Budapest has one of the best Public transport systems in Europe, covering travel on buses, trolley-buses, trams, the underground (Metro), and surface urban railway (HÉV) One ticket is good for a one-way journey on any of these. If you change to a different form of transport, or change metro lines, you must use a new ticket. (This is often checked and fines can be imposed, see below.)

You can buy single tickets from machines at metro stations and tram-stops, or at kiosks and magazine stands in the metro stations during business hours. To use a single ticket, you must validate it by putting it into the special "puncher" machine at the metro entrance, or on the bus/tram/trolley-bus.

Transport is great value in Budapest. The transport systems can take you everywhere fast, so you may use it more than you might expect. Thus tickets, or books of tickets will be used up apace. We often find that a pass is a better deal for short visits. (Then you don't need to worry about validating new tickets all the time.) This is great value, especially the Budapest card, if you are planning to hit the museums. Sold at many Hotels and hostels.

Public transport usually operates from 04:30 to 23:00, and at night 15 bus and 2 tram lines are in service.

Ticket Controls are quite frequent and fines are high (2,000 HUF). Inspections are performed by BKV agents wearing red armbands.

Metro

Budapest 's 3 metro lines cross at Deák Ferenc Tér in the town centre. Taking the metro is fast as they come every 3-6 minutes during working hours. They operate from 4:30 am to 11pm and outside of these times their routes are roughly matched by surface night buses.

If you have a single ticket, be sure to punch it, up in front of the escalators before going down to the platform.There is a regular check up inside the metro. More so on sundays than any other day of the week, the fines are high for traveling without a ticket!

Taxi

Taxi fares are of course much higher than the BKV public transport system. It is worth bearing in mind that rush hour traffic can make the latter a much smoother and faster alternative. If you want to take taxi, ordering it by phone will make the ride cheaper (up to 25%), and will avoid disreputable taxis who will take you all round the town and charge you an arm and a leg for the privilege. Well-established taxi companies with English speaking operators:

Taksa: 2 111 111
Fő Taxi: 2 222 222
Radiotaxi: 3 777 777
Taxi 2000: 2 000 000

Trams

Trams are a lovely way to travel if you are not in a hurry. The routes are simple to learn and services very regular through the day. Again, watch for pickpockets and if travelling on business, be aware that a tram's magnetic field can sometimes de-magnetise computer disks.

Buses and Trolley-buses

These are effectively the same thing. Trolley-buses run on overhead electric cables and are more environmentally friendly, a lot slower and tend to service commuter routes. Routes and schedules for both are posted at bus stops.

Routes marked with an "E" (Éjszaka) are only Night transport services. These follow similar routes to the metro lines, so you can always get home. Also, buses marked in red are the fast services. There is usually an equivalent to the red one, in black or green, which is slower but covers more stops.

Bus Tours

There are several companies that offer tours of the city by bus. These can be seen on our bus tours section. Of course the main sights in the city can be seen on foot: see walking tours.

HÉV - Surface Urban Railway Lines

The 4 HÉV surface urban railway lines bring commuters into the city from the North, South and East. As a commuter service, the HÉV is not normally of interest to visitors, with the exception of the train to nearby Szentendre, a pleasant half-day trip.

If you are using the Budapest card, or any of the city's transport tickets, bear in mind that these are only valid up to the city limits at Békesmeggye. Don't forget to buy a separate ticket at Batthyány tér, to take you the whole distance without any problems.