Budapest Travel Card - 2024 Guide
- travel tips
- May 5, 2024
What's the Budapest Travel Card?
The Budapest Travel Card is a card that gives you access to nearly any public transportation line in Budapest (BKK). Instead of buying a regular ticket per trip, you buy a card that allows you to use different lines during a certain period of time: 30 min, 90 min, 24 hours, 48 hours or 72 hours.
Top tip: Budapest Travel Card and Budapest Card (or City Card) are different things. The Budapest Travel Card works like a pass with the city’s public transportation system, whereas if you buy a Budapest Card, you get public transport too, but not just that: it also includes entrance to certain museums, discounts on restaurants, airport transfer, city tours, and more benefits.
Budapest Travel Card types and prices
You have a few different options when it comes to buying a Budapest Travel Card:
- 30 minutes (individual): HUF 530
- 90 minutes (individual): HUF 750
- Budapest 24 hour travel card (individual): HUF 2,500
- 24 hour group Budapest travel card (up to 5 people): HUF 5,000
- Budapest 72 hour travel card: HUF 5,500
How does the Budapest Travel Card work?
The Budapest Travel Card stays active for a set number of hours beginning from the designated date and time (month, day, hour, minute), allowing unlimited travel during this period.
For example: purchasing a 24-hour Travel Card enables you to take as many trips as desired within the following 24 hours from the precise moment of card purchase.
The time restriction begins upon card validation. If you validate your card within the limit but finish your journey beyond the allotted time, that’s okay, you won’t incur any fines.
Where to buy the Budapest Travel Card?
You can buy the Budapest travel card in different ways and places. Perhaps the most convenient way to buy (and validate) it is with your phone, using the app BudapestGO.
Nonetheless, you also have the paper tickets, which you can buy at any BKK machines in Budapest metro and tram stations or at the airport bus stop.
Alternatively, you can get it at the airport arrivals hall; or in tobacco shops that have the “National Mobile Payment” sticker; some travel agencies will offer it too.
How to validate the Budapest Travel Card?
The Budapest Travel Card validation process depends on the purchasing method.
For mobile tickets: When you get on the metro or a bus, use the BudapestGO app to scan the QR code or tap your phone on the NFC sticker near the entrance. Once scanned, show the moving image to the staff or, if needed, click on the ticket details to display the code.
For paper tickets: no validation is needed, but have it with you in case the ticket inspector asks for it. I
*if you fail to show your Budapest Travel Card or another valid BKK ticket for your trip, the inspectors might fine you with a 25,000 HUF penalty fare, which, if paid on spot or within two working days, gets reduced to HUF 12,000.
What BKK lines are included in the Budapest Travel Card?
The Budapest travel card is applicable for a great amount of BKK public transport services, including:
- Bus and tram lines 1-99, 101-299, 900-999, as well as D14 bus
- Selected suburban buses operated by VOLÁNBUSZ
- Metro lines M1, M2, M3, M4
- HÉV suburban railway lines H5, H6, H7, H8, H9
- MÁV-START trains in the 2nd class (excluding trains with supplementary charges
Should I choose a Budapest Travel Card?
In our opinion, the Budapest Travel Card is a great option if you’re planning to use a lot of public transportation. One normal ticket for a bus, tram or metro ride would cost HUF 450. If you’re planning at least six trips on one day, the 24 hour travel card would be cheaper. If you’ll need twelve trips for two or three days, then go for the 72 hour card.
But besides the price, the Budapest Travel Card is also more convenient. You can just have it on your phone or wallet without having to buy it every time you hop on the bus, tram, metro or train.
Popular alternatives to the Budapest Travel Card
If you don’t want to use the Budapest Travel Card, there are other popular options.
The most common, of course, is the individual ticket, which costs HUF 450.
If you stay a longer period in Budapest and you don’t have a time limit to use your ticket, you might want to buy a block of 10 tickets. It’s still cheaper than buying individually, as it costs HUF 4,000 (you save 50 forints per trip, so 500 forints in total).
If you’re staying longer period and/or you think you’ll need public transportation a lot, you also have the monthly pass option: it costs HUF 8,950 and can be used in the 30 calendar days after the purchase date.
Another known option is the Budapest Card: like the Budapest Travel Card, it has public transportation included. But you also get discounts and free entrance in different places, like museums or restaurants. The prices, of course, are more expensive.
