The cruises compared here
The two Legenda cruises leave from the same dock, use the same fleet and give you the same headset and the same choice of drink. The differences are the hour, ten minutes of sailing time, the price and one stop. That makes this an easy comparison, because almost everything else is held constant.
A third option sits in between: the Silverline cruise from Dock 11 has a sunset departure as well as daytime ones, at a lower price and with a lower score.
1What the evening cruise gives you
The evening cruise costs from €25 and lasts an hour. The route in the listing goes under the Chain, Elisabeth and Liberty bridges and up to the first Margaret Island bridge, passing the Parliament, Buda Castle, Fisherman's Bastion, Matthias Church and the Gellért Hotel. One drink is included.
Its numbers are the strongest in the city: 8.6 from 17,606 reviews. No other Danube product in the catalogue has even a third of that volume. When a cruise that many people have taken still scores that high, the product is doing what the listing says.
2What the daytime cruise gives you
The daytime cruise costs from €20 and runs 70 minutes. It includes the same drink plus a glass of lemonade, and its score is 8.3 from 5,070 reviews. The route adds the two Margaret Island bridges.
Its real advantage is the island. From March to October, water level permitting, you can get off at Margaret Island, join a 30-minute walking tour in English at no extra cost and catch a later boat back. The operator's site describes this as 45 minutes of free time on marked departures, with the option to stay longer depending on the seasonal timetable. Two caveats from the listing: the walking tour does not run on the last daytime cruise, and if you get off on the last departure you pay your own way back.
3The cancellation difference
This is easy to miss. The evening cruise can be cancelled free of charge up to 48 hours before departure. The daytime cruise, like the Silverline and dinner cruises, allows 24 hours.
If you are booking tonight for tomorrow night, the evening ticket is already non-refundable. Travellers who like to decide on the day, or who are watching a weather forecast, should weigh that.
4Lights are not guaranteed
The Silverline listing carries a warning that applies to every night cruise on this river: because of national energy-saving measures, the decorative lighting of some monuments, including the bridges and the Parliament, may be limited for an indefinite period. Neither Legenda listing repeats the note, but they sail past the same buildings.
It is not a reason to avoid the evening cruise. It is a reason not to promise your travel companions a fully lit Parliament.
5The sunset option on the budget boat
Silverline sells a sunset departure of its one-hour cruise from €12 as the starting price, with a 24-hour refund window. The route is longer to the south, reaching the National Theatre. On the other hand there is no drink, the audio guide runs on your own phone, seats are unreserved and the score is 6.6 from 520 reviews.
It suits someone who wants dusk on the water for as little money as possible. For everyone else the €25 evening cruise is the better buy.