Buses Budapest

Budapest is not only the capital and the largest city of Hungary; it is at the same time also the country’s political, cultural, industrial and commercial centre. In 2011 the city had 1, 74 million inhabitants. Budapest is known as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe with quite a few World Heritage Sites some of which are de Buda Castle Quarter, the banks of the Danube, the Heroes’ Square, the Andrássy Avenue and the second-oldest metro line in the world – the Millennium Underground Railway. Also, Budapest is well known as a city with the world’s largest thermal water cave system and the third largest Parliament building, which is also one of the trademarks of the city.

Public transport

Budapest has one of the largest transport systems in Europe which is provided by the Centre for Budapest Transport (BKV). The transport system covers not only the whole city of Budapest but also 80 surrounding suburbs. The city’s transport system consists of 4 metro lines, 5 suburban railway lines, 33 city tram lines, 15 trolleybus lines, 264 bus lines which include 40 routes providing night lines, 4 city boat lines and also a smart bicycle sharing network. As you can see the public transport system in Budapest is extremely well developed and it should be no problem at all to get from one point to another using the public transport.

The public transport in Budapest is also very modern; you can find a citywide real – time passenger information system and a real- time route planner which is called Futár. Thanks to this system all of the public transport vehicles are connected via satellite system. The great thing about this system is that the real-time information for the buses, trams and trolleybuses are available for the operator and the control point as well as for all the passengers for all stops either on the city street displays or on the smart phone.

Public transport tickets

As we have already mentioned and as you could see above, the public transportation system in Budapest is very well developed and so is the ticket system. There are many different ticket types, so it shouldn’t be a problem finding the one which is best for you during your stay in Budapest.

• Single ticket (vonaljegy or jegy): this type of ticket is valid for all public transport vehicles for one uninterrupted ride.
• Metro Section Ticket: this ticket is valid on all three metro lines within 30 min and for one uninterrupted trip for 3 stations. Within these 30 minutes you can change the lines, but it is valid only for 3 stations altogether.
• 24 – hour travel card: the so called napijegy is valid for all types of public transport for an unlimited number of trips from 00:00 – 24:00 for the day indicated on the ticket
• 24-hour group travel card: this one is valid for max. 5 persons which makes it also a great choice for families. It is valid for all types of public transport
• 7-day travel-card: this ticket is as well valid for all types of public transport from 00:00 to 24:00 of the sixth day after the purchase
• Block of 10 single tickets: until 2014 they used to sell the tickets pieced together but now they are given to you separately. The price for a block of single tickets is less than the price for ten single tickets purchased individually
• Night tickets: for a ride on one of the night lines you can use single tickets, a block of 10 single tickets, or travel cards

Good to know: all citizens of the European Union which are over 65 can travel free of charge with all public transport vehicles.

National bus transport

Buses are the main transport means in Hungary and especially in Budapest; they take you to most villages, towns and cities in Hungary. Although the country has also a good train network, buses are more popular because they are cheap and efficient and they can get you to smaller places as well. Most bus services in Hungary are provided by the company VOLAN. The tickets can be purchased either at the bus station or directly from the driver when entering the bus. The ticket prices depend on the travel distance; discounts are offered for several travel groups like children, people over 65 or students.

International bus transport

Budapest is well connected with other European cities and countries, especially with cities from the neighbouring countries. There are especially frequent bus connections to cities in Austria like Vienna or Salzburg or to Bratislava in the neighbouring Slovakia. Another neighbouring country which is connected with Budapest is Croatia. Below you can see which routes between Budapest and Croatia are available on GetByBus. The connection of course operate in both directions.

Main bus station

The main bus station in Budapest is located about 6 km from the city centre. It can easily be reached by using the public transport, especially by using the M3 Metro line which will bring you right there. The exact address, as well as the map position and GPS coordinates can be found here.

Airport bus transport

If you wish to travel to or from the airport in Budapest with the public transport, that is absolutely possible. Between 04:00 (4AM) and 23:00 (11PM) the bus number 200 E drives between the Terminal 2 and the the Kőbánya-Kispest metro terminal (Line M3) via the Ferihegy train station. From this metro terminal, one can continue with the metro line M3 and reach the city centre. If you need to travel between 23:00 h (11 PM) and 01:00h (1AM) you can take the bus 200 E and if you travel between 01:00 (1AM) and 04:00 (4AM) you can do so by bus number 900.

The tickets for public transport between the airport and the city can be purchased at different points; at the airport from the BKV customer service, at the post office, at newsagents and from the ticket machines at the bus stop. The tickets can also be purchased directly from the driver when boarding the bus, but in that case they are a bit more expensive.