Traveling to Budapest by train

One of the least expensive ways in Europe is travelling by train. In all Hungarian train stations a yellow board indicates departures (indul) and a white board arrivals (érkezik). Express trains are indicated in red, local trains in black. All train stations have left-luggage offices, many of which stay open 24 hours a day. Budapest has 3 main train stations for international and domestic trains. All the stations are about 45 minutes from the airport and have connection to the metro system and other public transport.

Keleti (Eastern) Station

Red metro line, stop: Keleti pályaudvar, BUS red 7-173, 7/A, 78
Address: VIII. Baross tér 1-3
Phone: (+36-1) 313 6835
Most international trains leave from Keleti. Tickets for domestic IC (InterCity) trains can be ordered by phone 24 hrs. Domestic and international information desk is open 24 hrs.

Nyugati (Western) Station

Blue metro line, stop: Nyugati pályaudvar, BUS 6 Tram 4,6
Address: VI. Nyugati tér
Phone: (+36-1) 349 0115
Phone: (+36-1) 349 8503 (ticket ordering for domestic IC trains open 3:30 am-11:00 pm).
International destinations from Nyugati are mostly eastward. Nyugati serves Visegrád and Esztergom, the great plain and the Danube bend.

Déli (Southern) Station

End of red metro line, stop: Déli.
Address: I. Krisztina körút 37/a
Phone: (+36-1) 375 6293
Phone: (+36-1) 355 8657 (domestic information, open 24 hrs)
Serves Transdanubia and Lake Balaton. Domestic tickets window open 3:30am-12:30 am. International tickets window open 6:00 am-5:45 pm.

Taking Intercity is the fastest way to travel to/from Budapest from the following cities: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dombovar, Gyor, Gula, Hajduszoboszlo, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Sopron, Szeged, Szolnok, Szombathely.

The following are distances and approximate times to provincial cities from Budapest (usually via express trains, on which you might expect to cover from 65 to 70 km/h):

Transdanubia

Győr - 131 km (two hours)
Sopron - 2l6 km (three hours)
Szombathely - 236 km (31/22 hours)
Pécs - 228 km (three hours)

Danube Bend

Esztergom - 53 km (1 1/2 hours, slow trains only)
Szentendre - 20 km (40 minutes on the HÉV commuter railway)

Lake Balaton

Siófok -115 km (1 1/2 hours)
Balatonfüred - I32 km (two hours)
Veszprém -112 km ( I I/2 hours)
Székesfehérvár - 67 km (50 minutes)

Great Plain

Szolnok -100 km (1 1/4 hours)
Kecskemét - 106 km ( 1 1/2 hours)
Debrecen - 221 km (three hours)
Békéscsaba-196 km (2 1/2 hours)
Szeged -191 km (2 1/2 hours)

Northern Hungary

Nyíregyháza - 270 km (four hours)
Eger -143 km (two hours)
Miskolc - 183 km (2 1/4 hours)
Sátoraljaújhely - 267 km (3 1/2 hours)

The central telephone number of the Hungarian State Railways (for domestic and international train information, seat reservation etc.) is +36-40/49-49-49 (here press 9 for English menu). For international information call: 461 55 00; for domestic information call: 461 54 00 (english spoken).