After leaving your mooring outside of Budapest you will sail past Vac (1680 Km) an industrial city, Visegrad (1695 Km) with a 13th Century castle 900 feet above the river, Esztergom (1790 Km) where many main residences of Hungarian rulers were housed, and reach the Gabcikovo – Dunaj Lock at (1819 Km). Arriving sometime after your breakfast.
Gabcikova is a hydro electric project on the Danube River South of Bratislavia and was built jointly by Slovakia and Hungary between 1977 and 1992. The natural channel of the Danube is now controlled by a weir and lock at Cunovo in Solvakia and the weir at Dunakilite in Hungry; there is no through passage at this channel.
Babcikova weir and lock create the Zdrz Hrusov (Hrusov Reservoir) and Dunajsky Kanal. The canal is an elevated straight line aqueduct with rigid banks. This is a two-chamber lock complex which allows passage of the river traffic. The lock below is controlled by Slovakia and the lock above is controlled by Hungary.
There are 66 locks between Budapest and Amsterdam which will take you from the Danube River, to the Main River, and finally to the Rhine River. As you travel from Budapest you will be climbing up river to the Continental Divide and after the Divide travelling to Amsterdam will be down river.
The Gabcikovo – Dunai lock is 18 meters/59 feet high, length is 275 meters/90 feet, and 34 meters/112 feet wide.
Travelling through this lock will have everyone on the upper deck. Get a drink, grab your camera, find a seat and relax.
