Budapest
Hungary
Budapest has a great public transport system. So let's find out what tickets you can buy, and how you can get from the airport to the city center.
A little about the public transport agency
BKK runs the public transport in Budapest. Their website is localized for foreign readers. The English version of the website is bkk.hu/en.
Budapest's administrative boundary
This is very important, as all tickets mentioned below are not valid outside of the boundary. If you plan to stay in the city center, you are good. More info about the boundary can be found here. (only in Hungarian)
Ticket types
You can buy all of these tickets from a vending machine, a helpdesk (at the airport or the city center) and even from a phone. Let's look at the ticket options.
One ride tickets
A single ticket will set you back 450 Ft, which amounts to €1.11 as of writing this article. With this ticket, you can go on one mode of transport, but if you want to transfer to one metro line to another, you can do that only once. If you buy the ticket from the driver, it is 600 Ft (€1,50).
Time based and daily tickets
These tickets are the best option for tourists. In the mentioned timeframe, you can ride on whatever you want except the 100E express, which you have to buy a seperate ticket for. These are:
- 30 minute ticket (530 Ft - €1.30)
- 90 minute ticket (750 Ft - €1.85)
- 24 hour ticket (2500 Ft - €6.20)
- 72 (3 days) hour ticket (5500 Ft - €13.60)
- More tickets and passes found here
Airport shuttle
The line 100E runs between Deák Ferenc tér and Liszt Ferenc Airport Terminal 2 (Terminal 1 is now only used for private jets.) It has a runtime of around 33 minutes. The bus can be crowded at times. The ticket for this bus for one ride is 2200 Ft (€5.50).
Contactless payment
Contactless payment on transport in Hungary is not a common thing. It is only available in Budapest (called Budapest Pay&Go), and it is limited to:
- Line 100E (Airport express bus)
- Line M1 (The first metro line that was built in Budapest)
You simply have to touch your bank card, phone or watch to the validator. It is at an early stage, and is said that it will be extended in the future to all lines. Currently, you can only buy one ride tickets with this method. More information can be found here.
Transit apps and mobile tickets
Mobile tickets are widespread all over Hungary, not just Budapest. These apps can even help you find your way around the city.
BudapestGo, BKK's transit app
BudapestGo is a transit and ticket app made by the transit agency. It has a modern design. You can get directions, info of lines, disruptions and more. It shows regional buses and trains, too. The app "can speak" multiple languages.
You can also buy tickets, not just for Budapest but any city that is supported. You could buy a ticket for these regional buses, but that is not available since Volánbusz (the national bus company) was absorbed into MÁV (the national train company). You have to buy these tickets in the MÁV app. More info on the app here.
Validation of these tickets is very simple. Click Validate on which ticket you want to use, and scan the QR code that is typically on a pole, or on the side of the bus/tram. Then an animation will appear, show that to the validators or the bus driver. On a tram, simply validate and close the animation. Again, more info about this here. (This text also applies to other cities on the app.)
