Getting to Budapest has never been so easy. Thanks to its location “at the heart of Europe”, you can use a number of different modes of travel to reach this attractive city. Perhaps the most common method is to fly, and below we list the most popular air-carriers:
Air Berlin flies to Budapest from major German cities, as well as some in Austria and Switzerland. www.airberlin.com/site/start.php
Germanwings (a subsidiary of Eurowings) has a base at “Köln-Bonn” airport; and also at Stuttgart (Echterdingen). They currently serve about 60 European destinations. www.eurowings.com
Ryanair: this successful “budget” operator now has 11 bases and 161 routes that cover 87 destinations in 17 European countries. www.ryanair.com
Easyjet: Choose a cheap flight with “Europe's leading low-cost airline”. They offer 183 routes between 57 key European airports. www.easyjet.com
WizzAir is a new European low-cost operator focusing on the markets of Central and Eastern Europe. www.wizzair.com
Malev, the Hungarian national air carrier, offers excellent service for an affordable price. www.malev.hu
British Airways, the UK national carrier, likewise offers an excellent service/ price ratio. www.ba.com
But for those seeking alternatives – whether from “fear of flying”, from commitment to avoiding high-altitude greenhouse-gas emissions, or just from a sense of adventure – there are several other possibilities:
Travel by boat: the “Blue Danube”
Budapest, in case you didn’t know, sits squarely astride this iconic river of Europe. For transport the Danube is less important than before, but in summer (April – October) there is a popular express-hydrofoil service linking the Hungarian capital city with the Austrian capital, Vienna (Wien), in a scenic trip of about 7 hours. For details, see www.mahartpassnave.hu
Rail travel
Though there are (as yet) no “TGV” rail-lines in this relatively small country, the various European rail-operators have made significant investments in new and comfortable rolling-stock, and there are convenient express connections with many cities in Europe. For some, an overnight “sleeper” reservation may make a lot of sense; and of course you arrive directly in the heart of the city. For those who plan to do a lot of travel in Europe, a “Railpass” can represent excellent value.
The German railways have a website { www.db.de/site/bahn/en/start.html; also http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en } with an excellent timetable-planner for most European rail services (not just those from/ via Germany). – It even tells you whether can carry your bike on the given service! The Hungarian rail operator, unromantically named “MÁV”, has a site with useful information on services within Hungary: www.mav.hu
Express coach
This mode of travel has a “downmarket” image, the services are often less frequent than the train, and may take longer – but there are direct links to more destinations, which obviously can save a certain amount of hassle. Like the train, the coach usually delivers passengers relatively close to the city centre; and thus, as a bonus, provides a free “conducted tour” of scheduled cities en-route. There are a number of coach-operators; but the one with the widest range of destinations is Eurolines { www.eurolines.com }, who also offer 15-day and 30-day “Europass” tickets allowing unlimited travel in the given period.
Private car
Hungary now has a relatively well-developed motorway network, centering on Budapest (there is a toll or “vignette” system). Depending on your plans for the rest of your trip, car travel may be the best way for you. (There are of course some essential formalities with insurance, etc. And with a long-distance trip, do not take chances with becoming fatigued: make sure to plan for regular breaks and overnight stops.) Unfortunately in the city itself driving is, frankly, not much fun; and we must warn that you will probably need to budget for parking/ garaging fees.
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