🇭🇺Budapest
Two cities glued together by bridges: hilly, castle-topped Buda and flat, loud, café-lined Pest, with a river of hot springs underneath both. Grander than you expect, cheaper than Vienna, and no longer the bargain it was ten years ago.
Mid-range figures, per person
Per person, no flights — those are just below. The mid-range figure is researched; budget and luxury scale it, so treat the two as rough. The trip calculator and hotels below break the day down properly.
Fares are into Budapest. American flies nonstop from Philadelphia in summer; otherwise it is one connection. Eger and Pécs are train rides from Budapest — Pécs airport has had no scheduled flights since early 2026. Ranges are typical fares booked 1–3 months out, checked mid-2026 — school-holiday peaks run higher, and patient shoppers beat the bottom end.
Prices checked · how we work these out
Entry & visa
Hungary is in the Schengen Area: US, UK, Canadian, Australian and most other Western passports get 90 days in any 180 without a visa. Since 10 April 2026 the EU's Entry/Exit System is fully running, so on your first entry to the Schengen Area you'll give fingerprints and a photo at the border instead of getting a passport stamp — allow extra time. The separate ETIAS pre-travel authorisation is not in force yet; the EU withdrew its late-2026 target, so check the official ETIAS site before you fly.
Visa rules turn on your nationality and change often — always confirm the current requirement for your own passport with an official government source before you book.
Quick facts
Money & what things cost
Pay in forints. Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including market stalls and most bars; keep a few thousand forints in cash for the odd lángos stand, toilets and tips. Places that 'accept euros' do so at a rate that quietly costs you 10% or more. Use a bank-branded ATM rather than the standalone Euronet machines on tourist streets, and always decline the machine's offer to charge you in your home currency.
What locals earn
| Average monthly salary (Budapest, net) | ≈ HUF 650,000 ($2,000) | the national average is ≈ HUF 540,000 ($1,690) — the capital runs about a fifth higher |
| Minimum wage (2026) | HUF 322,800 gross ($1,010) | about HUF 215,000 ($670) take-home after Hungary's flat taxes |
Food & drink
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Lángos at a market stand | HUF 1,200–2,500 | $3.80–7.80 |
| Weekday lunch menu (napi menü) | HUF 2,500–4,000 | $7.80–12.50 |
| Goulash or a main at a casual restaurant | HUF 3,500–6,000 | $11–19 |
| Mid-range dinner with wine, per person | HUF 9,000–16,000 | $28–50 |
| Coffee | HUF 600–1,200 | $1.90–3.80 |
| Half-liter of beer at a bar | HUF 900–1,600 | $2.80–5 |
Transport & sights
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Single ticket (metro, tram, bus) | HUF 500 | $1.60 |
| 24-hour / 72-hour travelcard | HUF 2,750 / 5,750 | $8.60 / $18 |
| Airport bus 100E (its own ticket) | HUF 2,500 | $7.80 |
| Taxi, airport → centre | HUF 13,000–16,000 | $41–50 |
| Széchenyi Baths day ticket with locker | HUF 13,200–15,800 | $41–49 |
| Parliament guided tour (non-EU adult) | ≈ HUF 14,000 | ≈ $44 |
Where to sleep & what it costs
| Tier | Per night | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hostel dorm | HUF 5,000–10,000 ($16–31) | District VII has dozens, many built for the party crowd — read the reviews for noise |
| Budget hotel / apartment | HUF 15,000–25,000 ($47–78) | Apartments in old Pest tenement blocks are common and often better value than hotels |
| Mid-range hotel | HUF 28,000–50,000 ($88–156) | Converted palaces and design hotels are standard at this level |
| Luxury | HUF 90,000+ ($280+) | The riverfront hotels facing the Chain Bridge charge for the view, and it is a good view |
Been recently? Check our prices
One tap per figure. Check-ins reset whenever this guide is re-priced, so they only ever vouch for the numbers you see here.
Trip cost calculator
$218 per person per day · 4 nights of lodging (Mid-range hotel)
A rough estimate from this page’s daily budget and hotel prices — not a quote. Lodging assumes one room for the group; flights use the midpoint of the Getting there ranges above.
Getting around
- From the airport
- Budapest Ferenc Liszt Airport (BUD) has no rail link yet. The 100E bus runs to Deák Ferenc tér in about 40 minutes for HUF 2,500 (~$7.80) — a separate ticket; the ordinary single is not valid on it, and inspectors check. You can tap a bank card at the machine on board. A taxi from the official Főtaxi rank is HUF 13,000–16,000 (~$41–50) on the regulated tariff.
- Public transit
- Four metro lines, trams, buses and trolleybuses on one ticket system run by BKK. Singles are HUF 500 (~$1.60) and must be validated each time you board — a new ticket for each change of line. For more than three or four rides a day, the 24-hour (HUF 2,750) or 72-hour (HUF 5,750) travelcard is simpler and needs no validation. The BudapestGO app sells both. EU citizens over 65 ride free with ID. Tram 2, along the Pest embankment, is a sightseeing route in its own right.
- Taxis & ride apps
- Budapest taxis are yellow and run on a fixed city-wide tariff (HUF 1,300 flag fare plus HUF 521 per km since August 2026). Uber left Hungary in 2016; Bolt works and dispatches licensed taxis. Use the app or a rank, not a driver who approaches you.
- On foot
- Central Pest is flat and walkable — from the Parliament to the Great Market Hall is about 40 minutes along the river. Buda is hills: take bus 16 or the funicular up to Castle Hill and walk down.
- Day trips
- Szentendre, the painters' town on the Danube Bend, is about 40 minutes on the H5 suburban train. Eger is under two hours by direct train from Keleti station, and Pécs about three from Keleti — both are worth a night rather than a rushed return.
Map
Drag to look around, or open Google Maps ↗ · Apple Maps ↗
Neighborhoods to stay in
- District V (Belváros–Lipótváros)
- The centre: Parliament, the river, Váci utca. Walkable to everything, priced accordingly.
- District VII (Jewish Quarter)
- Ruin bars, the Dohány Street Synagogue and the city's best eating. Loud on weekend nights — choose a courtyard-facing room.
- District VI (Terézváros)
- Andrássy út, the Opera and cafés; a notch calmer than VII and a short walk to it.
- District I (Castle Hill / Víziváros)
- Quiet, historic Buda with river views. You'll ride transit to Pest's restaurants most evenings.
- District VIII (Palace Quarter)
- Grand old apartment blocks behind the National Museum; good value and ten minutes' walk from the centre.
Things to do
Sights
Baths
Food & coffee
Nights out
Tipping & etiquette
- Older Hungarians don't clink beer glasses — a custom dating from 1849, when Austrians toasted the execution of Hungarian generals with beer. Wine and pálinka are fine to clink; younger people have mostly let the beer rule go.
- Hungarian names put the family name first, so the composer is Liszt Ferenc at home. Streets and squares often carry full names too.
- Say 'jó napot' (good day) walking into a shop or café. Silence reads as rude.
- Validate a paper single ticket in the machine the moment you board, and keep it until you get off. Inspectors fine on the spot.
- Addresses carry district numbers in Roman numerals — VII. ker. is the Jewish Quarter — and two different streets can share a name in different districts.
How to spend a trip to Budapest
The Danube splits the city in two: Buda is hills and walking uphill, Pest is flat and where you'll eat and drink. Group each day by bank and you'll spend far less time on trams.
One day covers the postcard: the castle, the river, the Parliament and one bath. It will be a long day on your feet.
- MorningBus 16 up to Castle Hill: Matthias Church, Fisherman's Bastion and the Buda Castle terraces before the tour groups arrive.
- MiddayWalk down and cross the Chain Bridge to Pest. Lunch at the Great Market Hall's upstairs counters.
- AfternoonTram 2 along the river to the Parliament and the Shoes on the Danube Bank, then the metro out to the Széchenyi Baths.
- EveningDinner in the Jewish Quarter and a drink at Szimpla Kert.
Three days is this guide's own answer: the city at a sensible pace, with time for a museum and a second bath.
- Day 1Buda: Castle Hill, Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion in the morning, then the Rudas Baths in the afternoon.
- Day 2Pest's big sights: a booked Parliament tour, the Shoes on the Danube Bank, the Dohány Street Synagogue, and dinner at Frici Papa or Borkonyha.
- Day 3Andrássy út on foot to City Park and the Széchenyi Baths, then an evening at the Hungarian State Opera or the Liszt Academy.
Five days suits Budapest well: three in the city and two out of it, which is how you see that Hungary is more than its capital.
- Days 1–3The three-day plan above.
- Day 4Szentendre on the H5 suburban train: cobbled lanes, galleries and a riverside lunch, back by evening.
- Day 5The direct train to Eger for its castle and the wine cellars of the Valley of the Beautiful Women. Staying the night is better than a return trip, and it's the natural next stop.
Safety & common scams
Budapest is a safe city by European standards; violent crime against visitors is rare. The real risks are pickpockets on crowded trams and metro lines and around Váci utca and the Great Market Hall, being overcharged, and the weekend chaos of the party district, where stag groups are the main hazard. Walking home at night in the centre is fine.
Scams to know
- Bar-girl bill — two friendly women strike up a conversation and suggest a bar they know. The drinks arrive at twenty times normal prices, with a large man to make sure you pay. Choose your own bars, and walk away from any place with no printed prices.
- Money-changer rates — booths on Váci utca and at the airport advertise '0% commission' and hide the loss in the rate. Street changers may hand you worthless foreign notes. Use a bank ATM and pay by card.
- ATM currency conversion — standalone machines on tourist streets push you to be charged in your home currency at a poor rate. Always choose forints.
- Unlicensed taxi touts — drivers who approach you at the airport or stations are not on the regulated tariff. Use the Főtaxi rank at the airport, a rank in town, or Bolt.
- Tourist menu switch — a few restaurants on the main tourist streets show one menu outside and charge more inside, or add items you didn't order. Check prices before ordering and read the bill before paying.
Emergency numbers: 112 (general emergency, English spoken) · 104 (ambulance) · 107 (police) · 105 (fire)
Phone & internet
EU roaming rules apply, so an EU SIM works at home prices. From outside the EU, Hungary's three networks — Yettel, Telekom and One — all sell prepaid SIMs in their shops, and Yettel sells a tourist eSIM online; international eSIMs work too. 4G and 5G coverage is strong across the city and on the metro. Cafés and hotels have free Wi-Fi as standard.
First-timer FAQs
How many days do I need?
Three full days covers Castle Hill, the Parliament, the Jewish Quarter and a bath or two without rushing. Four or five lets you add a day trip to Szentendre and a night in Eger or Pécs.
Which bath should I choose?
For the big outdoor postcard, Széchenyi. For history and atmosphere, Rudas, with its 16th-century Turkish pool and rooftop hot tub. For the cheapest and most local, Lukács. Gellért is closed for renovation until 2028, so ignore older guides that send you there.
Can I pay in euros?
Sometimes, but you shouldn't. Hungary uses the forint, and places that take euros set their own rate, usually 10% or more worse than your card's. Pay by card in forints and use cash only for small things.
Is Budapest still cheap?
Cheaper than Vienna or Paris, but not the bargain it was. Prices rose sharply after 2022, and central restaurants and the famous baths now charge close to Western European money. Weekday lunch menus, market food, transit and wine are still good value.
Is it worth booking the Parliament in advance?
Yes. Tours inside are guided only, run in set languages at set times, and English slots sell out days ahead from spring to autumn. Book on the official site; the building from the outside, from the Buda bank at dusk, is free.
Similar cities to consider
Elegant 18th-century stone, a UNESCO-listed city center, and the vineyards of Saint-Émilion and the Médoc a short drive away. France's wine capital, built for wandering on foot.
A red-roofed medieval town inside a double loop of the Vltava, under a castle almost as big as the town itself. Tiny, very beautiful, and full of day-trippers from ten to four — so sleep here and have it to yourself.
France's oldest and most unpolished city — a real working port wrapped around impossibly blue calanques, bouillabaisse invented to use up the day's unsold catch, and a multicultural energy Paris can't fake.
Budapest or…?
Side-by-side cost comparisons with the other Hungary guides — and its rivals abroad.