Have you been to Budapest recently, or are you planning to come in the near future? Then you have probably paid attention to the news about the Danube (and other rivers in Europe) flooding and create big trouble. The Danube caused lots of trouble in Hungary as well, and even though Budapest protected itself in a great way, it still effected many people. For example, there haven’t been any boat trips on the Danube in the last week because of the strong current and high water (making it hard for boats to cross under the bridges).
But, the good news is that the peak was reached this weekend (Danube was almost 8,5 meters higher than it is on a normal day), and now the water levels are going down. As a result, from September 25, most boat trips on the Danube are returning to normal, meaning that you can eat your dinner on the Danube, enjoy folklore performances on the Danube, or just go on a sightseeing trip in which you learn more about the city while listening to a guide on a loudspeaker or with an ear-plug.
It is still a lot of water in the Danube, so anyone walking nearby should still be extremely careful (due to the strong current).
If you want to read more about other cool activities, or interesting attractions in Budapest, look around here in our Budapest Guide.
You have probably heard the news that the Danube and other rivers in Europe are flooding at the moment. In what way might this influence your visit to Budapest? Will it cause any trouble that Danube is carrying so much water at the moment?
For most tourists the fact that the Danube is flooding will not influence your stay very much. Life goes on as normal for most people, of course with some exceptions. As the Danube is flooding, it is causing quite a lot of trouble both north and south of Budapest as basements are filled with water and they do not have a well-built protection against floods. But, Budapest is a city prepared for floods, which means that you don’t really have a lot to worry about, unless you are driving a car.
What’s on with the Danube flooding in 2024?
The Danube is expected to reach 8,50 meters above normal water level around September 21. This is actually a very high level, so even though it shouldn’t cause trouble for you as a tourist in Budapest, it will for sure be lots of locals down by the Danube making photos, and you might even see sandbags used for protection here and there.
Projected floods levels for Danube in Budapest in 2024.
Things might change, but it has been many, many years since the Danube was flooding in a similar way in Budapest.
It is expected that tram line number two will stop riding as normal from September 17, and the Margaret Island will also be closed to pedestrians in the coming days. Approximately 800,000 bags of sand will be used to protect the Margaret Island during the flood.
General information about flood in Budapest.
Because of the high water levels the road on both the Pest and the Buda side next to the Danube is standing under water. This will require all drivers to choose other roads, which again will lead to increased traffic and lots of jams in areas and on roads near the Danube. If possible, use public transportation instead.
Also depending on how high the water will get, it might cause trouble for river cruises, especially for the large boats. As the water levels get higher, it might cause trouble for the largest boats to drive below the bridges. But, this is only when the water gets really high, and that happens very seldom in Budapest, so most likely, it shouldn’t cause much trouble now either.
Pictures from a flood in Budapest in 2010.Pictures from a flood in Budapest in 2010.
If the water should reach 8-9 meters above normal, then hotel guests at the Margaret Island are moved to other hotels, because the idyllic island in the middle of the Danube is very threatened by the flood. But once again, that normally doesn’t happen, and if you have booked a hotel at this location, then you will get information from the hotel and all the help needed.
From a flood in Budapest in 2023.The lower road along the Danube is under water in 2023.
As you can see from the pictures above, life goes on as normal in Budapest, also during floods. As long as the water stays around 6 meters above normal level, it only causes traffic jams, but not much trouble besides that. Of course, the increased amount of water means that the Danube current is much stronger, so as always, you should be very careful because the Danube is a dangerous river.
What is causing the Danube to flood in Budapest (and elsewhere)?
The Danube River is flooding Budapest due to several factors. The most common reason is heavy rainful, and also melting snow. Whenever this takes place, then there is a danger of the river flooding, something that you can easily see in Budapest and elsewhere (as illustrated in the pictures above). When this increased amount of water comes, the drainage systems are unable to handle all the extra water, which again leads to flooding.
Do I need to worry about visiting Budapest during a flood?
You do not have any reason to worry about visiting Budapest, even though the Danube is flooding. It might cause trouble for some of the boat trips on the Danube, and especially the larger cruise ships might suffer from this. As a result, they are not capable of transporting passengers from Vienna to Bratislava to Budapest, but instead, the guests are placed on buses that transport them between the cities.
Most boats traveling on the Danube within the borders of Budapest can travel on the Danube with no limitations, even during heavy floods.
Besides this, life goes on as normal, and you can eat your delicious Goulash soup and drink some Tokaj wine without worrying about anything!
Yesterday we received a question from one of our website visitors asking whether it is possible to do river cruises on the river Danube in Budapest this summer due to the flood.
Short answer: Yes
Long answer: Everything is back to normal state in Budapest and has been so for 5-6 days. Again this means that all river cruise boats are operating as usual with normal schedules and programs. All roads near the Danube are open for traffic, which again means that taxis, buses and cars can drive you all the way to the different boats.
Enjoy Budapest during the summer of 2013 – also on the Danube!
All in all everything is set and ready so that you can enjoy your summer holiday in Budapest in 2013. If there is something you should be warned about it is that the amount of mosquito’s in Budapest often rise quite a lot of floods, and based on observations the last few days it seems to be true in 2013 as well.
The flood has reached its top level and the water levels are now decreasing. Here you can see some pictures made during the last days giving you a little impression what it has looked like along the Danube the last days.
If you are coming to Budapest in the coming days, you might be interested in reading about the flood and its impact on tourism before continuing. There you can also see pictures from Budapest as it has been flooded by waters throughout the years.
Two days ago, early Tuesday, the Danube peaked at 827cm. Now the river is moving back towards normal status, though very slowly. This means that the lower riverside roads will be opened up early next week only, probably! That is unfortunate for everyone with car, as the closed roads lead to even more lines and waiting for innercity drivers. Since the Danube is subsiding this is probably the last post with flood pictures for now, but we hope you will enjoy these pictures.
This Friday we posted some pictures showing how much water is in the Danube currently. Since then even more water has arrived, and now it is almost 8 metres above normal level. The carroad running down along the Danube has been closed since Friday afternoon and I guess from tomorrow it will be loads of traffic and long lines for those coming to Budapest with car.
The pictures below were taking Saturday evening, and you can see the Castle in the background, the Chain Bridge and so on!
