Travel to Budapest Hungary
Hungary is situated in Central Europe, sharing borders with the Slovak Republic, Ukraine, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Austria and Slovenia. There are several ranges of hills, chiefly in the north and west. The capital city of Budapest, situated on one of the most beautiful areas of the Danube, is made up of two parts Buda and Pest. The former is the older, more graceful, part with cobbled streets and medieval buildings; the latter is the commercial centre. The capital is a lively city that has long been a haven for writers, artists and musicians.
International Travel to Hungary
By Air:
The national airline is Mal v (MA), operating flights to more than 40
cities.
For further information, contact:
Malév Hungarian Airlines
22-25A Sackville Street
London W1S 3DR
Tel: 020 7439 0577
Fax: 020 7734 8116
website: www.malev.hu
Other airlines serving Budapest airport include Aeroflot, Air France, British
Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss and United Airlines.
Approximate flight times: From London to Budapest is 2 hours
20 minutes.
International airports:
Budapest Ferihegy (BUD), 16km (10 miles) from the city (travel time 30
minutes).
There are now two passenger terminals; A is used exclusively by Mal v
and B by all other airlines. Facilities include a duty-free shop,
florist, newsagent, restaurants and bar, bureaux de change, banks,
tourist information centre, gift shop and post office.
Regular coach and bus services are available to the city, costing around
Ft800 for the centrum bus and approximately Ft1800 or Ft3300 return for
the airport minibus, which runs to and from any address in the city.
The 93 bus runs an express service between the underground terminus at
Kob nya-Kispest and the Ferihegy terminals, however you need a
pre-purchased or season ticket.
Taxis are available at all times.
The major car hire companies are represented.
Departure tax: None.
By River:
From April to October there is a daily hydrofoil service run by
MAHART between Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest.
The journey costs approximately 75 for a single and takes 6 hours.
Reservations must be made in advance. 20kg of luggage may be carried
free of charge. Passengers arriving by boat are advised to reserve a
taxi through the shipping line, as none are readily available on the
dock.
For further details contact:
MAHART at Belgr d rakpart
1056 Budapest
Tel: (1) 484 4000
Fax: (1) 318 7740
Website:
www.mahartpassnave.hu
By Rail:
Direct rail links connect Hungary to 16 European cities and there are
47 international trains daily to Budapest. Inter-Rail, Eurotrain and RES
concessions are valid on the Hungarian State Railways (M V). Between
Dresden and Budapest there is a car transport system. The Wiener Waltzer
from Basel travels via Zurich, Salzburg and Vienna to Budapest. First-
and second-class day carriages run from Basel through to Budapest and
both sleeping cars and couchettes (the latter second-class only) as far
as Vienna. There is a minibar service in Switzerland and Austria, and a
dining car in Hungary.
There are two main routes from London: via Paris or Brussels (Eurostar
connection from London) to Vienna (including a Paris-Vienna EuroNight
service), where several direct trains run daily to Budapest-Keleti; or
via Brussels (Eurostar connection from London) to Munich, where several
direct trains run daily to Budapest-Keleti (including a EuroNight
service). Luggage allowances: 35kg for adults, 15kg for children.
Note:
Travellers leaving Hungary by train must pay their fare in convertible
currency. Most generally recognised international concessionary tickets
are accepted in Hungary.
For further details contact:
M V at Budapest VI
Andr ssy t 35
Tel: (1) 461 5500 (international timetables) or (1) 461 5400 (internal
timetables)
Website: www.mav.hu
Seat reservations are strongly advised for all services.
By Car
Route via The Netherlands, Belgium and Austria and from Vienna via
the E5 Transcontinental Highway which passes near Bratislava (Slovak
Republic).
Bus connections are available from most major European cities, check for
further details with Volanbusz (Website:
www.volanbusz.hu
). Eurolines, departing from Victoria Coach Station in London, serves
destinations in Hungary.
For further information, contact:
Eurolines
4 Cardiff Road
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU1 1PP
Fax: (01582) 400 694
Website:
www.eurolines.com or
www.gobycoach.com
The Channel Tunnel:
Eurotunnel operates trains 24 hours per day through the Channel
Tunnel between Folkestone in Kent (with direct access from the M20) and
Calais in France. All vehicles from motorcycles to campers can be
accommodated. Eurotunnel operates three to four passenger trains per
hour at peak times. The journey takes approximately 35 minutes.
For further information contact:
Eurotunnel Reservations
Tel: (08705) 353 535