Getting Around in Budapest

This is a city in which it is difficult to get lost in, despite being divided into 23 separate districts. Buda is dominated by the Castle and Gellert hills, while Pest’s identity revolves around two major ring roads that take you to any of their three connecting Danube bridges. The main bus station is located near to the metro stop at Arpad hid, just off Arpad Bridge, and forms part of an excellent local transport network, designed for convenience and ease. This is more than can be said for a lot of the taxi cabs that traverse the city, so a word of warning here: don’t get into a car that fails to show a yellow licence plate and an ID badge on the dashboard.
Budapest’s cheap and effective transport system is run by Budapesti Kozlekedési Vállalat. The network includes the metro, trams, buses, trolley buses (a cross between a bus and a tram) and trains. In summer, there are also BKV Danube ferries. Public transport runs from 0430 to 2300. There is also a limited night bus service, all of which are marked with ‘É’. There are three metro lines (M1 yellow, M2 red, and M3 blue) that intersect at Deák tér. The BKV Cog-wheel Railway (Fogaskerekû vasút) operates every 15 minutes from Városmajor utca to Széchenyi Hill daily
Taxis without a yellow number plate, which is required by law, as well as a reputable logo on the side doors and a table of fares posted on the dashboard should be avoided. Visitors should ask the driver for a taxi card, for a better fare on the next journey. The tariff is the sum of the basic fee, kilometre charge and waiting tariff. Maximum tariffs are fixed by law as day (0600-2200) basic Ft300, per kilometre Ft240, waiting Ft60 per minute and night (2200-0600) basic Ft420, per kilometre Ft336, waiting Ft84 per minute. Tips are customary but not compulsory – Hungarians normally round the fare up, although a tip should not be more than 10%.
Visitors to Budapest are advised to arrange car hire prior to arrival, in order to save money and avoid the inevitable problem of the language barrier. It is also wise for hirers to ensure that the price quoted is inclusive of �fa (VAT). The majority of hire cars in Budapest have manual transmission. A valid national driver’s licence is required and a credit card is usually requested for the deposit. The minimum age for car hire is 21 years, although some hire companies require drivers to be over 25. Extra charges are made for additional drivers. Third-party liability insurance is compulsory in Hungary