Getting to Budapest: By train
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Budapest has direct rail connection with Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and various Hungarian cities.
The main railway stations (pályaudvar) are Keleti pályaudvar (Eastern Railway Station), Déli pályaudvar (Southern Railway Station) and Nyugati pályaudvar (Western Railway Station). The stations are not named for their geographic location in the city, nor for the direction of the destinations served by each (trains to Vienna, for example, leave from Keleti). The stations are well connected to each other and to the rest of the city. Keleti and Déli Railway Stations are located on Metro 2, Nyugati Railway Station is on Metro 3. A transfer should not take more than 15 minutes at peak hours; slightly more on weekends and evenings. Depending on where you are coming from, some outer stations can be useful to you; trains arriving from Vienna, Bratislava, the lake Balaton or other western locations stop at Budapest Kelenföld station, which is a good public transport hub for Southern Buda. Trains arriving from Romania, Ukraine and Eastern Hungarian cities regularly stop at Kőbánya-Kispest station, a good place to get to Eastern Budapest or to Ferihegy Airport.
Train stations in Budapest are not up to Western quality standards; they are hard to access for people with disabilities and their facilities are very limited. Be prepared for long queues at the ticket office; English is rarely spoken. Do not expect luggage trolleys or clean toilets. Food or a coffee purchased at the stations is unlikely to give you a gastronomic buzz; it is also difficult to find a good nearby cafe if you didn't research in advance. If using a taxi on your way from the station, do not accept any offers from drivers waiting around the station entrance. For further information read also Stay safe section.
Hungary’s rail system is operated almost entirely by the Hungarian State Railways www.mav.hu (Magyar Államvasutak, MÁV). About services, discounts, schedules and on-line booking check Hungary.
If you want to have comfy feeling on your trip, use the InterCity trains (additional fee applies, seat reservation compulsory). Local trains with older coaches can look like interesting, however lots of old coaches were replaced. When travelling late night, expect that some trains operated on not very frequented lines can be completely empty.
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