Budapest – the Queen of the Danube, the Capital of Spas and Thermal baths attracts around 12 million international tourists per year. Due to its long history as part of the Ottoman Empire, and later the Habsburg Monarchy and Austria-Hungary, this European city is mainly dominated by Gothic, Renaissance, Ottoman and Baroque architecture which significance have made Budapest City Centre a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site list and a popular travel destination with unique charm.
The city that we know today was formed when the towns of Buda, Óbuda, and Pest were officially unified in 1873. The new capital was named Budapest which has a quite uncertain meaning. According to a legend, the name Buda comes from the name of its founder, Bleda, brother of the Hunnic ruler Attila. One of the theories about the name Pest has it that Pest originates in the Slavic word for cave. There are many other interpretations of the name of this city none of which has been confirmed.
In this article we will answer the most common questions people ask before visiting Budapest. We believe that the information we provide here will help you better prepare for your trip.
Arriving to Budapest
By plane
Arriving to Budapest by plane is very convenient and can be quite inexpensive. One of the biggest European low-cost airlines, Wizz Air has its head office in Budapest. The airline serves many cities across Europe as well as some destinations in North Africa and the Middle East. Cheap direct flights can be found from many countries including: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, United Kingdom and many others. Except for the affordable Wizz Air, you can also choose from many other companies flying to Budapest including British Airways and the European low-cost Ryanair.
With a great connectivity to the major cities in the world, the main airport in Budapest, Ferenc Liszt International Airport would be the first choice for international travellers.
The cheapest option for getting from the airport to the city centre is the public bus 100E. The price of a single ride is 900 Forints. Please make sure to buy the tickets before you get on the bus from the ticket machine right next to the bus stop. You can use both cash and credit card. If you want to go straight to the city centre you should get off the bus at the Deák Ferenc tér M bus stop, which is only 500m far from the busy Vaci Street or to the St. Stephen Basilica, 900m from the famous Chain Bridge and 1.6km far from the Hungarian Parliament Building.
By bus
Many bus companies, including the popular FlixBus, Ecolines, Eurolines and Regio Jet provide transport services to Budapest. We used the company Regio Jet to get from Prague to Budapest which costed us around 17 Euros per person. The bus will bring you to Kelenföld Vasút u.16 from where you can easily catch the tram Number 19 which goes straight to the Buda side of the city. This is a perfect option if you want to discover this beautiful part of Budapest including the Fisherman’s Bastion, Buda Castle and the Citadel and enjoy some breathtaking views of the Hungarian Parliament Building over the Danube River and the impressive Chain Bridge.
International buses also stop at Népliget Bus Station from where you can take the metro line M3 or the metro replacement public bus M3 (due to metro reconstruction) which goes to Deák Ferenc tér M right in the city centre.
By train
You can use a train to get to Budapest from many cities in Europe, including Bratislava, Bucharest, Ljubljana, Munich, Prague, Vienna, Warsaw and Zagreb. There are 3 main railway stations in Budapest: Keleti, located in the east which is the main international and intercity railway station, Nyugati, located in the west and Deli, located in the south of the city. To get from Keleti Railway station to the city centre, use the M2 metro line.
Getting around the city
Getting around Budapest will mainly depend on the location of your accommodation. If you are staying near the city centre, getting around will not be a problem. Most of the landmarks are easily accessible on foot and the public transport network is well organised. Except for the convenient metro, which is by the way the second oldest in the world, there are buses and trams connecting the sides of the city. A single ride costs 350 forints if the ticket is bought from a ticket machine, or 450 forints if you buy it on the spot (on the bus or tram). A transfer ticket costs 530 Ft and a short section metro ticket (for up to 3 stops) is 300 Ft. If you plan to use the public transport often there is an option to buy a block of ten tickets for the price of 3000 Ft.
The single ticket and block of single tickets are valid on the full length of lines 1-99, 101-299, 900-999, M1, M2, M3, M4 as well as on lines H5, H6, H7, H8, H9 but within the administrative boundaries of Budapest only. The short section metro ticket is valid on lines M1, M2, M3, M4 one trip including a transfer for up to a total of 3 stations.
Travel cards
There are also different types of travel cards you can choose from including 24-hour Budapest travel card for 1650 Ft, 72-hour card for 4150 Ft and 7 day travel card for 4950 Ft. Travel cards are valid within the administrative boundaries of Budapest on lines 1-99, 101-299, 900-999, M1, M2, M3, M4, H5, H6, H7, H8, H9, D14, as well as on boat services D11 and D12 but on workdays only.
Please note that you can’t use credit cards to pay for your ticket on the bus or tram. Ticket machines at the stations accept both cash and credit cards. The ticket must be validated before getting on the metro. For this purpose you will find yellow validation machines on the platforms or inside the vehicles if you use public buses or trams. There are ticket checks often and it is better not to risk the big fines – 16000 Ft if paid within 30 days and 8000 Ft if paid on the spot. The fines apply even if you have bought a ticket but haven’t validated it.
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Money
The currency in Hungary is Hungarian forint. 1 Euro is approximately 330 Hungarian forints and 1 US dollar is approximately 300 Hungarian forints. Even though credit cards are accepted at many places, Hungary is still considered a cash society. The country is among the highest in Europe by cash use. Credit cards are not accepted at many points of interest, restaurants and shops. So make sure to exchange or withdraw enough local money.
Accommodation
While we were searching for accommodation for our trip to Budapest we found out that there are not many budget options. If you travel on a budget and you don’t mind staying at hostels, you can find good deals with convenient location. We prefer to have our privacy and comfort for a reasonable price, so a good option for us was to look at some apartments which are cheaper than the better hotels but much better than a hostel. We found an apartment at the city centre 5 min walk from the Chain Bridge for around 70 Euros for 2 people for 2 nights.
For the luxury travellers there are beautiful hotels with stunning architecture and interiors in the city centre which will surely make your stay unforgettable! No matter the price you decide to pay for your room, we would recommend to follow one rule, and that is: choose a good location to fully enjoy the Budapest spirit!
Hungarian cuisine
The first things that comes to our mind when we think of Hungarian cuisine is – goulash! Being the most popular national dish and a symbol of the country, this soup made of meat and vegetables and seasoned with paprika among other spices is a must try for every visitor.
Hungarian or Magyar cuisine is mostly continental Central European with chicken, pork and beef being very common ingredients. It is interesting that Hungarians divide main dishes in two groups: either they require a side dish or they don’t. It would be very unusual to order a side dish if a main dish doesn’t require it and vice versa – probably the reason why I got that look from the waiter after ordering only potatoes and cucumber salad at the restaurant! 🙂
Other famous Hungarian dishes include: paprikás (meat stew in paprika sauce finished with sweet or sour cream), pörkölt (a meat stew made of meat, paprika and vegetables), lángos (deep fried dough with variety of toppings), gombóc (boiled dumplings made from potato dough filled with plums) and Dobos cake (five-layered cake of chocolate buttercream and sponge, topped with caramel and decorated with nuts)! Sounds yummy right? Something that we found pretty unusual on the menu were the cold fruit soups. We didn’t try them, but maybe you have! Let us know in the comments if you liked it!
What is the best time to visit Budapest?
Budapest has typical European continental influenced climate with warm, dry summers and fairly cold winters. January is the coldest month with daytime temperatures usually around zero. In some cases winter months can be very cold with temperatures far below zero heavy snowfall or snowstorms and strong, cold northeasterly winds.
In summer temperatures reach 20-25°C, but sometimes quite higher, 30°C or more. Sometimes heavy thunderstorms can occur. July is the warmest month with an average temperature of 22°C.
Generally, the weather is best May-September, when days are warm and the nights are cool, although it rains more in spring than in summer. Autumn and winter are usually a little chilly and wet, sometimes snowy and often foggy.
The best time to visit Budapest is in spring or in autumn, when the weather is pleasant and the streets are not overfilled with tourists.
How long to stay in Budapest
Budapest is perfect for a weekend trip which is usually enough to see the main points of interest. We stayed for 2 nights and we felt that we had enough time to enjoy this city.
Can you drink tap water in Budapest
Budapest is known as the capital of spas and thermal waters and tap water is perfectly safe to drink. However it is our decision to drink bottled water wherever we go, so you might want to consider doing that too. But in case you choose tap water, there is no place for concern – you will be perfectly fine.
Is it expensive in Budapest
Well as everywhere it the World it depends on many factors. But in general we would say no!
When you shop in the supermarket you can get enough food for a nice snack or breakfast for about 1000 forints (3-4$)
At the cheaper restaurants you will end up paying approximately 900-1500 forints per meal which is still fine price. We got goulash soup for 700 forints ($2). Beer costs another dollar and a pancake $5. Here we are talking about more local restaurants little bit further from the main city center. You can multiply the prices for more fancy places. So does it sound cheap for you?
$1 single ride ticket
When it comes to transportation, as we already said, the single ride ticket is approximately $1. It sounds cheap but in case you need to change lines and means of transport it gets more expensive, so you might wish to take advantage of the different types of travel cards described above. But don’t worry, most of the important Budapest landmarks can be easily reached on foot, so you will rarely need to use public transport.
As we said before accomodation is the main issue. Here we would say it’s far more expensive than the comfort provided. For two nights in a low cost apartment in the city centre you will pay around $70. If you want comfort and privacy, prices for a room in a better hotel are starting from $100 per night. Choose the place wisely but be ready to spend some money here.
We hope this article answered some of the questions you had about Budapest. We believe that it will help you better plan your trip. Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and experience in the comments! We always love hearing from you!
And if you want to explore more destinations in Europe, this is the best place to start.
With Love,
Jelena and Luke
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