What to do in Budapest and how to get around by metro

Buda up the hill, Pest on the flat, and four lines

The Danube splits the city in two and the halves are not interchangeable. Buda is the hilly bank, with the castle and the views; Pest is the flat one, where almost everything else is: the Parliament, the Jewish quarter, the markets and the nightlife.

There are four metro lines. The M1 dates from 1896, the first on the European continent, and it still runs with its original tiled stations — it is Unesco-listed. It is not a museum piece: it is the line you take to the Széchenyi baths.

Worth knowing: the metro does not reach Buda castle. You go up on the funicular from the Chain Bridge, or on foot, or on bus 16. And the Jewish quarter has no stop of its own either: you arrive from Astoria or Opera and walk a bit.

The team of GoRandom in Budapest, in August 2024 — **The team in Budapest**, August 2024.

Seven things to do, and how to reach each one

The baths are on the list, obviously. But they are neither the only thing nor the first.

The Széchenyi baths first thing

They open very early and that is the difference between a monumental spa and a crowded swimming pool. At seven in the morning the steam over the water in the yellow courtyard is the image you came for; at eleven it is a queue.

Széchenyi fürdő — The stop is named after it. You come out of the metro and it is opposite.

The Parliament from outside, and from the other bank

The interior tour is good and needs booking, but the image you will remember is from the Buda side at dusk. The Shoes on the Danube Bank, the Holocaust memorial, are five minutes away and worth the stop.

Kossuth Lajos tér — The metro exit opens straight onto Parliament square.

The ruin bars of the Jewish quarter

Bars built inside derelict buildings in the seventh district, with mismatched furniture and courtyards full of plants. Szimpla Kert is the famous one and it is rammed; two streets away there are five more with the same idea and half the people.

Astoria — Ten minutes on foot. From Opera (M1) it works just as well.

The Central Market, and going up to the first floor

Downstairs you buy paprika and sausage; upstairs you eat. It is touristy, but the lángos on the upper floor is a legitimate classic and the 1897 iron building is worth the visit on its own.

Fővám tér — The M4 has exposed-concrete stations that are a plan in themselves.

Getting up to the castle without the funicular

The funicular has a queue and costs what it costs. Walking up the steps at the side takes fifteen minutes and gets you to the same place, with viewpoints on the way. Up top, most of the Fisherman's Bastion is free.

sin metro

The metro does not come here. Cross the Chain Bridge from Vörösmarty tér (M1) or take bus 16.

Margaret Island by bike

Two and a half kilometres of park in the middle of the Danube, no cars. You can hire bikes and some fairly ridiculous pedal carts. It is what people from Budapest do on a Sunday.

Nyugati pályaudvar — And from there tram 4 or 6, which crosses Margaret Bridge.

Memento Park, if the 20th century interests you

Where the communist statues ended up when they were taken out of the city. Bronze Lenins and workers lined up on waste ground on the outskirts. It is strange, it is uncomfortable and it is one of the most interesting things you can see here.

Kelenföld vasútállomás — And then a bus. It is well out of town: allow half a morning.

And the adventure we run here

Everything above you can do on your own with this page open. This other thing we build for you: the same idea as always — you do not know what you got until the day before — applied to Budapest.

GO YELLOW

An afternoon on the Danube, and not on a tourist boat

The Go Yellow version of Budapest happens on the water, but not on the dinner cruise you see advertised everywhere. Meeting point on the riverbank and you open the plan there: it could be kayaking with the city lit up, it could be paddle boarding at sunset. You find out the day before.

The activity, booked and set up
Kit and insurance
A local instructor
A meeting point with a metro stop

Flights and accommodation are not included — you book those. When you pick your departure city we send you a rough estimate of what they cost. We are not a travel agency. How the process works, step by step.

You choose where you fly from and where you are going, and we tell you what the adventure costs and roughly what getting there would cost. Flights and accommodation you book yourself: we are not a travel agency and we do not want to be.

How the transport works, in four numbers

Budapest is paid in forints and the numbers look alarming until you divide. A ticket is about €1.50.

30-minute ticket

600 Ft

Bought from a machine or the app. Bought from the driver it goes up to 700 Ft.

24-hour ticket

2,750 Ft

Unlimited travel across the whole BKK network: metro, tram, bus and the city boats.

72-hour ticket

5,750 Ft

The one most visitors buy, and rightly: it works out at a little over five euros a day.

Hours

4:21 – 0:18

The first metro leaves at 4:21 on the M3; the M2 starts at 4:28, the M4 at 4:27 and the M1 at 4:32.

Source: BKK · official GTFS. Checked on 01 September 2026.

Here the pass really does pay off. With three or four journeys a day the 72-hour ticket covers itself on day one and takes the validation faff off your hands.

If you want it line by line — which stations each one has, what is around every stop and how to work out a specific journey — we have all of it at our guide to the Budapest metro. It is one of the sites we publish ourselves, and it is free.

From the airport to the centre

Ferenc Liszt airport has no metro, but it has a shuttle bus that does exactly what you need.

Bus 100E Airport Express

2,500 Ft

~40 min

Direct to Deák Ferenc tér, dead centre, via Kálvin tér. It needs its own ticket: the normal passes are not valid on this line.

Bus 200E + metro M3

standard ticket

50–60 min

Cheaper and slower. The 200E reaches Kőbánya-Kispest and there you change to the M3 into the centre.

If you are going to buy the 72-hour pass, bear in mind the 100E is not included: you pay for it separately either way.

Source: BKK Airport Express. Checked on 01 September 2026.

Four things you will be glad you knew

Validate the ticket or you get fined

There are inspectors on the metro stairs and they do not let tourists off. The single ticket is punched in the orange machine at the entrance.

At the baths you need flip-flops and a padlock

You can hire them, but bringing your own saves time and money. Towels are hired too and they are not cheap.

The tap water is good

And there are fountains around the city. There is no need to buy bottled water.

Beware the street exchange bureaux

The ones advertising "0% commission" apply a terrible rate. Better to take forints out of a bank cash machine.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need for Budapest?

Three full days cover both banks without rushing, with a whole morning for the baths. Two works, but you have to choose between the castle and the baths on the same day, and neither is enjoyable in a hurry.

Which transport pass is worth it in Budapest?

The 72-hour one, 5,750 Ft, if you are staying three days or more. It works out at a little over five euros a day and covers metro, tram, bus and the city boats. The 100E airport bus is separate.

Which are the best thermal baths?

Széchenyi is the big monumental one with the outdoor pools. Gellért is prettier inside, art nouveau, and a good deal quieter. Rudas is the historic Ottoman one and has a rooftop pool looking over the Danube.

Does the metro reach Buda castle?

No. The nearest station is Széll Kálmán tér (M2) and even then you have to climb. The usual way is to cross the Chain Bridge from Vörösmarty tér (M1) and go up on the funicular, on foot or on bus 16.

What to do in Budapest and how to get around