Budapest airport to city centre: trains, buses, taxis and costs

Four realistic ways into the centre. Pick by where you are staying, not by saving the last few hundred forints: the 100E drops you on the Pest side of the river, and crossing to Buda with luggage costs more time than the fare difference.

Bus 100E is the express link between the airport and Deák Ferenc tér in the middle of Pest. It stops at Kálvin tér and Astoria on the way, so it covers most of the hotel districts visitors use. Journey time is about 40 minutes in normal traffic.

The catch is ticketing. Bus 100E is not covered by ordinary BKK passes or single tickets: it needs its own dedicated ticket, bought from the machine or counter at the airport or in the BudapestGO app. Validate it on board. If you are staying more than a couple of days, a travel pass plus a separate 100E ticket is usually the cheapest combination.

The bus runs through the night, which makes it the default for late landings. Check the current timetable before a very early flight, because the overnight frequency is lower than daytime.

Bus 200E runs from the airport to Kőbánya-Kispest, where you change to metro line 3 for the centre. It is covered by ordinary BKK tickets and passes, so if you have already bought a travel pass this leg costs nothing extra.

The trade-off is time and stairs. You handle your bags on and off the bus, through the metro station, and down to the platform, and metro line 3 has been under piecemeal renovation for years, so check whether your station is open before relying on it. Budget about 50–60 minutes to the centre, more with luggage.

This is the right choice if you are staying near a line 3 station, if you are on a tight budget, or if you already hold a pass. It is the wrong choice at 23:00 with two suitcases.

A taxi from the airport to the centre takes about 30 minutes outside rush hour and considerably longer in it. Fares are regulated: a base fee plus a per-kilometre rate of roughly HUF 500. Pay by card or in forints; rounding up is the local norm for tips.

Use the official taxi rank outside the terminal or order through the Bolt app. Ignore drivers approaching you inside the arrivals hall offering a fixed price: unlicensed cars at stations and airports are a known problem in Hungary, and the parent country notes flag them.

Shared minibus shuttles sell per-seat transfers that drop you at your accommodation. They cost more than the bus and less than a private taxi, but you may wait for other passengers and tour the city while they are dropped off. Worth it for a solo traveller arriving at night who does not want to navigate.

Prices below are 2026 estimates in forints. The site converts them to your currency. Verify current fares on the operator's own page before you travel, since BKK adjusts ticket prices periodically.

Buy your ticket before you leave the terminal. The machines and the BKK customer service desk are in the arrivals area, and staff there speak enough English to help. Boarding without a validated ticket risks a fine, and inspectors do work the airport lines.

If you are staying in Buda, on the Castle Hill side of the river, neither bus drops you at the door: from Deák Ferenc tér you still need metro line 2 or a tram across the river. Factor that in when comparing a HUF 2,200 bus ticket with a taxi.

For an early departure, work backwards from the check-in time and add 30 minutes of traffic buffer. The 100E runs overnight but less often, and the metro does not run at all in the small hours, which leaves the bus or a taxi.