Budapest: getting there, tickets, neighbourhoods, Parliament, Széchenyi Baths and the rules in 2026

Budapest suits you if you want to combine a thermal bath, World Heritage on the Danube and evenings in ruin bars. The Danube separates flat Pest from hilly Buda. The Danube banks and Castle District have been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1987, and in 2002 Andrássy út and the Millennium Underground were added. In 2024 the city counted 6.03 million guests.

A good deal has changed since August 2025. The Gellért Baths have been closed for renovation since 1 October 2025, with reopening planned for 2028. Children under 14 have no longer been allowed into the Széchenyi Baths since 1 August 2025. Since 1 January 2026 Parliament has cost 7,000 Ft on site for EEA citizens and 14,000 Ft for everyone else. The airport bus 100E costs 2,500 Ft (since October 2025), and for taxis to and from the airport a base fare of 2,100 Ft has applied since August 2026 according to BKK.

Budapest suits you less in January: then the mean daily high is 3.0 °C and the low −2.5 °C (HungaroMet, mean 1991 to 2020). And until 11 October 2026 no Mahart boats run to Szentendre and Visegrád because of low water levels.

Getting there and from the airport into the city

With 982,517 passengers from Germany, Budapest ranked 19th among international destinations from the main German airports in 2025 (Federal Statistical Office). Most departed from Frankfurt, Berlin-Brandenburg and Munich. May was the busiest month and January the quietest (breakdown by airport and month: own analysis).

Bus 100E: around the clock to Deák Ferenc tér

At Liszt Ferenc Airport the bus stops are on the arrivals level between Terminals 2A and 2B. From there the Airport Express 100E runs directly to Deák Ferenc tér, in 40 minutes according to BKK, stopping at Kálvin tér and Astoria. It runs around the clock, every 6 to 10 minutes during the day and on average every 30 to 40 at night (as of August 2026).

For the 100E you need a separate airport ticket for 2,500 Ft (since 1 October 2025); single tickets and 24- or 72-hour passes are not valid. On the bus you pay contactless by bank card or smartphone at the Pay&GO device, up to five tickets at once. You board at the front only, and from the age of 65 you travel free (as of August 2026).

Bus 200E and metro M3: with a normal ticket

The bus 200E shuttles between Terminal 2 and Kőbánya-Kispest metro station, where you change to the M3. Normal BKK tickets and travel passes are valid here, but not the 100E ticket. At night the 200E ends at the Határ út stop, from where night buses run into the centre (as of September 2026).

Train from Ferihegy: 30 minutes to Nyugati station

From Ferihegy station, which the 200E serves, trains take 30 minutes to Nyugati station in the centre. Train tickets are not sold in the terminal but around the clock at the machine on the platform (as of September 2026). The 24- and 72-hour passes are also valid within Budapest on MÁV 2nd-class trains (as of July 2026).

Taxi: official tariff with a 2,100 Ft base fare

Budapest has an official taxi tariff, which all companies charge around the clock. Since August 2026 the base fare for airport journeys is 2,100 Ft according to BKK, every kilometre 520 Ft and every minute under 15 km/h 130 Ft (tariff table of July 2026). Licensed taxis are yellow and have yellow number plates, and BKK advises ordering by app or phone (as of September 2026).

Főtaxi, the airport's contract partner, has its ranks at the terminal entrances 2A and 2B. Főtaxi calculates the fare before departure from your destination address. The airport warns against companies without a contract that offer rides in the terminal. The miniBUD shuttle runs at fixed prices from 2,499 Ft per person (as of September 2026).

Where to stay: the neighbourhoods compared

Budapest has 23 districts with Roman numerals. Among visitors, District VII was the most popular in 2024 according to the tourism office.

Where “—” appears, the sources we analysed give no drawback.

Sights: times, prices and rules in 2026

Parliament: 7,000 or 14,000 Ft since January 2026

Parliament on the Danube bank is 271 m long, the dome 96 m high, and the building houses the Holy Crown of Hungary. The 45-minute tour shows the grand staircase, the Dome Hall and the session hall of the former Upper House, with a guide or audio guide also in German. It is open daily from 08:00 to 18:00 until 31 October, then from 08:00 to 16:00 until the end of March (as of September 2026).

Since 1 January 2026 admission on site is 7,000 Ft for EEA citizens and 14,000 Ft for everyone else. Pupils and students aged 6 to 24 pay half with proof, and children under 6 nothing. Parliament sells online via jegymester.hu; if you only come on the day of your visit, the ticket office in the visitor centre has only a limited quota of single tickets. Cancellation is not possible, rebooking online is possible up to three hours before for a fee, and anyone who arrives late may lose the visit without a refund (as of September 2026).

You may not take larger bags and luggage with you, and photography is not allowed in the Dome Hall. Children under 14 are only admitted with an adult (as of September 2026).

Castle District: palace, Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion

Hungary's kings sat in Buda Castle from the 13th century, and its palace today houses the National Gallery and the National Library, among others. The National Gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:00 (as of September 2026).

From Clark Ádám tér the Budavári Sikló funicular takes 95 seconds to the Castle Palace, daily from 08:00 to 22:00. On Mondays in odd-numbered calendar weeks it is out of service for maintenance, except on public holidays, and only its own tickets are valid (as of July 2026).

Matthias Church costs adults 3,400 Ft, 5,000 Ft with an audio guide, and a church ticket is valid for the whole calendar year. The tower is reached by 197 steps without a lift, and the tower ticket for 4,000 Ft is valid only at the booked time (as of September 2026).

The upper level of the Fisherman's Bastion charges admission from 2 January to 23 December 2026: 1,700 Ft, concession 850 Ft. The paid zone is open from 09:00 to 21:00 from June to September, otherwise from 09:00 to 19:00. Tickets are also available via ticket.budavar.hu (as of September 2026).

St Stephen's Basilica: terrace at a height of 65 m

In St Stephen's Basilica everyone needs a ticket. Since 1 December 2025 the church interior has cost adults 2,600 Ft and the panoramic terrace with the treasury 5,000 Ft. The combination ticket for both costs 6,800 Ft, 800 Ft less than two single tickets (own calculation).

The terrace runs around the main dome at a height of 65 m, and lifts take you up. It is open daily from 09:00 to 19:00, the church interior Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 17:45 and on Sundays from 13:00. Shoulders and knees must be covered (as of September 2026).

Széchenyi Baths: from age 14, day ticket from 13,200 Ft

The Széchenyi Baths in City Park were built in 1913; outside, the thermal pool is at 38 °C and the swimming pool at 26 °C. They are open Monday to Thursday from 07:00 to 20:00, on Fridays until 22:00 and at weekends from 08:00 to 20:00. Last entry is one hour before closing (as of September 2026).

The day ticket with locker costs 13,200 Ft Monday to Thursday, 14,800 Ft on Fridays and at weekends, and 15,800 Ft on public holidays and in high season (2026 prices). The price applies to all age groups and is the same online as at the ticket office. Tickets bought online can, however, be neither rebooked nor refunded, and the ticket office does not accept euros (as of September 2026). Because of maintenance the outdoor swimming pool is closed from 5 to 16 October 2026.

Great Synagogue in Dohány utca

The synagogue in Dohány utca, inaugurated in 1859, is the largest in Europe with more than 3,000 seats, and the complex includes the Hungarian Jewish Museum. Anyone attending a service is checked at the entrance with ID; knees and shoulders must be covered, and men wear a head covering (as of September 2026).

Great Market Hall: free entry, Sunday hours unclear

Entry to the Great Market Hall on Vámház körút is free, and it is closed on public holidays. According to the operator it is open Monday to Friday from 06:00 to 18:00, on Saturdays from 06:00 to 16:00 and on Sundays from 10:00 to 16:00 (as of September 2026). That is what its Hungarian pages and the hall's English page say. Only the English overview, last changed in 2024, gives shorter hours and closed on Sundays. In the operator's shop list, of 118 shops with opening hours only one supermarket in the basement also gives Sunday hours (as of 28 September 2026).

Citadel: park free, exhibition 4,900 Ft

The park, the viewpoints on the walls and the Liberty Statue of the renovated Citadel cost nothing, and the park is open from April to October from 06:00 to 24:00. Only the exhibition with roof terrace charges admission: 4,900 Ft, 2,450 Ft for 6- to 26-year-olds, with entry in 20-minute slots for at most 40 people (as of September 2026). To get there take bus 27 to Búsuló Juhász, then it is 500 m on foot.

House of Terror: open again

The museum on Andrássy út was closed for technical reasons in mid-September 2026 and has been open again since 22 September. It is open daily except Mondays from 10:00 to 18:00, admission costs 4,000 Ft, and tickets are available only at the museum ticket office (as of September 2026). Because of the large crowds, the museum advises allowing for waiting time at the entrance (notice of 24 September 2026). It lets only a limited number of visitors into the exhibition at the same time.

Danube Bend: boats suspended, H5 to Szentendre

The H5 suburban railway also runs to Szentendre. Within the city area normal Budapest tickets are valid on it, and for the section from Békásmegyer to Szentendre there is the H5 excursion ticket for 6,200 Ft. A group of at most ten people travels on it as long as everyone sits in the same carriage, valid on the chosen day until 02:00 at night (as of July 2026).

Best time to visit: Budapest's climate month by month

The values come from the Budapest-Pestszentlőrinc station of the weather service HungaroMet and are means for the years 1991 to 2020.

May and September reach mean highs of 22.6 and 22.5 °C, July and August around 28 °C. July is also the wettest month with 75 mm, and January to March are the driest with 31 to 33 mm. From December to February the mean low is below zero.

Costs

The table gives only prices from operators and the city in forint (Ft), without euro conversion. The sources we analysed give no prices for the funicular, the National Gallery and the Great Synagogue.

Tourist tax: 4% in the inner city and in Józsefváros

In Budapest the districts levy the tourist tax. Anyone who does not live in the district pays it per night started, and the host collects it with the room price. In Belváros-Lipótváros, District V, it is 4% of the gross room price (as of September 2026), and in Józsefváros (District VIII) also 4% (version from 1 January 2025). Rates of other districts could not be verified. At 40,000 Ft per night it would be 1,600 Ft there (own calculation).

Practical information

Local transport: single ticket, travel passes and Pay&GO

During the day the metro, buses and trams run from about 04:30 to 23:30, at night night buses and around the clock tram 6 (as of September 2026). The single ticket costs 500 Ft (since 1 June 2025), 700 Ft if bought in some vehicles, and without a valid ticket 12,000 Ft is due on the spot (as of August 2026).

A single ticket is valid for one journey without changing; the only exception is changing from metro to metro in the same direction. You validate the paper ticket in the metro at the station entrance, and in all other vehicles only when boarding (as of May 2026). With Pay&GO you pay in the metro and on the 100E contactless by bank card or smartphone, without registration and at the same price (as of August 2026).

The 24-hour pass costs 2,750 Ft, the 72-hour pass 5,750 Ft (both since 1 June 2025). If you buy it as a mobile ticket, it is tied to your ID and becomes valid only 2 minutes later (as of July 2026).

Budapest Card

Since 1 May 2026 the Budapest Card has cost 17,990 Ft for 24 hours and 29,990 Ft for 72 hours. It includes local transport in the city area, free admission at more than 30 places such as the Lukács Baths, and 10 to 25% discount. The 72-hour variants Flexi for 27,990 Ft and Plus for 39,990 Ft include the 100E according to BKK (as of July 2026). The card is valid for one person only, carries a name and ID number, and gives no priority entry (as of September 2026).

Money, time, emergency number

You pay in forint. Visa and Mastercard are officially accepted everywhere; at markets and in small shops cash helps. Some shops take euros, but often at unfavourable rates, and at the airport you usually exchange at the worst rate according to the tourism agency. A 10% tip is usual, unless a service charge already appears on the bill (as of September 2026).

Hungary has the same time as Germany, and the European emergency number is 112. According to the Hungarian Tourism Agency, sockets of types C and F are usual. The Budapestinfo tourist information at Deák Ferenc tér is open daily from 09:00 to 19:00 (as of September 2026).

The current rules on entry, safety and health are given by the German Foreign Office.

Who this is not for

• Families with children under 14 who want to go to the Széchenyi or Gellért Baths: the Széchenyi Baths do not let the children in, and the Gellért Baths are closed until the planned reopening in 2028.
• Anyone who wants to visit Parliament spontaneously: the ticket office has only a limited quota on the day, and anyone who arrives late may lose the visit.
• Anyone who wants to reach the Danube Bend by boat before 11 October 2026: because of low water levels the Mahart boats do not run.
• Anyone who wants to sleep early in the Jewish quarter: the Gozsdu Courtyard is loud until well after midnight.
• Anyone who handles cold badly: in January the mean high is 3.0 °C and the low −2.5 °C.
• Anyone who wants to drive into the Castle District: parking costs there after 15 minutes, and coaches are not allowed in at all.