Few people know that you can swim legally in Europe’s largest river.
When summer comes to Hungary most people associate it with Lake Balaton or the endless baths and spa waters, but only few are aware that you can swim in the Danube.
There are beaches to the north of Budapest (and now even in Budapest) and some between the capital and the Croatian border.
Recently as we were driving from Pécs to Budapest I remembered that many years ago, as a kid, I was at a summer camp in Fadd-Dombori, at the Danube, near the south Hungarian town Szekszárd (fun fact: pronounced “Sexard).
I checked the present state of the place and it turned out that there is still a beach there, surrounded by a pretty holiday village.
So we went there, and it was a good decision.
Dombori Beach, as many other Danube beaches, is free to visit and has a surprisingly good infrastructure. It has a nice lawn, tall trees with large shadows, clean and free toilets, sport courts, playgrounds for kids, food bars, a paddle boat rental and even a beach guard.
The beach itself is around 100 meter long, the shore is concrete and stones, the bottom of the river is a kind of small pebbles. When we were there there were only a few people at the beach, but it is true, the weather was not perfect.
All in all, the place is pretty cool, and the best, of course, is the water. It is the Danube, but not the “big” Danube, it is a backwater of it. The size and the atmosphere is nearly the same, but you cannot see big ships, in return, you can walk a bit further in the water until it gets really deep.
I suppose it is not really dangerous, but keep in mind, this is a large river, so it is not a children’s paradise. But if you like natural waters and the sense of freedom that comes with them, you will enjoy it.
We definitely did.
As I said Fadd-Dombori is not the only beach along the Danube, nor the best-known.
More photos:
To the north of Budapest there are the following beaches:
In Budapest
To the south of Budapest (to the Croatian border)
