Budapest has one hop-on hop-off route, and two companies sell it. Big Bus and City Sightseeing both drive the red route: 21 stops, from St Stephen’s Basilica out to Heroes’ Square, back through the centre, up Gellért Hill and along the Buda riverbank, in about an hour and fifty minutes. Both run from 10:00 to 17:00, both have recorded commentary, and both throw in a free walking tour of Pest.
So you are choosing a ticket, not a route. This page compares what each one includes, says who should buy which, and how to get the most out of your day on board. The Castle Bus, a separate electric minibus that loops round the top of Castle Hill, is here too, because it goes where the big buses cannot.
Budapest hop-on hop-off tickets
City Sightseeing Budapest: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus + Walking Tour
Best for: Most visitors: the full red route plus a guided walk through Pest
- 24, 48 or 72 hours. The loop takes 90 minutes
- Live guide on the 1-hour walking tour
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
What’s included and more details
What’s included
- Hop-on hop-off bus for 24, 48 or 72 hours
- 1 or 2 routes, depending on the option
- A 1-hour guided walking tour
- Stops near all the major sights
- Walking tour
- Daily at 11:00 from Szent István tér 1, by the Basilica
- Buses
- From stop 1 from 9:00, every 10 to 20 minutes
- Not included
- Entry to attractions and museums, and food
- Changes
- You can move the date up to 24 hours before
Big Bus Budapest: Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour
Best for: Seeing the city from the bus and the river on the same ticket
- 1, 2 or 3 days. The full loop takes 2 hours 50 minutes
- Audio guide in 16 languages, with headphones
- Non-refundable, cannot be moved
What’s included and more details
What’s included
- Hop-on hop-off bus on the red route
- A walking tour
- A river cruise
- The Big Bus app
- Choose
- Discover (1 day), Essential (2 days) or Explore (3 days)
- Starts
- MAHART pier, Dock 6
- Buses
- From stop 1 between 9:00 and 17:00, every 10 to 20 minutes
Budapest: Official Buda Castle Electric Hop-on/Hop-off Bus
Best for: Getting round the top of Castle Hill without the climb
- One round, or 2 days on the 2-day ticket
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
What’s included and more details
What’s included
- Hop-on hop-off rides on the official electric bus round the top of Castle Hill
- How it works
- The ticket covers one round and ends when you get back to Clark Ádám tér by the Chain Bridge
- Choose
- The standard ticket or the 2-day ticket
- Not included
- A guided tour
- Also
- Reserve now and pay later
- Both companies drive the same red route through the same stops, so choose on what the ticket includes rather than on the map
- The last bus leaves Stop 1 at 17:00, and the last full loop at 16:00, so a one-day ticket is seven hours of buses at most
- Buy before you go. A ticket booked online says exactly what you paid for, and you skip the sellers working the stops
- The loop
- About 1 h 50 min, 21 stops
- Buses
- Every 10 to 30 minutes
- Hours
- 10:00 to 17:00 from Stop 1
- Where to start
- Any stop. Stop 1 is behind St Stephen's Basilica
- Commentary
- Recorded, in 14 to 16 languages
- River cruise
- 30% off, or included with Big Bus on Tiqets
Big Bus vs City Sightseeing vs Castle Bus
| City Sightseeing | Big Bus | Castle Bus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it goes | The red route, Pest and Buda | The red route, Pest and Buda | The top of Castle Hill only |
| Stops | 21, the same as Big Bus | 21 | 4 on the hill, from Clark Ádám tér |
| The loop | About 1 h 50 min | About 1 h 50 min | One loop per ticket |
| Hours | 10:00 to 17:00 | 10:00 to 17:00 | 09:00 to 17:00, shorter in winter |
| Commentary | Recorded, 14 languages | Recorded, 16 languages | None. The driver points out the sights |
| Walking tour | Pest, in English, 11:00 daily | Pest, in English, 11:00 daily | None |
| River cruise | 30% off at the pier | Included on Tiqets, otherwise 30% off | None |
| Live bus times | Not advertised | The Big Bus app | No timetable, a bus about every 10 minutes |
| Cancellation | Free up to 24 hours ahead | Non-refundable on Tiqets, free up to 24 hours ahead on GetYourGuide | Free up to 24 hours ahead |
| Best for | Most first visits | A cruise in the same ticket | Castle Hill without the climb |
Every stop, what is near it and how far you walk from each: route and stops. What each company’s ticket includes and how to redeem it: City Sightseeing and Big Bus.
Which hop-on hop-off ticket is right for you
A day on the hop-on hop-off bus
Ride the whole loop before you get off
The bus is at its best as a first look at the city. Board at the Basilica, stay on for the full hour and fifty minutes, and note where you want to go back to. You cross the Danube twice, climb Gellért Hill for the view from the Citadel, and pass most of what is on a first-timer’s list.
The commentary comes through headphones plugged in at your seat, so a seat matters more than it looks. Upstairs is the point in good weather, but the top deck is often covered, and in summer both decks get hot by mid-afternoon.
After that first loop, use the bus for the stretches that are a slog on foot, and walk the rest.
Get off at Heroes' Square and the Citadel
These are the two stops where the bus earns its fare. Heroes’ Square is at the far end of Andrássy út, a long way from the centre on foot, and from the stop you are about 3 minutes from the square, 8 from the Zoo and 9 from Széchenyi Thermal Bath.
The Citadel stop is on Szirtes út, high on Gellért Hill, which is a steep climb from the river any other way. Walk up to the Citadella for the view over the bridges and the Parliament, then catch the next bus down.
Walk the last stretch to the Parliament and the Castle
The two biggest sights are the two the red route does not reach. The Parliament stop is on Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út, about 11 minutes’ walk from Kossuth Lajos tér, so leave time if you have a tour slot. For Buda Castle, get off at the Castle Garden and take the escalators and lifts up from the Várkert Bazár, or at the funicular stop on Clark Ádám tér.
Clark Ádám tér is also where the Castle Bus starts, and it is the easy way round the top of the hill once you are up there.
Join the walking tour at 11:00
Both companies include a free guided walk of Pest in English, from the Basilica at 11:00, about an hour long. It covers the parts the bus cannot drive through: the Basilica, the Parliament, the Shoes on the Danube Bank, Váci utca and the Danube Promenade.
It is the part of both tickets people praise most, and the easiest to miss, because it leaves once a day. Be at the Basilica by about 10:45 on your first day, do the walk, and ride the loop after lunch.
Is the hop-on hop-off bus worth it
For a first day in Budapest, yes. The loop gives you the lie of the land in two hours, it carries you up Gellért Hill and out to City Park, and it suits anyone for whom a day of walking and trams is too much. Take it early in your trip, when that overview is still useful.
For getting around, no. Buses come every 10 to 30 minutes, summer buses fill up, and the service stops at 17:00. A travelcard covers the metro and the trams until late, and tram 2 along the Pest riverbank gives you the Parliament and the river from a window seat. A 48 or 72-hour bus ticket only pays off if you ride it on every one of those days.
The honest middle course is one day on the bus, then public transport. If you are also weighing the Budapest Card, it covers public transport and the Castle Bus free, but the red route is not on its free list: Budapest city passes.
How the hop-on hop-off bus works on the day
Book the ticket before you go
Pick the start date when you book. Multi-day tickets run on consecutive days from then. City Sightseeing’s tickets can be cancelled free up to 24 hours ahead, Big Bus’s on Tiqets cannot.
Show or swap the voucher
City Sightseeing accepts the voucher on your phone at any stop. Big Bus asks you to swap it for a boarding receipt at its shop on Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út 17, a short walk from Stop 1, or with staff at a stop. The details are on each company’s page.
Start at Stop 1 behind the Basilica
You can join at any stop, but Stop 1 is where the first bus leaves at 10:00 and where the walking tour starts at 11:00. It is on the Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út side of St Stephen’s Basilica, about 2 minutes from the front steps.
Know when the last bus goes
The last bus leaves Stop 1 at 17:00, and the last full loop at 16:00. If you are across the river after about four, check the times at your stop before you settle in for a coffee.
Insider tips
Take the first bus of the day
The morning loops are the emptiest. By mid-afternoon in summer, buses can arrive full and people waiting at the busier stops are left for the next one.
Know your stop number
Stops are not always well marked, and the announcements can lag behind the bus. Follow the numbered list on the route and stops page, or the live times in the Big Bus app, so you know when to get off.
Keep the boat for the end of the day
The included Big Bus cruise has departures until 21:30, and City Sightseeing’s 30% discount covers boats leaving up to 20:00. Finish the bus by 17:00, then take the river at dusk from the Vigadó piers.