Travel to Hungary
Hungary has joined to European Union at 1st May 2004. and joined to Schengen area at 1st Jan. 2008. If you have citizenship of any EU country which is part of the Schengen, or if you have any Schengen visa you are allowed to enter Hungary without any border (passport and duty) control and you can take goods without duty and tax.
Which citizens can travel to Hungary with and without visa?
Without visa
Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Macao, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Salvador, San Marino, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela.
With Schengen visa
Rules for entry to Hungary with visa
Hungarian customs rules
Customs rules of Hungary
Travel to Budapest
You can travel to Budapest by plane, train, bus, car or boat. Here we provide useful information about your travel.
By plane
The International Airport Budapest - Ferihegy is about 25 km (ten miles) at south-east direction to Budapest city center, and has 2 terminals:
Ferihegy 1 (is the older terminal), and is closer to the city center and after thorough renovation mostly used by the discount airline companys. Ferihegy 1 is about half hour to reach Ferihegy 1. from Budapest city centre by (Zona) taxi, and about 1 hour by (200E bus and M3 metro) public transport.
Ferihegy 2A and 2B are two adjacent terminals in a new common modern building. Ferihegy 2 is about 41 minutes to go to the city centre by cab, and about 1 hour 15 minutes by public transport. Ferihegy 2A hosts all flights of the Schengen area, and Ferihegy 2B is used by all international flights and some discount airlines (except for the Schengen area).
Here you can find complete airport information (with departure and arrival scedules):
Official Budapest airport information
Airport central telephone: +36 1 2969696
Flight information: +36 1 2967000
Luggage information: +36 1 2968108, +36 1 2967217
There are tourist information offices in every terminals at the arrival halls. There are free Budapest maps, free tourist program guides (the best is
Funzine in English).
List of airlines that fly to Budapest:
Airlines that fly to Budapest
Transfer possibilities from the airport terminals
You can find below all of the Ferihegy airport transfer possibilities:
Our own transfer service for our guests
You can book our airport transfer service online when you make your accommodation booking, or you can request it anytime by e-mail. The driver waits for our guests in the arrival hall of the terminals at the airport information desk.
Our transfer service is available for maximum two people.
Our airport transfer service is a bit cheaper than the Zona taxi. Price for one and two people:- One way: 20 Euro
- Retour way: 38 Euro
Airport shuttle (Airport minibus)
This is the best option for one person (but for two or more people our service or the Zona taxi is much better choice) unless you want to take the time consuming 200E bus and M3 metro.
You can find the Airport Shuttle information desk at the arrival halls of the terminals. It is likely that you have to wait till the Airport minibus collects enough people who travel the same direction.
Prices:
- One way for one person: 2990 HUF ~ 11 EUR
- Retour way for one person: 4990 HUF ~ 18 EUR
- One way for two people: 4490 HUF ~ 17 EUR
- Retour way for two people: 8490 HUF ~ 31 EUR
For detailed information please visit:
Airport shuttle
Phone: +36 1 296 8555 (06:00 - 22:00)
Zona Taxi
The
Zona Taxi is one of the best choice for two or more people (except for our cheaper transfer service). It is a fixed price airport taxi service between the 4 zones of Budapest and Ferihegy. Our holiday accommodations are in zone 2 and 3 (city centre). You can take the Zona Taxi at every airport terminals at their desk (Terminal 1: inside the building in the hall, Terminal 2A and 2B: outside in front of the entrance).
Prices are (Ferihegy -> Budapest):
- Zone 2: 24 EUR
- Zone 3: 25 EUR
The way back to the airport you have to order by telephone, English is spoken:
+36 136 555 55
More information:
Zona Taxi
Public Transport
The
200E airport bus is running beetween Ferihegy 1, 2A, 2B terminals and Kőbánya-Kispest M3 metro end station. Route (only important stops, there are more stops between them): Ferihegy 2 -> Ferihegy 1 -> Kőbánya-Kispest and back way. From the last M3 metro stop (Kőbánya-Kispest) you can travel to Budapest city centre by metro. Our every vacation apartments are on the M3 (blue) metro line. You should save some Forint coins or banknotes to buy public transport ticket at the machines or to buy one from the bus driver. You need 2 tickets, one for bus 200E and one for the metro (620 Forint ~ 3 EUR). You have to use new ticket on buses, trams, metros (1 ticket is valid only for one vehicle).
The first 200E bus from Ferihegy 2 airport starts at 04:52, the last 200E bus starts from the Ferihegy 2 at 00:16.
The first 200E bus starts to the Ferihegy airport from Kőbánya-Kispest at 04:38, the last 200E bus starts from Kőbánya-Kispest at 23:45.
The very last metro leaves the metro end station at 23:15.
More information:
Budapest public transport
When you book any of our vacation apartments in the confirmation mail we also send you a precise information about every publict ransport possibilities.
Rail
There is a train only form the Terminal 1 to Budapest. We never suggest using the train to come to the city center because the train arrives to the Nyugati (west) railways station and at the station you must take the bus, metro or tram. This transfer option is time consuming and not very confortable. We suggest using the 200E airport bus. These buses are faster and much more confortable (with aircondition) than this rail.
By train
There are more than fifty trains run between Budapest and the other European capital cities daily. Trains to Vienna start at every 3 hours (if you want to visit Vienna for the weekend, you should buy combined train ticket with Vienna public transport ticket, so you can save money). Between Budapest and the bigger Hungarian towns there are Inter City train network. The most of the international trains depart and arrive at the Keleti pu. (Eastern railway station) and the Nyugati pu. (Western railway station).
The
Keleti PU. (Eastern railway station): Budapest 8th district, Baross sq. You can go to Budapest city centre by 7, 78 bus or M2 (red) metro line.
Nyugati PU. (Western railway station): Budapest 6th district, Nyugati sq. (M3 blue line).
Domestic trains arrive to another railway station, but less than the 2 other stations:
Déli PU. (South railway station): Budapest 1st district, Krisztina krt. 37. You can come to the centre by M2 red metro.
Visit Hungarian Railways website for more information (timetables, ticket prices etc.):
Hungarian Railways
By boat
International hydrofoils run during mostly the summer time between April and October) linking Budapest city centre with Bratislava and Vienna (through Szentendre, Visegrad and Esztergom). International boat ports take place on the river Danube between the Chain Bridge (Lánc-híd) and the Freedom Bridge (Szabadság-híd) in the middle of the city centre. The nicest port is at the Vigadó sq. in front of the Vigadó, where domestic and Budapest tourist (sightseeing) boats depart from. International boats depart from Belgrád rkp.
You can reach Szentendre, Visegrad and Esztergom by local domestic riverboats and hidrofolis if you want to make a short trip to the surroundings of Budapest, but this is not the fastest way.
Information center for Mahart PassNave Ltd. services is on tel.: +36 1 318 6042.
MAHART boat information
You can buy any boat cruise ticket online at our partner's website:
Online boat tickets
By bus
The most important and biggest central bus station is at Népstadion on the M2 metro (red) line and Népliget stop at M3 metro line. In this station buses depart to all over the country and abroad also. But for domestic destinations there are another five "Volánbusz" bus stations. The
Orange Ways is a private company that offers much better service than Volán. Orange Ways run international and domestic buses as well.
By car
Every motorways of Hungary and the majority of its main roads radiate out from Budapest. The M1, M3, M5 ,M6 and M7 are toll motorways, and you have to pay toll to the government (there are one day, 4 days, one week, one month and one year vignette at the border and petrol stations). The vignette is valid for all the motorways in Hungary. If you travel without a valid Vignette, you have to pay about 380 Euro fine, it is checked by video camera control.
- Road signs are European standard.
- Seatbelts are compulsory at the front and back seats also.
- Only handless mobile telephones devices are allowed to be used in vehicles.
- The alcohol tolerance is zero, so you can not drink even a glass of beer.
- Speed limits are 50 km/hour (31 mph) in built-up areas and 90 km/hour (56 mph) elsewhere, except on dual carriageways (110 km/hour, 68 mph) and motorways (130 km/hour, 80 mph). The speed limit is checked frequently by fixed place and mobile radar and LASER speed controls everywhere.
- The horn can only be used in built-up areas in an emergency.
- The Magyar Autóklub offers 24-hour roadside assistance. Emergency roadside help telephone number: 188 (from every network).
Highway information and vignetta prices
Motorway information and prices
Car parking
Car drivers must pay parking fee everywhere in Budapest city centre.
From Monday to Friday you must pay for parking between 08:00-20:00, only Saturday and Sunday are free. Usually between Christmas and New Years there is no parking fee everywhere in Budapest.
Parking tickets can be bought for maximum three hours period at the ticket machines on the streets, but you must take a lot of coins with you. Alternatively you can use the parking card to buy tickets. This card can be bought for about 10.000 HUF ~ 37 EUR in the local government offices. The easiest way to pay for parking by your mobile phone by SMS after registration. Cars are not guarded in the parking places on the streets. If you need a safe parking place, try the parking houses about 350-450 HUF/hour ~ 1,30-1,70 EUR/hour and about 5-6000 HUF for one day (~21 EUR/day). Parking tickets are checked frequently, so you have to pay fine for sure if you do not buy parking ticket.
The one and only area in the city centre, where parking is allowed without parking fee is in front of the Rudas spa (at the Buda side of the Elizabeth bridge).
During sightseeing buses and cars can park for free of charge in the main tourist attractions like the Heroes Square, Városliget (City Park), Citadel. The most popular parking place for tourist buses is at Belgrád rkp. (wharf), at Duna Street (at Pest side of the Elisabeth bridge).
Car Rentals
The main international car rental companies run offices and agencies in the city center of Budapest and at the Ferihegy airport terminals also. Car rental companies, that are represented in Budapest (you can make a google search for these brand names for more information): ABLE Auto Rent, Automobile-Rent, Avalon Rent, Avis, Budget, Capitol City, Europcar, Fox Autorent, Hertz, ISA Rent a Car, Limousine Service, Regina Rent-a-car, Sixt, Yes Autorent.
Taxi in Budapest
There are a lot of taxi drivers who try to cheat, like everywhere in the big cities. Here are some tips to avoid them. Use only taxi with a brand sign. Do not take a taxi without brand sign or different brand than any in the list below, otherwise you will be surprised. The correct taxi companies publish their prices on their website and in their cars also.
Always order taxi by telephone, because the fares are cheaper than the fares of taxis are taken from the street. The
main taxi companies with good kilometer rates:
- 6x6 Taxi tel.: +36 1 6 666 666
- City Taxi tel.: +36 1 2 111 111
- Fő Taxi tel.: +36 1 2 222 222
- Rádió Taxi tel.: +36 1 7 777 777
- Taxi 2000 tel.: +36 1 2 000 000
- Tele 5 Taxi tel.: +36 1 5 555 555