There is no scheduled passenger boat between Vienna and Budapest today.
Who ran the Vienna to Budapest ferry?
The Hungarian company Mahart began scheduled hydrofoil sailings on the Danube between Budapest and Vienna in the early 1960s, using Soviet-built craft. In the 1980s the Austrian company DDSG added a rival fast air-cushion boat, Donaupfeil, which stopped running in 1990.
What happened to the route?
Mahart told a traveller in 2017 that it no longer ran the regular Budapest to Vienna service, and it still says it has no scheduled hydrofoil to Vienna. It listed a one-off Vienna hydrofoil programme for 2025. Hungary's last regularly running hydrofoil, on a different Danube route, made its final trip in October 2025.
Is there a ferry from Vienna to Budapest now?
Not as a scheduled service. Multi-day Danube river cruises link the two cities in season, but they are cruise holidays rather than point-to-point crossings, and a fast catamaran has made only occasional special trips from Vienna to Budapest.
How can I travel from Vienna to Budapest today?
Seasonal passenger boats still sail the Danube between Vienna and Bratislava, but not on to Budapest. Between the two capitals, trains and coaches take roughly three hours.