Find your way around in Buda and Pest

Budapest offers an excellent network of trolley buses, trams, buses, metro lines and overland HÉV (suburb) trains. Tickets can be purchased at major stops, stations, ticket machines and kiosks. One can get on a bus or a tram without a ticket, but ticket inspectors wearing red armbands can pop up anytime and anywhere, charging a fine for not holding a valid ticket. Single and transfer tickets are the same for all lines, but a new ticket (or, in case of transfer tickets, new validation) is needed for each ride. Daily unlimited travel tickets can also be purchases, as well as 2-3 day or half/one month passes (photographs are needed for the latter).

The metro system is composed of three lines: M1-yellow, M2-red, M3-blue, all connecting at Deák tér. This is the fastest way to cross the city, and it is a safe way too. Tickets need to be validated at each transfer! The metro runs from 4.30am until around 11pm.

More than 200 bus and trolley lines cover most of the inner city and the suburbs. When a bus pulls up at a stop, doors do not automatically open. From the outside, a small button next the the door needs to be pressed. From inside, passangers who wish to disembark must press a stop button in advance (buses might even miss stops if no one signals).

The tram system offers a speedy route through busy city traffic, and trams run frequently from 4.30am until 11pm or midnight, depending on the route.

Suburb trains (HÉV)  connect Budapest with suburban districts and joining towns. Szentendre to the north is a real jewel, popular among tourists. Additional tickets are necessary when travelling outside the city borders.

Related links: Budapest Hotel Booking - Check availability and best rates