Public transportation in Budapest (Pt.1)

Public transportation has the capability to transform a city’s experience for you. If the public transport is good and convenient, you’ll have a smooth city experience. I don’t even want to talk about when the public transportation is out of reach and inconvenient. God knows what happens then.

Majority of metropolitan cities and capitals have adapted exceptionally good transportation methods and Budapest isn’t an exception. When I first moved here, I was surprised with how accessible everything around me was. This is of course partially due to the reason that both Tehran and Kuala Lumpur are much larger than Budapest and so everything in Budapest seemed reachable to me. But this is also due to the fact that the public transportation is easily available.

In this next post I want to go through the different types of public transportation, the transport passes and any other detail that I think is important to know.

First things first let’s see the different types of public transport that we’ve got.

Metro:

The metro in Budapest is quite good. They are various lines and each stretch to different sides of the city. Even though some of the metro stations are quite dodgy, I still prefer to travel around here with metro because it’s certainly the fastest. The metro lines connect both Buda and Pest together and for this reason they’re the preferred mode of transport for sure.

There are currently 4 metro lines in operation in Budapest: Metro line M1, M2, M3 and M4. The 3 metro lines of M1, M2 and M3 are inter connected at Deak Ferenc Ter, which is the center of the city.

The metro line M1 is actually the second oldest metro line in all of Europe. I think the oldest one is in England. It was constructed at the end of the 19thcentury but the trains were replaced with newer ones in 1970s. Majority of the stations, platforms and the trains in this line mirror the original designs dating back to those times.

M1 metro line: yellow line

The metro line M1 isnt probably the most useful line, the metro takes quite long to come and the cabins are really small but it is a cute little experience to actually ride in these trains. I usually use the metro line to go towards Heroes Square and the city park.

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M2 metro line: red line

I personally use this metro line on the daily. It is one of the newer metro lines of the city and so the stations are quite cleaner than the rest. This metro runs through the city center.

The most important stations would be Keleti Palyudvar and Kossuth lajos ter. Keleti Palyudvar is the eastern railway station and many trains come to this staion. As for the Kossuth Lajor Ter station it's where the Hungarian Parliament is. That should be one the must see sights on your list.

The metro line is open every day even during the weekends and it closes at around 11 pm at nights. So yea you can rely on this line.

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M3 Metro line: blue line

I have such a love and hate relationship with this metro line. I love it because it takes me to university everyday but I hate it well because it's under renovation literally all the time.

As of now, it only works until the Lehel Ter station and from there you can take the Metro replacement bus. During the weekdays it is open until 8:30-9 PM and it is closed during the weekends. You again will have to use the metro replacement buses. This line is quite unreliable and hence why I don’t like it much.

The most important stations would be Corvin Negyed and Nyugati Palyudvar. Corvin Negyed is where the mall Corvin Plaza is located. Nyugati Palyudvar is the Northern train station. I usually use this train station to go to other cities in Hungary. Nyugati Palyudvar is also where the shopping center WestEnd is located. West End is arguably the best shopping center here in Budapest.

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M4 Metro Line: green line

This is the least frequently used line for me. It does connect Buda and Pest together at numerous stations and so I guess it is considered an important line. This is the latest line that was added to Budapest’s transportation scene and so the trains and the stations are exceptionally clean and well built.

Two of the most important stations would be Fovam ter and Gellert ter. Fovam ter is where you can get off and walk to the central market hall of Budapest. Gellert ter as the name suggests is where Gellert bath and Gellert hotel are located.

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So that’s it about the metro lines, next up we’ll take a look at different tram lines, buses, taxis and lastly the different ticket types.

Stay tuned for the next article.

Cheers!

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