The Amsterdam to Budapest River Cruise Route
From the canals of Amsterdam to the bridges of Budapest, in the order an eastbound ship sees them.
Get Free Amsterdam to Budapest QuotesThe Route, Stop by Stop
Every line draws its Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise route a little differently, but the backbone is the same. Here are the typical calls for an eastbound sailing. Westbound trips run the same list in reverse.
| Stage | Typical stops | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | Amsterdam, Kinderdijk | Canal belt, Rijksmuseum, the windmills of Kinderdijk |
| Lower Rhine | Cologne | The Gothic cathedral and Old Town |
| Middle Rhine | Koblenz, Rüdesheim, the Rhine Gorge | Castles, vineyards and the Lorelei rock |
| Into the Main | Mainz or Frankfurt area, Miltenberg, Wertheim | Half-timbered towns and red sandstone |
| Franconia | Würzburg, Bamberg | The Würzburg Residence; Bamberg’s old town |
| The canal | Nuremberg, Kelheim | Imperial Castle; the Danube Gorge at Weltenburg |
| Bavarian Danube | Regensburg, Passau | Stone Bridge; the city of three rivers |
| Austria | Melk, Dürnstein, Krems, Vienna | Melk Abbey, the Wachau wine valley, imperial Vienna |
| Slovakia & Hungary | Bratislava, Budapest | Castle hill in Bratislava; the Parliament and Chain Bridge |
The Dutch and Rhine Days
The route begins with a night or a day in Amsterdam, then turns south through the river delta. Kinderdijk’s nineteen 18th-century windmills, a UNESCO-listed site, show how the Dutch kept the polders dry. Cologne follows, then the most famous stretch of the Rhine: the narrow gorge between Koblenz and Bingen, where castles stand on almost every crag. For Dutch-only sailings, see Holland River Cruising.
The Main, the Canal and the Danube
At Mainz the ship leaves the Rhine for the Main, a quieter river through Franconian wine country. Würzburg and Bamberg are highlights, and both are covered on our Main River towns page. Beyond Bamberg the ship enters the Main-Danube Canal, stops for Nuremberg, and reaches the Danube at Kelheim. From there the river carries you to Regensburg, Passau and into Austria, where the Wachau Valley between Melk and Krems is often sailed in daylight for the views. Vienna and Bratislava come next, and the finale is the evening arrival in Budapest, with the Parliament lit up on the Pest bank.
Count on roughly five days on the Rhine side, three or four on the Main and canal, and five on the Danube — though every Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise route is balanced a little differently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a map of the Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise route?
Each line prints its own map, and the stops vary slightly. The table on this page lists the typical calls in eastbound order — read it top to bottom and you have the route map in words.
Does every line stop in the same places?
The core is shared: Cologne, the Middle Rhine, Würzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Passau, the Wachau, Vienna and Budapest. Lines differ on smaller calls such as Kinderdijk, Miltenberg, Wertheim, Kelheim and Bratislava.
See Every Line’s Route Side by Side
We will send you the day-by-day route for each line on your dates, so you can see which stops are included.
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