Travel in Budapest

Tickets should be validated at ticket punchers on vehicles (for the metro, at ticket validating machines at the entrance of each station). Tickets are valid for one uninterrupted, single trip. If you change vehicles or lines, you must validate another ticket. Tickets must be kept until the end of the trip, on the metro the tickets may be controlled at the exit gates. Tickets may be purchised at ticket sales, metro stations and ticket vending machines, but not on the vehicles. On some buses (like Airport bus, you can buy tickets at the bus driver for a higher price, 140 HUF).

If you would like to travel around the city, use the local transport network. The service is cheap, frequent and reliable. You can buy tickets in several places, but not in the vehicles (there are some exceptions, like the Airport bus, but the price is higher on the vehicles and you can buy only regular tickets). The ticket is valid for nearly each kind of vehicle type: bus, underground (metro), tramway, cogwheel railway, trolley bus, suburban railway (mostly only within the administrative borders). If you change lines, you have to validate a new ticket. Tickets are also available at a reduced price in 10- or 20 piece booklets, which is called "Gyűjtőjegy". You must validate tickets in booklets in the same way as regular tickets, however you should keep the complete booklet until the end of your last trip (two or more persons can share the same booklet). One-day, three-day and seven-day passes may be used for an unlimited number of trips on the day(s) indicated on the passes.

Budapest Card: for short-stay visitors, this is a must: a pass which gives you free use of public transport, free admission to major museums and galleries, plus discounts in selected restaurants, shops, and on the airport minibus among the other things.

The card costs 3700 HUF for two days while a three-day pass is 4500 HUF.

The prices of tickets (2003):
normal ticket: 120 HUF (140 HUF on the vehicle)
10-piece booklet: 1070 HUF
20-piece booklet: 2100 HUF
Tourist ticket (for 3 days): 1850 HUF
Weekly ticket: 2250 HUF

Under www.elvira.hu you can find more information about traveling by train.

Under http://www.menetrendek.hu you can find more information about the bus timetable.