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River

Danube

2,850 km from source to mouth · 9 countries.

RomaniaGermanySlovakiaMoldovaBulgariaCroatiaRomania, Germany, Slovakia, Moldova, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Austria and SerbiaFlows into Black Sea1st longest in Romania

Follow the riverMonth by month

SourceMouthViennaBudapestBelgrade
The river and every tributary in its basin, drawn from RiverATLAS (CC BY 4.0).

In numbers

Length

2,850km

Average flow

5,400m³/s

Basin

801,463km²

Drop

783m

from 780 m to -3 m

Countries

9

The journey

From source to mouth

2,850 km of river and 68 stops on the way: 45 towns and cities on its banks, dams, bridges and the tributaries that feed it.

780 m-3 m
Brigachat 780 m0 km
Regensburg151,517 people339 km
Linz211,944 people549 km
Bratislava480,902 people797 km
Budapest1,685,209 people1,005 km
Novi Sad260,438 people1,369 km
Belgrade1,197,714 people1,450 km
Lom15,429 people1,851 km
Ruse120,282 people2,084 km
Brăila154,686 people2,381 km
Black Seaat -3 m2,850 km
01,0002,0002,850 km
  1. 0 kmBrigachat 780 m
  2. 20 kmBrigachtributary
  3. 20 kmBregtributary
  4. 21 kmRiedsee0.3 km²
  5. 31 kmAitrachtributary
  6. 85 kmLaucherttributary
  7. 90 kmAblachtributary
  8. 92 kmOstrachtributary
  9. 156 kmUlm130,288 people
  10. 195 kmLauingen11,604 people
  11. 199 kmDillingen an der Donau19,643 people
  12. 206 kmHöchstädt an der Donau6,910 people
  13. 225 kmDonauwörth20,024 people
  14. 242 kmBertoldsheimer Stausee1.2 km²
  15. 254 kmNeuburg an der Donau30,039 people
  16. 272 kmIngolstadt140,799 people
  17. 296 kmNeustadt an der Donau14,891 people
  18. 311 kmKelheim17,108 people
  19. 339 kmRegensburg151,517 people
  20. 383 kmStraubing49,061 people
  21. 410 kmHackerweiher0.3 km²
  22. 415 kmDeggendorf35,166 people
  23. 467 kmPassau53,523 people
  24. 549 kmLinz211,944 people
  25. 657 kmWachauUNESCO World Heritage
  26. 737 kmFloridsdorf162,779 people
  27. 739 kmVienna1,691,468 people
  28. 742 kmOld Danube1.2 km²
  29. 742 kmDonaustadt187,007 people
  30. 744 kmSimmering101,420 people
  31. 797 kmBratislava480,902 people
  32. 797 kmPetržalka112,118 people
  33. 819 kmŠamorín13,622 people
  34. 892 kmKomárno31,560 people
  35. 938 kmŠtúrovo9,221 people
  36. 997 kmÚjpest100,694 people
  37. 1,001 kmBudapest III. kerület123,723 people
  38. 1,001 kmBudapest XIII. kerület113,531 people
  39. 1,002 kmZugló130,000 people
  40. 1,005 kmBuda510,108 people
  41. 1,005 kmBudapest1,685,209 people
  42. 1,006 kmPest1,001,748 people
  43. 1,007 kmBudapest XI. kerület139,049 people
  44. 1,085 kmFelső-tó1.0 km²
  45. 1,194 kmRiha-tó0.7 km²
  46. 1,369 kmNovi Sad260,438 people
  47. 1,445 kmZemun155,591 people
  48. 1,450 kmBelgrade1,197,714 people
  49. 1,663 kmLake Đerdap119 km²
  50. 1,675 kmDrobeta-Turnu Severin79,865 people
  51. 1,778 kmBalta Mare1.3 km²
  52. 1,799 kmCalafat13,807 people
  53. 1,805 kmVidin33,127 people
  54. 1,851 kmLom15,429 people
  55. 2,030 kmSvishtov17,115 people
  56. 2,084 kmRuse120,282 people
  57. 2,088 kmGiurgiu54,551 people
  58. 2,195 kmSilistra26,470 people
  59. 2,228 kmLacul Oltina20 km²
  60. 2,375 kmLacul Sărat1.9 km²
  61. 2,381 kmBrăila154,686 people
  62. 2,396 kmBalta Cătușa0.3 km²
  63. 2,400 kmGalaţi217,851 people
  64. 2,439 kmLake Kahul89 km²
  65. 2,439 kmOzero Turke2.6 km²
  66. 2,449 kmLake Kartal9.8 km²
  67. 2,484 kmLake Ialpuh225 km²
  68. 2,508 kmKatlabuh60 km²
  69. 2,555 kmVylkove7,804 people
  70. 2,850 kmBlack Seaat -3 m

Water level along the river (RiverATLAS; the height is exaggerated). Towns: GeoNames and Wikidata; bridges, dams and tributaries: Wikidata.

Second-longest river in Europe

At the mouth it carries 5,433 m³/s on average: 2.2 Olympic pools every second. It drops from 780 m to -3 m, 0.3 m per kilometre on average. Its basin covers 801,463 km², about the size of MZ. 78.8 million people live in it. Highest water: from February to March and May. Dams and reservoirs hold back a large share of its water (10% of a year's flow).

Read more on Wikipedia

Where to start

  • ViennaLargest city on its banks · 1,691,468 people
  • Vienna International Airport (VIE)Nearest airport with scheduled flights, 18 km from the cityCar hire at VIE airport (Vienna)Discover Cars · Affiliate link
  • On the water939 ferry piers, marinas, boat rentals and boat ramps along the river (OpenStreetMap)
  • Kayak and canoe47 put-ins and rapids mapped (OpenStreetMap)
  • From May to SeptemberThe best months to visit

Danube, month by month

Highest water: from February to March and May

Best months to visit: from May to September.

4,700
-1°41 mmJan
11,800
1°40 mmFeb
10,400
5°40 mmMar
8,200
11°48 mmApr
11,200
16°67 mmMay
8,100
19°80 mmJun
8,500
21°67 mmJul
7,900
20°60 mmAug
6,000
17°48 mmSep
4,000
11°41 mmOct
5,800
5°51 mmNov
8,500
1°50 mmDec
Water (estimated flow)Air (average) Rain (mm)Best months

From about 4,000 m³/s in the lowest month to 11,800 m³/s in the highest. An estimate: the monthly flow is modelled from the lowest and highest months of WaterGAP (RiverATLAS, 1971–2000) and the rain and snow along the river (WorldClim). Dams change the real rhythm. The chip is the average air temperature; below it, the month's rain.

Plan the trip

Plan the trip: boat trips, a bed by the river, a car

Car hire at VIE airport (Vienna)Discover CarsSee 

Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.

The basin

Danube: the basin in numbers

786,749 km² of land send their water to this river. This is what lives on it.

Heavily regulatedReservoirs can hold 10% of a year's flow: dams shape its seasons.
  • 78.8millionpeople live in the basin
  • 101/km²people per km²
  • 457maverage altitude of the basin
  • 742mmof rain a year (basin average)
  • 8.8°Caverage air temperature
  • 12%protected areas
  • 0.6%covered by lakes
  • 21km³held in reservoirs

What covers the basin

  • 39% Forest
  • 37% Cropland
  • 18% Pasture
  • 4% Towns and cities

RiverATLAS (HydroATLAS v1.0, CC BY 4.0): land cover, people, protected areas, glaciers and dams over the whole basin upstream of the mouth.

Along the river

Danube: what you find on the way

  • 199DamsLinachtalsperre, Überlaufbecken - Linachtalsperre, Flutpolder Riedensheim and 196 more
  • 510WeirsZiegelhütte, Bronner Wehr, Wehr Sigmaringendorf and 507 more
  • 136LocksKahnschleuse, Flutwehr, Bootschleuse Bittenbrunn and 133 more
  • 35WaterfallsWasserbrunnen, Teufelsloch, Bockbach Wasserfall and 32 more
  • 22Rapids
  • 25Canoe put-insBeuron, Einstieg Rechtenstein, Einstieg Obermarchtal and 22 more
  • 432Boat rampsBootsrampe der Wasserwacht, Slipanlage, Kanu Club Dillingen (Zeltplatz) and 429 more
  • 281Ferry piersUlm (Saumarkt), Neu-Ulm (Edwin-Scharff-Haus), Metzgerturm and 278 more
  • 194MarinasSegelkameradschaft Riedsee Hüfingen e.V., Steeganlage Airbus Sportgemeinschaft, DRCI - Donau-Ruder-Club Ingolstadt and 191 more
  • 32Boat rentalsPaddelzeit Kanuverleih & Mehr, Kanu Wachau, Neuer Bootsvermietung and 29 more
  • 341River beachesInselbad, Badestelle Erbach, Kiesbank Badeplatz Wiblingen and 338 more

From OpenStreetMap, within 2.9 km of the river. Not mapped is not the same as not there.

Cross-checked with our atlases

Danube in our other atlases

What our sister atlases know about the waterfalls on this river, the lakes it flows through, the beaches at its mouth, the mountains where it rises and the islands off its mouth.

  • 16lakes on its wayLakeyas
  • 83mountains at the sourcePeakyas
  • 5islands off the mouthIslandyas

Lakes and reservoirs (16)

Lakes it flows through, by Lakeyas

  1. Bertoldsheimer Stauseekm 2511.2km²
  2. Old Danubekm 7681.2km²
  3. Lake Đerdapkm 1,721119km²
  4. Lacul Oltinakm 2,30520km²
  5. Lake Kahulkm 2,523 · 7 m deep89km²
  6. Lake Kartalkm 2,5339.8km²
  7. Lake Ialpuhkm 2,570 · 5 m deep225km²
  8. Katlabuhkm 2,59460km²

8 more on LakeyasLakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗

Mountains at the source (83)

Within 15 km of the source, by Peakyas

  1. Kandel11 km away · prominence 351 m1,241m
  2. Rohrhardsberg4.3 km away1,153m
  3. Brend1.7 km away1,149m
  4. Obereck3.4 km away · prominence 199 m1,178m
  5. Sattelhöhe11 km away1,216m
  6. Hörnleberg8.9 km away906m
  7. Schultiskopf4.7 km away1,077m
  8. P.10822.8 km away · prominence 86 m1,082m

75 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗

Islands off the mouth (5)

Within 30 km of the mouth, by Islandyas

  1. Popina Island6.9 km away1.0km²
  2. Island K8.6 km away0.6km²
  3. Limba Island1.6 km away
  4. Ankudinov Island16 km away
  5. Kubanu Island5.4 km away

Islandyas is coming soonOpen Islandyas ↗

From space

The source and the mouth, seen from orbit

Danube: satellite view of the source
The source14 km across
Danube: satellite view of the mouth
The mouth121 km across

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016), CC BY 4.0. The glowing line is the river as drawn by RiverATLAS.

Photos

Danube in pictures

Spitz an der Donau Panorama 20260417
Uoaei1 · CC BY-SA 4.0
View to Iron Gate, Danube
Pudelek · CC BY-SA 4.0
Budapest from Gellert Hill
Gabor Eszes ( UED77 ) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Donausteig Rastplatz
Pfeifferfranz · CC BY-SA 3.0

Tributaries

Where it flows, and what flows into it

Tributaries (225)

TiszaSerbiaSerbia966 km800 m³/sjoins at km 1,455PrutMoldovaMoldova953 km120 m³/sjoins at km 2,500SavaSerbiaSerbia945 km1,700 m³/sjoins at km 1,499Siret RiverRomaniaRomania740 km230 m³/sjoins at km 2,479DravaCroatiaCroatia720 km620 m³/sjoins at km 1,294Olt RiverRomaniaRomania615 km170 m³/sjoins at km 2,051InnGermanyGermany517 km740 m³/sjoins at km 485VáhSlovakiaSlovakia433 km150 m³/sjoins at km 925Ialomița RiverRomaniaRomania414 km70 m³/sjoins at km 2,393MoravaAustriaAustria388 km110 m³/sIskarBulgariaBulgaria368 km54 m³/sjoins at km 2,018Timiș RiverSerbiaSerbia359 km47 m³/sjoins at km 1,514

Also: Regen, Brigach, Donaukanal, Ilz, Wörnitz, Nera River, Rusenski Lom, Vuka, Traisen, Abens, Günz, Mindel, Ogosta, Vils, Schwechat, Fischa, Kamp, Paar, Brenz, Karaš, Pek, Mlava, Vydrica, Blau

In the same basin

DrinaSerbiaSerbia346 km120 m³/sMureș RiverHungaryHungary803 km160 m³/sMurCroatiaCroatia434 km170 m³/sBosnaBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina282 km140 m³/sSalzachGermanyGermany225 km250 m³/sKupaCroatiaCroatia297 km280 m³/sSomeșHungaryHungary418 km120 m³/sUnaCroatiaCroatia207 km200 m³/sDâmbovița RiverRomaniaRomania286 km19 m³/sVrbasBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina240 km33 m³/s

Nearby

Rivers nearby

DniesterUkraineUkraine1,352 km310 m³/s123 km awayPrutMoldovaMoldova953 km120 m³/s118 km awaySiret RiverRomaniaRomania740 km230 m³/s131 km awayIalomița RiverRomaniaRomania414 km70 m³/s157 km awayDnieperUkraineUkraine2,285 km1,700 m³/s251 km awayBuzău RiverRomaniaRomania325 km28 m³/s154 km awayBârlad RiverRomaniaRomania207 km9.0 m³/s175 km awayBâcMoldovaMoldova155 km1.0 m³/s186 km away

Where these numbers come from

Name, length, placesWikidata (Q1653) · CC0
Course, profile, basinRiverATLAS v1.0 (HydroATLAS, Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 — followed from the source to the mouth given by Wikidata
FlowWaterGAP (RiverATLAS), 1971–2000 · CC BY 4.0
Climate along the riverWorldClim (RiverATLAS), 1970–2000 · CC BY 4.0
Towns, bridges, damsWikidata · CC0; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0
Along the river© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Our other atlasesLakeyas, Peakyas, Islandyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; HydroLAKES · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST

Every source and licence is on the data sources page.

The family

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.

beachesCoastyaFind your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit
lakesLakeyasEvery lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit
mountainsPeakyasEvery summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit
waterfallsCascadyasEvery waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit
islandsIslandyasEvery island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Coming soonVisit
riversRiveryasEvery river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.You are here
canyonsCanyonyasEvery canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Coming soonVisit