Transportation around Budapest

How to get around on BME’s campus

BME has a huge and complex campus, so we have collected some basic information about how to navigate there. You can find a map of the whole campus here. As you can see, each building has a letter code (buildings K, R, CH, Q etc.). Using the attached map or the maps placed on campus, you can locate the building you are looking for. Inside the building, each room has a specific number. The number usually consist of 1-2 letters and 2-3 digits. The letters indicate the code of the building. The first digit means the floor of the room, and the second number the corridor where the room is located. The last digit is the number of the room itself. For example, K234 – building K, 2nd floor, 3rd corridor 4th room. Building K has a complex numbering, and this map may help you. Building Q has two wings, QA and QB, so make sure you enter the right one.

Public transportation in Budapest

The public transportation provider company is called BKK. With a BKK pass or ticket, you can use all public transport lines (metro, HÉV, buses, trams, trains) within the limits of Budapest. You can either buy a monthly pass, a time-based ticket, or single tickets to use their routes. You can browse the current passes and prices here, on the official webstie of BKK.

You can buy tickets and passes online, or physically. For public transport inside Budapest, you can use the BudapestGO app, and it is one of the best way to plan your travels, as it is the official app of the city, and it has up-to-date info. For trains, and long-distance buses you can use the MÁV app.

Using a pass

There are three main passes in Budapest: the County pass, the Country Pass, and the Bkk pass. There are  student passes, which are much cheaper than a full price pass, which you can only buy if you have a student ID with a validation sticker for the current semester. If you use a student pass, you must have your student ID with on you at all times, as inspectors will fine you up to 25.000 HUF, if you cannot prove that you are a student.

Country Pass – 1890 HUF (~5 €) / month

The Country Pass lets you use all public transportation in Budapest (except the 100E airport express bus), and it is valid for all long-distance buses. This monthly pass is also valid for all trains. However, on InterCity trains, you still need a seat resevation ticket, which costs extra, depending on which class you buy the ticket for.

This pass is the best option, if you plan on travelling outside of Budapest, as it is realtively cheap for students (the non-studend price is 18900 HUF), and is valid for a lot of transportation services. 

Pest County Pass – 945 HUF (~2.5 €) / month

The Pest County Pass lets you use all public transportation in Budapest (except the 100E airport express bus), and it is valid for all long-distance buses inside Pest county. This monthly pass is also valid for all trains inside Pest county. However, on InterCity trains, you still need a seat resevation ticket, which costs extra, depending on which class you buy the ticket for.

This is the cheapest option, if you don’t plan to travel outside of Budapest, or you are not leaving Pest county.

Here is a video below about how you can purchase these passes from ticket machines:

Using a ticket

 A single ticket costs 450 HUF (1 EUR), and it can be used only for one ride. When you get on a line, you must immediately validate your ticket using one of the validating machines on board. Once you get off from a certain vehicle, your ticket won’t be valid anymore. If you want to change to a different line, you must validate another ticket. The only exception is the metro. You can change between metro lines with one ticket, but only if you do not leave the metro station.

BKK works with reasonable prices in comparison with many European countries. However, they are quite strict when it comes to people illegally using their lines. The usual fine is 25 000 HUF (paying it on the spot lowers it to 12 000 HUF), so it is not worth risking travelling without a valid ticket/pass. 

BKK has a website with all the necessary information. It is worth checking it out to learn more about the public transportation system in Budapest. It also has a route-planner with real-time information about the different routes.

Bike

Budapest is expanding its bicycle paths exponentially, so getting around the city on a bike is a reasonable, cheap and eco-friendly option.  

If you want to use a bike frequently, you should consider buying one for your own. You can buy a new one or a used one. To buy a new one, you can either visit a major multinational sports store such as Decathlon or Hervis or find a local shop close to you and buy one there. Another option: Csepel is a Hungarian bicycle manufacturer with reasonable prices. If you want to buy a used one, you should check out Jófogás.hu, the „Hungarian eBay”, or use Facebook Marketplace. A Facebook group called  “Used bikes for sale in Budapest” is also worth checking. 

MOL Bubi – 1000 HUF (2.5 €) / month

If you don’t want to buy a bicycle, you may also rent one. MOL Bubi is the biggest and most reliable bike-rental service in town. A monthly pass costs only 1000 HUF (2,5 EUR). With this pass, you can pick up a bike from any Bubi Station and use it for 30 minutes for free. When the 30 minutes passed, you must return the bike to a station, but you can immediately rent another one and start the free 30 minutes again. MOL Bubi has more than 160 stations in Budapest, so it can be convenient to get around the city. You can find all information about MOL Bubi here.

Car-sharing

If you need a car to move from one place to another, get to your location quickly, or make a one-day trip somewhere, you can rent a car for a short period very easily. The two biggest car-sharing providers are MOL Limo and GreenGo. They both charge you based on the time you use their cars, and you can leave the car anywhere within a certain zone in Budapest. 

Please note: before using a car-sharing service, you must make sure that you have a valid driving license in Hungary. Driving without a valid license can lead to serious legal consequences. Here is more info on driver’s licenses that are valid in Hungary: https://helpers.hu/residence-permit/international-drivers-license-in-hungary/

You can find all the information about MOL Limo here and about GreenGo here. 

Taxi / Ride sharing apps

You can also get a taxi if you are in a hurry.  Budapest has very strict standards and regulations about taxi services, so if you use one of the yellow cabs in Budapest, you’ll be fine. Taxi fares are fixed in Budapest, about which you can read more here.

In Hungary, ride sharing services lik Uber, and Bolt, are concidered as taxis, so they’ll be also yellow. There are several providers in Budapest. Uber and Bolt has an easy-to-use application, but Főtaxi, CityTaxi, 6×6 Taxi and Budapest Taxi are also reliable service providers.  

Travelling by train 

If you want to make a trip to the countryside of Hungary, you should definitely consider travelling by train. Hungary is densely networked with railway lines, so you can visit all major cities by train. The biggest service provider is MÁV – the Hungarian State Railways company. MÁV has an application for both Android and iOS, and a website. If you are planning to travel by train, you should download the app, as it has a built-in route planner, real-time line information, and you can even purchase your tickets (10% cheaper than from a ticket office). You can also get a monthly pass for under 2000 forints, with a valid student card. This will let you travel on most trains in Hungary run by MAV. Most of the trains have a seat-reservation system, so when getting on the train, make sure to sit in your reserved seat. With a valid student ID, you can travel with a 50% discount (student ticket option).