Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
border, which should reduce any waiting. A system of mobile patrols and electronic number-
plate readers enforces the scheme, and there are steep fines for travelling on a motorway
without one. For more information, see
Driving
.
FERRY CONTACTS
P&O Ferries
UK 08716 642 121, International 01304 863 000,
poferries.com
.
Stena Line
UK 0844 770 7070,
stenaline.co.uk
.
ARRIVAL
Other than the airport, all points of arrival are fairly central and most within walking
distance or just a few stops by metro from downtown Pest. Budapest's excellent public
transport system ensures that few parts of the city are more than thirty minutes' jour-
ney from the centre; many places can be reached in half that time. Three of the city's
four metro lines and three main roads meet at the major junction of Deák tér in Pest,
making this the main transport hub of the city; there's a transport map at the back of
this topic.
By air
in Ferihegy (which it is still sometimes known as), has two passenger terminals. Terminal 2A
serves countries covered by the Schengen Agreement, while 2B serves all non-Schengen des-
tinations (UK, the US etc). Before leaving, it is worth checking which terminal you're flying
from, as the Schengen divide might be subject to revision. There are
ATMs
, exchange facil-
ities, tourist information desks and car-rental offices in all the terminal buildings.
The easiest - but most expensive - way to get into the centre is an
airport taxi
. Run by
Fótaxi ( 1 222 2222), these charge a fixed fee to different zones (you'll pay around 6500Ft
or €22 to the centre). The next fastest option is the
Airport Shuttle
minibus ( 1 296 8555,
airportshuttle.hu
), which will take you directly to any address in the city. Tickets (3200Ft/
€11 for one person, 4790Ft/€16 for two) can be bought at the Airport Shuttle minibus desk in
arrivals, or you can make a reservation online. Travelling from the city centre to the airport,
you can either reserve online or by phone.
Far cheaper is
public transport
; bus #200E departs every fifteen minutes from the stop
between terminals 2A and 2B to Kőbánya-Kispest metro station; from here, you switch to
the blue metro line to get to the centre. Buses run between 4am and 11pm and the journey
time to Kőbánya-Kispest is about 40 minutes. Both bus and metro tickets cost 350Ft each,
but assuming you need to travel into the centre from Kőbánya-Kispest, you'll save money
