Budapest is served by Ferihegy Airport and a number of train stations. Most international trains arrive and depart from either Nyugati (Western) Railway Station or Keleti (Eastern) Railway Station. Tickets may be purchased at the train station or in advance from Eurail (
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/pas...
) or your local travel agent. The ticket purchase process at the train station can be a confounding one, as only certain windows serve international tickets and the English skills of the ticket agent may be lacking. Reserved trains also require a separate seat/cabin reservation purchase. Beginning in Fall of 2007, the Hungarian National Railway will introduce online ticketing.
Ferihegy is divided into two terminal buildings - Ferihegy 1 and Ferihegy 2 - which are completely separate from each other. Ferhegy 1 serves the low-cost European airlines, such as EasyJet, WizzAir and SkyEurope. Ferihegy 2 serves the major airlines, such as Delta, American, Northwest/KLM and the national Hungarian carrier Malev. Ferihegy 2 is rather small for an international airport, so it is easy to navigate. Those departing for direct flights to the US should arrive extra early for a rigorous screening process. More information about the airport is available on their website at www.bud-airport.hu .
To get from the airport to the city center, travellers can ride the metro system, take a taxi, or use the Airport Minibusz service. The trip by metro is the least expensive option, but requires a lengthy bus ride, followed by transfer, then another lengthy ride on the Blue metro line. The Airport Minibusz service is quite cost-effective, but not as quick as a taxi. The Minibusz is a shared van with 6-8 other passengers and may involve up to a 30 minute wait at the airport. Beginning July, 2007, passengers flying in or out of terminal 1 can take a train to Nyugati railway station in Pest.
If you are planning an early morning train departure, be sure to get your ticket the previous day. Ticket offices may be closed from 7PM to 8 AM.
