The list of services 2008
Public transportation
The Budapest Card comes with free access to all means of public transport operated by BKV Zrt within the territory of Budapest, with the exception of the Buda Castle Funicular and the Chairlift, although there is a 10% discount for the latter with the card. Budapest’s transport system features trams, buses, trolleybuses, underground metro lines, a cogwheel railway line, and suburban HÉV trains. The card must be handed over for inspection when asked for by the BKV control staff. The signature on the card must be that of the bearer of the card. Some lines, typically the HÉV lines and some buses cross the boundaries of Budapest; the card is only valid for such trips if a supplementary ticket has been bought in advance.
Budapest has an excellent, internationally renowned public transport system. There are lots and lots of lines, and service frequency is comparatively high. There is an extensive night bus service with over 30 lines, covering major transport routes of the city from midnight till dawn. The three Metro lines’ sole point of intersection is the Deák Ferenc tér. Metro line # 1, marked as a yellow line on most city maps, is continental Europe’s first underground railway line, built in the year 1896.
Budapest has some unique means of public transport, too: the Cogwheel Railway takes hikers and families from the centre of Buda to the Széchenyi Hill, where the Children’s Railway’s terminus is located. The Chairlift offers a wonderful scenic glide between Zugliget and the top of János Hill, and the Buda Castle Funicular transports culture-hungry tourists between Clark Ádám tér and the Castle Hill.
The suburban railway lines, dubbed HÉV, provide easy access to nearby towns and settlements. These may also be used with the Budapest Card, but only as far as the city limits. The web site www.bkv.hu contains a lot of up-to-date information on public transport.
| TRANSPORTATION 10-100% | DISCOUNT |
| Budapest Transport Company(bus, underground, tram, trolleybus, cogwheel railway and the suburban train (HÉV) up to the city limits) | unlimited travel |
| Train from Airport Terminal 1 to Nyugati Station | -20% from the return price |
| Children's Railway | -150,-50 Ft |
| Budget Rent a Car | -20% |
Sightseeing Tours
The Budapest Card gets you a 50% discount from the price of a 3-hour Budapest city tour, which is conducted in 3 to 5 languages, in a big bus. The tour with headphones topped by an interior visit to the Parliament is HUF 3,000 cheaper with the card. Legenda sightseeing boats offer 25%.
| SIGHTSEEING | DISCOUNT |
| Program Centrum 3 hour city tour by bus | -50% |
| Program Centrum City Tour + Parliament | -3000 Ft |
| Legenda Sightseeing by boat | -25% |
Museums
The permanent exhibitions of Budapest museums can be visited free of charge with the Budapest Card. Temporary exhibitions requiring an extra ticket are not free – there is a 20% discount with the card for these. The card must be presented to the cashier, who registers its number and issues a ticket costing HUF 0. Note that the cashier’s desk at certain museums, and at the Zoo, close 30-60 minutes prior to the official closing time.
| MUSEUMS | DISCOUNT |
| Ady Memorial Museum | see general rules above |
| Aquincum Museum | see general rules above |
| Aviation Museum | see general rules above |
| Bartók Memorial House | see general rules above |
| Baths Museum | see general rules above |
| Bible Museum | see general rules above |
| Budapest Exhibition Hall | see general rules above |
| Budapest History Museum | see general rules above |
| Dorottya Gallery | see general rules above |
| Ernst Museum | see general rules above |
| Exhibition House of the Budapest Gallery | see general rules above |
| Ferenc Hopp Museum of Eastern Asiatic Arts | see general rules above |
| Ferihegy Aircraft Memorial Park | see general rules above |
| Foundry Museum | see general rules above |
| Golden Eagle Pharmacy Museum | see general rules above |
| György Ráth Museum | see general rules above |
| Gül Baba's Tomb | see general rules above |
| Heritage Gallery | see general rules above |
| Herkules Villa | see general rules above |
| Holocaust Memorial Centre | see general rules above |
| Hungarian Agricultural Museum | see general rules above |
| Hungarian Electrical Engineering Museum | see general rules above |
| Hungarian House of Photographers | see general rules above |
| Hungarian Museum of Commerce and Catering | see general rules above |
| Hungarian Museum of Natural Sciences | see general rules above |
| Hungarian National Gallery | see general rules above |
| Hungarian National Museum | see general rules above |
| Hungarian Railway History Park | see general rules above |
| Hungarian Sport Museum - Sportagora | see general rules above |
| Imre Varga Collection | see general rules above |
| Jewish Museum | see general rules above |
| Jókai Memorial Room | see general rules above |
| Kassák Museum | see general rules above |
| Kodály Memorial Museum | see general rules above |
| Kogart House | see general rules above |
| Kossuth Museum Ship | see general rules above |
| Liszt Memorial Museum | see general rules above |
| Ludwig Museum - Museum of Contemporary Art | see general rules above |
| Medieval Jewish Prayer House | see general rules above |
| Memento Park - Statue Park | see general rules above |
| Miksa Róth Memorial House | see general rules above |
| Molnár-C. Pál Studio-Museum | see general rules above |
| Municipal Gallery - Kiscell Museum | see general rules above |
| Museum of Applied Arts | see general rules above |
| Museum of Ethnography | see general rules above |
| Museum of Fine Arts | see general rules above |
| Museum of Flags | see general rules above |
| Museum of Military History | see general rules above |
| Museum of Music History | see general rules above |
| Museum of Textile and Clothing Industry | see general rules above |
| Museum of the Ambulance Service | see general rules above |
| Museum of the Fire Brigade | see general rules above |
| Nagytétény Castle Museum | see general rules above |
| National Geological Museum | see general rules above |
| National Lutheran Museum | see general rules above |
| Palace of Art | see general rules above |
| Petőfi Literary Museum | see general rules above |
| Police Museum | see general rules above |
| Postal Museum | see general rules above |
| Reverence Museum | see general rules above |
| Semmelweis Museum of Medical History | see general rules above |
| Stamp Museum | see general rules above |
| Telephone Museum | see general rules above |
| Textile Museum | see general rules above |
| Transport Museum | see general rules above |
| Underground Railway Museum | see general rules above |
| Újpest Butterfly Museum | see general rules above |
| Vasarely Museum | see general rules above |
| Visitor's Centre of the National Bank of Hungary | see general rules above |
| Zwack Unicum Museum and Heritage Visitor's Centre | see general rules above |
Things to see
A great number of Budapest sights offer various discounts, and in some cases free entry for cardholders. Save money when visiting Budapest churches, exhibitions, galleries, caves and many other tourist sights!
| SIGHTS | DISCOUNT |
| Matthias Church | free admission |
| Fishermen's Bastion | -10% |
| House of Terror | -20% |
| Guided tour to the house of the Opera | -10% |
| Hungarian National Gallery Panorama Terrace | -20% |
| Secret Military Hospital and Bunker | -25% |
| Buda Castle Labyrinth | -400,-500 Ft |
| Pálvölgy Cave | free admission |
| Szemlőhegy Cave | free admission |
| Funfair | -15% |
| Zoo | free admission |
| Tropicarium | -30% |
| Botanical Garden | free admission |
Baths
Cardholders get a discount from the price of entry tickets only; all further fees are unaffected by the card. Some baths give a refund to those who leave the baths within a certain time limit. In such cases, the discount offered by the card is only valid for stays shorter than 2 hours; in case of a longer stay, the discount will be reduced.
| BATHS | DISCOUNT |
| Római Swimming Pool | -10% |
| Palatinus Strand | -10% |
| Római Swimming Pool | -10% |
| Széchenyi Spa and Swimming Pool | -10% |
| Rudas Medicinal Bath and Pool | -10% |
Cultural programs
Budapest’s only English-language theatre and many other program organizing companies offer various discounts with the Budapest Card.
| CULTURAL PROGRAMMES | DISCOUNT |
| Laser Theatre | -20% |
| Rajkó Orchestra and Folk Ensemble | -10% |
| Organ concerts | -550 Ft |
| Duna concerts | -950-1100Ft |
| St. Michael Church in the City | -20% |
| Merlin Theatre | -20% |
| Budapest Grand Circus | for adults -20% |
Restaurants
The Budapest Card is valid for the cardholder and all accompanying persons in the Budapest restaurants listed in the card’s info booklet (everyone gets the discount). The two exceptions are the Gundel Restaurant and the 1894 Borvendéglő, where the free item on offer will only be received by the cardholder and one child possibly accompanying the cardholder. The card must be shown when placing the order, and the bill must be signed in the event the waiter asks for it.
| Restaurants | DISCOUNT |
| Mathia Cellar Restaurant | -15% |
| Pilvax Restaurant and Braserie | -15% |
| Öreghalász Restaurant | -15% |
| Ocean Bar & Grill Restaurant | free dessert |
| Onyx Restaurant | -20% |
| Brasserie Cellar - Gerbeaud House | -20% |
| Gundel Restaurant | free pancake |
| Bagolyvár Restaurant | free dessert |
| Kárpátia Restaurant and Brasserie | -15% |
| Vénhajó Restaurant | -15% |
| VistaCafé Restaurant | -20% |
| Székelykapu Restaurant | -20% |
| Kashmir Indian Restaurant | -20% |
| McKiwan's Sandwich Bar | -20% |
| Corso Restaurant | -20% |
| Arany Hordó Restaurant | -20% |
| Mirror Café & Restaurant | -20% |
| Empire Restaurant | -20% |
| Coffee Shop & Lobby Bar (Hotel Stadion) | -10% |
| Restaurant Sydney | -10% |
| Olive's Restaurant | -20% |
| Lobby Bar (Hilton Budapest ) | -20% |
Shops
The card must be shown to the sales assistant before a receipt for the purchases is issued, in order to get the discount.
| OTHER SERVICES | DISCOUNT |
| House of Hungarian Wines | -15% |
| Folkart Centrum | -20% |
| Las Vegas Casino | free admission |
| Tropicana Casino | free admission |
| Bringóhintó Family Cycles | -30% |
| Margaret Island Athletics Centre | -30% |
| Challengeland Adventure Parc | -25% |
| Ice Rink in the City Park | free admission |
| Hungary Card | -30% |
| Travel Accident Insurance | included |
