How to avoid Budapest’s worst traffic: Peak times to avoid for a smoother commute

According to data from navigation company TomTom, the worst times for driving in Budapest are Thursday afternoons and Tuesday mornings, when traffic congestion is at its highest. On 6 December 2023, Budapest experienced its most congested day of the year, with an average travel time of nearly 26 minutes for a 10-kilometre trip through the city center.

According to Pénzcentrum, in 2023, the average time spent in traffic in Budapest’s city centre decreased. Data from TomTom indicates that the average time to travel 10 kilometres dropped by 30 seconds. Overall, in 2023, it took an average of 21 minutes and 10 seconds to cover 10 kilometres in Budapest, making the city the 58th most congested in the world.

6 December was the busiest day, with a nearly 26-minute travel time for 10 kilometres in the city centre.

Photo: Helló Magyar

For those driving 20 kilometres daily in Budapest’s city centre, it amounted to a total of 405 hours in traffic over the year, with an average of 171 hours spent in congestion during peak times—equivalent to 7 days and 3 hours. This is over 14 hours less than in 2022.

Peak traffic times in Budapest

The data also reveals that peak traffic times in Budapest in 2023 are between 7 AM and 9 AM in the mornings and from 3 PM to 6 PM in the afternoons. On Fridays, traffic starts to increase around 1 PM. An average driver covering 20 kilometres experienced the worst congestion on Thursday afternoons between 4 PM and 5 PM, with an average travel time of more than 57 minutes.

It was also found that afternoon rush hours were slightly more congested, with an average travel time of 54 minutes for 20 kilometres compared to 51 minutes in the morning rush. In the suburbs of Budapest, Tuesday mornings between 8 AM and 9 AM were the worst, with a 20-kilometre trip taking more than 33 minutes on average.

In the suburbs, there was no significant difference between morning and evening peak times, with both averaging 31 minutes for a 20-kilometre journey. Those who drove only in the suburbs during peak times spent a total of 77 hours in traffic over the year, which is 3 days and 5 hours—5 hours and 2 minutes less than in 2022.

London had the most severe traffic congestion in 2023. Photo: depositphotos.com

Out of 225 European cities studied, Budapest ranks 28th in terms of traffic congestion, comparable to cities like Leipzig, Krakow, Vienna, and Florence. According to the navigation company’s rankings, London had the most severe traffic congestion in 2023.

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