Car Parking in Budapest

Where to park and how to pay!

The Budapest Car parking situation is as difficult as in all other major cities as well. On the street in Budapest you will not find a parking place for your car unless you are very lucky. The other possibility for car parking in Budapest is to go into a parking garage. Car parking here costs around 200 to 300 Forint per hour which is quiet cheap compared to other cities. Of course the price depends on the location of the parking garage. In general car parking in Budapest is a bit better than in other cities but not much less of a hassle.

As there are no relationships between Hungary and any other country in the EU concerning collecting fees from foreign cars you as a forigner can park anywhere and do not have to pay the bills coming for you. Of course that is not the nice method but as the “Centrum Parkolo Kft.” is quiet pushy in collecting fees even though they are not allowed it is a good demonstration not to pay. It is different if you hire a car in Budapest because here the company will be charged who is allowed to charge you in this case. So be careful where you park, pay for the parking and there will be no problem in Budapest with the car parking.
Car parking on the Budapest airport can be expensive as they charge prices far away from reality because you have no other chance than paying there.

Mobile Car parking Budapest

Since February 2009 it is possible to pay the parking fee via mobile phone if you have a Pannonor T-Mobile contract.
To pay your parking fee with your mobile phone simply send a text message with your license plate number to the number on the parking meter. The number will look like this: 06 30/40/70 810 XXXX. The 30, 40, 70 stands for the provider. After you sent the Text wait for the reply of the provider. The text will contain the following: code of the parking zone you are in, the license plate number you sent, the starting time, the hourly fee and additional Ft 75 fee that you pay for using the mobile phone parking system.
To stop the parking, simply send “STOP” to he same number, the provider recognizes your number and sends a reply with your license plate number, length of parking and the total fee. Thats it.

This is how the mobile parking looks like: