Getting Around Budapest: Transport, Airport Transfers and Where to Leave Your Bag
Last updated: October 2026
Intro
The airport bus into Budapest is the 100E, and it needs its own ticket: 2,500 Ft one way since 1 October 2025, to Deák Ferenc tér. A normal 500 Ft single does not work on it, a detail most guides skip. Since 22 April 2026 you can tap a bank card on all four metro lines and on the 100E, and taxi tariffs rose on 1 August 2026 with a 2,100 Ft airport starting fare. Prices below were checked in October 2026.
Disclosure: Ciceru earns a commission if you book luggage storage through its Radical Storage link, and you get 10% off. It does not change what is recommended.
Once the bag is dropped, a self-guided walk in the Ciceru app has a story and a quiz question at each stop, plus a free 500 MB global eSIM. The Budapest walk is 4 km, about 3 hours, and starts at the Hungarian Parliament.
⚡ Quick answer
- Airport to centre: 100E Airport Express to Deák Ferenc tér via Kálvin tér, about 40 minutes, 24 hours a day, 2,500 Ft. Pay on the bus by bank card or in the BudapestGO app
- Cheaper, slower: bus 200E to Kőbánya-Kispest, then metro M3, on ordinary tickets (500 Ft each when bought in advance)
- Normal rides: 500 Ft single in advance, 700 Ft on the spot, or tap a bank card at the metro station reader
- Best pass: for most visitors the 24-hour travelcard (2,750 Ft) or none. The Budapest Card is a sightseeing product, not a transport saving
- Luggage: MÁV lockers at Keleti, Nyugati and Déli, but no price is published. Radical Storage lists 44 spots from €3.90 a bag a day
✈️ From the airport
Bus 100E is the answer for most people. It runs between Liszt Ferenc Airport and Deák Ferenc tér, calling at Kálvin tér, and BKK gives the journey as 40 minutes. It runs round the clock, every 6 to 10 minutes in the daytime, every 10 to 15 in the mornings and evenings, and about every 30 to 40 minutes at night.
- 💶 Ticket: 2,500 Ft, the airport shuttle single. It is valid on the 100E only
- 📱 Where to pay: a Pay&GO reader on board (bank card or phone, up to five tickets per tap), the BudapestGO app, or a ticket office
- 🎫 Pass holders: holders of a Budapest pass (not the 15-day one), Pest County Pass or Hungary Pass pay a 1,000 Ft add-on ticket instead, bought in the app under "Further transport tickets". Show the pass on boarding, then validate the add-on. BKK's notice does not mention 24-hour or 72-hour travelcards, so do not assume they qualify and ask first
- 🆓 Free: people over 65, and children under 14
Bus 200E also runs 24 hours and ends at Kőbánya-Kispest, where you change to metro M3 into the centre. It does not accept the airport ticket. It takes an ordinary ticket or pass, so the trip is two ordinary tickets, about 1,000 Ft. Use it when the saving matters more than the 40 minutes and a change with luggage.
Late arrival: both buses run through the night.
🎫 The ticket system, explained once
The city has no zones to learn for the centre. BKK's list, checked in October 2026:
- 💶 Single ticket: 500 Ft bought in advance, 700 Ft bought on the spot
- 💶 Block of 10: 4,500 Ft
- 💶 30-minute ticket: 600 Ft. 90-minute ticket: 850 Ft
- 💶 24-hour travelcard: 2,750 Ft. 72-hour travelcard: 5,750 Ft
A single ticket is stamped before you start on the metro, and on buses and trams straight after boarding, before the vehicle leaves. On the metro it lasts 80 minutes after stamping and lets you change between M1, M2, M3 and M4 on that one trip. A travelcard needs no stamping once bought: it runs from the date and time printed on it. Buy at ticket machines, in the BudapestGO app, at customer service centres, or tap a card (below).
💳 Which pass is worth it
- 💶 24-hour travelcard, 2,750 Ft: wins over singles from the sixth ride (six rides at 500 Ft is 3,000 Ft). Good for a day of hopping around
- 💶 72-hour travelcard, 5,750 Ft: worth it from the twelfth ride, so about four a day over three days
- 💶 Budapest Card, from 1 May 2026: 24 hours 17,990 Ft, 48 hours 23,990, 72 hours 29,990, 96 hours 38,990. The 72-hour Plus (39,990 Ft) adds a round trip on the 100E. A 72-hour travelcard costs 5,750 Ft on its own, so the card only pays if you would otherwise buy several of its 30-plus included baths, museums and tours. The sums are in Budapest on a Budget
- ❌ Skip a monthly pass (8,950 Ft) unless you are staying weeks
BKK's price page lists no 7-day travelcard.
🚇 Validation, fines and traps
- Contactless at the gate. Budapest Pay&GO buys and validates a single ticket in one tap of a bank card or phone. It has run on the 100E and M1, and from 22 April 2026 on M2, M3 and M4. BKK says it costs the same as a ticket bought elsewhere, and no app or registration is needed. One tap buys one metro ticket. BKK lists only the metro and the 100E, so use the app or a stamped ticket on trams and buses
- Keep the same card. The inspector checks your payment by tapping the card you paid with. There is no paper ticket. A metro ticket is valid on the metro only, and an airport ticket on the 100E only
- Fines. BKK lists 12,000 Ft if paid on the spot (or within two working days), 25,000 Ft if paid between 2 and 30 days later, and 50,000 Ft after 30 days.
- Inspectors. Ticket checks use handheld readers for Pay&GO. No first-party BKK warning about fake inspectors was found for this article, so ask for ID if you are unsure and do not pay cash to anyone away from a vehicle or station
- Works. No October 2026 works notice was verified for this article, so check the BudapestGO app the evening before
🚶 What you will actually walk
Walk the centre and use the metro for the longer hops, such as crossing the Danube. The MOL Bubi bike-share is back in 2026, and BudapestGO pass holders can use it ten times a month free of charge, per a BKK notice of 30 September 2026.
🧳 Luggage storage in Budapest
Stations first. MÁV runs automated lockers at three stations. Its station pages list lockers only, and no price is published, so check at the machine:
- 🚉 Keleti: inside the station, at underpass level opposite the Passenger Centre. Hours follow the station's, about 03:45 to 01:00 on weekdays and to 02:00 at weekends
- 🚉 Nyugati: outside the station building, at the end of platform 6 next to the ticket machines. 02:30 to 00:50, daily
- 🚉 Déli: in the passenger hall, to the left of the entrance near the international ticket office. 03:00 to 00:30, daily
Lockers come in two sizes, with internal dimensions of 35 x 50 x 75 cm and 50 x 60 x 75 cm. A large suitcase may not fit, so measure first.
The airport. No first-party price or location for left luggage was found, so check bud.hu before relying on it.
Where Radical Storage wins: Radical Storage lists 44 verified spots in Budapest from €3.90 a bag a day (about 1,400 Ft at the 2 October central bank rate), with no size or weight limit stated and a €10,000 guarantee. Its pages name spots near Keleti, Nyugati, Déli, Deák Ferenc tér, the castle and the Parliament area. Use it when the case is too big for a locker, when you arrive outside locker hours, or when you want to drop the bag near the sights. Ten per cent off with Ciceru's link.
🚕 Taxis and ride apps
Budapest taxi tariffs rose on 1 August 2026, the first rise since March 2023, according to Hungarian press reports:
- 💶 Base fare: 1,300 Ft, up from 1,100
- 💶 Distance: 521 Ft per km, up from 440
- 💶 Waiting: 130 Ft per minute, up from 110
- ✈️ Airport: BKK says an airport base fare of 2,100 Ft applies to trips to and from the airport
There is no fixed airport fare to quote: the meter runs. As an illustration, on an assumed 18 km run, 521 Ft a km is about 9,400 Ft on top of the 2,100 Ft starting fare, so budget roughly 11,500 Ft plus waiting time and check it against the meter. Press reports put 800 Ft of that starting fare down to an airport charge (1,300 plus 800), and add a new 800 Ft pre-booking fee. BKK's page gives only the 2,100 Ft figure.
BKK names five licensed companies: Bolt, City Taxi, Elit Taxi, Főtaxi and Uber Taxi. A legitimate cab is yellow with "minősített budapesti taxi" on the front door, yellow plates and fare tables inside. Főtaxi is the airport's official taxi partner.
🕐 Your first hour in Budapest
- Tap a bank card on the 100E reader, or buy the 2,500 Ft ticket in the BudapestGO app before you reach the stop.
- Ride to Deák Ferenc tér, about 40 minutes.
- Too early to check in? Use a locker at Keleti, Nyugati or Déli, or a Radical Storage spot near the sights.
- Use Pay&GO taps for metro rides, or buy a 24-hour travelcard if you plan more than five rides.
- Walk.
❓ FAQ
How much is the airport bus to Budapest in 2026?
The 100E Airport Express costs 2,500 Ft one way to Deák Ferenc tér. Pass holders pay a 1,000 Ft add-on, and a normal 500 Ft ticket is not valid on it.
Can I use a contactless bank card on the Budapest metro?
Yes. Since 22 April 2026 Pay&GO works on metro lines M1 to M4 and on the 100E. You tap at the reader, then tap the same card for an inspector. BKK did not list trams or ordinary buses.
Where can I leave my luggage in Budapest?
MÁV lockers at Keleti, Nyugati and Déli have no published price, and they are 75 cm tall inside. Radical Storage has 44 spots from €3.90 a day.
✅ Before you go
Check the BudapestGO app for works, keep the Pay&GO card you paid with, and measure your case before you head for a locker. For the bigger picture, start with Budapest Explained, and once the bag is dropped, the Ciceru walk from the Hungarian Parliament is a gentle first look.
