【Hungary】Airport to City by Bus or Taxi

*Additions were made in July 2022 to reflect the revision of public transportation rates.

"I've arrived in Budapest! How do I get from here to the city center?"

So, in this article, I introduce how to go to the Center of Budapest from the Airport.

"What should I do after arriving at the airport?"

This is the first barrier you will encounter when traveling abroad, and the Hungarian version of this question is now resolved.

Three modes of transportation（Bus, Taxi）

These are the three ways to get from the airport to center of Budapest!

Choose the one that best suits your needs in terms of price, travel time, and accommodations.

I will explain in turn.

１　【Airport shuttle bus (100E)】: 1,500 HUF (100HUF = 0.28 USD), 40 minutes

Airport Shuttle Bus Ticket（1500HUF）※Price increased from 900 ft...

The easiest, quickest way! I recommend it most highly.

Shuttle buses depart from Budapest's airport and stop at three locations in the city center, "Deak", "Astoria", and "Kalvin", roughly every 30 minutes.

It is the same bus stops when heading to the airport.

Each of these three stops is a hub location for the next bus, tram, or metro, so getting around is quite convenient.

This Bus runs from about 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM, so you can basically just hop on one of these!

How to buy the ticket

There are some purple machines outside the airport.

After exiting the arrival gate at the airport, go directly outside the airport.

There, you will see a purple machine like the one in the photo, where you can purchase tickets.

Depending on the machine, some machines accept only cash, and some accept only cards, but basically, if you have a credit card, you can make purchases. (There is no counter where you can buy the ticket.)

If you cannot make a purchase at the nearby machine (which sometimes happens), you can use the same machine located at the exit of the other arrival gate.

After you've made your purchase, just look for the bus "100E," present your ticket to the staff, and you're good to go!

２　【Bus (200E) → Metro (M2)】: 530 HUF (100HUF = 0.28 USD),  1 hour

"200E" Bus

This is the cheapest way to get to the city center.

Although you should transfer, you can get to "Colvin Station" for 530 HUF (100HUF = 0.28 USD) by purchasing a "transfer ticket".

When you purchase a "transfer ticket," you will receive two tickets with the numbers "1" and "2" on them.

You can use "1" for the bus (200E) and "2" for the metro (M2).

However, in this case, there is no way from the "Colvin Station" and you will have to buy another ticket to get from here by public transportation.

So, I would like to recommend a few tickets. More convenient transportation is available. (If you use a 1DAY pass, etc., you can get around more economically) ↓.

If you buy an unlimited ride ticket for the number of days you stay in Hungary, you can take all transportation (tram, bus, metro) except the "airport shuttle bus".

That is by far the best deal!

⚠️Fines 8,000 HUF for forgetting to have the ticket⚠️

If you purchase a single ticket or a 10-ticket, you must put it through a ticket machine before boarding.

But if you forgot to put it and are found by BKK staff, you have to pay a fine of 8,000 HUF.

Trams and buses have a machine inside the car, and the metro (subway) must be put through the machine before getting on.

Do not lose it until you get off the bus or any transportation, and be ready to give it to staff when asked to show it inside the train!

For an unlimited ride ticket, you do not need to put it through the machine.

Just carry it with you at all times and show it when you are asked to show it.

This means that if you are not found by the checking official BKK, you can take these for free. So thrilling.

３　【Taxi】: About 7,000 HUF (100HUF = 0.28 USD), 40 minute　*Fare to "Octogon"

Taxi🚕 It is safety

If you arrive at the airport at midnight, you only have to take a taxi. (If you wait until around 5:00 AM, a bus will leave.)

If you have a hotel on the "Pest side" and take a taxi to the center of "Octogon", it will cost about 7,000 HUF.

If you have a hotel on the "Buda side", it will cost about 10,000 HUF.

However, even if the hotel is far from the airport, if your hotel is located along the No. 4 or 6 tram, you can get dropped off at the "Corvin station" and take the tram from there.

In that case, don't forget to buy a "tram ticket" at the airport!

The most convenient tram No.4 No.6 (yellow line)

How to take a Taxi

深夜到着の場合は、ほとんどの乗客が「タクシー」を利用するので、タクシーに乗るまでにも時間がかかります。

ここで、「タクシーの配車」の仕方を紹介！↓

For late-night arrivals, most passengers take a "taxi" and it takes a long time to get a taxi.

Here's "how to take a taxi" ↓

１　Go to the "Taxi counter"  just outside the airport

Taxi counter outside the airport.

After exiting the arrival gate, go directly outside the airport and you will find the "taxi counter". (Late at night, there may already be a line.)

You will need to line up here and have a taxi dispatched to you.

(You can also use an app to dispatch a taxi in advance.)

２　Tell your destination

Tell the person at the counter where you are going.

If you don't know where you are going, just prepare a map or something in advance.

They will tell you how many minutes it will take.

Then, get a piece of paper with the taxi number on it!

３　Wait for the taxi with the number written on the paper you got

Now all you have to do is wait for that taxi to come.

In my case, it took about 40 minutes to wait in line at the counter, 5 minutes to deal with the counter, and 20 minutes for the taxi to arrive. (I arrived at the airport around 2 am)

When the taxi arrives, tell the driver where you are going again!

Good APP for Hungary Trip

１　Budapest Go

Convenient APP

This is the must-have app for sightseeing in Budapest! "Budapest Go".

Enter your destination and it will tell you how to get there from your current location.

You may be thinking, "Why don't I just use Google Maps?"

No, no, no. "Budapest Go" tells you where the trains are in real time!

So, you can see if the train is running on time, and you can also see if the train is running behind schedule, so you can run and catch it in time.

It's a pretty straightforward app, showing you the bus and metro numbers you need to take!

This is pretty handy!

BudapestGO

BKK Budapesti Közlekedési Központ Zártkörűen Működő Részvénytársaság無料posted withアプリーチ

２　Walt Delivery

In Budapest, "Walt" is very active in both delivery and taxi services.

If you want to enjoy the taste of different restaurants during your short stay in Budapest, "Walt" is the solution for you.

A very useful app!

Wolt ウォルト：フードデリバリー/食料品や日用品も

Wolt無料posted withアプリーチ

３　Omio

The last is「Omio」 。

This application allows you to search and book trains, buses, and airplanes within Europe.

Enter your destination and you can see at a glance the time and price for each flight, train, and bus.

Vienna in Austria is no longer a 3-hour one-way trip. You can even take a day trip.

If you have enough time for your stay, why don't you find a country you can go to with this?

Omio(オミオ)ヨーロッパと北米の鉄道、バス、飛行機予約

GoEuro無料posted withアプリーチ

End...

In this issue, we focus on how to get from the airport to the city center in Budapest, Hungary!

Thank you for reading this far.