Mahart Cruises

What Mahart Cruises does

MAHART Cruises (legally MAHART PassNave Személyhajózási Kft.) is a Hungarian inland waterway passenger shipping company majority-owned by the Hungarian State since 2013, headquartered at the Budapest International Ship Station on the Belgrád rakpart. Founded on January 1, 1994 as a 100% subsidiary of MAHART Magyar Hajózási Zrt., the company operates a diversified river transport and tourism business on the Hungarian section of the Danube, with scheduled service routes spanning Budapest, the Danube Bend (Szentendre, Visegrád, Esztergom, Vác), and international hydrofoil (szárnyashajó) program routes to Vienna and Bratislava. Its core technology is a multi-vessel fleet that includes Russian-designed Fecske hydrofoil wingships, conventional passenger and excursion boats, a specialized waste-transport vessel, and a historic gőzkomp steam ferry repurposed as a branded event venue. Hop-on hop-off river sightseeing in Budapest and the Danube Bend is a signature service, alongside themed program cruises (Prosecco, theater, sunset yoga, Renaissance Day, folk, Hungaroring racing transport, fireworks, and New Year's Eve).

The business model combines transaction-based passenger ticket sales across scheduled routes with charter-based vessel rental for corporate events, weddings, and school groups, plus premium event-cruise packages. Customer segments are B2C dominant — domestic and international tourists, schools and kindergartens at discounted rates, and corporate/event planners for charter — with tour-operator partnerships (in-house Mahart Tours subsidiary and GetYourGuide for inbound) and acceptance of SZÉP Card and ISIC student cards broadening payment accessibility. Distribution is omnichannel: a proprietary B2C booking portal (b2c.mahartpassnave.hu), a walk-up ticket office at the International Ship Station, multilingual website content in six languages, a Mailchimp newsletter, and Facebook organic and Messenger community engagement. Sister entities Mahart Ports (port operations) and Mahart Tours (land tour packages) provide vertical integration across the MAHART group. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the company has no funding rounds, no app, no API, and no disclosed AI capabilities.

Name

Mahart Cruises

Legal name

MAHART PassNave Személyhajózási Kft.

Website

https://mahartevent.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MAHART Cruises operates scheduled passenger ferries, hydrofoil routes, sightseeing cruises, and charter services on the Hungarian Danube from Budapest to Vienna and Bratislava, serving tourists, schools, and corporate event clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Passenger Ferry Services

NAICS

Inland Water Passenger Transportation (483212), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (4872)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Boutique Small-Ship River Cruises (THAEACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theme & Specialty River Cruises (Culinary/Wellness/Music/etc.) (THAEACAL), River Cruise Charters (Private/Group) (THAEACAE), River Shore Excursions & Onshore Programs (THAEACAG), River Cruise + Land Tour Packages (Cruisetours) (THAEACAK)

Keywords

• Passenger ferry services
• River cruise tours
• Danube sightseeing
• Boat charter rental
• Hydrofoil transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

Budapest

HQ country

Hungary

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Passenger Ticket Sales: Core revenue stream from individual and group tickets for scheduled routes including Budapest city sightseeing, Danube Bend excursions (Szentendre, Visegrád, Esztergom), Vienna trips, and special event cruises. Pricing varies by route, service class (hydrofoil vs regular ferry), and season.
2. Boat Charter Services: Private vessel rental for events, corporate functions, weddings, school excursions, and special occasions. Offers multiple vessel sizes from medium excursion boats to larger event-capable vessels including the historic steam ferry (gőzkomp) as event venue.
3. Event Cruises: Special themed cruise packages including New Year's Eve celebrations, fireworks viewing trips, theater cruises, Renaissance Day, Sunset Yoga, Prosecco cruises, and Hungaroring race transportation. Premium pricing for limited-availability events.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mahart Cruises (MAHART PassNave Személyhajózási Kft.) operates scheduled passenger ferry services, sightseeing cruises, and private boat charter services on the Hungarian Danube. The portfolio covers Budapest city sightseeing, Danube Bend excursion routes to Szentendre, Visegrád, and Esztergom, hydrofoil (wingship) routes to Vienna and Bratislava, themed event cruises, and private vessel hire for corporate and group events. The company also operates the historic gőzkomp steam ferry as a unique event venue.

Product overview

MAHART Cruises (MAHART PassNave Személyhajózási Kft.) operates a diversified river cruise and passenger ferry business on the Danube. The portfolio spans three core pillars: scheduled passenger ferry services (Budapest–Szentendre, Visegrád–Esztergom, and the hydrofoil network including Budapest–Vác–Visegrád–Esztergom and international routes to Vienna/Bécs and Bratislava/Pozsony); open-water sightseeing cruises (the evening Danube sightseeing cruise, daytime hop-on hop-off Budapest cruise, and Danube Bend excursion boats); and chartered vessel hire for events, private functions, and school/group outings. The company also operates specialty program cruises (Prosecco, theater, sunset yoga, Renaissance Day, folk, Hungaroring) and maintains a waste-transport vessel. MAHART Tours serves as a complementary land-tour subsidiary. Services are sold through a direct B2C web portal (b2c.mahartpassnave.hu) and third-party booking partners. The fleet includes hydrofoil (szárnyashajó) vessels and conventional passenger boats, with the historic gőzkomp (steam ferry) repurposed as an event venue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Evening Sightseeing Cruise (Esti Városnéző Sétahajó)
• Daytime Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing (Nappali Hop-On Városnéző Hajózás) Flexible daytime hop-on hop-off sightseeing cruise in Budapest, allowing passengers to board and alight at multiple stops along the Danube.
• Budapest–Szentendre–Budapest Route Regular ferry service between Budapest and Szentendre, connecting the city with the artistic and cultural attractions of the Danube Bend.
• Budapest–Szentendre–Visegrád Excursion Boat Excursion boat linking Budapest, Szentendre, and Visegrád through the Danube Bend region for individual tourists and groups.
• Visegrád Hop-On Sightseeing Boat Hop-on hop-off sightseeing boat service focused on Visegrád, allowing flexible exploration of the Danube Bend at multiple stops.
• Visegrád–Esztergom Excursion Route Excursion route between Visegrád and Esztergom along the scenic Danube Bend for tourists and sightseers.
• Esztergom Sightseeing Boat One-hour sightseeing boat tour departing from Esztergom, focused on the Danube Bend's scenic highlights for individual tourists.
• Hydrofoil Service to Vienna (Szárnyashajó Járat – Bécs) High-speed hydrofoil (wingship) service from Budapest to Vienna operating on the international Danube corridor.
• Themed Event Cruises (Programhajók) Specialty cruise experiences including Prosecco cruises, theater cruises, Renaissance Day at Visegrád, sunset yoga, fireworks viewing, and Hungaroring race transportation. Targeted at tourists and locals seeking premium event experiences.
• Excursion Boat Charter (Kirándulóhajó Bérlés) Charter rental of medium-sized excursion vessels (including the Hunyadi) for private events, corporate functions, school trips, and group outings.
• Event Boat Charter (Rendezvényhajó Bérlés) Charter of vessels specifically configured as event venues for weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations.
• MAHART Steam Ferry Event Venue (Gőzkomp Rendezvénytér) Historic steam ferry (gőzkomp) converted into a unique event venue, available for private hire and special events.
• Discounted Group and School Tickets (Kedvezményes Hajójegyek) Discounted tickets and bundled program packages for groups, schools, and kindergartens, including Szentendre art packages and special event packages.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mahart TourscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIn-house tour operator subsidiary providing packaged cruise tours and organized travel services. Logo displayed prominently on website as recommended tour partner for cruise experiences.
• GetYourGuideminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational tour and activity booking platform listing Mahart cruise experiences for online discovery and booking by international tourists.
• SZÉP KártyacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHungarian supplementary payment card system accepted for cruise tickets and services, enabling employees to use employer-provided leisure funds for waterway experiences.
• BahartminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBalaton region shipping company partnership for cross-regional waterway tourism and potential inter-network ticketing or experience bundling.
• ISIC (International Student Identity Card)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational student card association partnership offering discounted fares for student passengers holding valid ISIC cards.
• Mahart PortscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company under MAHART group managing port infrastructure. Co-manages passenger shipping terminals and port facilities in Budapest and Danube Bend locations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Mahartcruises
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mahartcruises

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mahart Cruises