Hungary trip advice

[yorkie]

I'd be very grateful for any advice anyone can provide for a journey I am making this week.

Firstly on a weekday I am travelling from Bratislava to Budapest and I have in mind a direct train at 0957 or 1157; am I best booking a ticket through to Budapest? Presumably masks only have to be worn up to the border, so from Szob onwards we would not have to wear masks. Is it worth paying extra for first on these trains? If we book through any particular website, can we reserve specific seats? Is it worth changing at Szob for a local (loco hauled?) service?

We will require 2-3 days travel in Hungary mostly over a weekend; are there cheap tickets for multi day travel or should we pay as we go? There will be 3 of us, if that makes a difference. We could spend one day doing local travel around Budapest.

Any particular routes anyone can recommend? I'd like to do loco hauled trains, especially if the stock has opening windows. Also the older diesel railcars on some lines in Hungary are quite interesting, so any service operated by such stock could be worth considering.

Coming back, again on a weekday, I need to get to Vienna Airport; should I book a through ticket from Budapest to Vienna Airport? Again would we only be required to wear masks from the border, i.e. we can be unmasked as far as Hegyeshalom? Is it worth taking a local train to Gyor or Hegyeshalom and changing for the international train? (either to make it cheaper, or get on a more interesting train or to potentially get around any OBB mask requirements or any other reason)?

Many thanks in advance

 

[wellhouse]

If you haven't already found it, there's useful information here, including printable and web-based timetables and maps:

Hungary - General Information - EGTRE

egtre.info

It's 3 years since I was last there, but the lines around Lake Balaton are served by an interesting variety of stock, including loco-hauled, modern multiple units, and, when I last went to Tapolca, it was served by both Desiros and Bzmot Railcars.

Lots of pleasant places to stay around the lake as well. Ticket machines have an English Language option, but beware of Intercity supplements.

 

[DanNCL]

For train formations I recommend vagonweb.cz . It has a list of booked train formations (both locos and carriages, as well as units) for almost all trains in Austria including cross border services. It also has last years booked formations for almost everything running in Hungary - this year’s formations for Hungary (apart from cross border trains to/from Austria) aren’t there but as far as I know most services are unchanged from last year, the obvious exception being through carriages to/from Ukraine.

With regards to masks, my understanding is that masks are only required west of Hegyeshalom regardless what train you’re travelling on, whether it be an ÖBB/MAV EuroCity or RailJet train, or a RegioJet open access train.

All Budapest - Vienna trains are loco hauled, almost entirely by Siemens Taurus (from both ÖBB and MAV, as well as occasionally from GYSEV) and Bombardier Traxx (from MAV and RegioJet) locos.

 

[dutchflyer]

Hi, just by coincidence I now sit in a nice apartman in Szeged, flew into BUD again last monday. As a EU-senior I have free use of transport so that draws me for the odd trip once or twice/year. SK does it too for its local trains, but thats more cumbersome-first get pass with foto, then get tickets for every ride made. But it seems this is in SK not just for those from EU but anyone >65
Yes, HU is now completely mask-free, you still see the odd person wearing one.
MAV on itself has no ride-at-will passes. YOu may want to check into an INterRail 1 country=for at least 3 traveldays-if you plan to make such longer trips. LOcal fares are still quite cheap, there are tiny surcharges for fast (GYORS) trains and for the hourly IC on main lines also the mandatory Seat REServ-about 1GBP. Do that on the new ticket machines-set to /en/flag, and be patient. It will even show all possible discounts, inc FIP-first select age band! Short-dist. ticktes must be used in 4 hrs next!! after buying. Bp-Szeg, about 200 KMs, would be about 10€ or 9GBP/single.
From BL to Bp (thats how anyone calls it here) just buy a ticket all the way. The OTHer way these trains-on to Praha-are now often well filled by UKR refugee-ladies+kids, You will also see them in main stations and there are help-posts set up for them.
The local trains Sz->Bp are now often the pride of MAV=double deck brandnew Stadler. NO loc.
Relatively there are indeed a fair lot of loco-hauled trains even on some suburban lines from BP-these have renovated Fecseke (swallow) trains to Szolnok and intermediate from Nyugati and also all IC-trains are loc+cars. On this Szeged line 2 IC-cars and then 4 - 5 Gyors type cars-with compartments and opening windows.
HU does not really have magnificent views, its perhaps just -nice to see once- here and there.

 

[D6700]

I had a short trip at the weekend, doing this in the reverse direction, booked less than a week in advance.

As I was staying overnight in Vienna, I purchased my Vienna Airport to Vienna ticket from a machine at the airport, which costs €4.30 to anywhere in Vienna. If you have a Vienna travelcard, the airport is outside the Vienna zones, but you can buy an add-on ticket for just €1.90. I did it that way a month ago, when I also had a Vienna time-based ticket. On the mobile app "WienMobil" you can buy 1 day tickets (valid until 01:00) and 24 hour tickets, as well as others for longer duration and singles. Don't buy an airport add-on with that, as it pushes much more expensive options than are necessary. There is a half hourly loco hauled Railjet between Vienna and the airport.

For travel between Vienna and Budapest, it was much cheaper to purchase the ticket from the MAV website than OBB. I paid just over £11.00. I didn't reserve a seat, although the cost was low. I travelled in a very comfy and roomy 6 seater MAV compartment on a train that was continuing through to Romania, hauled by a MAV Traxx loco.

In Budapest, I purchased a 24 hour ticket for less than £4, but there are 72 hour versions available too. I purchased this from a machine at the metro station at Keleti station. Like the OBB machines at Vienna airport, it was available in English and accepted contactless cards. For details go here:

https://bkk.hu/en/tickets-and-passes/prices/travelcards-valid-for-one-or-more-days/

For travel between onward to Bratislava, I bought my ticket from MAV again, which cost less than £9. Reservation was mandatory and included in the price for this one. I opted for a compartment and got a lovely roomy six seater, which I had to myself for more than half of the journey - but I was travelling early on Sunday morning. This train, which was going to Prague, was Czech stock hauled by a Slovak Vectron.

From many years ago, I realised I had the MAV app on my phone. This was all in Hungarian, but when I played with it, I found that it will go into English if you can find the option! When I signed in, it downloaded the tickets I'd purchased from their website, so I showed them to the guards on that. It's good for journey planning and showed the fares clearly up front. Linking to a previous response, certain services show twice on the app, as there are different fares for the Inter City coach (where reservation is mandatory) than the rest of the train (where it isn't).

In Austria, FFP2 masks are mandatory. In Hungary, mask wearing was almost non-existant, except on the train from Vienna to Budapest, as many already had them on, so didn't take them off. In Slovakia, it's masks again. I suspect that is also FFP2, but I'm not sure - and had FFP2 with me anyway.

 

[richw]

I was in Budapest last month, maybe not what your looking for but a 72 hour all mode Budapest ticket was 4150HUF. A 24 hours Budapest all mode travel card 1750HUF.
The app BudapestGO was brilliant for tracking transport and planning within the city.

 

[SeanG]

Firstly on a weekday I am travelling from Bratislava to Budapest and I have in mind a direct train at 0957 or 1157; am I best booking a ticket through to Budapest? Presumably masks only have to be worn up to the border, so from Szob onwards we would not have to wear masks. Is it worth paying extra for first on these trains? If we book through any particular website, can we reserve specific seats? Is it worth changing at Szob for a local (loco hauled?) service?

I did this in reverse last week.
We booked a second class ticket but just sat in the restaurant car - I do not think that the extra cost of 1st over 2nd is worth it at all. Depending on what type of stock you like, the 1st class coach is usually an open coach, whereas 2nd is a mix of compos and open. As I say we sat in the restaurant car which I believe offers a better level of comfort than in first, although of course you are expected to buy something (albeit at minimal cost - often a couple of drinks is less than the surcharge for 1st class).

The services are all loco hauled, usually by a CD Class 380 although occasionally a Vectron will stand in.

Masks wise, no masks are required in Hungary however there was an expectation to wear them once in Slovakia. I think FPP2 are required, however some wear also wearing standard masks. I would say compliance was about 50% however, and down to about 0% in compartments (admittedly these may have been occupied each by single groups).

As others have said, a trip down to Lake Balaton is a good option, with a variety of stock and locos

 

[30907]

First class in CZ/SK tends to be limited to just one coach - trains formed with CD stock will have an open, MAV a compartment coach or (280/281 using the EC Hungaria sets) one of each.

I would go for the RC option!

 

[43096]

As I was staying overnight in Vienna, I purchased my Vienna Airport to Vienna ticket from a machine at the airport, which costs €4.30 to anywhere in Vienna. If you have a Vienna travelcard, the airport is outside the Vienna zones, but you can buy an add-on ticket for just €1.90. I did it that way a month ago, when I also had a Vienna time-based ticket. On the mobile app "WienMobil" you can buy 1 day tickets (valid until 01:00) and 24 hour tickets, as well as others for longer duration and singles. Don't buy an airport add-on with that, as it pushes much more expensive options than are necessary. There is a half hourly loco hauled Railjet between Vienna and the airport.

Just to note that the City Airport Train (CAT) in Vienna has started running again. It’s more expensive (€11 single) and goes to Wien Mitte and not via the Hbf. Only reason to do it is if you need the Taurus that’s working it and the RailJet locos are dud.

 

[SeanG]

Just to note that the City Airport Train (CAT) in Vienna has started running again. It’s more expensive (€11 single) and goes to Wien Mitte and not via the Hbf. Only reason to do it is if you need the Taurus that’s working it and the RailJet locos are dud.

Am I right in thinking that Vienna - Vienna Airport is a bit of a 'Gatwick Express' situation, whereby the CAT is more expensive but takes the same amount of time as a RailJet which is far cheaper?

 

[43096]

Am I right in thinking that Vienna - Vienna Airport is a bit of a 'Gatwick Express' situation, whereby the CAT is more expensive but takes the same amount of time as a RailJet which is far cheaper?

It's not dissimilar, in Vienna they go to different stations (Mitte for CAT, Hbf and Meidling for RailJet). The RailJets are really marginal time workings for long distance services from the Westbahn (Salzburg and beyond) and Südbahn (Graz) and give a convenient location to turn them round rather than blocking the platforms at Hbf. It's not entirely analogous as the CAT sets are of a higher quality than the normal S-bahn sets (which is not the case with Gatwick), it's just that the RailJets are true long distance "InterCity" trains.

 

[Austriantrain]

Am I right in thinking that Vienna - Vienna Airport is a bit of a 'Gatwick Express' situation, whereby the CAT is more expensive but takes the same amount of time as a RailJet which is far cheaper?

Quite true.

There are actually three ways to get to Vienna from the Airport by train:
- CAT: every half-hour to Wien Mitte, close to the city centre, expensive
- S-Bahn: every half-hour (more often in the peaks), to Wien Mitte as well, slower but much cheaper
- RJ Services every half-hour to Vienna main station, much less central but handy for onward connections. Same price as the S-Bahn.

 

[P Binnersley]

You can book Bratislava-Budapest at https://www.mavcsoport.hu/en . Tickets start at €10. You can type of seat (Window, quiet carriage etc), but no seating plan.
You can buy Budapest to Vienna Airport tickets at https://www.oebb.at/en/ . Sparschiene (Advance) tickets start at €29.90, the standard (anytime) ticket is €59.90.

In Budapest the Children's railway is well worth a visit, as is the railway museum.

Outside Budapest, Eger is an interesting town just under two hours travel with an hourly service. HUF 2520 (£5.50) single.

OBB reference the (Austrian) legal requirement to wear a face covering, rather than claiming it as their requirement so you should be OK to be unmasked as far as Hegyeshalom.

For variety you could do Gyor-Vienna via Sopron on the GYSEV, but this will be slower and probably more expensive.

 

[D6700]

You can book Bratislava-Budapest at https://www.mavcsoport.hu/en . Tickets start at €10. You can type of seat (Window, quiet carriage etc), but no seating plan.
You can buy Budapest to Vienna Airport tickets at https://www.oebb.at/en/ . Sparschiene (Advance) tickets start at €29.90, the standard (anytime) ticket is €59.90.

I'd stick with MAV for booking Budapest to Vienna, as the fares are generally less than half of what OBB want for the same trains, then buy a separate ticket to the airport. It always pays to check both, though, just in case.

Another option for Budapest to Vienna, if the times happen to be suitable, is open access operator RegioJet. You can choose your seat and they have different options of seating type, including luxury 4 seater compartments at very good prices. As another poster mentioned, those trains are also loco hauled.

https://novy.regiojet.cz/en

 

[Austriantrain]

OBB reference the (Austrian) legal requirement to wear a face covering, rather than claiming it as their requirement so you should be OK to be unmasked as far as Hegyeshalom.

Within Hungary, these RJ services are not ÖBB trains in any case; rather, they are MAV START trains operated with ÖBB stock.

So Hungarian rules apply anyway.

 

[SeanG]

I'm not sure how long you have, but an interesting way to go to Vienna Airport would be on the twice daily Eurocity (IC 312 or IC 310) to Graz (https://www.vagonweb.cz/razeni/vlak.php?zeme=OeBB&kategorie=IC&cislo=312&nazev=&rok=2022), and then take an afternoon railjet to Vienna Airport.

Bit of a long way round but some stunning scenery (especially the Semmering Pass) and can be had quite cheaply - booking the first leg via MAV and then you can pick up a Sparchienne from Graz to Vienna Airport from E9.90

 

[OldandRambling]

A bit off topic, but I enjoyed my trip on the "Children's Railway" in Budapest:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Children's_Railway#:~:text=The Gyermekvasút (English: Children's Railway) or Line 7,and now the official designation is MÁV Zrt.

 

[richw]

A bit off topic, but I enjoyed my trip on the "Children's Railway" in Budapest:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Children's_Railway#:~:text=The Gyermekvasút (English: Children's Railway) or Line 7,and now the official designation is MÁV Zrt.

View attachment 112666

Me too. I highly Recommend if time allows

 

[JRT]

Going back to the original post, Bratislava–Budapest.
I've done the journey a few times, but have incorporated a few interesting border crossing variations you may be interested in.

Bratislava–Komárno or
Bratislava–Nové Zámky–Komárno
(then walk across the border) Komárom–Esztergom–Budapest or
Komárom–Esztergom–Štúrovo–Bp
( walk over the border from Esztergom to Štúrovo for train to Bp ).

 

[yorkie]

Going back to the original post, Bratislava–Budapest.
I've done the journey a few times, but have incorporated a few interesting border crossing variations you may be interested in.

Bratislava–Komárno or
Bratislava–Nové Zámky–Komárno
(then walk across the border) Komárom–Esztergom–Budapest or
Komárom–Esztergom–Štúrovo–Bp
( walk over the border from Esztergom to Štúrovo for train to Bp ).

Definitely something we may consider another time, thanks.

We are getting the 1157 train tomorrow.

 

[ABB125]

We are getting the 1157 train tomorrow.

What time are you arriving in Vienna? @Nunners and I are at a loose end and need an excuse to do something!

 

[yorkie]

What time are you arriving in Vienna? @Nunners and I are at a loose end and need an excuse to do something!

We have decided not to visit Vienna on this trip, as we want to visit a place that doesn't have onerous restrictions.

We will be based from Budapest from this afternoon until Monday morning, when we will go to Vienna Airport (via Hbf.

If you would like to visit Hungary you are most welcome to join us.

 

[ABB125]

We have decided not to visit Vienna on this trip, as we want to visit a place that doesn't have onerous restrictions.

We will be based from Budapest from this afternoon until Monday morning, when we will go to Vienna Airport (via Hbf.

If you would like to visit Hungary you are most welcome to join us.

Ah ok, we won't be able to go to Hungary unfortunately. By the time you're back in Vienna, we'll be somewhere else (I can't remember where!).
Enjoy your trip

 

[SeanG]

100% would recommend the children's railway.
If you are in Budapest and looking for a good railway themed restaurant, you may want to try here - Vagon Etterem next to Deli station - http://www.vagonetterem.hu/

 

[yorkie]

Thanks all for the advice; we could not fit everything in but I do appreciate it all and we will bear the above in mind for future trips too.


On Saturday we did:

Budapest Keleti 0953
Pécs 1242

This was a busy loco hauled train with compulsory reservations; our reserved seats were crap but we managed to find a semi-compartment. The train had opening windows but poor weather meant they remained firmly closed!

Pécs 1250
Villány 1333

An interesting line and we had a vintage diesel railcar hauling a trailer, which had a panoramic view out the rear. The train was very busy and had a lot of bikes on too.

Villány 1422
Pécs 1507

This was a Desiro, so not particularly interesting. Plenty of room on the train to spread out.

Pécs 1519
Dombóvár 1606

This was the return working of the loco hauled train we had from Budapest.

Dombóvár 1620
Bátaszék 1727

The above was a single diesel railcar; the route was interesting and scenic, including horseshoe curves. I would definitely recommend.

Bátaszék 1734
Sárbogárd 1855

This was a Desiro and the landscape wasn't particularly amazing but it was interesting to do a different line to the one we had come south on, so a useful fill-in move, nonetheless.

Sarbogard 1859
Budapest Keleti 2011

Again this repeated the route of our outward journey; and as before, our reserved seats were rubbish, the train was very busy except the rear coach with compartments, so we went there and this time we took advantage of the opening windows.

On Sunday we did:

Budapest Deli 0935
Balatonszentgyörgy 1156

A loco hauled train on a nice sunny day, we went to the front and were able to spread out as it was relatively quiet at the front of the train. An interesting route along the south side of Lake Balaton. I would imagine these trains would be heaving in Summer!

Balatonszentgyörgy 1200
Jánosháza 1315

A desiro, with plenty of space for us to spread out. Part of the journey was alongside the lake. At Janoshaza we visited a pub opposite the station and the cost of a bottle of beer was about a quid.

Jánosháza 1429
Veszprém 1531

This was the international train from Slovenia (See this thread) and we managed to obtain the last available compartment. It was a proper compartment too. Having had a taster, I think I would like to do the full journey some time

Veszprém 1535
Győr 1743

This was a diesel hauled train consisting of 3 coaches. It was a great route; very slow but scenic and interesting. We had plenty of space in the front coach. We passed two trains going the other way, both were diesel hauled and the first of which had a lot of enthusiasts on board (including several youngsters) who were enjoying the opening windows (people would be up in arms over this in the UK!). I would be up for doing this route again for sure.

Győr 1821
Budapest Kelenföld 1928

The 1756 was delayed so we got the 1821, which was loco hauled but consisted of modern coaches which were not of particular interest compared to the other trains we'd had that day, and the train was pretty much full. Rather than take our allocated seats, we decided to stand at the rear of the train to see the view from the back of the train, which is something you don't tend to be able to do in the UK.

I am glad we diverted to visit Hungary; we had originally planned to visit Slovakia and Austria, but we didn't want to experience any more authoritarianism. I am pleased to say that in Hungary it was business as normal, no sign of authoritarianism and that is exactly what we wanted to experience.

It was also great to meet another forum member while we were there.

I would definitely recommend a visit to Hungary, especially in the current climate of so some other places being rather inhospitable at the moment!

 

[richw]

I would definitely recommend a visit to Hungary, especially in the current climate of so some other places being rather inhospitable at the moment!

This was exactly why I chose Budapest for a trip in late February. Beautiful city, lovely friendly welcoming people. And good on a low budget.