Traveling within Budapest:

Public Transportation

Budapest has a very efficient public transportation system called BKK. There are various means of transport (bus, metro, tram, trolleybus, suburban railway), which generally run daily during the hours 4:30 AM – 11:30 PM. There are also buses that run outside these hours. You may find the online route planner and the Budapest Go mobile App useful. 

A monthly pass, valid on all means of transportation and for all transfers within the city and its suburbs, costs about 10,000 HUF. The pass is valid for 30 days, and the first day of the 30 day period can be any day of the month. Single tickets and booklets of 10 tickets may also be purchased. You can buy passes or tickets from ticket machines or the Budapest Go mobile app (note: if your phone battery is not reliable, the paper ticket from the machine is a safer option).

Note: As you are not a Hungarian student, you must obtain the full-price pass, not the student one. Having the wrong pass may result in a fine of 16,000 HUF or more.

Taxicabs

Taxis in Budapest have uniform fares. A trip within downtown costs around 2,000–4,000 HUF, and taxi companies have online fare calculators. Make sure the taximeter displays the actual fare during the ride.

For more details and a list of taxi companies, see this page.

Bicycles

Use extra caution when riding a bike in Budapest, as rules of the road and driving habits are quite different in Hungary than in North America. Even if you ride in a bike lane, be aware that drivers do not always give the right of way to bikers.

Budapest has a public bike-sharing system called MOL Bubi.  It has many docking stations all around the city, so you can just grab a bike and go.   About prices and how to use it, please visit the following site.

Boats are a nice way to do sightseeing in Budapest. There are various companies offering boat trips for tourists. It is also worth checking out the BKK (public transport) boat. Check the schedule of boat services D11, D12 and D13 on this page.

Note: The monthly public transport pass is not valid on the BKK boat, and a single ticket costs 750 HUF.

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Traveling outside of Budapest:

By Air

Budapest Airport (BUD) is located about 16 km (10 miles) southeast of the city center. You can travel to and from the airport by taxi, Airport minibus, or train. Transportation to the airport is also covered by the monthly public transport pass—take bus 200E from the Kőbánya-Kispest terminal of M3. For further details, see this page. 

Many international airlines operate from Budapest. There are several low-cost airlines (e.g., Wizzair, Ryanair, and easyJet), which operate to various destinations including Paris, Rome, London, Barcelona, Berlin, Istanbul, Crete, and Jerusalem.

Trains

Trains operate from Budapest to all parts of Hungary and throughout Europe. They depart from either of the three major railway stations:

• Keleti Pályaudvar – East Railway Station (metro lines 2 and 4)
• Nyugati Pályaudvar – West Railway Station (metro line 3; trams 4 and 6)
• Déli Pályaudvar – South Railway Station (metro line 2)

For schedules and online ticket purchase, see this page. You must purchase tickets before boarding the train. We recommend that you buy them online.

International service
Many European destinations can be reached by bus, which might be more cost-efficient than taking a train. Some useful websites for international bus travel:

• www.eurolines.com
• www.studentagencybus.com

Domestic long distance service
You can also visit many tourist destinations in Hungary by bus. You can buy your ticket from the driver, but it is preferable to buy the ticket before departure at the ticket offices of the main bus stations. For schedules and ticket purchase, see this page.