Hungary - Eastern Europe - page 289

or night), they may actually run different routes. Night buses require the standard,
self-validated ticket. Many night buses skip stops, so pay attention.
UNDERPASSES Underpasses are found beneath most major boulevards in
Budapest. Underpasses are often crowded with vendors, shops, and the like, and many
of them have as many as five or six different exits, each letting you out onto a differ-
ent part of the square or street. Signs direct you to bus, tram, trolleybus, and metro
stops, often using the word fele, meaning “toward.” Note: Although Budapest is a very
safe city, especially when compared to American cities of comparable size, underpasses
tend to be among the more menacing places late at night, as various lowlifes enjoy
hanging out in these subterranean confines.
Directions given throughout this topic use a metro station as a starting point when-
ever possible. In cases where that's simply impossible, other major transportation
hubs, such as Móricz Zsigmond körtér in southern Buda, are used as starting points.
BY METRO
You'll no doubt spend a lot of time in the Budapest metro. The system is clean and
efficient, with trains running every 3 to 5 minutes from about 4:30am until about
11:30pm. The main shortcoming is that there are just three lines, only one of which
crosses under the Danube to Buda. (A fourth line has long been planned, but it will
be several years before it becomes a reality.) The three lines are universally known by
color—Yellow, Red, and Blue. Officially, they have numbers as well (1, 2, and 3,
respectively), but all Hungarians refer to them by color, and all signs are color coded.
All three lines converge at Deák tér, the only point where any lines meet.
The Yellow (1) line is the oldest metro on the European continent. Built in 1894
as part of the Hungarian millennial celebration, it has been refurbished and restored
to its original splendor. Signs for the Yellow line, lacking the distinctive colored M, are
harder to spot than signs for the Blue and Red lines. Look for signs saying földalatti
(underground). Each station has two separate entrances, one for each direction. The
Yellow line runs from Vörösmarty tér, site of Gerbeaud's Cukrászda in the heart of
central Pest, out the length of Andrássy út, past the Városliget (City Park), ending at
Mexikói út, in a trendy residential part of Pest known as Zugló. So, depending on the
direction you're heading, enter either the side marked IRÁNY MEXIKÓI ÚT or IRÁNY
VÖRÖSMARTY TÉR . Incidentally, somewhere in the middle of the line is a stop called
Vörösmarty utca; this is a small street running off Andrássy út and should not be con-
fused with the terminus, Vörösmarty tér. (However, at each of these stops you will
find a splendid traditional coffeehouse, Gerbaud and Lukács, respectively.) It's worth
taking a ride on this line, with its distinct 19th-century atmosphere.
The Red (2) and Blue (3) lines are modern metros and to reach them you descend
long, steep escalators. The Red line runs from Örs vezér tere in eastern Pest, through
the center, and across the Danube to Batthyány tér, Moszkva tér, and finally Déli Sta-
tion. Keleti Station is also along the Red line. The Blue line runs from K ó bánya-
Kispest, in southeastern Pest, through the center, and out to Újpest-Központ in
northern Pest. Nyugati Station is along the Blue line.
On the street above stations of both the Red and Blue lines are distinctive colored
M signs. Tickets should be validated at automated boxes before you descend the esca-
lator. When changing lines at Deák tér, you're required to validate another ticket
(unless you have a special “metro transfer ticket”). The orange validating machines are
in the hallways between lines but are easy to miss, particularly if there are big crowds.