Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BY TRAIN
Countless trains arrive in Budapest from most corners of Europe. Many connect
through Vienna, where 11 daily trains depart for Budapest from either the Westbahn-
hof or Sudbahnhof station. Six daily trains connect Prague and Budapest, while one
connects Berlin with Budapest and two connect Warsaw with Budapest.
The train trip between Vienna and Budapest takes about 3 1 2 hours. Hungarian rail-
way offers a great deal for short-term visitors coming from Vienna: a round-trip sec-
ond-class ticket, valid up to 4 days, that includes a free pass for all public transport in
Budapest. For more information on Vienna trains, contact the Austrian National
Tourist Board, 500 Fifth Ave., Suite 800, New York, NY 10110 ( & 212/944-6885 );
11601 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2480, Los Angeles, CA 90025 ( & 310/477-3332 ); 30
St. George St., London W1R 0AL ( & 020/7629-0461 ); 2 Bloor St. E., Suite 3330,
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8 ( & 416/967-3381 ); or 1010 Sherbrooke St. W., Suite
1410, Montreal, PQ H3A 2R7 ( & 514/849-3708 ).
Train travel within Hungary is generally very efficient; trains almost always depart
right on time and usually arrive on time. You can access a full, user-friendly timetable
on the Web at www.elvira.hu .
Hungarian ticket agents speak little English, so you will need to know some basic
terminology in Hungarian. Indul means “departure” and érkezik means “arrival.” The
timetables for arrivals are displayed in big white posters (érkez ó vonatok), while depar-
tures (induló vonatok) are on yellow posters. The relevant terms in the timetables are
honnan (from where), hova (to where), vágány (platform), munkanap (weekdays),
hétvége (weekend), munkaszüneti nap (Sat), ünnepnap (holiday), gyors (fast train)—
stops only at major cities, as posted, and IC (inter city)—stops only once or twice en
route; you must reserve a seat for IC trains. Ticket terminology is as follows: jegy
(ticket), oda (one-way), oda-vissza (round-trip), helyjegy (reservation), els ó osztály (first
class), másodosztály (second class), nem dohányzó (nonsmoking), ma (today), and hol-
nap (tomorrow).
A train posted as személy is a local train, which stops at every single village and town
on its route. Always opt for a gyors (fast) or Intercity train to get to your destination
in a timely manner. All Intercity trains (but no other domestic trains) require a hely-
jegy (seat reservation); ask for the reservation when purchasing your ticket. On Inter-
city trains, you must sit in your assigned seat. All Intercity trains now comply strictly
with a new law imposing constraints on smoking in public spaces; they have a single
car designated for smokers, while the rest of the train is nonsmoking. If you want a
seat in the smoking car, you need to ask for dohányzó when buying your ticket. The
gyors train is typically an old, gritty, rumbling train with the classic eight-seat com-
partments. The Intercity, a state-of-the-art, clean, modern train without compart-
ments, is said to travel faster, but our experience has shown us that there's seldom more
than 30 minutes difference between the two in terms of speed.
During the day, obtain domestic train information over the phone by dialing
& 1/461-5400 and international train information at & 1/461-5500. Purchase tick-
ets at train station ticket windows or from the MÁV Service Office, VI. Andrássy út 35
( & 1/322-8405, open Monday through Friday 9am to 6pm in summer, 9am to 5pm
in winter. You need at least half an hour before departure time to make a reservation.
BY BUS
Buses to and from western and Eastern Europe and points in Hungary west of the Danube
call at Népliget. You reach this station by getting off at the Népliget metro stop on the Red
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