
Tour
From the SUP Budapest base in the north of the city along the right bank to the Elisabeth Bridge.
Length
11.5 km
Time
2 hours
Start and landing
Start at the Danube access opposite the base of SUP Budapest.
Land on the stairs on the right in front of Elisabeth Bridge.
SUP rental
SUP Budapest (guided SUP tours)
Kossuth Lajos udulopart 81, 1039 Budapest
Phone +36 (0)30 701 9318
Kolonics György Vízisport Központ (Water Sports Center)
Duna utca 61, 1215 Budapest
Phone +36 (0)30 936 0513
Óbuda-Pénzügyőr SE Sporttelep
Kossuth Lajos Üdülőpart 15. Budapest III. Kerület, Hungary 1039
Kiteline respectively BudapestSUP
Batthyány utca, 1015 Budapest
Phone +36 (0)70 453 2414
SUPcsi
Latványsport Kft.
1203 Budapest Közműhelytelep 5 II/8
Phone +36 (0)30 530 9003
SUP the lifestyle
Népsziget 1-3 Budapest Evezős Egyesület, 1138 Budapest
Phone +36 (0)20 437 8733
SUPshop BudaPart
Napkelte utca 1, 1117 Budapest
Phone +36 (0)1 23 44 888
Sightseeing trip with a political background
Sunbathers have had a tough time over the past few weeks as constant rainfall left hardly any suitable windows for SUP tours. The Danube runs past me all the more quickly when I stand at the water entry point in front of SUP Budapest and look at the water conditions for my upcoming tour from the north of Budapest to the city center. At an estimated five to six km/h, this superstar among Europe's rivers is flowing twice as fast today as it normally would. Rainy seasons don't just have their downsides, so the view over the water promises an entertaining paddling trip with high water levels.
Today I have the pleasure of being guided by the girls from SUP Budapest to the center of the Hungarian capital and experiencing the Danube in all its grandeur for the first time.
The location and the entrance to the river are easily accessible just below the confluence of the Szentendrei-Danube (Szentendrei-Duna, Szentendrei-Duna-ág) in the main river of the Danube, and when I enter the extensive area of the tour operator, there are already a dozen SUPs prepared on the meadow in the sun. Today's tour guides Maja and Réka give me a warm welcome and hand me a suitable life jacket and a dry bag. By the way, the life jacket is mandatory here if you want to do water sports on the river.
An international audience is part of the girls' everyday work, and so today there are not only Hungarian paddlers, but also French, German, American - and with me an Austrian paddler. After a safety briefing and a short technical training in English, we grab our boards and walk expectantly across the bike path to the shore entrance on the opposite side.
All kinds of paddling sports are very popular here, and countless kayaks are already passing us when we put our boards in the water. At the beginning of the season, the SUP Budapest team only offers its guided tours on weekends. Once summer is in full swing, however, you can paddle down into town from here every day. Sunrise tours, sunset tours and night tours are also regularly offered. There is enough equipment for groups of between twenty and thirty people, because stand up paddling has become an interesting alternative to the somewhat dusty company outing. Companies also like to use the offer for motivational training and other incentives for their employees.
The water flows quickly for the first few kilometers, but with the exception of the occasional lateral boat wave it is fairly calm. With all the beach bars and cafés on the right bank, one would like to start this tour with a drink break. Even the most timid paddlers in the group are finally standing on both feet and together we let the water pull us southwards in an effortless way. After three kilometers, the well-known island of Óbudai-sziget appears in front of us, where the annual Sziget-Festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. But of course this island in the Danube is also a popular local recreation area, which offers various leisure activities and some gastronomy.
At the railway bridge Maja instructs us to paddle to the right and into the side arm, knowing full well that we will encounter an urban-rural interplay here. On the right hand side the built-up and partly dilapidated bank including abandoned ship landing stages, dilapidated stairs and a lot of colorful graffiti. On the left, however, not a hint of it, because the island forms a floodplain landscape with low-growing trees and bushes on its shore. The river is much slower here and you are welcome to float supine on the SUP board under the K-bridge. However, you should make sure that there is no driftwood floating in the water around you.
As we get back on the main river and continue paddling along Margaret Island, we encounter prominent victims of the past few weeks of rain. A huge dead tree is carried by the water as if it were a water duck. How much timber can come down the river is only apparent in the city center when you see the carpets of driftwood between the docks and the moored ships. On the other hand, we can already see the Margaret Bridge in front of us, which skillfully covers the parliament building behind it.
Traffic on the water and the waves are slowly increasing. From this atmosphere alone we can already tell that we are approaching the highlight of our tour. My heart beats faster as Maja gives us final instructions on how to paddle under Margaret Bridge and past Parliament. A photo can hardly capture how impressive this 270 m long mega structure really is. For five minutes, a dozen paddlers can be seen navigating the now significantly rippled water with their heads fixed to the left. It is difficult to get enough of this sight. The numerous onlookers who watch us from the bank and from Elisabeth Bridge probably feel the same way.
We only really notice how fast and choppy the water has become when we slowly approach the end of this tour. optimal landing on the right side in front of Elisabeth Bridge can be a bit tricky. Only when you look at the long stone steps, which you have to climb from the water, you see why a buoyancy aid is always important here. The steps forcefully throw the choppy waters back into the river while we have to carefully yet quickly step off the board with one leg to fix it on the bank and consequently dismount. Something can easily go wrong here and you end up in the water. The bottom steps can be slippery and the climb up to the street reveals some broken glass. Light shoes are very useful here.
After almost two hours we all arrive at the quay unscathed and load our boards onto the trailer that a crew member of SUP Budapest has already parked here. Not only did we have a distinctive river experience and enjoy a side of Budapest that very few people get to see. We also got a number of great insider tips from our tour guides along the way, which will enhance our stay in the city. From here you can walk over the bridge to the city center, because there is still a lot to explore in this beautiful cosmopolitan metropolis. For example, you could walk straight over to the parliament and enjoy a sightseeing tour there.
However, if you have to get back to the location of the tour provider because your car is parked there, you can reserve a return trip in advance with SUP Budapest.
Of course there is also the possibility to rent an e-scooter or moped and get back on two wheels.
With ShareNow Budapest also offers an excellent car sharing service.
And then there is always the well-developed public transport network. The nearest metro station is just across Elisabeth Bridge. At Eszperantó Park there is also a tram station. Within one hour the subway and the tram take you back to the water entrance in the north of the city.
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