If you want to get the most of your Budapest and Hungary travel you need to plan your trip well. We compiled some useful tips and information to help in your travel planning.

You'll also find some daytrip suggestions to Hungary's countryside to learn more about this fascinating country and its attractions.

Getting to Budapest

Travelling by Air

Budapest the capital of Hungary is located in Central Europe. You have many options to get to Hungary and Budapest.

Many international airlines operate services to Budapest and there's an airport at Lake Balaton (the country's most popular summer resort) too. Planes will arrive and land at Budapest Ferihegy Airport in the outskirts of the city, around 16 km (10 miles) from the centre.

From US the Delta Airlines has direct flight service to Budapest. Several cheap airlines fly to Budapest too from major European cities.

By Train

Budapest has direct train services to and from:

• Austria,
• Bosnia Hercegovina,
• Croatia,
• Czech Republic,
• France,
• Germany,
• Greece,
• Italy,
• Poland,
• Romania,
• Russia,
• Serbia,
• Slovakia,
• Slovenia,
• Switzerland, and
• Ukraine.

Trains will arrive at one of the 3 train stations of Budapest:

• Keleti (Eastern) Pályaudvar (Train Station),
  
  
• Nyugati (Western) Pályaudvar or
  
  
• Déli (Southern) Pályaudvar

From the train stations you can easily get to the city centre by public transport (Keleti and Déli Tr. Stations: M2 -red-metro line, Nyugati Tr. St.: M3-blue-metro).

A trip to the centre takes about 10-15 minutes depending on your destination and the time of your travel (on weekends, and public holiday and in the evenings public transport services run less frequently).

TIP: see our Budapest Map to get familiar with the city.

An exotic way to get to Budapest is by a hydrofoil (a special boat using underwater wings which raises the vessel slightly above the water at high speed) on the Danube from Vienna. The journey between Vienna-Budapest takes about 5-6 hours and a two-way ticket costs cc. € 100.

What's the climate like in Budapest? Hunagry lies in the moderate zone so there are four seasons. Summer tends to be hot and dry with daily temperatures around 25 °C-35 °C. Winter is cold and cloudy but nowadays there's rarely snow.

The most favorable sesons for visiting Budapest are spring (March-May) and earyl autumn (September-mid-October) when the weather is mild. Read more about the Weather in Budapest.

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Budapest City Break

If you're visiting Budapest for a couple of days you'll have only a limited time to see the top attractions the city offers. In this case is best if you stay in a central Budapest Hotel preferably in the V. district which is in downtown Budapest. There are many hotels in the vicinity of Váci utca the well-known pedestrian shopping street.

TIP 2: By going on Hop On Hop Off Bus Sightseeing Tour you'll enjoy a quick tour of the city in a convenient, air-conditioned bus. Audio guide describing the city's sights and attractions is provided in several languages. You can read more about and book a Budapest Hop On Hop off Tour here.

Hotel Recommendations for Your Budapest Travel

There are some large hotels along the Grand Boulevard a busy ringroad in Pest including the glitzy New York Palace Boscolo Hotel and the 5-star Corinhtia Grand Hotel Royal on Erzsébet körút which has won several international awards and one of the best-value hotels in Budapest.

Other well-located lodgings include the Four Seasons Hotel Greasham Palace at the Pest end of the Chain Bridge on the Danube bank or the Hilton Budapest WestEnd Hotel right next to the West End Shopping Centre. Hilton has another joint in the Castle District in Buda.

For a romantic hide-away we recommed the St George Residence Hotel in Buda Castle.

TIP: Best Deals on Budapest Accommodation

More Hotels & Accommodation in Budapest
	Best Hotels in Budapest
	Central Budapest Hotels
	Boutique Hotels in Budapest
	Budapest Airport Hotels
	Budapest Apartment Hotels
	5-star Budapest Hotels
	4-star Budapest Hotels
	Romantic Budapest Hotels
	Luxury Apartments in Budapest
	Spa Hotels in Budapest
	Cheap Apartments in Budapest
	Best Budapest Hostels

Danube Cruise with Dinner & Hungarian Folk Dance Show

To fully experience the beauty of Budapest and the versatile Hungarian culture watch a Hungarian Folk Dance Performance and afterwards go for a 1.5-hour night cruise on the Danube where you'll be treated to a 3-course buffet dinner and live music.

The Folk Dance Program starts at 20.00 either in the Budai Vigadó (Corvin tér 8., Buda) (Danube Folk Ensemble) or in Duna Palota (Danube Palace, Zrínyi utca 5. V.district) and includes two 40-45-minutes performances with a short break in between.

TIP: Get two programs for less. By booking the Folklore Music & Dance Performance together with a night cruise with dinner you pay less than you would if you bought tickets separately for the two programs. The program package costs 41.55 Euro (10800 HUF, III. category), 48.46 Euro (12600 HUF, II. category), or 51.55 Euro (13400 HUF, I. category) depending where you want to seat in the theatre during the folk show.

Read more details about the two programs:

Hungarian Folk Dance in Budapest

Cruise & Dinner on the Danube

Further Budapest Travel Tips:

Budapest City Centre - guide to the centre of Budapest.

Top Budapest Attractions - our favorite sights in Budapest.

Budapest in 24 Hours - if you only have 1 day to explore the Hungarian capital.

Sightseeing in Budapest - a comprehensive sightseeing guide

Budapest Nighclubs - where to go for a drink and dance in the evening.

Budapest Business Travel - recommendations for visitors coming to Budapest on business.

Day Trip Suggestions - Budapest Hungary Travel

If you have time for excursions to the Hungarian countryside do include a trip to Lake Balaton which is Hungary's and Central Europe's largest fresh water lake and a popular summer resort. Both the southern and hilly northern shore is dotted with vineyards where you can get a taste of quality Hungarain wines.

You can reach the main towns of Lake Balaton (Siófok in the southern shore, Balatonfüred in the northern shore) in about 2-3 hours by trains departing from one of the 3 railway stations of Budapest. The train ticket costs around 2000-2300 HUF travelling second class.

There are also coach services to Balaton from Népliget Coach Station (M3 blue metro linne)

For outings in the vicinity of Budapest visit the picturesque Danube bend where the artists' centre Szentendre, Visegrád -used to be Hungary's royal seat, or Esztergom, the centre of Hungarian Catholic Church, provides plenty to see and do.

See also our page about Day Trips from Budapest.

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Share Your Budapest Hungary Travel Experience!

Did you have a nice time in Budapest or other parts of Hungary? Share it with other travellers planning a visit to the country.

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