The Castle Bus is a small, open-sided electric minibus that runs round the top of Buda Castle Hill, where the big red sightseeing buses are not allowed. It starts at Clark Ádám tér, at the Buda end of the Chain Bridge, climbs the hill, and stops at Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion, the Buda Tower, the palace and the Várkert Bazár.
It is the answer to one problem: getting up Castle Hill and round it without the climb. This page covers the stops, how the one-loop ticket works, when it is worth it, and how it compares with bus 16 and the funicular.
Budapest Castle Bus tickets
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
- One ticket is one loop. You can get off and back on at the stops, but the ticket ends when you are back where you started
- The bus is free with the Budapest Card
- There is no commentary. The drivers point out the sights
What’s included
Four stops on the hill
Hess András tér for Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion, the Buda Tower, Dísz tér for the palace, and the Várkert Bazár.
No climb
The ride up from the river and round the hilltop, in an open electric minibus, on streets that are closed to bigger buses.
A bus about every 10 minutes
From 09:00 to 17:00 every day, shorter in winter, with no fixed timetable to learn.
Castle Bus stops, in order
Start at Clark Ádám tér
The loop starts and finishes on Clark Ádám tér, the roundabout at the Buda end of the Chain Bridge, next to the funicular. The red route’s funicular stop is here too, so this is where to change from the big bus.
A greeter scans booked tickets, and the team sells tickets on the spot. The minibuses are blue, seat about thirteen, and have a roof and open sides that are closed in when it rains. Everyone wears a seatbelt.
Get off at Hess András tér for Matthias Church and the Bastion
The first stop on the hill is on Hess András tér, a few steps from Matthias Church, Fisherman’s Bastion and the Holy Trinity column. This is the stop most people come for, and the one to spend longest at.
Look round the church, walk the Bastion’s terraces for the view of the Parliament, then either walk on through the old town or wait for the next bus.
Ride on past the Buda Tower
The second stop is by the Buda Tower, the surviving tower of the Church of Mary Magdalene at the north end of the old town. Stay on unless the tower itself is on your list. If you would rather walk, it is a pleasant stroll back south through the old streets to Matthias Church.
Get off at Dísz tér for the palace
Dísz tér is the stop for Buda Castle itself: the Royal Palace, the National Gallery, the Castle Museum and Sándor Palace, where the guard changes on the hour.
It is also where bus 16 arrives from Pest, so it is a natural place to leave the loop if you want to head back to the other side of the river.
Finish at the Várkert Bazár
The last stop is the Várkert Bazár, the Castle Garden Bazaar on the riverbank below the palace, with its gardens and terraces. The red route’s Castle Garden stop is here, so you can go straight back onto the big bus.
From here the bus returns to Clark Ádám tér, and your ticket ends when you get there.
Castle Bus, bus 16 or the funicular
| Castle Bus | Bus 16 | Funicular | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A private electric minibus round the top of the hill | An ordinary BKK public bus | The historic funicular railway |
| From | Clark Ádám tér or the Várkert Bazár | Deák Ferenc tér in Pest | Clark Ádám tér |
| To | Four stops round the hilltop | Dísz tér, and on to Széll Kálmán tér | Szent György tér, by the palace |
| Ticket | Its own, one loop | A normal BKK ticket or travelcard | Its own |
| Budapest Card | Free | Free | Free |
| Best for | Seeing the whole hilltop without walking | Getting up cheaply from Pest | The ride and the view of the Chain Bridge |
Every way up the hill, including the free escalators and lifts from the Várkert Bazár: how to get to Buda Castle.
Is the Castle Bus worth it
If walking is the problem, yes. Castle Hill is steep from every side and the old town on top is a long, cobbled walk from end to end. The Castle Bus does the climb and the distance, and the stops are at the places you would walk to anyway.
If you are happy on foot, it is less useful. The walk from Matthias Church to the palace is about 13 minutes on the level, bus 16 gets you up from Pest on a travelcard, and the funicular is the better ride up. With a Budapest Card, though, it costs you nothing, so use it.
On busy days the minibuses fill quickly, and seats are not guaranteed. Board at Clark Ádám tér, where the loop starts, rather than halfway round.
How to book and ride the Castle Bus
Book ahead or buy on the day
The GetYourGuide ticket can be cancelled free up to 24 hours ahead. On the day, the team at Clark Ádám tér and the Várkert Bazár sell tickets too, and you can buy one as you board. With a Budapest Card, you ride free.
Board at Clark Ádám tér
Show the voucher to the greeter, who scans it. Boarding here gives you the whole loop, and the ticket lasts until you are back at Clark Ádám tér.
Hop off when the driver announces the stop
Get off only at the stops, once the driver has announced them. Explore, then catch a later bus to carry on round the loop.
Keep the ticket until the end
Hold on to it for the whole loop. A lost ticket is not replaced. No alcohol, smoking or ice creams on board.
Insider tips
Go up by bus, come down on foot
Ride the loop to Hess András tér, see the church and the Bastion, and walk the length of the old town to the palace. From there the walk down through the Várkert Bazár gardens is the pleasant way off the hill.
Go early on a summer day
The minibuses are small, and at the busy middle of the day they fill at the first stops. The first hours after 09:00 are the easiest time to get a seat.
Pair it with the red route
The red route’s funicular and Castle Garden stops are the two ends of the Castle Bus loop. Get off the big bus at one, ride the Castle Bus round the top, and rejoin the red route at the other.