Danube Bend: Day trip from Budapest

Do the trip on your own

The design of the trip was great However our guide was terrible. He was supposed to do his description in Spanish French and English but he never got the description timed right. He would start in Spanish see something say oh yes in English then continue in Spanish never describing things in French or English. He did not seem to care either he just faced front and spent the majority of the time chatting with the driver. When we stopped and got off the bus he would describe the instructions in Spanish and then wave his hands at us to go. At the last stop I finally said we need directions and a time to meet and the he described what we needed to know. I felt he was very dismissive and really almost upset any time someone asked a question. And there were two occasions he had the wrong dates. I knew because I started googling information so I would know what we were seeing. Seeing the cathedral castle and artist town was great but I would say skip his tour you would learn more on your own

Enjoyed our tour

Very pleasant full day outing. Our guide Gyuri did a great job, explaining everything along the way. Since we were a small group he took us through smaller roads and saw great scenery. Nice boat ride back from Szentendre.

Excellent Tour and Guide but be aware of possible itinerary changes

Our tour guide, Vera, was excellent and inclusive - she seamlessly switched from Spanish to English, recounting interesting tales and information to our small group on the sites we visited. The tour took us to interesting places; the Basciilica at Eszrtergom, the castle and views for Visegrad, and Szentendre where we stopped for a couple of hours. Vera was very good at taking us round the sites at each location. The optional self service lunch was acceptable and reasonably priced. Aspects that were not so good were the fact that we were only told the boat trip would not run after the 24 hour cancellation period had expired (this was due to the high water level that had affected all river cruises for days beforehand) We would have liked more time at the castle or to walk round Esztergom.

A nice way to see Budapest’s surrounding areas

Nice day trip… Girgio (oops spelling🙈🙈🙈) was wonderful… knowledgeable, accommodating, interesting and fun. Very eager to share his knowledge and let us see the best views. Highly recommend !

Check to see you are getting what you pay for!

Sadly this tour was a complete waste of money. We ended up on a bilingual tour with Spanish and English. Unfortunately for the 4 English customers we missed most of the commentary from our guide because she spoke mostly in Spanish and when she did speak in English the other customers were laughing and talking so you couldn’t hear what was being said or going on. Most tours I have been on I have learnt a lot about the history of the area we visited but this one I learnt nothing and felt very disconnected. The bus was supposed to have air conditioning in it and it didn’t seem to work at the back of the van. My seat belt didn’t work either. The information I have from when I purchased the tickets said it would have a boat ride back. This didn’t happen and no explanation why not. The worst thing was there were some jokes happening in Spanish that we had no idea what they were laughing at. So all in all I was really disappointed and would recommend before you purchase see if it is a bilingual tour or not.

Destinations worth a visit - different guide needed

The destinations were lovely and worth a visit. However, our guide, although pleasant enough, was too elderly and infirm to do the job effectively. She walked very slowly with a stick and couldn't climb stairs very well so she briefed us at the bottom of 2 of the 3 stops and sent us off. She regularly lost her train of thought when explaining the history and background on the bus. She also gave poor advice about the cruise which meant we all wound up with poor seats on the return

Loved this tour

We loved this tour. The guide was excellent and the info was all so interesting. We had plenty time at all the stops to get photos and see the sights, all of which are stunning. Would highly recommend

Overall good experience; Better to visit in non-winter seasons

The tour had both English and Spanish interpretations concurrently. Can be slightly confusing especially when you have a bigger tour group who needed to wait for the guide to finish, but the guide did such an amazing job!! The stories are great, but the views could have been better due to a gloomy/foggy day (not the agency's fault). Lunch service at the recommended hotel could be better managed, as we had to wait quite a while for the food which lessened our time to explore the place. Otherwise, the overall experience is good.

Not a Place to visit in Winter

This tour is not recommended during winter time. Esztergom was OK as they take you to a point for photos and then visit the cathedral without the guide. The guide gives 45 minutes to visit and doesn't accompany you inside. Visegrád is just a lunch break in an expensive restaurant where the waiter charges whatever he feels like without referring to the price on the menu card. Good thing in hotel was they gave vegetarian food without onion & garlic. In Visegrád, they don't show any place to you, even from a distance. In Szentendre, the agent gave 45 minutes to go on your own and being winter, it was dark at 4.30 pm and almost all shops closed. Couldn't enjoy the beauty of the small village. What a waste of time the tour was? Not at all recommended in winter time. In summers they have a boat ride back to budapest, maybe that is good.

Not worth it.

Tu Much Travel and a lot of Time Just to see two things. It is really not worth it, there is a lot to do and see in Budapest. You are better you skip this one.

Great day!

Vera did at utmost to explain well in English eventhough it’s not her native tongue. Very informative tour!

Good. But recommended to come between May and September.

The tourist guide is very good, fluent in English and Spanish. The itinerary arrangement is fine. But highly recommended to come between May and September. November is cold you may meet rainy or cloudy weather, and no river cruise in the Danube. All the stops are good except the lunch in Siraly restaurant in Visegrádi is terrible. Maybe it's because the only opened restaurant in that small town, at least in Nov 2023. Waiting for food to be served and eating spent all the 1 hour. No room for the "Panoramic view from the fortress". With this service, they still take a 10% service fee without asking. In Bratislava, they took the basic price first, and then I gave the tip later, which I feel more respected.

Check if the Basilica is still a building site before booking this tour.

Before booking this tour, check whether works at Esztergom Basilica are complete, as it's undergoing such major restoration works that everything other than the altar painting was either covered up or pulled up. It was basically the tour of a building site after which we walked across the terrace to see the view of the Danube. At Visigrad, the restaurant was mediocre. Szentendre was very commercialised but pretty, better to have lunch there to have more time to walk around.

Awesome Tour at a Great Value

Took the Danube Bend tour with Vera the guide, and Peter the driver. I must say I came to Hungary to connect with my heritage and culture, as my parents immigrated to Canada in 1956. This tour was way above and beyond my expectations. Peter was very funny, courteous and professional. Vera was amazing! Her knowledge of history, the who, what, when and why, was extremely informative and captivating. I felt transported back in time, standing in the historical spots, that her stories brought to life. I felt like I was experiencing Hungary with two good friends, and had the Magyar blood stirred within me. I highly recommend Cityrama Tours for the best experience at the best value!

Very crowded on the bus and really not worth the money

We got to see a lot of beautiful country, but explanation and understanding of what we are seeing was very limited, and the guide did not add much personal touch to this visit

Great experience, wonderful views plenty opportunities for lovely photos experiencing the local culture.

The trip was amazing, very enjoyable and ajucational about the country and culture of Hungary. A trip to experience.

Nice itinerary but was not accomplished

We liked the tour itinerary, but didn’t expect to have it bilingual - Spanish (predominantly) and English (broken). The start of the tour was on time but it went downhill from there. The toilet break did not happen until almost 2 hours later and the lunch break was at past 2:00 pm. We had very little time in the sights we were visiting. There was too much talking and waiting. The boat ride back to Budapest was not as expected - crowded, hot, not able to take pictures or enjoy scenery. It would have been better on the bus 😕

Average Experience

Vera was a great tour guide. However, the tour itinerary was not great (through no fault of the guide). Not enough time was spent on each location, and we were not able to go into the castle or ruins at Visegrádi (I know it was not included in the ticket price, but we did not even have the option to go in). Time was otherwise wasted stopping at a couple of scenic spots or standing outside of each attraction with the tour guide telling us about it. It would have been nice to have time to explore each spot, like we did in Szentendre. The transport via bus to each location was very convenient though.

I would not recommend to...

I would not recommend to anyone to their company because Judith was not professional guide for this tour, during the bus was driving she and the driver talked with their native language a lot, not respectful to their customers. Lack of knowledge about historical places. Too bad I was look forward to this trip

Vera and Peter were a good team.

Vera and Peter were excellent, enjoyed the trip and lunch was enjoyable. The bus was comfortable and beautiful scenery.

Thank you Vera

It was a great and confterble trip and Vera was amazing and funny and I had no questions cause her explanation was amazing. (Thank you Vera). The restaurant was horrible. It made me vomit and made my grandson have direa . And it is overpriced. (It was not obliged to eat there, only recommended)

Good Trip

Nice trip to explore the rest of Hungary It was an exellencent trip with a great tour guide and information.

Average

The buse and amentities were great. Yolanda is an exceptional tour guide. But the trip was not worth the price. Estergom was a real dissaopintment- the basilica has been under construction for years, and it is hardly worth seeing. Visegrad we saw from a distance only, did not stop there to see the fortress or ruins. Szentendre was OK- quite a bit smaller than described. The danube bend itself was amazing. Overall a bit of a disappointment

A pleasant day in the country. We had good weather.

This is a full day tour with lots of walking involved. We left the tourist office at 9.10 am and finished the tour at 6.30 pm at the pier where the boat docked. We were a small group, nine people and guide Stephan. Though elderly, he was fit and knowledgeable about the history and details of the countryside we passed thru. Very considerate and helpful: he got me an icepack to put on my knee as i had fallen on some cobble stones. He spoke in Spanish and English. The views across from Slovenia and Hungary were very beautiful. The countryside is green and clean . Szentendre where we had the final stop is a pretty town and an amazing museum devoted to Marzipan sculptures ! Some of them are incredible and all are awesome. Unbelievable that these are from marzipan. The lunch stop at Visegrad was a bad choice. The restaurant Siraly was bad. Surly too-busy waiters, cold tasteless food, and refusal to give a bill as "we are part of a group and no tax paid". They took a very long time to take the order and to serve the food. Bad choice. The cruise for nearly 90 minutes was pleasant and enjoyable. No stops anywhere. In conclusion, definitely worth going on the trip as you see a new country, beautiful scenery and learn a lot of the past history.

A most wonderful day!

This was the most wonderful day trip!! Vera was a brilliant guide and was very knowledgeable about the local history, which she explained to us in Spanish and English. There was enough time for photos, food and some solo exploring and the return down the Danube was magical.

Fantastic experience!

Despite the rain, the Danube Bend tour was a fantastic experience for us! Our tour guide, Vera, was exceptional and made the trip even more enjoyable. Her knowledge of the area's history was remarkable. Vera's engaging storytelling made it a memorable and worthwhile experience!

Danube Bend Tour from Budapest

The most memorable parts of this tour were (1) the visit to the Esztergom Basilica; (2) the views of the countryside including that from near the Visegrad citadel; and (3) the time to shop in Szentendre. At the end of the tour a boat ride down the Danube from Szentendre to Budapest was included which I had previously experienced.

Very nice trip

The tour guide was very knowledgeable and wonderful personality. It was a nice change to get out of the city and experience the countryside and smaller towns. Lunch was very good and price was very reasonable. The small size of the tour made it have a more personalized feel. We really enjoyed the return being by boat. Very relaxing and weather was perfect.

Not great

When I booked this trip,it didn’t state that it was in Spanish as well as English.Having to stand about listening while the guide spoke in Spanish for 10 minutes and then in English it left us with very little time to enjoy the sites.She never started in English.The second stop was for lunch only ,at a restaurant of the guides choosing.Would have been nice to choose ourselves.45 minute wait ,until our food arrived.Being a vegetarian there was only one option on the menu.Would never have chosen to eat here.

Not the best use of 9 hours in Budapest

This trip visits Esztergom, Visegard and Szetendre by bus and returns to Budapest by boat. It was a cold and rainy day, so the views were not great the entire day. In Esztergom we crossed the bridge from Hungary into Slovakia to get a good view of the Basilica and then crossed back to visit the Basilica. Poor planning as it was a Sunday so there was a service and we were unable to enter the Basilica. From there were went to Visegard where we had a disappointing lunch, but good views, BUT we did not even go to the fortress which was to be a highlight. Then onto the old town of Szetendre where we had far too much time to shop and in a tourist trap more expensive than in Budapest itself. Then a pleasant boat ride back. Our main takeaway is that with only a few days in Hungary this 9 hour trip was not the best way to spend a day and left us with few added memories or experiences to show for it. We could certainly have used our time better had we not planned this trip

Too long of a tour

Part of the reason for booking was to see the small towns and enjoy a short river cruise. Our tour was in both English and Spanish, which made it twice as long, we didn’t know this when we booked. It wasn’t a good thing. Our guide was OK not great, she was hard to understand. She mostly talked to the driver in their language she missed a few landmarks when we were driving. The river portion didn’t happen and no one was told before hand. The tours of the cities were very rushed. The worst part was sitting on the bus with women wearing too much Parfum!!! Please advise guests not to wear any! 4 of us had breathing difficulty and had to move to the back of the bus. 8 hours was too long for this tour. Poor/no communication about the boat and duel language.

Be Prepared for Sudden Change in Itinerary after half the tour is over

When I booked the tour the description of itinerary clearly said that we would be taken on the bridge connecting Czech Republic and Slovakia, but when we went to Danube river bend from where the bridge was visible I asked the guide about going there, when the group was told that it was not possible to go on the bridge on that particular day. The guide was very nice and she requested us to contact office of Cityrama for any further info. On the same evening I came to Know that other tour buses went on the bridge on that day. I don't know why only Cityrama could not visit the bridge. I had already visited Esztergom. Szentendre etc on my own and joined the tour specifically for going near the Slovakian border and visit the bridge from where one gets picturesque views. Was I informed about the change in itinerary at pick point, i. e Cityrama office, I would have not wasted my day. This behavior is very unethical and I would request for a refund.

Misleading description & poor customer service from tour company management. Does not go to Visegrad fortress

Warning to anyone considering this tour: it does not go to the Visegrad fortress - the “castle in the clouds”. I was extremely disappointed with the itinerary of this tour. Afterwords, I realized that the wording on the tour company’s website is deliberately vague, and frankly misleading. The main reason I wanted to go on this tour was to visit the fortress at Visegrad. First, we visited the quaint little village of Esztergom with its Basilica and thousand-year-old castle. That was pretty cool. I was glad the Basilica was being renovated because they opened the 200 year old giant crypt which they don’t usually do. However, next we went to the village of Visegrad for lunch. We stopped there for 1.5 hours, and as we were leaving, I discovered that we were not going to go to the Visegrad fortress at all! Why would this tour company set up a tour to go to Visegrad and not go to the biggest attraction there?! I was incredibly disappointed and emailed the tour company at that time expressing my disappointment. I received no response from them. Next we finished in the artist town of Szetendre, which was cute but very touristy, and more expensive than the market in Budapest. We had two hours there for shopping. :-/ To the managers of this tour company, I strongly suggest you either add a visit to Visegead fortress to the tour, or be more clear on your description that the tour will not go there. Several of your reviews indicate many people on your tour have been disappointed by this. Additionally, a few days prior to the tour, I sent the tour company an email asking if they were offering Hotel pick ups. I received no response. To anyone considering this tour, the tour company management is misleading on their description and did not respond to two of my emails. The only saving grace of this tour was our tour guide Vera. She was amazing. She started off the tour telling us to think of her like your Grandmother. She was conducting the tour in both Spanish and English even though she is a native Hungarian speaker. It was amazing to see her switching languages so often, and telling her stories with the same enthusiasm, no matter what language she was speaking. Unfortunately, the Spaniards on the tour were incredibly rude and kept playing videos on their phones while she was speaking in English parts for the English speakers on the tour. Vera handled them graciously. Vera’s history lessons and storytelling was lively, animated, engaging, and very interesting - with somber moments and humour. She enthusiastically acted out parts of her stories with gestures and body language. I learned things from Vera that I had not learned on any other tours. She was also incredibly helpful in trying to help my friend and I book a Danube river sunset cruise for that evening. Overall, if it were not for Vera, I would be giving the lowest possible rating on this tour. I am only giving this rating because Vera made the day enjoyable for us, despite the issues with the itinerary.

Disappointed. Didn’t get to see much.

Very little time doing sightseeings in each places. Was left disappointed with the trip. Vera didn’t guide the group well, thus a lot of time was spend on waiting. Vera is not a good tour guide. Spent over 75 minutes for lunch, and only 30 minutes free time to explore Szentendre. Only see Visegrad from the outside.

Danube Bend Tour

I had a great trip around the Danube Bend. Vera the tour guide was great, her stories about the history of the area were super. Would highly recommend this trip.

Relaxed and enjoyable with a side of wind

The van was quite comfortable with a friendly guide and driver. I had a situation with needing to exchange money and they found a great spot for me. I so appreciated it! A beautiful trip that was easy going with plenty of good views. The place for lunch was enjoyable (be prepared for mid-range prices). Definitely take some cash as there may be some additional places the guide takes you that you will need money for but are fun to check out. Well worth the money to take this day trip!

We organised and informative.

Very well organised and comfortable trip with Gyuri (George) as our driver who went out of his way to show us beautiful sceneries. Very well informed about the history and everything else ☺️. Thank George. I recommend Cityrama Budapest to all travellers.

A very pleasant, comfortable day trip

Our guide Gyuri has a good sense of humor and he is very easy to talk to. He made my son a very happy boy coz he got to play with snow.

Hungary is more than Budapest! Wow.

Initially I was disappointed to find out that we would not return via cruise as that had been one of my main reasons for booking this tour above others. However, that is where the disappointment ended. Our tour guide, Gyuri was a delight and took us on an informative ride through the Danube Bend. The trip was filled with personal anecdotes, a plethora of general knowledge, and stunning views. There was a delightful mix of planned itinerary and personal time which I loved - especially after being rushed around in other tours with very strict deadlines. If you are more free-at-heart then this is a must-book experience. If you are a person who wants to have their itinerary planned from minute-to-minute then this might not be the trip for you. I was thinking about the bad reviews I have seen on this trip and I have put it down to people not understanding what this trip is about so let me simplify it: This trip is a ride along the Danube Bend - going through small villages and learning about them as you pass through, enjoying the landscape and stories and seeing another part of Hungary away from the hustle and bustle of Budapest. You will see views, forests, rivers, scenery and stop 3x (2 short stops and 1 long stop) but it is mostly a scenic drive along the Danube Bend to enjoy this part of Hungary... and learn a little more. Really top class! Thank you again to the wonderful tour guide, Gyuri, who made it all the worthwhile.

I can totally recommend this tour

I really enjoyed the tour very much. The sights are beautiful and our tour guide Gyuri was very knowledgeable and made sure we had a good time. I can totally recommend this tour. Don't miss out on this experience.

Wonderful day!!

Be aware; it is NOT a boat trip! Once we got over that disappointment and entered the minivan (with airco, that was perfect with 36+) from Gyuri we had a wonderful day full of storys, facts and beautiful sights. Gyuri was the best. He had an immense knowledge and the stories about his childhood neighborhood and all the local facts about the places we visited was absolutely wonderful!! Thank you!!

Deep Knowledge & Diversity of Sites

I did not expect such diversity and detail from our trip, but our guide Gyuri was an endless well of information! Through the whole 8 hour trip, he provided details on every stop, beyond what we could have learned from solo travel. We visited a number of spots too far out of the way for a conventional big-bus tour, and got to see rare sights of the Danube bend. He even had great dining recommendations.

A magical day in the Danube Bend!

We had a great day visiting these beautiful places. Our tour guide, Gyuri, was very knowledgeable about the area, the history of these towns and the history of Hungary. He showed us very unique places with magnificent views of the Danube. Highly recommended!! Thank you Gyuri for your excellent service.

We had a beautiful day...

We had a beautiful day exploring the Danube Bend. Our tour guide, Gyuri, was amazing! We learn a lot from him, very nice, polite and very knowledgeable about the places we visited and about Hungary. I highly recommend this tour. Hungary is a very beautiful country.

Exceptional company and guide went above and beyond

I cannot praise this company, guide Gyuri, and tour enough. Despite the others on the tour canceling, the owner was kind enough to run the tour just for me, since I told him I'd really wanted to visit Visegrad, and I am so grateful to him. Gyuri was an absolute delight! He asked me what my interests were (castles!) and tailored the tour to spend more time in Visegrad. Unfortunately, after Eztergom, the weather turned to rain, so much of Visegrad was viewed from the vehicle, but he allowed me to get out to take photos when requested. He was very knowledgeable, and gave the perfect amount of historical information to paint the scene, but not overdue it. He also talked about the landscape, and pointed out a storks nest (empty), but later, we saw two storks near other nests. What a treat! Despite the weather, Gyuri made the day so enjoyable. He taught me about the Hungarian language (and I taught him a bit about some English terms he did not know). Since we finished a little early to beat most of the traffic, he was kind enough to drop me near my hotel, so I did not have to walk across town in the rain. 10 out of 10. Book with Cityrama/Grayline for your tours in Budapest!

Felt like a boring geography school trip

Rubbish! I’ve been on a lot of Viator day trips and this was definitely one of the worst. Far too much time on the road and not nearly enough time spent at the destinations. First stop - nice cathedral but most of it was closed. Second was a lunch stop in the middle of nowhere - I don’t eat lunch so that was a total waste of time for me and there was no alternative as there was no nearby town (or so the guide said. I asked if it was far to walk to the town so I could wander around and she barked that “this IS the town”. Really? Looked like a motorway to me. I had read about this issue in reviews post-booking but went ahead with the tour nevertheless as it was my birthday and most other tours were booked out). Last stop of Szentendre was STUNNING but of course we’d wasted so much time in the restaurant we got hardly any time there. My advice - travel there independently and wander at leisure. Found guide miserable, abrupt, monotone, patronising and felt like I was on a school trip from hell. No humour or charisma and did not encourage interaction between guests. VERY drab experience - AVOID.

Wonderful guide and all...

Wonderful guide and all of the stops we made fully exceeded our expectations!! A great way to get out of the city for a day for anyone visiting Budapest. Would definitely recommend

Waiting in the cold and rain without any shelter for the tour bus

We booked this day tour through Gate 1. Initially, we were supposed to be picked up from our hotel (NH Budapest). A day before, we were notified via email that we will not be picked up from the hotel but have to show up at CITYRAMA Office, Budapest, Báthory utca 19, 1054 at least 15 mins before departure at 9 am. We arrive at the office at 8:40 am. It was cold and raining. There was no place to take shelter. There was no sign of a bus or a driver or a tour guide. There was a small sign on the door of a convenience store that this is CITYRAMA office and there was a number. When we called the number, there was no answer. Finally, the driver did show up exactly at 9 am and after a 5 min walk in the cold and rain, we were able to board the bus. Supposedly, the driver could not bring the bus in front of the office. In short, a horrible experience.

Great Tour

We had a beautiful sunny day in February. Our driver/escort was knowledgeable and taught much about Hungarian history and the sites themselves. I will recommend to my family when they come to Budapest

Discovering the Danune bend

We had a great tour with our English speaking guide. I was with my friend back there and we had fun while learning about Hungary !