Public Transport in Budapest
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Budapest has a good public transport system, complete with three metro lines, numerous bus, trolley bus and tram lines. Service starts at around 4.30am and runs until 11.30pm At night there are night buses running on the major routes in the city.
Tickets and Passes: you can buy tickets at metro stations and newsstands for metro, blue local bus, trams, and red trolley bus.
Single one-way ticket: 320 HUF
Budapest's Ferihegy Airport has three terminals 1, 2A and 2B. Ferihegy 1 is operated by low-cost airlines. All three terminals are some 18 km away from the city centre.
There are four ways to get to the city from any of the terminals: by taxi, by shuttle bus, by train and by public transport (bus and underground).
- by taxi:
The taxis standing in front of the terminals have the sole right to service the airport, and they use their status of monopoly accordingly when setting prices.
To get around this situation is simple.
Unless you want to pay more than what all the other taxi companies would charge you, you may want to consider simply CALLING a taxi of your choice.
Taxi operators speak English, the language skills of taxi drivers vary.
Upon calling an operator you will be asked your name, your mobile number and your whereabouts (Terminal 1, 2A or 2B). Don't forget to mention that you want a TRANSFER (thus, the price is fixed - see below).
Your cab will pick you up in 1-2 minutes - taxis of all the other companies are waiting just outside of the airport. Remember to ask the operator for the make (and/or colour) of the taxi that is sent to you.
The set price for an airport transfer to any destination is between HUF 3500 (cca. 13 €) and HUF 4800 (cca. 18 €) PER CAB and not per person. Sharing is allowed but all of you need to have the same destination. Depending on the traffic you should expect to be in the city centre in about 25-35 minutes.
- If you wish to book Airport transfer in advance, please contact:
Airport transfer is arranged by taxi, the official taxi company of the airport, on their official rates.
You may want to call one of these numbers:
Taxi Plus +361 888 8000
Tele5 Taxi +361 355 5555
- by shuttle bus:
The Airport Shuttle provides convenient door-to-door service between the airport and any address in the city. To get to the city, make arrangements at the airport desk; to get to the airport, call to arrange a pickup (phone: +361 296-8555). Service from or to either terminal costs HUF 2,990 per person (cca 11€) one-way; since it normally shuttles several people at once, remember to allow time for a few other pickups or drop-offs. The service is available from 5.00 am to 1.00 am.
- by train (to and from Terminal 1 only):
The train station is a five minute walk from Terminal 1. The trainride into one of the major railway stations in the city centre (Nyugati pályaudvar) takes about 30 minutes. A one-way ticket costs 365 HUF (cca 1,5€) and you can purchase it at the Tourinform office inside Terminal 1 (between 9.00 am and 10.00 pm), at the ticket vending machines at the station or from the conductors.
- by public transportation (bus and underground):
The cheapest solution of all. Bus No.200 (Airport line), operates from early morning to late at night every 15 minutes and links all three terminals with the M3 line. It takes about 25 minutes to reach the underground station (M3, Kőbánya-Kispest).
Tickets are sold for HUF 320,- by the newsagents at the airport, at a vendor machine at the bus stop, or directly by the bus driver for HUF 400,-.
From Kőbánya-Kispest underground terminal it's an additional 25 minute journey to the city centre. Please note that you need to validate another ticket for the underground. Tickets can be purchased at the newsagent at the entrance of the underground terminal.
Looking forward to welcoming you soon in Budapest!
The dunaPart team