The Danube flows through Budapest before entering the Black Sea.
The Danube is Europe’s second-longest river, after the Volga. It rises in Germany’s Black Forest and travels about 2,850 kilometers through or along the borders of ten countries before reaching the Black Sea through the Danube Delta.
Budapest, Hungary’s capital, developed on both banks of the river. Buda lies mainly on the hilly western bank, while Pest occupies the flatter eastern bank; the two cities were united in 1873. Bridges such as the Chain Bridge connect the two sides and have become symbols of Budapest.
The Danube has long been a major route for commerce, migration, and cultural exchange. Its basin includes much of central and southeastern Europe, and the river passes through four national capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade. The Danube Delta, shared chiefly by Romania and Ukraine, is one of Europe’s important wetland regions.