Budapest lies in the heart of Europe and flights from main cities such as London, Paris and Amsterdam take around two hours.

Currently there are no direct long-haul flights from North America, although Polish carrier LOT has offered a New York-Budapest route in recent years.



Which airlines fly to Budapest?

Hungary doesn’t have its own national carrier. Budget Wizz Air is the only Hungarian airline, offering dozens of direct flights to Budapest from places as far afield as Baku, Dubai and Riyadh.


MTI Photo of WizzAir CEO: Márton Mónus

Low-cost carriers Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 also link Budapest with the UK and many other European destinations. Asian companies Air China, Korean Air and Shanghai Airlines fly here directly from the Far East.



Budapest Airport, also referred to Ferenc Liszt Airport is 16km (ten miles) south-east of town. Terminal 2 is the only one in operation, comprised of adjoining buildings A and B a short walk apart. Terminal 1 closer to town is not open to the public, although the rail terminal opposite still functions.

How to get from Budapest Airport to town

Public transport from Terminal 2 involves buses. The 100E leaves from outside Terminal 2 Arrivals every 8-10mins, then every 30-45mins through the night. Journey time to three central points, Kálvin tér, Astoria and focal Deák Ferenc tér, is around 45mins, depending on traffic. Airport-bound buses set off from Deák tér beside cobbled Városháza park.

The service requires a special airport shuttle ticket (HUF 2,200), available from the machine by the airport stop or from metro stations in town. Inspectors validate your ticket as you board. 

When you come out of airport Arrivals, you’ll see a kiosk – this is for the Főtaxi (+36 1 222 2 222) service into town. Give your destination to the dispatcher and your car will pull up. The standard fare into town is around HUF 12,000. Be careful of taxis waiting outside major hotels and nightlife hubs, particularly Gozsdu udvar.



To and from the airport, the miniBUD communal minibus is cheaper than a taxi, but charged per head, so is only economical for single passengers. The driver can also drop off several passengers before you so it might take a while before you reach your destination. A journey to/from the city centre is around HUF 7,500. 

Coming to Budapest by train

Coming to Budapest by rail, you arrive at one of the four main train stations, Keleti, Nyugati, Déli and Kelenföld each with its own stop on the city’s metro network. If you arrive after midnight, night buses also serve the stations. If you’re taking a taxi from a station, agree a price beforehand.



Both Keleti and Nyugati have recently benefitted from substantial makeovers, making ticket and exchange offices easy to spot, shops, too.

Train times and information can be found on the website for Hungarian State Railways, MÁV. Europe-wide investment in the international rail network means that there are ever more services, particularly night trains, from western Europe via Germany and Austria. See Deutsche Bahn for the latest offers.

Coming to Budapest by bus

The main bus station for international services is Népliget, at the metro station of the same name. Flixbus offers plenty of routes into Budapest from around the region, while Hungary’s main national company Volánbusz skips over the border from nearby towns in Slovakia and Serbia.

MTI Photo: Csaba Jászai

Driving to Budapest

Hungarian motorways are generally in reasonable condition. As you soon as you enter the country, you’ll need to have purchased a vignette or matrica, minimum period ten days (€19.74), available online.

This article is part of a series of guides for expats in Hungary published by XpatLoop.com - the leading media portal serving the international community here since January 2001.

XpatLoop.com is a trusted source for news and information in English for expats in Hungary - plus high-value Hungarians - aimed at enhancing co-operation between people, companies and organisations operating in expat-related circles.

Words by Peterjon Cresswell for Xpatloop.com
Peterjon has been researching the byways of Budapest for 30 years, extending his expertise across Europe to produce guidebooks for Time Out and his own website liberoguide.com