Moving around Budapest is very easy thanks to the BKV public transports available around the city, including buses, trams, and metro. Public transports in Budapest work very well and at affordable rates. By purchasing this card, you will be able to use free public transport rides. The card can be purchased at one of the many Budapest Infopoint or online before arriving to Budapest, so you won’t have to worry about it and you will also get a further discount.
Fő közlekedési eszközök és azok jellemzői
The Budapest metro is made of 4 lines, numbered from 1 to 4 and identified by four colors. Line 4, the green line, is pretty new as it was completed in 2014. Tickets must be kept until the end of the ride; ticket inspectors can check their validity at any point of the station. Budapest underground runs from 4.30 am to 23.10. In Budapest there are 200 buses lines running from early in the morning to late evening. At night they are replaced by late night lines. Tourists can easily get around Budapest by metro, without even having to use buses.
However, bus 200E connects Ferenc Liszt Airport to the Kobanya Kispest stop, reaching the end of line 3. Embark on an adventure along the Danube on a guided tour from Budapest. Two capitals, two cultures, two completely different vibes - all in one smooth day from Vienna. Discover some of the most beautiful locations in Hungary on this tour along the Danube.
Biciklizés és gyaloglás a városban
In addiction to buses, public transport in Budapest includes also trams, which are recognizable by their yellow color. Trams in Budapest cover about 40 lines, some of which passing through the city center. Taking a taxi in Budapest is cheap and very easy. Unfortunately, taxi drivers in Budapest are famous for cheating on tourists. There are even some abusive taxi drivers that will take you to some remote area of the city just to rob you. Another way to move around Budapest is to use the public bike system called Mol Bubi. Just like many other European capital cities, in Budapest there are many pick up and drop off points scattered all over the city. Bikes are recognizable by their light green color. Renting rates are very convenient. The first thirty minutes are free, which means that you will only have to pay your daily fair if you are using the bike for short distances.
Jegyek, díjak és ellenőrzés
Keep in mind that if you leave the administration border of Budapest, you need to purchase a special ticket to your destination in the suburbs. You can always hail a taxi in the streets but it is cheaper to book one over the phone, online or with apps. Tourists should avoid hailing unmarked taxi cars. Even if they have a taxi sign on the roof and are seen standing at taxi ranks, do not get in the car unless they have a company name on the outside of the car. Budapest’s night transport is one of the best in Europe. You will find that you can get anywhere in the city by the night buses - sometimes even faster than in the daytime. Night buses usually start at midnight and run until 4:00 am every night. The MOL Bubi bike-sharing scheme is a bicycle-sharing network in Budapest. If you want to know how to get around and use public or other transport in Hungary, this is the right article for you. The Hungarian railway company is named the MÁV group. Be careful, as there is no ticket office at every station. In such cases, you might purchase the ticket at a vending machine or if no machine can be found, from the driver.
The Budapest transport company is named BKK, and they offer a travel planner application. By downloading it, you can easily find your destination and the simplest way to get there. In the countryside, public transport is more limited. However, there are always local bus lines, and other public transport facilities. Google Maps application shows you the possible options for public transport. All taxi companies in Budapest operate according to the official tariff. The fare must always be calculated using a taximeter. The price consists of a basic fare, a fee proportional to the distance and a minute fee. The taximeter calculates a minute fee below the speed limit of 15 km/h. When taking a taxi, it is advisable to insist that the driver use the taximeter which normally gives you a smaller price than a formerly agreed fee.
Korábban felhívott és történelmi háttér
By bus: bus line 100E - Airport Express connects the city center with the airport. It runs 0-24 hours, and the ticket price is HUF 1500. Public transport has always played an essential role in the history of Budapest, because of the situation of this city. Even in ancient times, the place was considered as a traffic nodal point, because the terrestrial roads converged and crossed the River Danube here. Historical sources from a later date mention the Pest-Buda ferry, which gained even greater importance after the settlement of the Hungarian tribes. The omnibus, appearing first in the streets of Paris (1662), gradually conquered the metropolises of Europe, and it finally appeared in Pest in 1832, too. The launching of omnibus services is regarded as the start of community transport in Budapest. The horse drawn tramway appeared on the streets of Pest on 1st August 1866. The first horse tram tracks were constructed between Széna Square and the Újpest (New Pest) railway station. The Pest Public Road Rail Tracks Company (PKVT) founded on 22nd May 1865 applied for and was awarded a permit to construct the rail tracks. Only two horse tramway lines were built in Buda: one in Zugliget (1868) and one in Óbuda (1869), both built by the Buda Public Road Rail Tracks Company (BKVT). The horse tramway was the first transport vehicle - considered as a very modern one at that time - being able to satisfy mass transportation needs. After the inauguration of the Chain Bridge a new traffic node took shape, which gained even greater importance when the Tunnel was opened in 1855. The terminal stations for the horse tramways heading toward Zugliget (1868) and Óbuda (1869) were set up at the bridge-end. The idea of building a funicular was raised by Ödön Széchenyi, the youngest son of Count István Széchenyi (the “greatest Hungarian”, Minister of Transport, the founder of modern Hungary through his ideas and his work. Several institutions bear his name today.) Ödön Széchenyi managed to obtain the approval of the Town of Buda, the Ministry of Interior and Transport and the “Imperial and Royal Army Commander-in-chief” of Buda. The building company signed the contract with the Army Treasury on 25th May 1868. Ödön Juraszek and Henrik Wohlfarth drew the designs. The funicular of the Buda Castle Hill started operating as the second transport vehicle of that type in the continent driven by steam at that time (the operator being the Buda Hill-track Company Limited by Shares) on 2nd March 1870. The cars being assembled in the Spiering Factory of Vienna had a special design: they contained three cabins built one above the other in a step-like arrangement. In 1870, Nikolaus Riggenbach, the designer of Europe’s first cogwheel railway visited Budapest. His concept was to connect Sváb Hill, a district developing into a holiday resort in the 1850s, to the rest of the capital city of Hungary. The representative of the Basel-based company, the Internationale Gesellschaft für Bergbahnen applied for permission to construct a cogwheel railway to Sváb Hill in 1873. The agreement on this project was signed on 7th April 1873. on 24th June 1874. The demand to join the conurbation settlements into the city transport emerged by the development of the city. The first steam-driven HÉV suburban railway line ran from Közvágóhíd (Slaughterhouse) to Soroksár. When BKVT applied again for the preparatory work permit of its extension up to Dunaharaszti this section was not even introduced to operation. Both sections were opened to commercial traffic in 1887. In this period of time both the horse tramway and the suburban railway lines were operated by the Budapest Public Road Rail Tracks Company. Thus, taking into consideration the two completely different ways of operation, the Ministry decided to separate these two transport divisions. The Brick Factory of Szentlőrinc was planning to construct a suburban railway line to the capital city of Hungary. The Budapest-Szent-Lőrinc Suburban Railway Company Limited by Shares (BLVV) started commercial traffic in 1887. Transports between Ráckeve and Dunaharaszti began in 1892. As a new achievement of technical advancement, the electrical railway (i.e. the tramway) emerged at the end of the 19th century. The thought of constructing an urban tramway line popped up as early as in 1883, but four years had to elapse until its full realisation. The first Budapest tramway departed from Nyugati (Western) Railway Station in 1887. The pilot-operation train consisting of two cars travelled on a single track of 1000 mm gauge, 1 km in length, up to Király Street. The first rail track of normal gauge (1435 mm), on the Egyetem Square - Stáció Street (today: Baross Street) - Köztemető Road (today: Orczy Square), was put into service in 1889. In 1888 the tramway line on the Great Boulevard (Nagykörút) founded by Siemens et Halske, Mór Balázs and Lindheim at Cie, was given the name of Budapest City Railway (BVV). In 1891 the English-Hungarian Bank bought the tramway network from the previous owners, together with the associated equipment, and founded a joint-stock company under the name of Budapest Electric City Railways. The first CEO of the company was Mór Balázs, the person tirelessly working on the establishment of the Budapest tramway system. From 1896 onward, the passengers had a choice of not only BKVT and BVVV, but could also travel on the vehicles operated by the Budapest-Újpest-Rákospalota Electric Railway Company Limited by Shares (BURV). The great Avenue was opened on 20th August 1876, with the aim of emphasising that the capital of Hungary was a real metropolis. Even before the completion of the construction of this road, plans for building a horse tram line on it were submitted. But the city leaders decided to reject the idea of a tram line along Andrássy Avenue for good. The idea of an underground rail line originated from Mór Balázs. The designs were elaborated with the co-operation of Siemens and Halske. The construction of the underground railway took only 22 months. On 2nd May 1896 the first underground railway of the European mainland, driven by electric railcars was officially launched. Emperor Franz Joseph, who was staying Budapest at this time, on the occasion of the ceremonious opening of the “Millenary Exhibition”, visited the underground railway on 8th May 1896 and travelled from the terminal station at Gizella Square to the Zoo in car number 20, which was specifically designed for this occasion, and was called “royal carriage”. The monarch “most graciously” gave his consent to naming the railway after him. In Budapest the first bus service began its operation in 1915. Under a government decree dated 22nd November 1918, all railways became public property. Furthermore, pursuant to the same decree the railway networks and other property of the joint-stock companies were to be managed by the city of Budapest under the name of Integrated City Railways of Budapest (BEVV).Under the Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919 BEVV became public property (i.e. In 1922 the Budapest Metropolitan Transport Company Limited by Shares (BSZKRT) was established. With this, the last obstacle to creating a unified public transport system in Budapest was removed. In 1933 István Hantos Jr., the engineer came forward with the idea of building a cable railway from Zugliget to János Hill. But 37 years had to pass until its realization. BSZKRT, the company integrating all transport divisions, was finally dissolved in 1949. 1951. The Boráros Square - Csepel suburban railway began operating in 1951. BKV, the Budapest Transport Company was established in 1968. Thanks to the reform of the fare-system the ticket regime became significantly simplified and the conditions for operation without conductors were laid down. One of the most dynamic period of Budapest transport began in the early 1970s. In 1970-1972 Metro Line 2 was inaugurated. On the centenary of the unification of Óbuda, Buda and Pest, the capital became richer with several new or renovated facilities. The most important developments included the modernisation of the underground railway along Andrássy Avenue and the modernisation of the cogwheel railway to Svábhegy. The route of the underground railway as it is today was completed by the centenary. In these years, between 01.01.1984 and 31.12.1990, Dr. The construction of the Metro continued. As one of its key benefits, the metro network reached all the three highly frequented railway stations. In 1991, all of BKV’s assets were transferred from state-property to the Municipality of Budapest.. The General Assembly of the Municipality of Budapest transformed BKV into a real business entity, notably a shareholders’ company coming into effect on 1st January 1996. This way, BKV Rt. The reconstruction of the Csepel suburban railway commenced in 1996 and was completed in 2000. Starting from 1998, many district and local services were launched (City-bus, Újhegy bus, Palota bus etc.). BKV continued its vehicle modernisation and vehicle purchase projects. While doing so, it purchased vehicles being designed with a view to the principle of equal opportunities, and satisfying the needs of handicapped passengers, elderly people who move about with difficulty and mothers with small children. From 2001 four special buses help those with handicaps in their transport in Budapest. These vehicles run door-to-door (i.e. To improve passenger services, a Central Customer Service Office was opened in Akácfa Street in 2003. Due to a change in legislation the name of the company changed as well on 6th February 2006. Dr István Kocsis has been the CEO of BKV Zrt. After the leaving of Dr. István Kocsis - as of 5 September 2011 temporarily - Dr. Gyula Várszegi, the chairman of the Board of Directors was in charge of the duties of the Chief Executive Officer, followed by Tibor Bolla from 14 February 2012, being in office until 13 May 2025. As of 14 May 2025, Dr. Our company now operates 4 large divisions (bus, tram, metro and trolleybus) in an integrated system. BKV Zrt. The transport services of the Company carry approximately 1.4 billion passengers a year.
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