The Danube flows through Budapest and passes through more national capitals than any other river.
Rising in Germany’s Black Forest region, the Danube travels generally eastward across central and southeastern Europe before reaching the Black Sea. At about 2,850 kilometers, it is Europe’s second-longest river, after the Volga.
The river passes through or along the borders of ten countries, more than any other river. Four national capitals stand directly on its banks: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade. This concentration makes the Danube unusually important in European history, transportation, culture, and diplomacy.
Budapest developed on both sides of the river, joining Buda and Pest in 1873. The Danube Delta, where the river reaches the Black Sea, is one of Europe’s most significant wetland areas. The Rhine and Seine are also historically important European rivers, but neither connects as many capital cities.