Tips to make a trip to Hungary by car

Hungary is an attractive destination among tourists for different reasons. Some visitors like it for Budapest’s beauty, some for the cheap and adventurous nightlife, maybe for festivals or for the spas.

But what if you are planning to see the whole country by car, not just one city or town? Well, this can be as fun and joyful as a ‘normal’ Budapest trip, so, tips and ideas are gathered here on how to make a Hungary-trip by car. We will give you ideas, including Budapest car trip and parking tips, two possible trips that you can take by car, traffic rules and speed limits and how to rent a car in Hungary to start your exciting journey.

If you are up for some sightseeing in Budapest, we recommend you to park your car somewhere and use public transportation afterwards. It is cheaper and easier to commute.  Here is how to park in Budapest and what to avoid.

BUDAPEST

On weekdays, traffic jams at peak hours can be tricky, so try to avoid sightseeing by car in these hours: Monday – Friday, 7 am – 9 am in the morning and 4 pm – 6 pm count as peak hours in Budapest and the suburbs.

ON-STREET PARKING:

On weekdays, parking tickets must be purchased on the streets. You have several options.

You must purchase tickets when parking on Budapest streets in the period between 8 am – 6 pm or 8 am – 8 pm in the very centre. Find this interactive map to learn more about parking fees and areas.

To pay your parking fee, find your closest parking metre or use the Parkl mobile application. For more information about Parkl, read our previous article here.

At the weekend, parking on the streets is free, but there are exceptions:

• Shopping mall parking garages
• Hotel parking
• P+R (Park and Ride – these are near-metro station places to park)
• Franz Liszt Airport

Now that you know everything about Budapest’s parking system, let us see what to know about motorways and countryside cad trips.

COUNTRYSIDE DESTINATION TIPS FOR DRIVERS

Hungary is considered to be a relatively small country by size, but this makes a car trip journey more pleasant since you do not need to drive for entire days, only a couple of hours per day. Not only the size of the country but also its surface is convenient for a car ride. Hungary does not have huge mountains or crazy valleys, lowlands and low hills are more characteristic.

BUDAPEST – LAKE VELENCE – SZÉKESFEHÉRVÁR – LAKE BALATON TRIP

Lake Balaton is the largest lake in Central Europe and is one of the favourite destinations of the summer. The two lakes provide nice beaches, good opportunities to swim, sunbathe and ride a bike, or even four big festivals. While Székesfehérvár is a city with historical sights and a cosy city centre, Bory-Castle, Vörösmarty Theatre in the old town and the Town Hall Square are highly recommended to see.

To get to Lake Balaton from Budapest, you should drive on motorway M7 which starts directly from Budapest, runs alongside the South side of Lake Balaton, to Nagykanizsa, all the way to the Hungarian-Croatian border.