Vienna to Budapest

Vienna to Budapest

Experience amazing natural beauty such as the last remaining major wetlands in central Europe, the Donauauen, the Porta Hungarica, and Danube-Ipoly National Park, before the Danube bends towards the south at the Danube knee before it reaches Budapest. Besides natural beauty enjoy the city scapes of Vienna and Bratislava.

Capital Cities & Nature:
This Experience covers the Danube through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and the capital cities, Vienna and Bratislava. After Vienna the Danube has to overcome one more lock before it flows freely towards Slovakia and Hungary through the Donauauen National Park, which is situated between the European capitals Vienna and Bratislava, and encompasses the last remaining major wetlands environment in Central Europe. The dynamics of the free flowing Danube is the National Park's lifeline. It creates a habitat for numerous animals and plants, some of which are rare species.

Geological Peculiarity:
Just before Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, the Danube forged a gap between the foothills of the Eastern Alps and the Small Carpathians, known as the Porta Hungarica. The narrowing of the Danube valley between the Braunsberg near Hainburg and the ruins of Devin Castle in Slovakia is considered by many as truly idyllic, and being near the Tri-Point Austria-Slovakia-Hungary it was already an important traffic crossroads centuries ago. Where the Danube met the ancient Amber Road, northern Europe was linked with the Mediterranean region.

Border River:
Bratislava Castle situated on top of a hill dominates the old town and the Danube. After the capital of Slovakia the navigable Danube forms a reservoir leading to the enormous dam and lock named after the nearby town of Gabcikovo. From here it forms the border between Slovakia and Hungary passing important towns such as Gyor and Komarno.

Hungarian River:
At Esztergom the Danube becomes a Hungarian river and passes the ancient town of Visegrad. Here the river changes course by almost 90 degrees and forms the so-called Danube knee, flowing from north to south along the island of Szentendre past the town of Vac before it reaches Hungary’s magnificent capital city, known as the Queen of the Danube, Budapest, which you can enjoy in the next experience.