If you are like me and you prefer to walk or take public transport while travelling  you are at the right place. In this article I’ll tell you the basics about getting around in Budapest.

Train & Bus stations

If you travel green you probably arrived at one of our three train stations, Nyugati, Keleti or Déli. They are all connected with the metro so it will be easy to get to the city center. Keleti and Déli are on the route of Metro 2, the red line, Keleti is also on the green line, metro 4, and Nyugati is on the blue line, metro 3. The metro 2 and 3 meet at Deák Ferenc square which is the absolute center of the Pest side, and metro 4 comes to Kalvin square, which is also a central station.

The other green (eco-friendly) way to get to Budapest is by bus. The two main bus stations are Népliget on the Pest sideand Kelenföld on the Buda side. Again it will be easy as they both have metro stops. The blue metro line (which stops at Népliget) has been under construction since forever now, so you might have to change to a bus between metro stops, but don’t worry, you just have to follow the arrows and the crowd and eventually change back to the subway.

Airport

You flew in? Well, shame on you. Okay, just kidding. We obviously don’t expect you to swim here from overseas. After landing search for the 100E bus stop at the airport, which for 2500 huf (approx. 6 eur) takes you directly to the center in 40 minutes. It goes in every 10 minutes 0-24 hours. If you miss the bus and in a hurry, or want a cheaper option, you can use the bus 200E until Határ út stop, then change to bus 914 or 950 to get to the city center. With this option you can use an average single ticket, which costs 350 huf (approx. 1 eur). If you plan to use public transport during your stay it’s smart to buy a pass at this point already. You can get a 10 ticket’s package for 3000 huf, a 24H pass for 2500huf and a 72H pass for 5500 huf.

Small tip: try to get your ticket from the machine at the stop. The drivers never have change, and it is also 100 huf more expensive to buy it on the bus, so unless you want to tip them, better get it before.

Walk, Run, Bike

Once you got checked in and got rid of your bags it’s time for sightseeing. Budapest has amazing sights and they do the favour to be all quite close to each other, so It’s the perfect city to walk. You can easily visit St. Stephens Basilika then go down to the river, pass Chain Bridge and walk up to Buda Castle in one day even if you are not a maratonist. And the best? We have all our best bars in the same area so even at night you won’t have to walk more than 5 minutes for a drink or a great club from any of The Maverick Lodges.

Tip for runners: Start from any of The Maverick Lodges, go down to the Danube and run along the river bank until Margaret Bridge, go till the middle of the bridge, from there you can enter Margaret Island. When you reach it follow the running track which takes you around the island until you get back to it’s entrance.

It’s a common phrase that the difference between the two sides is that you can always look down on Pest from Buda. Well true , Buda has all the hills and Pest is flat, but that's what makes it perfect for biking.You can rent bikes at The Maverick Lodges, for a half day 8, for a full day 14eur. You can also use MOL Bubi, which is our community city bike service, use it and drop it at the next station.

Day plan: Bike through Andrassy road. There's a bike road all the way and you pass by amazing architecture, like the Opera House.Make a stop at Heroes Square, then continue to the City park, until you reach Széchenyi bath. From there all you have to do is soak in thermal water and relax.

Public transport

There are three important tram lines for you. Tram 4-6 , 47-49, and 2.

Tram 2: It’s like a free sightseeing tour. It leaves from Jaszai Mari square and goes on the riverside having the best view on the Danube with its bridges, House of Parliament, Fisherman's Bastion and Buda Castle.

Tram 47-49: This tram line connects the center of Pest and south Buda. On it’s way you can get to the Central Market Hall and Gellert Hill. Also, If you stay in Maverick City Lodge and your friends are in Maverick Urban Lodge, this is the shortcut to each other.

Tram 4-6: The longest tram ride ever. Okay, probably not, but believe me, after a night out it seems very long. This line starts from Buda, Széll Kálmán square, crosses Pest and ends in Buda at Móricz Zsigmond square. Tram 6 goes 0-24, so one of your nights out you’ll probably end up using it. Quick tip: They always have controllers on it, even at 2 am, so have tickets with you.

E- transport

Budapest affords many fun and zero emission transport alternatives: you can rent electric shared cars for longer trips, e-rollers to cruise around, segways to give a break your legs on a sightseeing tour, e-bikes to tour the Buda hills, e-scooters to turn on the vacation mode.

Thank you you for reading this and I hope many of you will choose sustainable and eco-friendly transports.