Public Transport
Budapest has an efficient network of public transport, including bus, trolley bus, tram, metro services plus suburban railway lines called HÉV lines and boat services. Tickets are available at metro stations or street kiosks. Passengers can use the same type of ticket for all forms of public transport but they need to validate a new ticket when making transfers. Bus drivers on specific routes do sell tickets but passengers need to prepare exact amounts as no change will be given back. If one regularly uses public transport, it is economically more viable to buy a monthly or yearly pass. Students are entitled to reduced rates. For current ticket types and prices, visit: www.bkv.hu.
Ticket validation procedure
Tickets must be validated using a hand-operated punch machine or an electronic device when boarding a public transport vehicle. If you travel by metro, you have to validate your ticket at the station entry points. Electronic ticket validation devices (they look like orange boxes) are installed at metro station entrances.
Buses
Budapest has more than 200 bus routes covering most inner city and suburban areas. Some routes offer an express service, indicated with an E following the bus number. Express and regular services cover the same routes but express services have a reduced number of stops. Passengers wishing to get off, need to press the stop button before the bus pulls in to the actual station. On the main routes, service are available even during the night hours.
Metro
Budapest metro has four lines, three of which (M1, M2 and M3) intersect at Deák tér:
- M1: the Yellow Line between Vörösmarty tér and Mexikói út. In fact, this was the first subway line in Mainland Europe, and was opened in 1896 for the Hungarian Millennium.
- M2: the Red Line between Déli pályaudvar and Örs vezér tere,
- M3: the Blue Line between Újpest Központ and Kőbánya-Kispest,
- M4: the Green Line between Kelenföld vasútállomás and Keleti pályaudvar.
Each metro station is marked with a letter M enclosed in a circle. Although navigating in the Budapest metro poses no difficulty for tourists, metro maps are available at any of the station entries. Metro services run from 4:30 until 23:30.
HÉV
The suburban train service of Budapest called HÉV connects Budapest with its suburban areas.
HÉV lines are also numbered: H5, H6, H7, H8 and H9. A popular journey for tourists is from
Batthyány tér to Szentendre by the line H5. If you leave the administrative border of Budapest, you need to purchase an additional ticket to your destination.
Boat services
Budapest has 3 public boat lines:
- D-11: Kopaszi-gát (Rákóczi híd)–Újpest, Árpád út
- D-12 and D-13: Kopaszi-gát (Rákóczi híd)–Rómaifürdő
The services operate form 6.30 till 20.30, but lines D-11 and D-12 are in operation only on weekdays.
Public transport fare reductions for students
Holders of a valid student card are entitled to fare reductions. The reductions currently available for students are as follows:
- 63% discount on monthly pass for public transport in Budapest.
- 50% discount on travelling by train.
- 50% discount on HÉV and boat fares.
Trains
Most train lines in Hungary use Budapest as a central point, which is the most common place for transfers. Although the train network has lines connecting cities and towns, to reach your final destination quickly, it is sometimes faster to travel through Budapest. The best way to travel by train is to use Intercity services, which provide a reliable and comfortable way of travel. You need to pay a supplement fare, though, which entails a mere HUF 150–1,035 extra as compared to regular train ticket prices.
Budapest has three major train stations: Keleti pályaudvar (Eastern Railway Station) and Déli pályaudvar (Southern Railway Station) both of which are situated at stops along metro line M2 (Red Line), and Nyugati pályaudvar (Western Railway Station) which is situated on metro line M3 (Blue Line).
Coaches
If you travel outside Budapest, you can also take a coach. Coach drivers sell tickets on the coach, but to secure seat reservations, the tickets should be purchased in advance.
Coach stations in Budapest:
- Stadionok | Budapest District 14, Hungária körút 48-52. (on metro line M2) | Coach departures to eastern Hungary.
- Árpád-híd | Budapest District 13, Árbóc u. 1-3. (on metro line M3) | Coach departures to Pilisvörösvár and Szentendre.
- Népliget | Budapest District 9, Üllői út 131. (on metro line M3) | Coach services to Transdanubia and international coach services.
- Etele tér | Budapest District 11, (take Bus 7E to get here) | Departures to Biatorbágy, Érd, and Százhalombatta.
- Széna tér | Budapest District 1, (take Tram 4 or 6 to get here) | Departures to the Zsámbék area.
By car
Visitors don’t need a Hungarian driving license to drive in Hungary but they need to keep all car documents, their driving license and passport with them. If they are stopped by a traffic warden or a police officer, some form of identification including these documents will have to be presented and driving without any documents is an offence. Speed limits in Hungary vary according to road types. In urban areas the speed limit is 50 km per hour, on highways it is 90 km per hour. If you drive on a motorway, the speed limit is 130 km per hour and you have to buy a motorway vignette. You can get it mainly at petrol stations. It costs HUF 2,975 per 10 days for passenger cars.
Petrol is not particularly cheap or expensive in Hungary, the price being approximately what you would expect to pay in any other European country. Petrol stations are easy to find in Hungary and most cities will have at least one open 24 hours a day.
Renting a car is also possible if you are 21 years old or older and have had your driving license for at least a year. Most car suppliers require an international driving license as well.
Hungary has a zero tolerance policy towards a drink-driving offence.
Taxi
When taking a taxi, tourists should avoid hailing unmarked taxi cabs. Even if they have a taxi sign on the roof and are seen standing at taxi ranks, do not get in the car unless they have a company name on the outside of the car. You can always hail a taxi in the streets but it is cheaper to book one over the phone. From September 2013 every taxi in Budapest is uniformly yellow.
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