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 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

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 pass (monthly, quarterly, semester, annual) or single tickets to use their routes. 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.) The monthly student pass costs 3450 HUF (10 EUR), which is a very reasonable price in Central Europe. To buy a student pass, you must have a student card with the validation sticker for the current semester. You can learn more about the different tickets/passes and their prices here. 

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.

Country and county passes

From 1st of May 2023, a new type of monthly pass appeared, offering cheap travel opportunities for all students in Hungary: The monthly Pest County Pass (which contains travel with BKK and to the outskirts of the county, for example, the HÉV to Szentendre) costs only 945 HUF, and the Country Pass (which you can use in the whole country on MÁV and VOLÁNBUSZ, not including the local transportation of other cities interurban transportation) costs 1890 HUF. You can buy these passes in any BKK ticket machine or online in the MÁV application). Please note that you can only buy these passes with a valid Student’s Card and validation sticker. You can buy single tickets from the MÁV app or use your Country Pass to take any train on 2nd class. Please note that some trains (such as IC) still require you to book seat reservations, even if you have the Country Pass, which will incur an extra travel fee.

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. 

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

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. 

There are several taxi providers in Budapest. 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).