Airport
Budapest Franz Liszt International Airport
IATA Code: BUDLocation: The airport is located 10 miles (16km) south east of Budapest.
Time: GMT +1 (GMT +2 between the last Sunday in March and the Saturday before the last Sunday in October).
Contacts: Tel: +36 (0)1 296 9696.
Transfer between terminals: Terminal 2A (Schengen destinations) and 2B (non-Schengen destinations) are close enough to be accessible by foot, there is a covered walkway between these two terminals. For transfers between Terminal 1 and 2, the easiest way is with Budapest Airport Minibusz (BAM) which operates a shuttle costing 700Ft. Taxis are also available and the #93 bus may also be used.
Transfer to the city: The nearby Western Railway Station is walkable from terminal 1, or using bus #200 from terminal 2, where railway tickets can also be bought between 9am and 10pm for 300Ft. Travel time is 30 minutes to the city centre. An airport bus #93 leaves for the Köbánya-Kispest metro terminal from terminals 1 and 2 and costs 350Ft on the bus, previously purchased tickets are 250Ft. There is an airport minibus service that takes passengers to any destination in the city as soon as the bus is full. Tickets can be purchased in the Arrivals Hall at the Airport Minibus counter or at Tel: +36 (0)1 296 8555 and costs 2600Ft. Taxis can be reserved at Tel: +36 (0)1 365 5555 or at the arrivals terminal. Fares are metered but can't exceed prices according to city zones and range between 1500Ft and 5000Ft. A high speed road connects the airport to the city in 20 minutes.
Taxis: Taxis can be reserved at Tel: +36 (0)1 365 5555 or at the arrivals terminal. Fares are metered but can't exceed prices according to city zones. A high speed road connects to the airport to the city in 20 minutes.
Car rental: Car rental companies include Avis, Budget, Hertz, Sixt, Europcar and Airport Rent-a-Car.
Facilities: Facilities include ATMs, bureaux de change, left luggage, first aid, duty-free shops, childcare, post office, chapel, restaurants, tourist information and hotel reservations. There are facilities for disabled passengers and wheelchairs are available from the airport help desks; travellers with special needs are advised to contact their airline or travel agent in advance. A short walk from Terminal 2 there is an open-air aircraft museum.
Parking: There are dedicated parking structures for each terminal, offering express, short-term and long-term parking options. Express parking allows 5 free minutes if you just need to pick up or drop off a passenger. From there, prices escalate to HUF 300 for 15 minutes and HUF 1,200 for an hour, with a daily maximum charge of HUF 9,000. The Long-stay parking lot charges HUF 3,000 for the first day.
Departure tax: Included in the airfare.
Website: www.bud.hu/english
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Budapest
Budapest, known as the 'Queen of the Danube', is a magnificent city exuding a cultural sophistication that entices and enchants. Gracing both sides of the legendary river with grand historic buildings, regal bridges and graceful tree-lined boulevards, it is the city's elegant beauty and romantic atmosphere that has given Budapest Parisian status among the Eastern European countries.
Budapest offers the visitor the familiarity of European culture with a distinct Hungarian flavour. It is evident in the neo-Gothic Parliament buildings, sidewalk cafes and Magyar cuisine; classical concerts and Hungarian folk music; the cobbled streets of medieval neighbourhoods and shady parks, and everywhere the sounds of an unfamiliar language. Highlights for visitors include a river cruise on the Danube and a thermal bath in one of the Turkish-era bathhouses.
Budapest was originally two cities built on either side of the Danube, namely Buda and Pest. The two districts are still distinct in their contrasting makeup, with the older and more charming Buda comprising of atmospheric cobbled streets, little picturesque coloured houses and a medieval, neo-Classical mixture of architecture set among the gentle hills of the west bank. It is famous for its historic Castle Hill featuring the Royal Palace, museums and galleries, St Matthias Church and the ramparts of Fisherman's Bastion.
Pest lies on a flat plain and is the commercial core of the city. It bustles with fashionable shopping areas and has characteristically wide, leafy boulevards. Andrássy Boulevard is the Champs-Elysées of Budapest, lined with a typical mosaic of architectural styles and buildings with the enormous Heroes' Square at the end.
A history of numerous wars and invasions, with repeated destruction and rebuilding, has created the Budapest of today, with an amalgamation of styles, created over time during periods of loving restoration by a proud and resilient nation of people; a city of charm and character, both European and singularly Hungarian.
