All you need to know about Budapest!!

Part 1: Transportations

Ottawa to Budapest

  • Unfortunately there is no direct flight from Ottawa to Budapest, we had to make a connection through Toronto Pearson Airport. However, luckily the checked baggage got sent to the destination directly.    
  • Air Canada Rouge is the only option, so be prepared!!
    • Rouge is the low-cost airline and subsidiary of Air Canada. You might think “oh! At least I will be save money on my tickets!”, let me stop you right here, yes you will get reasonable price tickets but they come with a huge lack of onboard services, so let’s get prepared!
    • There will be no touchscreens at the back of the seats, so please bring your own entertainment such as a book or a switch since it is a 9.5-hour-flight. I brought my tablet and downloaded several movies and tv series through Netflix. If you do not have access to Netflix, iTunes, or other media service provider, you could always download the Air Canada app and there will be limited movies, podcasts, and music available for download with a free of charge.
    • There is only one plug per section per row. Instead of the individual usb charging outlet, Rouge only offers one outlet at the bottom of the seats for every two passengers to share. Therefore, bring your own portable battery if you can, otherwise, don’t forgot bring your plug.
    • There is air condition onboard, however, there is no adjustable personal vent. I would recommend wear layers of clothes, so that you will be able to make yourself comfortable with the temperature. At the same time, if you are sick, please bring a face mask since the air circulation is usually not ideal.o   Depends on the types of aircraft, wi-fi might be available with a sales charge. You can also go to aircanada.com to found out if wi-fi is available for your next flight in advance.

 

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Budapest airport to city centre

  • The main airport of Budapest is Budapest Liszt Ferenc Nemzetkozi Repuloter (BUD), most of their international flights are leaving from terminal 2. There are A and B sections within terminal 2. Air Canada will be located at terminal 2B, so that is where you need to go if you need check your baggage when you come back. If you only have a carry-on and you have already completed the online check-in, you may enter the airport from both sides with the digital boarding pass.  

  • There are two ways to city centre from BUD which are buses and taxis. The fastest way will be take a taxi, it takes approximately 35 minutes and costs about 26 euros/7200 forints. If you do choose to take a taxi, make sure you get an official yellow one with a taxi number. The other choice will be express buses. The number is 100E and it leaves every 20 mins between 3:40AM and 12:40AM. It takes about the same amount of time but it is a lot cheaper! It only costs 3 euros/900 forints per person. All you need to do is check their schedule beforehand and you will be all set!
  • Attention! The airport express bus tickets are not included in the city transit passes! It is their own ticket which has an aeroplane logo on it, so make sure you have the right ticket before you get on the bus. You can also buy those tickets directly from the bus driver if you use cash in forints.

 

Within city centre – Google Map is the lifesaver!  

  • Budapest’s public transit system is comprehensive. You can choose between buses, metros, and trolleybuses. Tickets are valid for all of the three transits. There are multiple choices of tickets that you can choose to purchase due to your own travelling style and preference. You can check their official website to get more information.
  • Tip #1: personally we basically walked the entire city! It is tiring but you got to see the city closely and sometimes the city impress you with unexpected surprises such as themed bars, unique sculptures and modern arts!  Tip #2: Trolleybus #2 has the most beautiful route! It follows the river and goes in front of the parliament building, shoes on the Danube Bank, central market hall, Szechenyi Chain Bridge, and many more stunning tourism attractions! So get your camera ready and take some great pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • If you purchased the 1-day, 3-day, or 7-day Budapest travelcard, it simply means you will get unlimited usage of public transit during these period, you would also don’t need to valid your tickets every time when you use it. The date that shows on your ticket represents the expiration date.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Attention! Travelcards do not include Zugliget chairlift tickets, budavari siklo tickets, boat tickets, railway tickets, and airport express tickets! Tip: If you buy the budavari siklo tickets at the box office located on top of the mountain where you board for your Zugliget chairlift, you can get discounted bundle tickets and save 4000 forints!
  • However, not like oc transpo, their “single ticket” does not include any transfer! For example, if you want to go to the parliament from your hotel, it requires take the bus to one of the metro stop and transfer to metro red line, you will have to buy the “transfer ticket” instead of the “single ticket”. In that case, you will receive two tickets from the machine, they look almost identical, however, it does shows #1 and 2 on them. You would need to be careful to valid your tickets in order use the ticket validation machine located inside the metro station and inside of buses and trolleybuses. DO NOT TRY TO CHEAT because there are people consistently checking and the fine is high.

 

 

 

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Railway Travel from Budapest

  • A lot of people choose to travel by trains in Europe, from Budapest, you can easily get to Vienna in approximately 2.5 hours and Prague in approximately 6 hours.    
  • The official railway company for Hungary is MAV, for Austria is OBB, and for Czech Republic is CD. You can get ridiculously cheap tickets if you purchase them in advance! So please do!
  • Not like Via Rail, the train tickets in Europe do not include assigned seats. There is an additional cost if you would like to reserve seats, you can easily add that feature when you are purchasing your tickets online. However, if you didn’t, then you would not receive a seat number. You will get on your train with your email confirmation with a valid bar code, and you will have to choose the seat that shows “free”, so be careful and ask people around you if you are not sure.      
  • There are three train stations in Budapest: Budapest-Keleti (the east station), Budapest-Nyugati (the west station), and Budapest-Kelenfold (the south west station). The first two are the most common ones since the third one is not located in downtown Budapest.  
  • Tip: Budapest-Nyugati (the west station) has the most beautiful McDonald’s! If you are looking for a special “fancy” experience with a low budget, go check it out!