The nostalgia season continues in Budapest, with historic vehicles once again leaving their depots and garages throughout June. Every Saturday, the N2 nostalgia tram runs along one of the world’s most beautiful tram routes on the Pest embankment, while on Sundays passengers can enjoy a journey back in time aboard the N19 tram line on the Buda side of the city.
Budapest’s nostalgia season rolls on
Bus enthusiasts will not be disappointed either. Every Sunday, iconic Ikarus buses operate on the N4 route between Zugló and Zugliget. In the middle of the month, the unique open-top Ikarus bus will once again take to the streets, while on the last Wednesday of June, visitors can also enjoy a nostalgic ride on the historic cogwheel railway.
Budapest is a true paradise for lovers of heritage transport. Thanks to the diversity of Hungary’s former vehicle manufacturing industry, the capital’s rich rail transport history, and the dedication of transport specialists, numerous original, operational and visually remarkable vintage vehicles have been preserved. Alongside classic wooden and steel-framed trams, iconic Ikarus buses, nostalgic trolleybuses and a historic cogwheel railway carriage will all be in service during June.
Ride one of the most beautiful tram routes in the world
On Saturday, 13 June, tram No. 436, a representative of the BVVV L-type motor car fleet, will operate on the N2 line along the Pest embankment. The first examples of this type appeared on Budapest’s rails more than a century ago, in 1913. Also running that day will be the bi-directional “Bengáli” tram and the venerable tram No. 1820, operating as route N38 between Blaha Lujza Square and Hungária Depot. This historic vehicle served in everyday passenger traffic from the beginning of the twentieth century until the 1970s.
The past will also come alive on the Grand Boulevard that Saturday, where passengers can travel on vehicle types that once characterised the route before the introduction of the Combino trams, which celebrate their twentieth anniversary this year. Meanwhile, passengers can enjoy an open-top ride on the N109 bus route aboard a vehicle built more than fifty years ago, formerly operated in East Germany and converted in 2017. It would not be an exaggeration to describe this bus as the most distinctive vehicle in Budapest’s nostalgia bus fleet.
On Sunday, 14 June, passengers can travel along the Buda embankment on the N19 line aboard a tram built in 1908 and restored to its original appearance in 1987. The ivory-and-cherry-red single-ended Bengáli tram will also be in service that day on the N18 route between Szent János Hospital and Csóka Street. The N4 bus will once again welcome passengers, offering journeys aboard an Ikarus bus that was a defining feature of Budapest’s streetscape for many years, running between the Zugliget Chairlift and Erzsébet Királyné Road.
Rare trams and open-top Ikarus buses will steal the show
Tram No. 1522, built in 1939 and featured in the 1999 film Jakob the Liar, will operate on the N2 line on Saturday, 20 June. One of the vehicle’s technical curiosities is that it lacks an air-brake system; instead, it slows using an electric brake and remains stationary with a ratchet handbrake.
That same Saturday, Budapest will host the Night of Museums event. The N36 tram will operate between Keleti Railway Station and Kápolna Street, stopping near the temporary exhibition of the Transport Museum at the Eiffel Workshop House. Historic buses and trolleybuses will also appear on the city’s streets after dark. One of the evening’s highlights will be the Ikarus 60 bus, operating on the N1 route via, among other locations, Andrássy Avenue and the Chain Bridge, with a stop at Keleti Railway Station.
The legendary type’s trolleybus version, the Ikarus 60T, will also enter service. Operating on route N7679, it will offer a unique journey through the streets of Erzsébetváros, Terézváros and Újlipótváros between Keleti Railway Station and Jászai Mari Square. The route will also feature the ZiU-9 trolleybus, a defining element of both the visual character and soundscape of Pest for decades.
Please note that due to limited capacity, a maximum of 21 passengers may travel on each Ikarus 60 bus and Ikarus 60T trolleybus, and only seated passengers will be permitted.
The Night of Museums brings transport history to life
These vehicles will stop at all stops upon request, allowing passengers to alight anywhere along the route. Boarding, however, is only possible at the Keleti Railway Station terminus. Tickets may be purchased on-site from passenger coordinators throughout the evening and night. The Night of Museums wristband is not valid on the nostalgia services, including the N1 bus, N36 tram and N7679 trolleybus. The wristband may only be used on the Museum Bus services operating across multiple routes.
On Sunday, 21 June, passengers on the N19 tram line can travel aboard a vehicle that even made its way to the Netherlands. Following its withdrawal from Budapest service in 1981, the motor car was acquired by a private collector in Amsterdam and operated on several occasions as a heritage tram in the Dutch capital. BKV repurchased the vehicle in 2004 and restored it for the 125th anniversary of Budapest tram transport. The N4 bus will also operate that Sunday between Zugliget and Erzsébet Királyné Road.
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Celebrate the 152 years of cogwheel rail
On Wednesday, 24 June, marking the 152nd anniversary of the cogwheel railway, passengers can travel between Városmajor and Széchenyi Hill aboard a train featuring a green Austrian-built trailer carriage. During the past century and a half, the vehicle has climbed the hill countless times and has carried notable passengers including the celebrated Hungarian writer Mór Jókai. The garden of his villa in Svábhegy has been a protected natural area since 1975 and a protected historic garden since 2007.
On the final Saturday of the month, 28 June, passengers on the N2 line can travel aboard the FVV articulated tram, also known as the Bengáli. On Sunday, 29 June, nostalgia tram services return to the Buda side, where the 119-year-old S-type tram No. 1820 will operate on the N19 route. The N4 nostalgia bus will also be running throughout the weekend, providing convenient access to the Zugliget Chairlift.
Tickets valid on nostalgia services can be purchased via the BudapestGO mobile application, at any BKK customer service centre or ticket office, as well as directly from the staff on board the nostalgia services, where card payments are also accepted.
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