Budapest Public transportation - the BKV

Public transport in Budapest is excellent by international standards. (Within the entire populated area of Budapest one can find a stop/station within 400 meters.) A wide variety of buses, trolley buses, trams and underground trains  usually operate from 4.30 am to 11 p.m. At night 32 bus lines are in service. Detailed information available at the information bureaux. This is a nice old UV type tram, seen at Bem rakpart in 2005. Two motor cars and an intermediate 2-axle trailer. These are the oldest type of trams running in Hungary.

You have to purchase a ticket in advance at the terminals, at metro stations or newsagents. Single tickets are the same for each means of transport. 

If accompanied by an adult, children under 6 need no ticket. There is no conductor on the vehicles: you must validate your ticket at the start of the journey. (Fines are high.)

Types of tickets: single ticket, day ticket, 3-day tourist ticket, 7-day travel card. Season tickets with photo for 14 or 30 days are also available. Ticket and travelpass prices

Remember that the Budapest Card entitles to free travel for three days. On buses and trolley buses you must push a button next to the door to indicate your intention to get off, while other vehicles alight at all stops.

Budapest can boast with special vehicles such as the Children’s Railway, the Chairlift and the interesting Cogwheel railway. Put into service in 1874, it was Europe’s third cogwheel railway. The lower terminus is opposite Hotel Budapest (II., Szilágyi Erzsébet fasor 47.), the upper is at 427 meters on the Széchenyi Hill. The Széchenyi Lookout Tower is at the Művész út station. In service: daily 04.00-24.00 Tram 18 (from Moszkva tér to the lower terminus).

Suburban trains called HÉV also belong to the public transport system. You can use them to visit such towns outside Budapest as Szentendre (from Batthyány tér) or Gödöllő (from Örs vezér tere).

Greater Budapest train network map

 

Metro System:

Budapest has three underground metro lines intersecting at Deák tér: M 1, the little yellow line from Vörösmarty tér to Mexikói út; M2, the red line from Déli train station to Örs vezér tere; and M3, the blue line from Újpest-Központ to Kőbánya-Kispest. A possible source of confusion on MI is that one stop is called Vörösmarty tér and another is Vörösmarty utca. The HÉV suburban railway, which runs north from Batthyány tér, is almost like a fourth metro line.

There’s also a very extensive network of tram, trolleybus and bus services run by the BKV transport company; you’ll seldom wait more than a few minutes for any of them. On certain bus lines the same numbered bus may have a black or a red number. In this case, the red-numbered bus is the express, which makes limited stops. An invaluable transit map detailing all services is available at most metro ticket booths.

The metro operates from 4.30 a.m. till just after 11 p.m. Certain tram and bus lines operate throughout the night.

Travelling ‘black’ (ticketless) is more risky than ever in Budapest; with increased surveillance (including a big crackdown in the metro), there’s a good chance you’ll get caught. Tickets are always checked on the HÉV.

Single tickets are available at metro boots (penztar) and at most magazine stores and kiosks. There are different types of tickets but the ones that will most concern you are the following:

Single tickets (egy jegy): valid for one uninterrupted journey on all forms of public transportation, including the HEV (the suburban railway) up to the city boundary. You need to validate another ticket if you change line.

Metro Section tickets: good for short metro rides. Valid for three stops on the Metro without changing lines.

One day (napijegy) and 3 day travelcards (haromnapi jegy) are good for unlimited rides on all forms of public transportation.
For longer stays, weekly (hetijegy) , 2 week (ketheti jegy) , and monthly passes (havi berlet) are available. You will need a passport photo for the ID card which needs to be purchased along with these passes.

Ticket and travelpass prices

THIS IS A MONTHLY PASS

Validate your ticket in orange machines at the enterance of Metro stations or in a little red punch-boxes on trams and buses. Have you validated ticket handy for inspection by the roving ticket agents wearing red armbands who are looking for freeloaders.

EGÉSZ ÉVBEN NYITVA TARTÓ PÉNZTÁRAK - cashiers open throughout the year
II. district	Moszkva square
III.	Bogdáni street, bus final destination/station
IV.	Újpest-Központ
IV.	Káposztásmegyer, tram final destination/station
V.	Vörösmarty square, underground train final destination/station
VI.	Oktogon, underground train stop
VII.	Akácfa street 15.
VII.	Keleti train station, II exit, underground station
VIII.	Kálvin square, underground
IX.	Boráros square, HÉV station
X.	Fehér road, underground station
XI.	Kelenföldi train station
XI.	Móricz Zs. square
XIII.	Lehel square, tram final destination/station
XIII.	Árpád bridge, underground station
XIII.	Nyugati square, bus final destination/station
XIV.	Bosnyák square, bus final destination/station
XIV.	Mexikói street, underground train final destination/station
XV.	Zsókavár street 6.
XVII.	Rákoskeresztúr, bus final destination/station
XIX.	Kossuth square, 50 tram stop
XIX.	Kőbánya-Kispest bus final destination/station
XX.	Pesterzsébet, Topánka street
XXI.	Csepel, Szt. Imre square, HÉV stop
XXII.	Városház square, 47 tram final station
And at the following HEV stops: On the Szentendre line: Batthány square, Margit bridge, Árpád bridge. On the Gödöllő line: Őrs vezér square. On the Ráckeve line: Vágóhíd.

Public transport usually runs from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. Check tram and bus schedules on the place cards at bus stop. The left-hand column is the schedule on weekdays, the middle and right columns are weekend schedules.

Night buses run along the main routes. Number 906 runs along the nagykorut.

ÉJSZAKAI JÁRATAINK /jelzése: É/-transportation at night /indicated by letter É/
Az első és az utolsó busz indulása a végállomásról - departure of first and last buses				Sűrűség-frequency /percben/in minutes
901	Óbuda, bus garage	Közvágóhíd	23.52 - 3.52	30
906	Móricz Zsigmond square	Moszkva square	0.35 - 4.15	10 - 15
907	Örs vezér square	Etele square, Kelenföldi train station	23.41 - 4.11	30
908	Móricz Zsigmond square (Villányi road)	Cinkota, HÉV station	0.06 - 4.06	30 - 60
909	Kispest, Kossuth square	Deák Ferenc square	23.47 - 3.47	30
914	Dél-Pest bus garage	Káposztásmegyer, Megyeri road	23.01 - 4.01	30
914A	Újpest központ	Határ road	23.34 - 4.04	15
922	Moszkva square	Budakeszi, Táncsics Mihály street	0.18 - 3.18	60
923	Békásmegyer, HÉV station	Dél-Pest bus garage	23.45 - 4.15	15 - 30
930	Újpest központ	Megyer, Szondi street	0.38 - 3.26	30 - 60
931	Csatárka street	Árpádföld, Dezsőfia street	0.00 - 4.00	60
937	Közvágóhíd	Vörösvári road	0.54	-
938	Csepel, Szent Imre square	Lakihegy	0.50, 2.20	-
940	Móricz Zsigmond square (Villányi road)	Budaörsi lakótelep	0.00 - 2.00	60
941	Móricz Zsigmond square (Villányi road)	Budatétény, Campona	0.15 -, 2.15	-
943	Békásmegyer, HÉV station	Szentendre, HÉV station	0.53 - 3.53	90
948	Dél-Pest bus garage	Csepel, Hollandi road	23.15 - 3.50	30 - 90

All but the monthly passes are valid from midnight to midnight, so buy them in advance and specify the date(s) you want. The most central places to get them are at the Deák tér metro station (near the entrance to the Underground Museum) and the Nyugati tér metro concourse.