Low water levels on the Danube are bringing river cruises to a standstill in Hungary

"No ship goes any further than Komarom," Lilla Lassu, vice president of the Hungarian Association of Incoming Tour Operators, told the Hungarian television station RTL Klub. Komarom is a port on the Danube located about 120 kilometers upstream from Budapest.

Passengers would transfer there to buses that would take them to their sightseeing tours or to the airport in the Hungarian capital, the tourism official added. According to the Hungarian Ministry of Transport, there are currently seven international cruise ships docked at the Danube port of Komárom.

According to the State Water Authority, the water level of the Danube in Budapest was just 23 centimeters on Thursday morning. The measuring stations in Budapest had recorded the record low of 9 centimeters last Sunday evening.

For hotel ships, it's a waiting game

River cruise ships can also be seen at the Budapest docks. They had reached the Hungarian capital before the dramatic drop in water levels and are now forced to wait. A spokeswoman for the National Water Authority told RTL Klub that rainfall is expected in the coming days, but it is unlikely to be enough to make the Danube in Budapest navigable again for river cruise ships.

A rock grows into an island

The low water level is currently exposing the piers of the Danube bridges and causing islands to form in the riverbed. The so-called Hungerfelsen (Hungarian: Inseg szikla) has become a special attraction. This pile of rocks near the Freedom Bridge repeatedly emerges from the river when water levels are low. In recent days, it has grown into a veritable island. Locals and tourists are climbing all over it.

The phenomenon got its name in earlier centuries, when mills on the banks of the Danube in Budapest ground the flour for the city’s bread. The appearance of the “Hunger Rock” signaled to the people of Budapest that the water level was no longer sufficient for the mills to operate. No flour for bread, in turn, meant hunger and hardship.

Lake Balaton is also running low on water

The drought is also affecting Lake Balaton (Hungarian: Balaton), the largest inland lake in Central Europe. Photos in the media show sailboats and yachts stranded on the shore, unable to set out due to the low water level. This body of water is also currently experiencing record-low water levels.

Even in normal times, the lake is only 3.2 meters deep on average. Currently, it’s just 54 centimeters deep, according to the news portal “444.hu.” Swimmers who walk 50 meters out into the lake are still standing in water that’s only ankle-deep. Even pedal boats are lying unused in the mud along the shore.