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Cars 4 Rental Guide To Travel In  Hungary

International Airports Budapest Ferihegy (BUD), 16km (10 miles) from the city (travel time – 45 minutes). There are now two passenger terminals - A and B. Facilities include a duty-free shop, florist, newsagent, restaurants and bar, bureaux de change, banks, tourist information centre, gift shop and post office. Regular coach and bus services are available to the city, costing around Ft800 for the centrum bus and approximately Ft2100 or Ft3600 return for the airport minibus, which runs to and from any address in the city. The 93 bus runs an express service between the underground terminus at Kobnya-Kispest and the Ferihegy terminals, however you need a pre-purchased or season ticket. Taxis are available at all times. The major car hire companies are represented. Departure tax: None. Back to Top Air Travel The national airline is Malv (MA), operating flights to more than 40 cities. For further information, contact Malv Hungarian Airlines (tel: 0870 9090 577; website: www.malev.com). Other airlines serving Budapest include Aeroflot, Air France, British Airways, easyJet, KLM, Lufthansa, Sky Europe, Swiss, United Airlines and Wizz Air. There are currently no scheduled internal air services in Hungary. Some are planned for the near future, however. Approximate flight times: From London to Budapest is two hours 20 minutes. Back to Top Travel By Water From April to October there is a daily hydrofoil service run by MAHART between Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. The journey costs approximately €75 for a single and takes six hours. Reservations must be made in advance. 20kg of luggage may be carried free of charge. Passengers arriving by boat are advised to reserve a taxi through the shipping line, as none are readily available on the dock. For further details contact MAHART at Belgrd rakpart, 1056 Budapest (tel: (1) 484 4013; fax: (1) 266 4201; e-mail: passnave@mahartpassnave.hu; website: www.mahartpassnave.hu). There are regular services on the Danube and Lake Balaton from spring to late autumn. MAHART and the Budapest Travel Company (BKV) (website: www.bkv.hu) also operate ferries in the city centre, the Roman Embankment (Rmai Part) and at some crossing points. Due to the opening of the bridge between Esztergom and Prkny (Sturovo) in 2001, the former ferry service on the Danube is no longer available. On Lake Balaton, a ferry operates during the summer at 40-minute intervals daily between Tihanyrv and Szntdrv; and between Rvflp and Balatonboglr 0620-0000; at other times of the year the service runs 0630-1930. Contact MAHART for further details (see Travel – International section for contact details). Back to Top Rail Services are operated by MV. All main cities are linked by efficient services but facilities are often inadequate. Supplements are payable on IC and express trains. Reservations are compulsory for IC trains and recommended for express trains, particularly in summer. Tickets can be bought 60 days in advance on domestic railway lines, as can seat reservations. The most popular tourist rail routes are: Budapest–Kecskemet–Szeged– Budapest and Budapest–Siofok–Lake Balaton. Rail-bus services are available between the main railway stations within Budapest at fixed rates (tel: (1) 353 2722; fax: (1) 353 2187; website: www.mav.hu). There are also narrow-gauge railways in operation in many parts of the country. The website www.elvita.hu houses up-to-date travel information and timetables. Cheap fares: Cheap fares: Concessions are available for groups (minimum of 10 persons), children, families and pensioners. Children under six travel free. Children aged six to 12 pay approximately a third of the full fare. Balaton and Tourist Season Tickets (seven to 10 days) are also available. Contact MV for details (see Travel – International section for contact details). The Hungarian Flexipass, sold by travel agents worldwide and by Rail Europe, offers unlimited first-class train travel for five days in a 15-day period or for 10 days in a 30-day period. The Hungarian Tourist Card offers discounts on rail, bus, taxi and ship services, as well as accommodation, restaurants and museums. The Hungarian National Tourist Office can provide further information (see Contact Addresses section). Direct rail links connect Hungary to 16 European cities and there are 47 international trains daily to Budapest. Inter-Rail, Eurotrain and RES concessions are valid on the Hungarian State Railways (MV). Between Dresden and Budapest there is a car transport system. The Wiener Waltzer from Basel travels via Zurich, Salzburg and Vienna to Budapest. First- and second-class day carriages run from Basel through to Budapest and both sleeping cars and couchettes (the latter second-class only) as far as Vienna. There is a minibar service in Switzerland and Austria, and a dining car in Hungary. There are two main routes from London: via Paris or Brussels (Eurostar connection from London) to Vienna (including a Paris-Vienna EuroNight service), where several direct trains run daily to Budapest-Keleti; or via Brussels (Eurostar connection from London) to Munich, where several direct trains run daily to Budapest-Keleti (including a EuroNight service). Luggage allowances: 35kg for adults, 15kg for children. Note: Travellers leaving Hungary by train must pay their fare in convertible currency. Most generally recognised international concessionary tickets are accepted in Hungary. For further details contact MV at Budapest VI, Andrssy t 35 (tel: (1) 461 5500 (international timetables) or (1) 461 5400 (internal timetables); website: www.mav.hu). Seat reservations are strongly advised for all services. Back to Top Travel By Road Traffic drives on the right. There are eight arterial roads in the country: all but the M8 start from central Budapest. Tolls are payable on some roads and all motorways. Season tickets can be purchased. From Budapest the two main highways are the M1 from Gyr to Vienna and the M7 along Lake Balaton. The M3 connects Budapest with eastern Hungary. Generally the road system is good. Bus: Budapest is linked with major provincial towns. Tickets are available from Voln long-distance bus terminal, Budapest, and at Voln offices throughout the country. A bus season ticket is also available. Car hire: Available at Ferihegy Airport or at Voln and Budapest tourist offices as well as at major hotels. Regulations: Speed limits are 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas, 90kph (50mph) on main roads, 110kph (62mph) on highways and 130kph (75mph) on motorways. Seat belts are compulsory. Petrol stations are frequent and there are no special tourist petrol coupons. There is a total alcohol ban when driving; severe fines are imposed for infringements. It is obligatory to keep headlights dipped at all times when on the open road. Mobile phones are allowed only with headsets. Child seats are compulsory. Breakdowns: The Hungarian Automobile Club operates a breakdown service on main roads at weekends and a 24-hour service on motorways. For further details contact the Hungarian Automobile Club, Rmer Flris utca 4/A, H-1024 Budapest (tel: (1) 345 1800 or 345 1755 (24-hour emergency helpline); e-mail: info@autoklub.hu; website: www.autoklub.hu). Documentation: Pink format EU licence accepted but International Driving Permit required if green licence held. URBAN: There is good public transport in all the main towns. Budapest has bus, trolleybus, tramway, suburban railway (HEV), a three-line metro and boat services. The metro has ticket barriers at all stations. The bus–trolleybus–tramway system has pre-purchase flat fares with ticket puncher on board. Day passes are available for all the transport modes in the city. Trams and buses generally run from about 0430-2300. Some night services also operate. The metro runs from 0430-2310 and stations can be identified by a large ‘M’. There is also a cogwheel railway (Vrosmajor–Szchenyi Hill), a Childrens’ Railway (Hvsvlgy–Szchenyi Hill), a chairlift and a funicular. There are tramways in some of the other towns, or else good bus services. Day passes and season tickets are available in Budapest. TRAVEL TIMES: The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and minutes) from Budapest to other major cities/towns in Hungary. Road Rail Sopron 3.00 2.25 Miskolc 2.30 1.55 Pcs 3.00 2.45 Szeged 2.30 2.20 Szentendre 0.30 0.50 Lake Balaton 2.00 2.30 Route via The Netherlands, Belgium and Austria and from Vienna via the E5 Transcontinental Highway which passes near Bratislava (Slovak Republic). Bus connections are available from most major European cities, check for further details with Volanbusz (website: www.volanbusz.hu). Eurolines, departing from Victoria Coach Station in London, serves destinations in Hungary. For further information, contact Eurolines, 52 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1V 0AU (tel: (08705) 143 219; website: www.eurolines.com). The Channel Tunnel: Eurotunnel operates trains 24 hours per day through the Channel Tunnel between Folkestone in Kent (with direct access from the M20) and Calais in France. All vehicles from motorcycles to campers can be accommodated. Eurotunnel operates three to four passenger trains per hour at peak times. The journey takes approximately 35 minutes. For further information contact Eurotunnel Reservations (tel: (08705) 353 535; e-mail: callcentre@eurotunnel.com; website: www.eurotunnel.co.uk). Back to Top

Car Hire Hungary

Cars 4 Rental can provide car hire vehicles in all the popular locations throughout Hungary.

Whatever your requirements Cars 4 Rental will be able to provide a car to meet your needs. Our hire cars can be equipped with many optional extras including child seats so that your car rental is ideally suited to your needs.

Hire a car in Hungary