5 tips on how to get the best out of Budapest public transport
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There are several reasons why using public transport in Budapest is useful, including calm travelling (because no one likes trembling at the sight of a ticket inspector), cost-effectiveness and leisure-time opportunities. Let us go through them, shall we?
- Ticket prices in Budapest have not grown in years, so they are still friendly – which makes one wonder if it is worth it to dread the ticket inspectors on the bus when a single ticket costs only one euro.
- If you are living in Budapest, you might want to consider buying an annual Budapest Pass – we have several reasons why it is a smart choice:
- You save quite a good amount of money if you buy an annual pass instead of a monthly pass: twelve times 9500 forints (EUR 30) means that you have spent altogether 114 thousand forints (EUR 360) on passes a year, while an annual pass costs only 103 thousand forints (EUR 325).
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Which means, you get to save 11 thousand forints (EUR 34), and you can spend this on something else.
- If you care about the environment and are also keen on cycling but do not have a bike, the MOL Bubi bike services is a great option, and with an annual Budapest Pass, you have a 50% discount on the MOL Bubi services.
- It is a widespread misbelief that the annual pass is a single pass. In reality, you get 12 different passes, so even if you lose one, only 9500 forints go down the drain and not 103 thousand.
3. For only 1 euro, you can see the main attractions of Budapest, just buy a single ticket and hop on tram 2 (takes you along the Danube bank on the Pest side of the city, providing a magnificent view of the Buda Castle and of the Parliament), bus 9 (recommended route: Margit híd, budai hídfő H – Kálvin tér, this way you will get to see the Margaret Island, Nyugati Railway Station, the St Stephen’s Basilica, Deák Ferenc Square, the National Museum) or bus 16 (route: Deák Ferenc Square – Szentháromság tér in the Castle District, crossing the Chain Bridge).
4. If you are spending a holiday in Budapest as a student and maybe are on a budget, we have good news for you.
You do not necessarily have to be studying at a Hungarian educational institution to get a monthly pass for students. If you have your valid student ID with you, you are good to go. Now go and enjoy the ruin pubs or the hikes on the Buda hill.
