Take the 100E bus if you are staying in central Pest near its three stops, and a taxi or a booked car if you are not. The 100E runs straight to Deák Ferenc tér day and night in about 40 minutes, and taxis wait in a rank outside the arrivals doors.
The catch is the ticket. The 100E has its own fare, and the 24 and 72-hour travelcards don’t cover it, so buy the airport bus ticket separately or tap a bank card at the door.
Budapest airport transfers
Budapest: Private Transfer from Airport to Hotel
Best for: A driver waiting in arrivals, however long passport control takes
- English-speaking driver
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
What’s included and more details
What’s included
- Private one-way transfer from the airport to your hotel
- Air-conditioned car or minibus
- English-speaking driver
- Airport parking fees
- Meeting point
- Your driver waits in the arrivals hall after customs
- When booking
- Add your airline, flight number, arrival time and hotel address in the note to the supplier
- Priced
- Per group, not per person
- Not included
- Food and drinks
- Wheelchairs
- Not suitable for wheelchair users
Budapest: Shared Airport Shuttle Bus Transfer
Best for: One or two travellers happy to share a van to the door
- Driver, English
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
What’s included and more details
What’s included
- Shared minibus from the airport to your address in central Budapest
- One way, or a return to the airport
- Drop-off at your hotel or chosen address
- Run by
- miniBUD, the airport's official shuttle
- Where to check in
- The miniBUD point in the baggage hall of Terminal 2A or 2B
- Luggage
- One large suitcase and one piece of hand luggage each
- Good to know
- Several drop-offs on the way, so allow extra time
- Not included
- Tips
Budapest: Private Transfer from Hotel to Airport
Best for: A pickup booked for your door before a dawn departure
- English-speaking driver
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
What’s included and more details
What’s included
- Private one-way transfer from your hotel to the airport
- Air-conditioned car or minibus
- English-speaking driver
- Airport parking fees
- Drop-off
- The departures terminal for your flight
- When booking
- Add your hotel address, a working mobile number and your flight details
- Not included
- Food and drinks
- Wheelchairs
- Not suitable for wheelchair users
- The private transfers are priced per group, not per person, so a group pays one price rather than one each
- The shuttle waits until it has passengers going your way, then drops each one at their door: quick if you are first off, slow if you are last
- All three are booked and paid online, so you need no forints on arrival
- To the centre
- About 40 minutes on the 100E bus
- 100E buses
- Every 6 to 15 minutes from morning to evening, 30 to 40 at night
- At night
- The 100E and 200E run round the clock
- Where buses leave
- Arrivals level, between Terminals 2A and 2B
- Taxis
- Főtaxi stands at the 2A and 2B exits
- 100E ticket
- Its own fare: travelcards are not valid
Ways from Budapest airport to the city centre
100E Airport Express bus
The direct bus: Kálvin tér, Astoria, then Deák Ferenc tér, where three metro lines meet. It needs the airport bus ticket, bought at the door with a bank card, in the BudapestGO app or at the BKK counter in arrivals.
- Leaves from
- Arrivals level, between 2A and 2B
- Journey
- About 40 minutes to Deák Ferenc tér
- Runs
- Round the clock
Best for Central Pest near its stops, light luggage
100E tickets and stopsBus 200E and metro M3
The slower way in on ordinary tickets: the 200E to the end of the M3, then the metro into the centre. With single tickets it costs two, one for the bus and one for the metro.
- Leaves from
- The same bus stops, arrivals level
- Journey
- About 25 minutes to Kőbánya-Kispest, then 17 on the M3 to Deák
- Runs
- Round the clock
Best for Anyone who already has a travelcard
Bus 200E and the train
The 200E drops you at Ferihegy station, and trains run to Nyugati station on the Grand Boulevard. Buy the train ticket from the platform machine: none are sold in the terminal.
- Leaves from
- Ferihegy station, a few stops along the 200E
- Journey
- About 30 minutes on the train to Nyugati
- Runs
- On MÁV's timetable
Best for Nyugati, Újlipótváros and the north of Pest
Taxi or Uber
Every licensed taxi in Budapest charges the same official tariff, with a higher starting fare for trips to and from the airport. At the Főtaxi stand you give the address and get a fare calculation before you set off.
- Leaves from
- Főtaxi stands at the 2A and 2B exits; Uber in front of 2A
- Journey
- About 30 to 40 minutes, longer in rush hour
- Runs
- Round the clock
Best for Heavy bags, Buda, late arrivals, three or four people
Airport taxis and UberShared shuttle
A minibus shared with other passengers that takes you to your own door. It is the airport’s official shuttle, and you can book it one way or return.
- Leaves from
- miniBUD point in the 2A or 2B baggage hall
- Journey
- 30 to 40 minutes, longer if yours is the last stop
- Runs
- Round the clock, every 15 to 25 minutes
Best for One or two people travelling light
Check availabilityPrivate transfer
A car booked in advance, with a driver who has your flight details and waits in arrivals. Priced per group, so it is the easy option for a family or a group with bags.
- Leaves from
- Your driver waits in the arrivals hall
- Journey
- Straight to your door
- Runs
- Booked for your flight
Best for Families, groups, late or delayed flights
Check availabilityWhich way into Budapest suits you
Which 100E stop for your hotel
The 100E stops at Kálvin tér, Astoria and Deák Ferenc tér on the way into town. Remember that the airport ticket covers the bus only: a metro, tram or bus after it needs a ticket of its own.
| Staying in or near | Get off at | Then |
|---|---|---|
| The Hungarian National Museum, the Great Market Hall, District IX | Kálvin tér | Walk, or metro M4 one stop to Fővám tér for the market |
| Keleti station | Kálvin tér | Metro M4, three stops to Keleti pályaudvar |
| Gellért Hill and the Gellért Bath | Kálvin tér | Metro M4 under the river to Szent Gellért tér |
| The Jewish Quarter, the Dohány Street Synagogue | Astoria | Walk: the synagogue is about 150 metres away |
| District V, St Stephen’s Basilica, Váci utca | Deák Ferenc tér | Walk |
| Andrássy út and the Opera | Deák Ferenc tér | Metro M1 up Andrássy út |
| Nyugati station and Újlipótváros | Deák Ferenc tér | Metro M3, about three minutes to Nyugati |
| Buda: Batthyány tér, the Castle, Széll Kálmán tér | Deák Ferenc tér | Metro M2 under the river |
Arriving in Budapest at night
Nothing stops running when your flight is late. The 100E runs round the clock, about every 30 to 40 minutes in the small hours, and the 200E runs all night too, going on past Kőbánya-Kispest to Határ út after about 23:00 on weekdays and midnight at weekends.
The rest of the city’s night network was reorganised in July 2026, so plan the last leg in the BudapestGO app rather than from an old route list. Tickets are the same as by day, and on night buses you can buy one from the driver.
If your hotel is not near a 100E stop, this is when a taxi from the rank, or a driver already waiting in arrivals, is worth it.
Getting to Budapest airport
Take the 100E from Deák Ferenc tér or Kálvin tér
Airport-bound buses leave from Deák Ferenc tér and call at Kálvin tér. They only stop at Astoria between 00:04 and 04:47, so in the daytime walk or take the tram to one of the other two. Use the BudapestGO app to find the exact stop.
Buy the ticket before you join the queue. The day I left from Deák in the afternoon, the bus pulled away with seats free and a queue still on the pavement, held up by people tapping phones at the reader and digging out cards with their bags in the doorway.
Book a taxi the night before an early flight
For a dawn departure, order a taxi by app or by phone the evening before. City Taxi, Főtaxi, Elit Taxi, Bolt and Uber Taxi are the licensed firms, all on the same metered tariff, and trips to the airport start with the higher airport base fare.
A private transfer to the airport does the same job with the pickup fixed in advance and paid for.
Use your travelcard on the 200E
If your travelcard is still valid, ride the M3 to Kőbánya-Kispest and change to the 200E, or take a train from Nyugati to Ferihegy station and the 200E from there. It takes longer than the 100E and involves stairs, but it costs nothing more.
Allow enough time
For an international flight, leave your hotel two and a half to three hours before departure. The ride itself is under an hour; the rest is for check-in and security.
Arriving at Budapest airport, step by step
Get through passport control
Arriving from outside the Schengen area, the queue can take well over an hour at busy times, and it is hard to predict. It is the main reason to book a driver who has your flight details rather than to fix a meeting time.
Sort the ticket in the arrivals hall
The BKK customer service counters on the arrivals level of Terminals 2A and 2B sell the 100E ticket and the travelcards. For the shuttle, check in at the miniBUD point in the baggage hall. A private driver waits in the arrivals hall.
Head outside to the bus stop or the rank
The 100E and 200E stops are on the arrivals level, between 2A and 2B. The Főtaxi stands are at the terminal exits, with the taxis lined up in front. For Uber, walk to its pickup point in front of 2A.
Board the 100E at the front door
Tap a contactless card or phone on the reader by the door, which buys and validates the ticket at the same time, up to five tickets with a single tap. Mobile tickets are scanned on the outside of the bus before you board, and staff check paper tickets at the door.
Luggage and accessibility at Budapest airport
- The 100E runs low-floor, air-conditioned articulated buses with room for suitcases
- The shared shuttle allows one large suitcase and one piece of hand luggage each, so book a private car for anything more
- The private transfers sold here are not suitable for wheelchair users; ask the operator about an adapted vehicle before booking
- Metro M1 has no lifts or escalators, so with a big case avoid changing to it at Deák Ferenc tér. Every station on the M4 has lifts
- Anyone over 65, of any nationality, rides the 100E free with a passport or ID card
Insider tips
Buy the travelcard and skip the airport fare
If you are buying a 72-hour travelcard anyway, get it at the BKK counter in arrivals and take the 200E and the train or the M3 into town. The 100E is quicker, but on a travelcard the slower route costs nothing extra.
Astoria is a one-way stop
Into town, the 100E stops at Astoria all day. Back to the airport it only does so in the small hours, which catches out people staying in the Jewish Quarter. Walk the few minutes to Deák Ferenc tér instead.
Ignore offers of a ride inside the terminal
The airport’s own taxi service is Főtaxi, at the stands by the exits, and Uber picks up in front of 2A. Anyone offering a car inside the building is not part of either.