Air
Malev Hungarian Airlines (www.malev.hu), the national carrier, flies non-stop to Budapest from North America, the Middle East and more than three dozen cities in continental Europe and the UK. It links up with flights from Asia and Australasia at some of its European gateways (e.g. through Paris, Frankfurt or Helsinki for Hong Kong; London, Frankfurt or Rome for Sydney).
Budapest’s Ferihegy airport is about 15 miles from the city centre and reasonably accessible by public transport. Buses 200 and 93 take you to Köbánya-Kispes metro terminal. Then, by taking the blue (M3) metro, you can reach Deák Ferenc Square in the city in 20 minutes. The one-way through ticket (bus and metro) costs 230 forint (260 when buying on the bus from the driver). For more information about public transport, go to www.bkv.hu. The airport has a minibus shuttle service which will take passengers direct to the most well-known hotels – tickets are available in the arrivals halls. A new taxi service, Zona, has begun operating from Ferihegy and it has set fares for various zones in Budapest. Expect to pay about 3,500 forint. Some hotels have a ‘hotel taxi’ service, whereby the hotel pays the taxi fees. Other hotels have a special agreement with some cab companies offering special rates.
Train
Hungarian State Railways, Magyar Allamvasutak (www.mav.hu) links up with the European rail network in all directions, running services as far as London (via Cologne and Brussels), Paris (via Frankfurt), Stockholm (via Hamburg and Copenhagen), Moscow, Rome and Istanbul (via Belgrade). Most Hungarian trains are not exactly what you’d call luxurious, but they are generally clean and always punctual. In Budapest, most international trains arrive at Keleti station.
Road
If you've followed the most direct route across Belgium, Germany and Austria (the E40 and associated motorway/spur roads), the best entry point into Hungary (via Vienna) is at Hegyeshalom. From there the Budapest-Győr-Hegyeshalom motorway will take you into the capital (M1 E60/75 Hegyeshalom - Budapest). Be advised, however, that this first stretch of motorway is a toll road. Having recently joined the European Union, Hungary has invested heavily over the past few years to upgrade and extend its motorway (autopálya) network. So, the roads are good, but sometimes the drivers are not. Keep your wits about you and watch out for erratic local driving habits and non-existent lane discipline, not to mention the combination of trams, trolleybuses, one-way streets and over-zealous traffic police.
