How to get the best out of Budapest on a budget
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Loading... - Audrey Davis
- 08 Feb 2022
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Here are some top tips to make your money stretch further in Budapest.
Budget airlines fly into Budapest’s main airport
Unlike many major cities in Europe that have separate far-flung airports for low-cost airlines, Budapest has only one airport. Whether you fly in on a flagship airline or on a low-cost carrier, you’ll arrive at the same place. Low-cost airline WIZZ Air is a Hungarian company and has its base at Budapest airport.
Take public transport from the airport to central Budapest
Although Budapest’s airport is technically in the city, it’s far from the center, so you’ll need to get a transfer into town. Fortunately, there’s inexpensive public transport to get you to where you want to go. A one-way ticket for bus 100E to the city costs 900 HUF (about US$3), and will take you to Deák Ferenc tér, where metro lines 1, 2 and 3 congregate, or you can get off at Kalvin tér for metro line 4. Both stops put you in the heart of downtown Pest.
Forget a tour bus: see the city from public transportation
Want to go on a sightseeing bus tour for a fraction of the price? Just hop on Budapest’s public transport. Tram line 2 running north to south along the Danube is one of the most beautiful tram routes, and you’ll see the entire riverbanks of the Danube along the Pest side with stunning views of Castle Hill and the Hungarian Parliament along the way.
If you want to go to the riverbanks of the Danube on the Buda side, take trams 19 or 41. You can also ride up Andrássy Avenue – a Unesco-listed boulevard – above ground on bus 105, which will take you up to Heroes’ Square and back along the Danube. A single bus ticket costs just 350 HUF (about US$1).
Central Budapest has lots of hostels
Budapest has plenty of great hostels, making a dorm or an inexpensive private room in the city center an easy find. Dorms can cost as low as US$8 a night, but if you’re planning on getting a good night’s sleep, avoid the ones marketed as “party hostels.”
The VIII, IX and XI districts also have low-cost accommodations
Budapest also has low-cost hotels that are not hostels, and these tend to get cheaper the farther from the center you go. If you’re looking for a vibrant budget-friendly neighborhood that’s close to the center, try the artsy VIII District – staying inside the ring of the Grand Boulevard (Nagykörút) to avoid areas that can be seedy at night – or the IX District in Pest or the XI District in Buda. Read More…
