Practical information                                             

 

Getting to the Institute

 

A) From the airport

 

There are several options for getting from Budapest Airport (Ferihegy Terminal 1 or 2) to the Institute building.

 

1 You might take an Airport Shuttle, which is a fixed-price taxi service, operating minibuses which carry 3-8 passengers together. Ticket sale and service ordering is done at a special counter in the arrival hall of the airport. Within Budapest the minibus charge is for one way: HUF 2300, return: HUF 3900. (Tickets have to be paid for in Hungarian forints.) You may have to wait up to 30 minutes for the minibus to leave, though, but you can specify the exact time of departure when you order it to your hotel on leaving. The ride takes about 30 min.

 

2 In case you arrive at Terminal I, there is a train connection to Nyugati Pályaudvar (Western Railway Station), which is very close to the Institute. When leaving the terminal you will see clearly marked signs of a train stop leading over an overpass to the platform where the train leaves from (do not look for a proper train station!). The trains leave quite often, maximally 20mins waiting. You can buy a ticket in the train for approx. 500HUF, and you will get to Nyugati Pu. in about 20 mins.

 

3 Another option is to use the regular bus and underground services of the Budapest Public Transportation Company (BKV), form both Ferihegy I and II. Bus no. 200 leaves from outside the airport terminals, and takes you to the nearest underground line ("Kőbánya-Kispest" station of M3, or Blue Line). There you have to change to the underground, and go as far as the "Deák tér" station. Change here to the M1 or Yellow Line in the direction of "Mexikói út". Get off at the "Bajza utca" station, and as you exit the station via the stairs, walk ahead along Andrássy út (towards the scenic Hõsök tere ("Heroes' square"), with a crescent of statues of some of the most outstanding figures of Hungarian history), and turn right at the first crossing, into Munkácsy Mihály utca. Then walk up to where this street ends, and you are on Benczúr utca. There you will see the Institute slightly to the left. This way you will spend cca. 3 EUR on BKV-tickets (which must be purchased beforehand - see the next section for details). The average time of the trip this way is about 1 hour.

 

4 Taxis are available from the taxi stand. However, only one taxi company (Zóna Taxi) is authorized to use the airport cab stands. They operate under a zone based fixed rate system. You can also call one of the taxi companies listed below. If you take a taxi from the stand, it will be a little bit quicker. The Pick-up by the other companies also is normally quite quick, since the major companies have cabs waiting in a lot nearby. Cab fare from Ferihegy to Budapest center is roughly between 4000 and 4500 HUF.

 

Reputable taxi companies with a 24 hour a day quick dispatch include:

- City Taxi +36-1-211-1111, use 06-209 or 06-309 plus 211-1111 to reach them on their mobile, http://www.citytaxi.hu/index.php?l=en

- Fő Taxi +36-1-222-2222 , http://www.fotaxi.hu/

- Rádio Taxi +36-1-377-7777

- Tele5 Taxi +36-1-355-5555, http://www.tele5taxi.hu/

- Volán Taxi +36-1-466-6666

- Budataxi +36-1-2-333-333, http://www.budataxi.hu/

It is possible to online order a taxi on their webpage.

Because of the lack of public transportation taxi service is always a battleground and this is typically true for the airport. Lately, it has been/become much better, but take care and stick to the fixed transfer tariff.

 

For further info related to the airport check Budapest Airport website.

 

B) From Keleti Pályaudvar

 

In case you arrive by train from abroad, your most likely terminal is Keleti Pályaudvar ("East Station"), which is on the M2 or Red Line of the Underground. Take the underground in the direction of "Déli Pályaudvar", and change at "Deák tér" station to the M1 or Yellow Line in the direction of "Mexikói út". To get to the Institute from there, follow the instructions in section A2 above.

Taking a taxi at the railway station requires even more care and awareness than at the airport.

Travel within Budapest

All major public transportation services (buses, trams, trolleybuses, and the underground lines, as well as green suburban trains called HÉV) within Budapest are operated by the same company, BKV. Therefore there is a unified ticket system, i.e. the same ticket is valid for each of these. Tickets are available at newsstands, and at BKV service countres found in most underground and HÉV stations, as well as at major terminals of bus and tram terminals. Single tickets cost 230 forints, which is cca. 1 EUR, and they are valid for one continuous ride on a single line, within Budapest city limits. Remember that you must buy your ticket in advance, and get it stamped by the orange stamp-machines at underground stations, or perforated by the little red mechanical devices on buses, trams, trolleys, or the HÉV. (Some buses and trams now have the orange stamp-machine, too.) The absolute transportational centerpoint of Budapest is Deák tér, where all the three underground lines (M1, M2, M3, or Yellow, Red, and Blue Lines, resp.) meet.

The English-language website of BKV is found at: http://www.bkv.hu/angol/home/index.html