Christmas and New Year's Eve Dinner Cruises in Budapest

For Christmas Eve, book Silverline’s Christmas dinner and piano cruise: three hours on the river, a four-course festive dinner, a welcome drink and live piano, for $219 per person on 24 December 2026, or $280 with a table by the window. For New Year’s Eve, the New Year’s Eve party cruise is a six-hour night with a gala dinner, an open bar, a folk dance show and a midnight menu, at $404 per person.

They suit different people. Christmas Eve is a long, quiet sit-down dinner for couples and families, with drinks paid on top. New Year’s Eve is a party where everything is included and the river is part of the backdrop rather than the whole show.

Christmas Eve: a long dinner with the lights

Silverline sails a catamaran decorated for the holiday from its pier on the Pest side near Elisabeth Bridge. Three hours is longer than any of the year-round dinner cruises we review, so there is time between courses to look out at the bridges and the Parliament. The dress code is smart casual, and the listing asks guests to dress warmly. Give any dietary needs when you book.

The weak point is drinks. Only the welcome drink is included, and the lower reviews (the cruise averages 4.0 from 59) come back to paying separately for wine and even coffee at this price, plus one guest who found the meal ordinary. Most reviewers praise the service, the piano and the atmosphere. Budget for a bottle of wine on top of the ticket and the evening reads differently. Our full Christmas Eve review →

The listing mentions 25 December as well, but only the 24th was on sale when we checked in October. If you are in Budapest over Christmas and the 25th does not appear, an ordinary dinner cruise on the 23rd or 26th is the fallback. The comparison of every dinner cruise shows which ones run year round.

New Year’s Eve: a six-hour party on board

The New Year’s Eve cruise boards at the Akadémia 2 pontoon by the Chain Bridge in the early evening. You choose a red-meat, poultry or vegetarian gala menu after booking, the bar covers beer, wine and prosecco all night, and the Rajkó Ensemble plays and dances before the party takes over. A midnight menu of soups and sausages follows, and there is a raffle.

Two things to know before you pay $404. The boat sails for two one-hour sections, so this is a party with the river outside, not six hours of cruising. And the cruise averages 4.1 from 52 reviews: the complaints are main courses arriving cold and chilly tables near the entrance and the bar, so ask for a table away from the door. Plan your way home before the night, as transfers are not included. Our full New Year’s Eve review →

Other festive sailings on sale

A few more listings appear each December with very few reviews so far. Another Christmas dinner cruise with folk music ($146, two reviews) and an exclusive New Year’s Eve dinner cruise ($307, three reviews) both look promising, and a gala New Year’s Eve cruise at $920 has no reviews yet. We have not reviewed them in depth, because three reviews tell you very little.

Booking early

Each of these runs on one night only, and both offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, with reserve-now, pay-later on New Year’s Eve. Booking in October or November and cancelling if plans change costs nothing. For the season itself, our guide to the best time for a Budapest dinner cruise covers December evenings on the river.