Budapest Travel Forum

Hello, im visiting budapest for a stag do in june and i was wondering if you could help me witha a few questions regarding transport.

in particular its the system for validating tickets?

ive read that a budapest card doesnt require any validation, is this true?

what about the one-day and three-day travel cards? do they require validation?

also any general info would be much appreciated!

thank you

The card expires after 48 hours or 72 hours from the precise time you bought the card.

http://www.budapest-tourist-guide.com/budapest-card.html#valid

regards

Mark

thanks,

anyone know if the 1 day and 3 day travel only cards need to be validated or do you just ahve to show them to inspectors?

The 1 and 3 day cards have to be validated on first use. Also as a general piece of info - when using the Metro if you need to buy a ticket and the station office is open then the ticket machine won't work - I discovered this after attempting every combination of coins, notes, ways-up for each, button combinations, discussions with others attempting to do the same until finally some local guy pointed out that the machine only works when the office is shut!

Have a good trip,

Cheers, John.

right so if i buy a 3 day card, i just validate the first time, then after that i just ahve to show it to inspectors?

where can i buy the cards from?

one final question how exactly do i validate it?

thanks for all the advice ive had already!

cheers

All the Metro stations have ticket offices and machines where you can get the range of tickets - but note the above bit re using the machines. Also the validation machines are on the platforms - just put your ticket in and it stamps the date and time on the bottom.

Hello mate,

I was in Budapest for a month in March 2007 and earned the wrath of a local inspector for not having validated my ticket, even though I'd bought a spare one with the intention of doing so.

I'd recommend trying to get your head around the process when you arrive, others on here can probably fill you in a little better than I can. Just validate them whenever you get the first opportunity. I ran into problems with not knowing whether I had enough time left on the original ticket to get to where I wanted to go or not, and when I asked the official on the platform they told me I didn't (I think it's one ticket per trip if you're paying for individual fares) and then proceeded to try to fine me! Once you're on the platform you're up for a fine if you don't have a validated ticket.

If any of you happen to get fined, I'd recommend not paying the up front fee they ask for. Especially if it seems unreasonable. I was told by a passing local in rather colourful terms not to pay on the spot. There's no reasoning with the officials, and they're ridiculously uncompromising and not open to using a bit of common sense (at least the one I dealt with wasn't). The English you're supposed to read to outline what to do isn't great, and I basically learnt the system off people I knew in Budapest. Unfortunately I forgot to ask about time limits on tickets. I was leaving the country the day I was fined though so didn't bother paying. haha