Re: Travel in Budapest Posted: Thu February 17, 2005 06:32 PM UTC
For traveling in Budapest, I recommend using public transportation as traffic jams are quite frequent and routes are badly signposted within the city, so it's quite easy to get lost while driving. And then I haven't mentioned crazy drivers - Bp. is full of them! Risking lives to 'win' a few seconds... At the same time, in central areas public transportation (featuring 3 metro lines, trams, buses, trolleybuses, suburban railways and in the Buda Hill, scenic funicular, cogwheel railway and chairlift rides are available) offers quick travel from one point to the other through a dense network operating on a frequent schedule (remember that these only apply for central areas though).
As for exploring the country, renting a car is a good option, however most tourist attractions are also accessible by train and coach. But then you're tied to schedules, delays (which cannot be neglected, though I've already seen trains arriving exactly on time :)) ) may ruin your whole day - and you just can't stop at places which you find interesting through the window. At the same time, driving is not as safe as taking a train or a bus. Motorways and first-second class highways (denoted by 1 or 2-digit numbers) are usually of good quality, but certain minor roads are not, so it's better to avoid those. (No, they are not 'impassable', but some of them are full of potholes - like most Budapest streets, actually!) Note that M1, M15, M3, M30, M5, M7 are toll motorways, you have to buy a motorway sticker at filling stations.
Have fun!
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