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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 (metro map on the back cover) usually operate from 4.30 am to 11 p.m. At night 15 bus and 2 tram lines are in service. Bus No. 78 at night runs roughly the same route as M2, while No. 182 that of M3. 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 7, 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 Mûvész út station. In service: daily 04.00-24.00 Tram 18, 56 (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 Gödöllõ (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 Kõbánya-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.	Thököly street 40.
VIII.	Baross square, underground
VIII.	Kálvin square, underground
IX.	Boráros square 2.
IX.	Boráros square, underground
X.	Liget square
XI.	Kelenföldi train station
XI.	Móricz Zs. square
XIII.	Lehel square, tram final destination/station
XIII.	Katona József street underground
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
XIX.	Kõbánya-Kispest metró final destination/station
XX.	Pesterzsébet, Topánka street
XXI.	Csepel, Szt. Imre square, HÉV stop
XXII.	Városház square
And at the following HEV stops: On the Szentendre line:Batthány square, Margit bridge, Árpád bridge. On the Gödöllõ line: Õrs 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 are with a big E and run along the main routes. Number 6E runs along the nagykorut.

ÉJSZAKAI JÁRATAINK /jelzése: É/-transportation at night /indicated by letter É/
Az elsõ és az utolsó busz indulása a végállomásról - departure of first and last buses					Sûrûség-frequency /percben/in minutes
1É	0.00 - 4.00	Népliget, metro station	Bécsi street (Vörösvári street)	0.00 - 4.00	30
3É	23.30 - 4.00	Móricz Zsigmond square	Nagytétény, MÁV station	0.00 - 4.30	30 - 40
6É	23.40 - 4.25	Moszkva square	Móricz Zsigmond square	23.40 - 4.15	10 - 15
14É	23.10 - 4.10	Káposztásmegyer, Szilas patak	Kispest, Határ street	23.30 - 4.20	20 - 30
28É	23.30 - 3.30	Blaha Lujza square (Népszínház street)	Mádi street	23.57 - 3.57	60
31É	23.30 - 4.10	Boráros square	Pesterzsébet, Jáhn Ferenc Hospital	22.55 - 4.06	30 - 35
42É	0.00 - 3.00	Batthyány square	Békásmegyer, HÉV állomás	0.25 - 3.25	60
45É	0.10 - 3.48	Baross square, Keleti train station	Cinkota, Szabadföldi street	0.35 - 4.13	53 - 55
49É	0.15 - 4.15	Moszkva square	Etele square, Kelenföldi train station	23.45 - 3.49	30 - 40
50É	23.37 - 4.15	Gyöngyösi street	Pestszentlõrinc, Béke square	22.40 - 3.48	20 - 30
61É	0.40 - 3.40	Örs vezér square	Rákoskeresztúr, Városközpont	0.10 - 3.10	60
78É	23.20 - 4.25	Döbrentei square	Örs vezér square	23.00 - 4.30	12 - 15
144É	1.00 - 3.00	Örs vezér square	Rákosszentmihály, Csömöri street	1.30 - 3.30	60
153É	23.30 - 4.15	Móricz Zsigmond square	Gazdagréti lakótelep (Rétköz street)	23.49 - 3.49	45 - 60
173É	23.45 - 4.30	Baross square, Keleti train station	Újpalota, Erdõkerülõ street	0.00 - 4.05	25 - 35
179É	0.00 - 4.00	Boráros square	Csepel, II. Rákóczi Ferenc street	0.20 - 4.20	40 - 60
956	0.35 - 4.00	Moszkva square	Adyliget	2.30 - 3.30	40 - 60

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.