Budapest is a great example of a city that belongs to off beaten path destinations in Europe. It offers wide range of touristic attractions and wealth of architecture. It’s easy to explore it on foot as most of the attractions are placed in the city center. It’s wonderful to have a walk by the beautiful Danube, so we hope we’ll encourage you to visit the capital of Hungary :) See our Budapest What To See – Travel Guide !
How to get to Budapest
FLIGHT
Budapest airport has a very wide net of budget routes within Europe (and even further). On the front burner have a look on flights operated by Wizz Air, Ryanair and easyJet. Probably the most interesting for transit passengers is a cheap Wizz Air’s connection to Dubai.
On the way back from Budapest, save more time for the passport control at the airport. The airside is modern with plenty of duty-free stores and fast food counters, but queues to the customs are the problem, which still hasn’t been solved.
OUR ROUTE
Warsaw – Budapest – Warsaw (Wizz Air, $27 RT)
FROM AIRPORT TO THE CITY
Budapest airport – Kobanya-Kispest metro station – Budapest airport (bus 200E, goes every 7-8 minutes, takes 20 minutes)
Kobanya-Kispest metro station – ”Deak Ferenc ter” city center metro station – Kobanya-Kispest metro station (metro line M3)
How to get around Budapest
Budapest has a very efficient, although quite obsolete metro system. It covers all places you need to see in the capital of Hungary. A bus (200E line) is worth to use only between the airport and the first metro station (Kobanya-Kispest).
Most useful tickets for public transport:
Single ticket (transfers allowed only between metro lines): 350 HUF (approx. $1.20)
Single ticket bought on the spot: 450 HUF (approx. $1.50)
Block of 10 single tickets: 3000 HUF (approx. $10)
Transfer ticket: 530 HUF (approx. $1.80)
24-hour travelcard: 1650 HUF (approx. $6)
24-hour group travelcard (for 1-5 passengers traveling together): 3300 HUF (approx. $11)
72-hour travelcard: 4150 HUF (approx. $14)
Most important metro stations:
Deak Ferenc ter (main metro station in Budapest – crossing of three lines: M1, M2 and M3)
Kobanya-Kispest (last station of M3 line, it connects the metro with the airport by 200E)
Keleti Palyaudvar (above the metro there’s the main international and intercity railway terminal – Budapest Keleti)
Kossuth Lajos ter (it’s the closest station to Parliament Building)
Budapest what to see
HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT BUILDING (ORSZAGHAZ)
The biggest attraction and the most famous building in Budapest located on the eastern bank of the Danube River. You can see the Parliament Building inside only by taking a guided tour. English-speaking tours take place 5 times a day. You can book your tickets online and it’s slightly cheaper than buying them on the spot. Online prices: European Union citizens/ 2000 HUF, EU students/ 1000 HUF, other citizens/ 5200 HUF, other students/ 2600 HUF.
CHAIN BRIDGE (SZECHENYI LANCHID)
The most impressive bridge in Budapest that links Buda and Pest on the Danube
STEPHEN’S BASILICA
Roman Catholic church named after the first King of Hungary
FISHERMAN’S BASTION
19th century fortification serves great panoramic views of Budapest
Sleeping, Eating, Safety and other tips
SLEEPING
It was nice to discover that accommodation in Budapest is very cheap. There’s many hostels and budget hotels, so it’s easy to find good offers, even close to the center. Double rooms with shared bathroom cost 4400-6000 HUF (approx. $15-$20) and hostel beds starts from 1500-2200 HUF (approx. $5-$7). We took a room in DeeP Guest House for a night – the room looked much worse than on pictures, but was cheap and near the metro.
EATING
Standard dinner in Budapest goes for 1200-1500 HUF (approx. $4-$5), but if you are lucky you can find some ”dish of the day” under 1000 HUF (approx. $3).
SAFETY
Budapest seemed to be a safe city. We didn’t see anything to worry about, even after dark.
OTHER TIPS
Install a currency-converter application on your smartphone, because due to the low value of Hungarian Forint it’s difficult to calculate your spending in this currency.
How much does it cost? (per person)
flights RT: $27
hostel: $20/ 2 persons = $10
public transport (Budapest 24-hour group travelcard): $6
food spending: $13
souvenir: $1
TOTAL for the whole trip (1 day): $57
Great tips! Will be very useful to me when I visited Budapest. Thanks for sharing!
We’re glad that you enjoyed it :) Have a nice time in Budapest!