Budapest Transportation Information
Airport
Ferenc Liszt International Airport is
Hungary’s most significant airport, located near Budapest. Most of the
international flighs departs from and arrives here.
Having invested over 325 million EUR between
2007 – 2015 in a substantial upgrade and expansion program, the show piece
SkyCourt passenger terminal is winning many awards for its design, efficiency
and passenger experience.
Public Transportation
Budapest has an excellent public transportation system. There is a large variety of public vehicles, so most part of the city is easily accessible
If you watch it from the sky, you'll see that most of the city's streets are lined with cables, as Budapest has a vast system of streetcars (or trams) and trolley buses. And don’t forget about the underground, Budapest also has a clean, fast, and efficient subway system (or metro as the locals call it).
Worth to mention that there are 3 big train
stations in the city. Déli Pályaudvar (South Railway Station) stands in Buda,
and receives trains from the western part of the country. In Pest, there are
the Nyugati Pályaudvar (West Railway Station) and the Keleti Pályaudvar (East
Railway Station), from where trains go ahead to the southern and the eastern
part of the country.
Good to know: Public transportation in
Budapest virtually ends after 11pm, when the metro, streetcars and trolley
buses stop operating. There are some night buses running (marked with
"É"), but not as frequently.
Other tranportation
There are 3 alternative ways of
transportation, the HÉV (Suburban Railway- serving the outer districts of
Budapest), the Fogaskerekű (Cogwheel Railway- service in the Buda hills) and
the Riverboat (serving on the River
Danube), but they aren’t considered as main form of transportation.
Metro lines
Download the Metro map here.
There are 4 metro
lines, which operates mainly in the city centre.
Metro line 1 (yellow line): Runs from „Vörösmarty tér” to „Mexikói út”
Metro line 2 (red line): Runs from „Déli pályaudvar” to „Örs vezér tere”
Metro line 3 (blue line): Runs from „Újpest központ” to „Kőbánya-Kispest”
Metro line 4 (green line): Runs from „Keleti pályaudvar” to „Kelenföld vasútállomás”
Trams, Trolley Busses and Busses
Taxi
Cabs in Budapest are marked with the word
"Taxi", often accompanied by a company name / logo such as "City
Taxi". All taxi vehicles must have yellow colour. All companies have a
flat rate and the same prices:
From 1 September 2013 a new Taxi Decree was
introduced in Hungary regulating the price* of the taxis at a fixed tariff of
280 HUF/Km (0.95 EUR/Km) in addition to the one-off basic fee of 450 HUF (1.50
EUR) and waiting fee.
It is customary to tip the driver about 10% of
the full fare, if you were satisfied with the service.
List of telephone numbers (non-stop):
- 6x6 Taxi: +36-1-666-6666
- Budapest Taxi: 4-333-333
- City Taxi: 2-111-111
- Főtaxi: 2- 222-222
- MB Elit Taxi: 232-32-32
- Taxi 2000: 2-000-000
- Taxi4: 4-444-444
- Taxi Plus: 7-888-999
- Tele5 Taxi: 5-555-555
Főtaxi, the taxi company with the longest
traditions (founded 1913) in Hungary transports passengers between the
terminals and Budapest. Főtaxi’s several hundred cars, trained and experienced
colleagues ensure a safe basis to satisfy passengers’ needs at a high standard.
Taxi drivers speaking at least one foreign
language are in service with large, category ‘A’ cars younger than five years.
All cars are equipped with a POS terminal, therefore credit cards are also
accepted.
Reservations can be made in person at the
Főtaxi booths located at the exits at Terminals 2A and 2B. At the taxi rank in
front of the stands, taxis are parking continuously waiting for passengers.
A ride to the city center should typically
cost around 6500 HUF (22 EUR) depending on traffic conditions.