Travel to Budapest
All the Basics You Need to Know

Travel to Budapest by air

Many airlines operate flights to Budapest, so you shouldn't have a problem to choose one.

You will land at Budapest Ferihegy, Hungary's largest airport. It has two terminals, roughly 25 kilometres from the city. Terminal 1 is used only for freight transport. Termial 2 is divided into A and B sections. 2A is exclusively for the Hungarian Airlines (Malev) flights, while all other airlines use terminal 2B. From the airport you have several options to get to the city centre.

The Airport Minibus takes all passangers going in the same direction in Budapest, for a flat fee of 2100 forints (about 10 USD) per person. You can buy your ticket at the Airport Passanger Service desk.

Your second and cheapest option is to take the No 200 public transport bus. It takes you to Kőbánya-Kispest metro terminus. From here you can easily travel to the city center with metro line number 3 (blue line). Read more about Budapest Metro.

Definitely the quickiest way to get to the city from the airport is by taxi.

In 2006 Zona taxi company won a tender for operating a relaible and cheaper taxi service at Budapest airport. Read more about their taxi service here.

There are taxis operated by other companies waiting in front of the airport. Most of them are small companies that charge a lot more than the larger taxi companies. So you'd better call one from the following list of reliable taxi companies:

• Tele 5 taxis: 3555555
• Budapest taxi: 433-3333
• Citytaxxi: 211-1111

Be sure to agree on a price first! You can share the taxi (and the fare) with other passangers to cut down on your expenses. If you prefer to travel alone the minibus is cheaper.

Travel to Budapest by train

If you come to Budapest by train you'll arrive at one of its three international train stations:

• 
  Nyugati (Western) Train Station,

• Keleti (Eastern) Train Station and

• Déli (Southern) Train Station.
  
  

Nyugati and Keleti Stations are on the Pest side, Déli Train Station is on the Buda side.
From the stations you can continue your travel in Budapest by metro. Keleti and Déli Stations are on the red metro line, while Nyugati Station is on the blue line.

Find more details about travel in Budapest on this page.

Travel to Budapest by coach

Probably the cheapest way to come to Budapest is with an international coach service. Coaches arrive at the central bus station at Népliget. It's on the blue metro line (See our Budapest Metro page), you can also take tram number 1 to get to your destination within Budapest.

Travel to Budapest by ship

Certainly the most romantic way to come here is by ship on the Danube.

Hydrofoils run between Vienna and Budapest from April to early November. It takes you to downtown Budapest in 5 hours. You can admire the breathtaking Danube bend during your journey. Return tickets are around 100 €/adult, while a one-way ticket is 89 €/adult, but make sure to check it on the operator's website because prices might change. Soft drinks and some snacks are included in this price.

Travel to Budapest by car

You can come to Budapest by car but I wouldn' recommend it. First of all most roads in Hungary are in bad conditions and especially during summer, road construction works slow down the traffic. Not to mention bad driving manners, particularly in Budapest. You 'll also have problems finding parking space in the Hungarian capital.

So, if you want to enjoy your stay here, travel to Budapest by one of the above mentioned means of transport.

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