Budapest, Hungary
By tram
Trams are a tourist-friendly way of getting around, slower but more scenic than the subway and particularly useful on the nearly subway-less Buda side of the river. Be careful about doors–they open on different side of the tram on different stations.
The two lines serving along the Danube (no. 19 on Buda and no. 2 on Pest) are considered a part of the cityscape. Let yourself ride the yellow trams and enjoy the view from them.
Tram lines 4 and 6 are supposed to be the most useful vehicles by many tourists. Both follow Nagykörút, Pest’s inner ring road, providing access to all three metro lines at multiple stations, and crossing over to Buda on the Margaret Bridge – another beautiful view. Although technically two lines, 4 and 6 only diverge for their last two stops, which the tourist is unlikely to visit.
By bus
Where the trams don’t go, there are buses. Budapest has a dense bus network, which also connects to the surrounding cities. (Note: you have to validate an extra ticket if you leave Budapest.) In some case there are red (rapid) and black (normal) lines; they can be hard to distinguish because sometimes red lines are only marked with a framed number. An “A” marker means a slight difference between the “black” (normal) bus path, and an “E” marker means that it has only 2 stations: the starting and final station.
By trolley-bus
There are 13 trolley bus lines in north-east and central Pest (mainly in the XIV, VI, VII districts). Some of them pass through the Városliget (City Park) and cross Andrássy Road, giving you beautiful views while using this eco-friendly mode of transport.
Nightbuses
Budapest has a good night transportation system. Nightbus line numbers are triple-digit, starting with number ’9′. Buses run every 15-60 minutes from around 11 p.m. until 4 a.m.; you need the same ticket that you do during the daytime. The main linking points of the nightbus network are Moszkva tér and Astoria, but you can find a night line in any tourist part of the city. It’s a good idea to buy a map of the nightbus network (available at BKV ticket offices), because there are 29 lines leaving for several parts of Budapest. Don’t expect to see ticket inspectors on night buses.
By train
HÉV suburban railways connect central Budapest to several suburbs but are of little use to most visitors, with the notable exception of the line to scenic little upriver Szentendre. The same train takes you to Sziget Fesztivál, Central Europe’s biggest summer festival. Connect from Batthyány tér on the subway red line.
By car
Apart from the summer holiday Budapest has a heavy traffic with long-lasting traffic jams in the morning and in the afternoon. If you don’t want to spend your visit to Budapest in a traffic jam, leave your car in the hotel’s garage, and use the public transport.
If you drive across downtown, plan your journey otherwise you can get into tough situations. For example you cannot turn left in most of the crossings of the Great Boulevard (Nagykörút) or on the main avenues like Andrássy út, Váci út, Ülloi út or Rákóczi út.
By taxi
Use one of the taxi companies with English speaking switchboards, e.g. City Taxi – these are efficient and reasonably priced. When you call from a telephone box, they may be able to tell your location from the number, which saves having to work out how to pronounce “Nagymezo”.
Taxis hailed on the street and at taxi ranks often charge foreigners inflated prices.
By bicycle
Bikeways separated from automobile roads are all around the downtown and, possibly, in the outskirts as well. There are many cyclers on the streets even in winter time. Renting a bike doesn’t seem a problem also, even in winter time.
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