Uniquely Hungary: 'Highway To Hell' On The Danube, By Anne Zwack

  • 14 Apr 2015 9:00 AM
Uniquely Hungary: 'Highway To Hell' On The Danube, By Anne Zwack
As soon as we are blessed with warmer weather, an exciting alternative to Hop on Hop off for special guests visiting Budapest, or for special occasions in general, could be a private cruise on the Danube. The two Dunarama boats called Lakmusz and Unicum are the naval equivalent of a limousine with inside comfort and outside seating in an old fashioned wooden motor boat like the launches on the lagoon in Venice.

The skipper and his mate in their striped jerseys will take you on a leisurely tour past the monuments to the strains of something relaxing like The Blue Danube.

There is an English or German audio guide and champagne and cold refreshments are provided and there is a mini bar with everything else.

However, as the tour comes to an end at the Rakoczi Bridge and if you are in the mood, your Dr. Jekyll boat can become H.M.S. Hyde as the music abruptly shifts to Highway to Hell, racing down the river at top speed and you are suddenly in an action movie with Bruce Willis at the helm.

As the Parliament comes into view the boat then veers towards it as though planning to crash through the gates before swerving at the last minute and after a few similar antics, will bring you back to the pier.

The boats take a maximum of ten people and cost 40.000 forints an hour although you can also take a cruise for half the time. If you are a bigger group you can also rent them both at once.

At weekends they can also take you to Szentendre. And you can choose your moment – Budapest at sunrise, Budapest by night, Budapest at Happy Hour – until end October when the weather gets too cold.

Get more info and reserve online by clicking here or telephone 0036 70 942 2613.

Meanwhile:
"Ain’t nothing that I’d rather do/Goin’ down/Party Time/My friends are gonna be there too/I’m on the highway to hell!"

By Anne Marshall Zwack for XpatLoop.com

Anne was born in England in 1946, grew up in Cambridge and was educated in England and in Belgium. She lived and worked for several years in Paris, Rome and Milan where she met Peter Zwack who swept her off her feet and eventually brought her back to Hungary.

During this time she wrote for many important American publications including the Travel Section of the New York Times, Travel + Leisure and Gourmet Magazine.

She currently divides her time between Budapest and Tuscany. Peter and Anne Zwack have two children and were married for forty years.

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