From the airport to the city centre Budapest

Ferihegy airport is named after Franz Liszt (Liszt Ferenc). It is Budapest's only airport. It comprises a single operating terminal divided into two parts (2 A, B), linked by a commercial pedestrian walkway (the Sky Court).

Terminal 2A handles most flights arriving from France, Belgium and Switzerland, such as those operated by Easyjet, Air France, Ryanair and Transavia.

Currency exchange offices and cash dispensers are located in the arrival halls of each terminal. There are also two tourist information offices(Tourinform) in terminals 2A and 2B.

BKK, Budapest's transport company, has two offices at the airport at the exits of the two terminals, open from 9am to 10pm every day, where you can buy tickets and season tickets (single tickets, books of 10, for 24 or 72 hours, weekly season tickets, tickets for the 100E bus...). For app enthusiasts, BudapestGo (available on iOS and Android) lets you get your transport tickets (one-way, airport or season ticket) in just one click. The Budapest Card is on sale at Tourinform offices (airport and city center, but also some hotels and BKK offices at Keleti pályaudvar (M4), Déli pályaudvar, Kelenföld (exit Őrmező) metro stations.

There are five ways to get to the center of Budapest, from the most expensive to the most economical:

Cabs take you to the center of Budapest in 30 minutes or more, depending on traffic. There is only one company authorized to have a fleet at the airport: Fő cab (www.fotaxi.hu, ✆ 06 1 222 2222 or +36 1 222 2222 from abroad). Hosts will give you a coupon before you get into your cab. Prices are fixed: around 7,200 Ft (€26) for the city center (more expensive if you go further afield).

Minibus shuttle (MiniBud - www.minibud.hu). Almost as easy as a cab and cheaper if you're on your own (but much more expensive than a direct bus), it takes you to the address you specify. Book your journey 24 hours in advance online or at the airport. You have to wait until the minibus is full before leaving (maximum 15-minute wait). The fare is approximately 4,900 Ft per person. You can reach him in English on ✆ +36 1 550 0000 and at his offices in the various terminals (24 hours a day).

Direct bus service 100E. A municipal shuttle now links the airport to the city center in 30/40 minutes (one bus every 30 minutes from 4am to 1am from the airport, from 3.30am to midnight 25 from Deák Tér). No intermediate stops and two stops in the center: Kálvin tér and Deák tér. Ticket price: 1,500 Ft. It's often crowded, so it's best to get your ticket in advance. Available from ticket machines, the BudapestGO app and rarely from the driver. No season ticket or Budapest Card valid on board.

Bus 200E and metro 3 (total travel time: 50/60 minutes). You can reach Budapest from terminal 2 by bus 200E, direction Kőbánya-Kispest (terminus), from approx. 5 a.m. to 1.15 a.m. (one bus every ten minutes, at night, night bus from the airport once an hour: take the 900 to Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út then night bus 950 or 950 A to the city center). You can also buy your ticket on the bus, for 450 Ft. Once you've arrived in Kőbánya-Kispest, take metro line 3 to Deák tér, right in the city center (or another station). Don't forget to punch a second ticket for this section (or use a combined ticket called "Átszállijegy").

By train. This solution was especially practical when Terminal 1 was in operation, but is no longer the case. But there is still a direct line from Ferihegy Terminal 1 to Nyugati pályaudvar (West Station, very central), where trains from and to Szolnok-Cegléd and beyond stop, and the journey takes 20 minutes. Ferihegy station is just opposite the 200E bus stop, which continues to Terminal 2. Expect a train every 25 minutes or so from 5 a.m. to 11.30 p.m. for around 650 Ft. Do not take the Intercity train, which is much more expensive. To consult timetables and buy online: jegy.mav.hu

Arrival by train Budapest

There are three major international train stations in Budapest. From Nyugati pályaudvar (Teréz körút, Nyugati tér, metro 3) international trains to Slovakia and the Czech Republic depart and arrive. If you are coming from Vienna, you will arrive at Keleti pályaudvar (Baross tér, metro 2 and 4), and if you are going to Croatia, it will be from Déli pályaudvar station (Krisztina körút 37/a, metro 2). See: jegy.mav.hu

Many night and day trains are very affordable to reach Central-Eastern Europe (Cracow, Warsaw, Prague, Belgrade, Bucharest...) and Western Europe (Vienna and Austria, Berlin, Zurich...). To reach Paris by train, the easiest way is to take the night train Budapest-Zurich (from 39 € with sleeper at a promotional price) as well as the TGV Paris-Zurich (40 € minimum), unless you take the night train between Paris and Vienna and then take a train to Budapest. In total, count 15-16 hours of travel, 80-130 € depending on the season and some beautiful Swiss landscapes in the morning. The three Budapest train stations have lockers and all are served by metro lines 2, 3 and 4 which lead to the center of Budapest, at Deák tér, where the three metro lines intersect (the fourth line serves the Keleti station where it intersects with line 2). The subway is not always directly accessible from the station, so you have to leave the station and walk about 30 meters, which is not always easy to find. The train tracks of the same station are sometimes notoriously far from each other, so beware of hasty departures! On the signs, departures are often marked in yellow(induló vonatok), arrivals in white(érkező vonatok).

Train tickets can be purchased at the stations (queue to be expected), from the machines in the station or online (except for some international destinations), it's very easy, just create an online account. There is a significant surcharge for a ticket purchased directly on the train.

Express trains in Hungary are called Intercity and indicated by the abbreviation IC. Air-conditioned trains require an additional reservation, which is mandatory. It is not uncommon for trains to be 10 to 20 minutes late.

Young people under the age of 26, who are EU citizens, are entitled to a 33% discount on all journeys on Fridays (from 10:00 a.m.), Saturdays and Sundays (until midnight), except on holiday weekends. People over 65 years of age travel free of charge on all Hungarian trains and buses, including municipal buses. Children between the ages of 6 and 14 receive a 50% discount, as do students in Hungary (international students may be entitled to a discount, depending on the leniency of the ticket inspector, upon presentation of their national student card, as ISIC cards are usually refused).

MÁV is the Hungarian national railway company. National and international information is available by phone or on the English website (www.elvira.hu), which is very useful. Train tickets can be purchased at train stations or at MÁV agencies, the main one being at József Attila utca 16 in Budapest.

Bicycles can be transported on most regular (non-Intercity) trains in the designated compartment - the first or last car (ask the station master) - for a few euros (in proportion to the distance traveled, ticket to be requested at the ticket office). For more information, visit the MÁV website.

Arrival by boat Budapest

The international boat landing - Nemzetközi Hajóállomás - is located at Belgrád rakpart 3. You can reach Vienna and other places on the Danube by boat. The company Mahart Passnave https://mahartpassnave.hu serves the Danube Bend (Szentendre, Esztergom, Vác, Visegrád...), and also cruises to Budapest on the Danube (competing with many other companies).

Public transport Budapest

Budapest's public transport system (BKK) is functional and rarely on strike, allowing you to reach most of the city's tourist attractions. It runs from around 5 a.m. to 11.25 p.m. (night buses then take over, and at weekends the Metro 4 runs a little later). Construction work in the city causes some disruption, which is reported locally in Hungarian. For further information: bkk.hu

Tickets: the same ticket (valid for one uninterrupted journey on the same mode of transport) is used on the metro, streetcar, bus, trolleybus and HÉV (a kind of suburban train) - day and night - within the urban boundary of Budapest for a single journey and a single mode of transport. If you have a connection/change, you'll need an átszállójegy ticket or a second ticket. Beyond that, for the HÉV, you need to buy another type of ticket at HÉV stations. Tickets must be validated in the vehicle or at the metro entrance.

Where to buy them Tickets (including books of ten) are on sale at metro stations (ticket offices or vending machines), at certain vending machines at streetcar stops 4 and 6 (and others) and at a few kiosks. You can also buy them directly from the driver on the bus (and only on the bus) (more expensive, 450 Ft per ticket). Some passes and tickets (100E bus airport ticket or day pass, etc.) are available on the BKK mobile app: bkk.hu/mobileticket(BudapestGO).

Price: if you're staying in the capital, the single ticket costs 350 Ft (450 Ft if purchased from the driver). There is also a subway ticket(vonaljegy) at 300 Ft for a journey of three stations only, and a ticket at 530 Ft for one change(átszállójegy). The easiest way is to buy a book of 10(gyűjtőjegy, 3,000 Ft) or a card valid for one day(24 órás jegy: 1,650 Ft), three days(72 órás jegy: 4,150 Ft), weekly(hetijegy: 4,950 Ft) or monthly(havi bérlet: 9,500 Ft). For the last two subscriptions, a user card - bérletigazolvány (with passport photo and 250 Ft) - is required. Students with an international ISIC card benefit from the Hungarian student fare, equivalent to over 50% discount on monthly passes (only).

Free travel: children under 6 travel free of charge, adult fare for those over 6. The same applies to over-65s. All you need to show is your identity card.

Bicycles can betransported on the HÉV, at the price of a single ticket, and on buses/trams 61, 65, 65A, 165, 77, 56, 56A, 59, 59A, 59B, but not on the subway.

The Budapest Card (www.budapest-card.com), available from tourist offices, includes transport. It's great if you're planning to get around and visit several museums.

Checks and fines. If you're stopped without a ticket, here's what you risk: 2,000 Ft if you're in possession of a season ticket, to be presented within five days at a BKK office. If you don't have a valid ticket: 8,000 Ft to be paid on the spot (the ticket inspector must give you a receipt) or at the BKV office within two days (you'll be given a yellow piece of paper - a fine to be paid by post). Otherwise, it's 16,000 Ft if you pay later. If you have any problems, the BKV fines office is located at Akácfa utca 18. The inspectors here look demented: once the doors are closed, they put on their BKV armbands and line everyone up. A shortcoming humorously stigmatized in Kontroll, winner of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival Youth Prize (which no longer exists).

Make sure you keep your ticket until you leave the station, as checks are frequent, especially on streetcars and night buses (where they are almost systematic).

The metro now comprises four lines running between 4.30 a.m. and 11.30 p.m. (Friday and Saturday until midnight 30 on lines 2 and 4). The metro runs every 3 to 10 minutes.

Metro line 1 (yellow) is called "Millenniumi Földalatti" and runs from Vörösmarty tér to Mexikói út. This is one of the oldest lines on the European continent: a historic monument in its own right. Note that you can't cross from one platform to the other: you have to come out into the open to cross the street.

Metro 2 (red line), from Déli station to Örs Vezér tere - Buda to Pest - runs under the Danube.

Metro 3 (blue line) runs from Újpest to Kőbánya-Kispest.

These three lines meet in the center of Pest at Deák tér.

Metro line 4 (green line) runs from Keleti to Kelenföldi, passing through Kálvin tér (intersection with M3). Don't miss the beautiful mosaics at Szent Gellért tér station.

Streetcars. Line 2: runs along the Danube on the Pest side, from Jászai Mari tér to Vágóhíd, serving Parliament, Széchenyi Square, Március 15 tér, Boráros tér and as far as MUPA (in Ferencváros).

Lines 4 and 6: these two lines follow the same route for most of their stretch. From Buda (Újbuda Központ/Fehérvári út for line 4; Móricz Zsigmond Körtér for line 6) to Széll Kálmán tér, they run from one end of Buda to the other via Pest and the main boulevards, stopping at Nyugati pályaudvar station, Király utca, Margit híd..

Routes 47 and 49: also in pairs, they leave from Deák tér, run along the Petit Boulevard (Múzeum körút) to the Gellért baths and beyond (Kosztolányi Dezső tér; Kelenföld station: junction with metro 4).

Lines 19 and 41: run along the Buda side of the Danube, from Batthyány tér to Kelenföldi pályaudvar, via the Gellért baths. The 41 continues well beyond.

Five bus routes can be convenient during the day: the 16, from Deák tér (or Széll Kálmán tér) up Castle Hill (Dísz tér); the 105, from Krisztina tér (Buda)-Hősök tere (Pest) and beyond; the 26 from Árpád híd to both ends of Marguerite Island ; the 86 from the Gellért baths to the French Institute and on to Óbuda (not far from the Kiscelli Museum) and the 7 from Keleti and Astoria station (Pest) to the Rudas and Gellért baths (Buda).

The BKK now has three mainboat lines in summer. Route 12 runs from the north of Buda and Pest (A 38 - Buda and Boráros tér - Pest) to Romaifürdő (Óbuda), via the charming Kopaszi-gát peninsula, Marguerite Island and Óbuda Island (home of the Sziget Festival). Allow 2 hours for the cruise. Route 12 follows a similar route without Óbuda Island, to Újpest.

Arrival by bus. Almost all buses (national and international) depart from Népliget (Üllői út 131, metro 3). The Hungarian company Volánbusz (http://nemzetkozi.volanbusz.hu) serves many destinations in Hungary and abroad. The Flixbus bus company also departs from here, as well as from Kelenföld railway station (Etele tér, m° 4) and Mexikói út (Horvát Boldizsár utca 1, m° 1). There is, however, another bus station serving towns on the Danube Bend at Árpád híd (Árboc utca 1-3, in Pest. m° 3: Árpád híd), as well as the Újpest Városkapu autóbusz-állomás station (m° 3: Újpest Városkapu). There's also a station at Kelenföld for Etyek and a third near the Puskas stadium (m° 2 Puskás Ferenc Stadion) for the north-east. For bus timetables within Hungary, visit www.menetrendek.hu (now in English, but remember that in Hungarian, in honnan, you have to type the city of departure, and in hova, the city you're going to).

Bike, scooters & co Budapest

Many scooters are freely available via apps from various companies (Lime...), but their use is prohibited in the5th arrondissement and has been restricted in several parts of the city since spring 2022.

Cycling is becoming increasingly popular with locals and tourists alike. It's sometimes advisable to use the sidewalks (officially forbidden, but...), as Hungarian motorists are a little feisty. Beware of theft: make sure you lock your bike, and not just anywhere. There are a few cycle paths in the city. For example, you can do a loop from the Freedom Bridge to Deák tér, via Múzem körút, Andrássy út, Városliget and then Hungaria and Könyves Kálmán Körút to Rákóczi híd. Part of the quay on the Pest side is also reserved for cyclists (from Rákóczi híd to Boráros tér; dotted line to the big market, from Parliament to Árpád út), as well as the whole of the quay on the Buda side as far as Szentendre and even Visegrád. A cycling map of Budapest is available from the BKK office, and a dedicated Hungarian-language website has been launched: https://bkk.hu/utazasi-informaciok/kerekpar/terkep. The municipality of Budapest has its own urban bicycles, a kind of "Vélib" known as "Bubi" (https://molbubi.hu), which are easy and inexpensive to use (you'll need to download the application). To benefit from the best rates, provide your home address and take out a monthly subscription, remembering to cancel it for the following month).

Several bus lanes are open to cyclists, and are marked like the rest by a yellow cyclist pictogram painted on the ground.

It is compulsory to ride with lights (front/rear and reflectors/prisms on the wheels).

With a driver Budapest

We can mention the companies Fő Taxi ✆ 222 2222 or City Taxi ✆ 211 1111, we can also find Bolt (mobile application) but not Uber, which has been banned.

The price is unified for a cab: pickup 700Ft (day and night) + rate per kilometer: 300 Ft (day and night), to which is added the wait: 75 Ft/minute. Those who would like to immerse themselves in the decades of communism will rent a Trabant with or without a driver. http://rentatrabantbudapest.com

By car Budapest

Budapest is at the heart of the Hungarian (and European) motorway system. Here's how to find your way in and out of Budapest.

Freeways: to drive on Hungarian freeways, all drivers must purchase an intangible electronic vignette known as a "matrica", which indicates the vehicle's plate number (can be purchased at any major petrol station, by SMS or online at www.tolltickets.com/fr - in French). Be careful, then, as some suburban journeys require this sticker. However, some short sections are free of charge. Since 2015, departmental roads have also become chargeable (an electronic vignette is required for each department, or a vignette for the whole of Hungary. This does not apply to those who have a freeway vignette including these routes).

The price of the vignette varies according to vehicle category and number of days. For a vehicle weighing up to 3.5 t, a 10-day vignette costs 3,820 Ft (this is the minimum), and 5,210 Ft for a month.

Once in Budapest , the car is not the best means of transport. There are often traffic jams in the capital, especially on the bridges between Buda and Pest and on the streets of the city center. What's more, the capital is constantly under construction (the Chain Bridge and the underground under the Castle are expected to be closed to traffic until at least the end of 2023). Hungarian motorists are also rather undisciplined.

Outside built-up areas, vehicles are required to drive with their low beams on.

Alcohol: zero tolerance when it comes to drinking and driving, otherwise heavy fines and/or loss of license.

✆ 188. This is the national emergency number for problems on the road. It is managed by the Hungarian Automobile Club(magyar autóklub - www.autoklub.hu). Available 24 hours a day, the English-speaking operators will send a repairman to the scene. Only sign an accident report after obtaining a written translation.

Parking: in Budapest, it can be difficult to find somewhere to park. The city has three no-parking zones: the Castle district (bus 16 takes you there), easily accessible on foot or by funicular from Clark Adám tér; Marguerite Island (Margitsziget, served by bus 26 and 134, and cabs to the island's two hotels only); finally, Vörösmarty tér, Váci utca and part of Október 6, Bécsi, Petőfi utca and so on.

The capital is divided into several paid parking zones (Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, free the rest of the time), with rates ranging from 265 Ft to 525 Ft per hour. You can park for a maximum of 3 hours at a time (unless otherwise indicated), and you must display your parking sticker prominently behind your windscreen. You can also pay by SMS. See www.nemzetimobilfizetes.hu.

If a car is parked illegally, the police don't hesitate to apply a "sabot". If the owner fails to remove it within 24 hours, the police can impound the car. In the event of an infringement, police officers(rendörség) issue a "PV de contravention" (fine ticket), to which is attached a computerized payment voucher (yellow document) enabling payment to be made free of charge at any post office. No cash payments will be accepted by the police. For further information, call the police on 107.

Weadvise you not to leave your car in an unguarded parking lot at night. Car theft, particularly of foreign-registered vehicles, is a frequent occurrence. There are dozens of guarded parking lots and garages (from 300 Ft to 800 Ft per hour). See www.bkk.hu and www.carepark.hu.

Numerous gas stations in Buda and outside the city center in Pest. In addition to Esso, Shell, OMV and others, MOL, a Hungarian gas station, is a welcome addition to the landscape.

Accessibility Budapest

Unfortunately, Budapest is far from being an accessible city for people with reduced mobility. More and more hotels, public buildings, etc., are equipped, but not all of them are. Transport is still difficult to access, and there are no elevators in the train stations (for example, the Déli station has no elevator), nor in the metro stations (all of them have an escalator except for the 4th one). That said, more and more buses and streetcars, especially the 4-6, are flat-floor and the crosswalks are often sound.

Tourist traps Budapest

Cabs are rather well regulated but be careful: the car is yellow, must display its prices on the window and the meter must be turned on. On the other hand, it is more usual to call by phone than to hail a cab in the street (which avoids fake cabs).