Budapest has an efficient, diverse and low-cost network of public transport, including bus, metro, trolley bus, tram, suburban railway lines (called HÉV lines) and also boat services. By using any kind of transportation you can, quickly and conveniently, reach anywhere in the city.
Buses
Budapest has more than 200 bus routes covering most of the inner city and the suburban areas. Some routes offer an express service, indicated with an “E” following the bus number. On main routes there are also night services available.
Night buses
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. Night buses’ numbers start with a 9.
Note: Some night buses on very busy lines run quite often (every 10 or 15 minutes), but lines running to the suburbs run only once or twice an hour.
Metro Lines
Currently, there are four metro lines in Budapest:
M1, the Yellow Line: between Vörösmarty tér and Mexikói út
M2, the Red Line: between Déli pályaudvar and Örs vezér tere
M3, the Blue Line: between Újpest Központ and Kőbánya-Kispest
M4, the Green Line between Keleti Pályaudvar and Kelenföld Vasútállomás
The Yellow Line is the oldest metro line in Hungary and also in Mainland Europe. It was opened in 1896 for the Hungarian Millennium. The newest line is the M4 (Green Line) which was opened in 2014. Metro services run from 4:30 until 23:30.
Suburban trains (HÉV)
The suburban train service of Budapest called HÉV connects Budapest with its suburban areas. A popular journey for tourists is from Batthyány tér to Szentendre.
Keep in mind that if you leave the administration border of Budapest, you need to purchase a special ticket to your destination.
Boats
Budapest has three public boat lines:
- D-11: Müpa-Nemzeti Színház H – Újpest, Árpád út
- D-12: Müpa-Nemzeti Színház H – Rómaifürdő
- D-14: Soroksár, Molnár-sziget – Csepel-Királyerdő
One single ticket for public transport boat is HUF 750, or you can travel with your monthly Budapest Travel Pass free of charge.
Taxis
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. Since September 2013 every taxi is uniformly yellow in Budapest.
Cycling in Budapest – Bicycle-sharing network of MOL BUBI
The MOL Bubi bike-sharing scheme is a bicycle-sharing network in Budapest. The apple-green bikes can be hired from and returned to any docking station found at major transport hubs in the city centre. So far 1,150 bikes can be hired from 98 docking stations in the centre of Budapest.