Budapest - Public transportation

Getting Around
in Budapest

Taxis in Budapest

Call a taxi in advance! Taxis are much cheaper this way than when you just stop them on
the street. Taxis provide a convenient and not too expensive way of transporting your whole
family.

Taxi companies to call:

City Taxi +36.1.211.1111
Fő Taxi +36.1.222.2222
Buda Taxi +36.1.233.3333 More on Budapest Taxis >>>

Highway Information

Did you know that it is FREE to drive
on M0, the M7 is free between
Budapest and Erd, and the M1 is free
between Budapest and the M0
intersection?

You don't need to purchase the
vignette to drive all the way to Erd
from Budapest on M7, or to use the
entire M0!

Speed limits
(km/hour) for various types of vehicles

                              motorway / main road / other road / municipalities

Passenger car                  130 / 110 / 90 / 50
- with trailer                        80 / 70 / 70 / 50

motorbike                           130 / 110 / 90 / 50
bus                                      80 / 70 / 70 / 50
truck, lorry                           80 / 70 / 70 / 50

Public Transportation in Budapest

Budapest public transport has a network of 153 bus routes, 15 trolley bus and 33 tram routes, 3 metro lines (a
4th one under construction - think ahead, investors!) and 4 suburban train (HÉV) lines. The network of trams
(villamos) and buses provides a fast way to get around.

Tram and bus tickets can be bought at metro stations or from street kiosks. You can choose between buses,
trams, three metro lines and trolley buses in Budapest. A fourth metro line is under construction. Tickets are
available at metro entrances in (pénztár) booths.

Buses

The buses in Budapest are frequent and fast. There is an express service on
some routes, and such express buses with red numbering travel the same route
as the normal ones (numbered in black), but they stop at only major stops on the
route. The super express buses travel without stopping between destinations
and may be recognized by red numbering followed by a red letter E. Tickets are
validated in the hand- or electronic puncher on board. Don't forget to push the
button next to the door if you wish to exit or board the vehicle - bus will not stop
automatically, unless a signal request was made.

Trams

The fifty-year-old Budapest trams are still functional (although change is coming as the
inventory will be swapped out with new vehicles in the coming years). They squeak and
groan, but keep on running on the main radial and riverside routes on both sides of the
Danube, and several of the bridges.

Metro

Budapest currently has three underground metro
lines intersecting at Deák tér:
M1, the little yellow line from Vörösmarty tér to
Mexikói út. The first subway in Continental Europe
M2, the red line from Déli train station to Örs
vezér tere.
M3, the blue line from Újpest-Központ to
Kőbánya-Kispest.
The new M4 is under construction.

click for the
metro map

Budapest metro is the oldest on the continent and dates back to year 1890, when yellow
line was built (signed Földalatti) to celebrate the Magyar millennium. Now Budapest
metro has 3 lines with trains running at regular intervals of 3-4 minutes.
Click here for a non-official Metro site with pictures in English!

Tickets & Passes

You can travel on the vehicles only with pre-purchased ticket or
pass that you validate when starting your trip. Tickets are sold at
newspaper stalls, metro stations and larger public transportation
centers (big squares and public transportation intersections).
Only some bus drivers sell tickets, but they do not make change.

How to validate ticket

The ticket is validated by a punch- or electronic machine on board.
Validate your own ticket (with daily / weekly / monthly passes it is
not necessary) in the orange boxes at Metro entrances, or the
manually operated red punch boxes located on buses and trams.
Put your ticket in the slot with the arrow pointing down, then pull
the black knob toward yourself.

C urrent t icket types and prices >>>

Taking on or off
Don't forget to push button next to the door if you want to board or
exit (doors do not automatically open).

railway photos

You do not need to drive your own vehicle to conduct your everyday life (work - school - shopping) in Budapest. If
you live near public transportation, I suggest you to get a monthly pass, and you will enjoy the alternative. Due to
the heavy rush-hour traffic, even cyclists are in a better position than drivers - except in the winter.

Public transportation in Budapest generally operates between 4 a.m. and 11 p.m., but there are certain bus lines
that run all night (marked with an "E" after the number of the regular line - see night services above).

You can also use public transportation to get out of the city to surrounding towns, recreation areas or suburbs by
bus, suburban train (called "HEV" in Hungarian) or train.

Keep in mind that in the city center and on crowded public transportation there is a higher probability of
pick-pocketing. There is a 24-hour English-language hotline that was specifically set up to help English
speakers report crime. It is: 438-8080

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a cool site: Trams of Hungary