How to quickly and cheaply get from Prague to Budapest

Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe; many of its architectural monuments are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. After seeing all the sights of Prague, many tourists are interested in how to get from Prague to Budapest - the capital of Hungary.

Travel options on the Prague-Budapest route

Budapest is the result of the unification of 3 large cities in 1873: Buda, Obuda and Pest. This is how a capital appeared on the banks of the Danube, which is not inferior in beauty and richness of architecture to any European one.

And now the dissimilarity of different parts of the city is striking - the streets of old Buda intersecting on the slopes of the hills contrast with the modern boulevards of Pest, which houses fashion boutiques and shopping centers.

The distance between Budapest and Prague is about 530 km. You can get to Budapest by buying a plane, train or bus ticket, as well as by renting a car or finding fellow travelers.

Travel to Budapest by train

Railways in the Czech Republic are run by the state. Rail transport has advantages over bus services:

• First, trains, unlike buses, run regularly, regardless of the season.
• Secondly, tickets are almost always available.
• Thirdly, when buying train tickets, there is an opportunity to save money thanks to a flexible system of discounts.

Flight Prague-Budapest is very popular among tourists. Trains leave from the main railway station in Prague and arrive at the Budapest-Nyugati pu or Budapest-Keleti pu (night) stations.

There are three train stations in Budapest: Keleti, Nyugati and Delhi. Each of them has a subway line.

Every day, 9 direct trains leave from Prague to Budapest: the first train at 5.51, the last at 23.57. On the way, you will spend from 6 hours 28 minutes to 11 hours 26 minutes.

Ticket prices range from 20 to 25 euros.

You can also buy tickets for the night train on the Czech Railways website. Trains leave at 21.09 and 23.57 and arrive in Budapest the next day at 8.35. The journey will take 8 hours 38 minutes or 11 hours 26 minutes.

The cost of tickets must be specified when booking.

Travel by bus

There are several companies in the Czech Republic that provide international transport services. The prices of the carriers are affordable, and the buses are comfortable with a full range of services (drinks, snacks, watching movies and wireless Internet).

Buses in the Czech Republic run strictly on schedule. Tickets can be purchased at the box office at the station, and best of all, online. When boarding a bus at scheduled stops, tickets are bought from the driver.

Regular flights from Prague to Budapest are operated by Student Agency, FlixBus and Eurolines. The largest number of flights is offered by FlixBus, so first of all check the offers of this carrier.

Buses leave from the Florenc bus station or from the Prague central station.

FlixBus offers 19 direct flights a day from Prague to Budapest. The first bus leaves from the central station at 4.00, the last - at 23.59.

Those who need to arrive at the Budapest airport should purchase tickets in advance on the website for the flight at 9.20. Ticket prices range from 15.99 to 17.99 euros.

The fastest are night flights: you will be on the road from 6 hours 6 minutes to 6 hours 35 minutes.

By bus, the Eurolines company will have to spend 7 hours and 30 minutes on the road. The company offers 1 trip per day: the bus leaves at 13.00 from Prague and arrives in Budapest at 20.30. The minimum ticket price is 21 euros.

Student Agency buses run in the direction of Budapest 4 times a day. The first bus leaves at 5.30 am and the last one leaves at 11 pm. The minimum journey time is 6 hours 45 minutes. The ticket will cost 25 euros.

A little trick for those looking to save € 10.90. You can go to the RegioJet website (the company carries out transportation as part of the Student Agency) and buy tickets for less.

Having decided on the flight, you can choose and pay for seats on the bus. The system will show which seats are already taken and which are still free.

Travel in the sky

Air travel is the fastest option, the main disadvantage of which is the cost of the flight.On the Prague-Budapest route, only 2 airlines operate direct flights:

• CSA Czech Airlines. It was founded in October 1923, at first it operated only domestic flights. In 1930, the first international flight to Zagreb was made. The airline mainly flies to countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
• Ryanair is the largest low-cost airline in Europe. It was founded in 1984, operated only one route - Waterford-London (Gatwick airport). Now the low-cost airline serves more than 1600 destinations.

Czech Airlines offers 2-3 direct flights a day to the capital of Hungary, the first at 7.20 am and the last at 17.55.

Passengers can choose between Economy and Business Class. A business class ticket will cost 3-4 times more. With early booking (at least one month in advance), air tickets can be purchased at a price of 1258 kroons (49 euros).

The Irish low-cost airline offers only 1 flight per day, but at a low cost. When you book your ticket a month in advance, you will spend only 259 kroons (11 euros). The plane leaves Prague at 12.15 and arrives in Budapest at 13.25.

Before buying tickets on the airline's website, every traveler should understand that he will need to spend time getting to the airport and checking in.

You can get to Prague Airport by city buses No. 119, 100, 191 and 510.

1. Line 119. The bus departs from the Nadrazi Veleslavin stop, which can be reached by metro (line A). The bus runs every 5–20 minutes from 5.00 to 24.00.
2. Route 100. Zlicin - bus departure station to the airport. It is possible to get to it by metro (line B. The interval of movement is 10-30 minutes. The bus runs every day from 5.00 to 24.00.
3. Route 191 is the longest. The final stop is Na Knizeci station. Travel time from the final stop to the airport is about 50 minutes. You can use this route every day from 5.00 to 24.00.
4. Route 510 - at night, from the Na Beranku stop from 00.15 to 03.55. If you need to get to the center at night, you need to get off at the I.P. Pavlova.

City bus tickets can be purchased in the city at any tobacco or magazine stand. In the Czech Republic, a single ticket is valid for all public transport. In addition to city transport, you can use the bus services of Airport Express, Prague Airport Transfers and CEDAZ, as well as taxis.

• Airport Express bus. The bus is a link between the main railway station in Prague (red metro line - Hlavni nadrazi stop) and terminals 1 and 2. The bus runs every day to the airport at intervals of 30 minutes from 5.30 to 22.30. The ticket, which costs 60 CZK (2.32 EUR), can be purchased from the driver.
• Minibus Prague Airport Transfers. The bus departs from Narodni street, 40 (located near the Mustek metro station). This option is more suitable for a group transfer (maximum number of people - 7). You need to buy tickets in advance on the official website.
• Minibus CEDAZ. Departures from stop V Celnici. The fare is 150 kroons (5.80 euros). The minibus runs every day from 7.30 to 19.00 at intervals of 30 minutes. Children under 6 years old are entitled to free travel.

Those who need a fast and urgent transfer can use a taxi service. Among the popular taxi services in the Czech Republic, it is worth highlighting SEDOP, Speed ​​Cars, Profi Taxi and AAA Taxi. For landing, you need to pay about 40 kroons (1.55 euros), for each kilometer - 0.97 euros. To book your transfer in advance, go to the Kiwitaxi website.

Arriving at Liszt Ferenc International Airport, tourists have the opportunity to get to the city by bus (including at night), by train, by shuttle bus and by taxi.

You can get to the city center by bus. Every day from 3.30 to 22.59 with an interval of 7-8 minutes bus 200E operates. It connects Terminal 2 and Kobanya-Kispest Metro Station. From this station you can get to the city center by getting to the Deak Ferenc ter station.

A one-way ticket costs € 1.1.

Below you will see the timetable for the night flights to the center of Budapest.

1. Bus 200E. From 23.00 to 00.30 the bus runs to the Hatar ut metro station, where you need to change to buses 914 or 914А, 950 or 950А and get to Deak Ferenc ter (central square).
2. Bus number 900. Runs from 30 to 03.29. Departure times are 00.59, 1.29, 2.29 and 3.29. At the Bajcsy-Zsilinsky metro station, you need to change to bus 950 or 950A, which runs every half hour.

It is convenient to get to the center of Budapest by train: next to Terminal 2 there is the Ferihegy railway station, from where trains leave every day to the Nyugati station.

Every day from 4.00 to 23.00 there are about 100 trains, including high-speed InterCity. The ticket price is 1.2 euros. It is possible to purchase tickets at the postal kiosk of Terminal 2, in special machines or from the conductor in the carriage.

You can get to the center by shuttle bus, ordering it no later than 12 hours. There are Airport Shuttle-Minibus counters in every terminal. The transfer cost starts from 10 euros for individual booking. For details, call the airport at + 36 1 296 7000.

Car route

It will take 5 hours 50 minutes to get to Budapest on your own, covering a distance of 531 kilometers. The cost of the trip will consist of the amount for the car rental (if you don't have your own), fuel costs and road tolls.

To save money, you can find a travel companion on the Blablacar website.

The route by car will necessarily pass along toll roads: in the Czech Republic they have a sign “Magistral”. For free travel by car, a fine of 185 euros is imposed on the spot or 3700 euros in court. The situation is similar in Slovakia: you will be fined 140 euros.

You can rent a car for a trip on the RentalCar website. The system selects options among offers from the best international agencies. The car can be picked up and returned anywhere.

Conclusion

Prague and Budapest are two Eastern European cities that are very popular with tourists. Someone prefers medieval buildings on the Vltava embankment, while others choose the baths overlooking the Danube.

To get from Prague to Budapest, it's best to take a Ryanair flight, which will save you both time and money.