The Hop On Hop Off Bus in Budapest is one of the best combinations of sightseeing and public transport. After buying the 24 or 48 hours ticket you are obliged to take any of the 3 lines (one of them is a boat) on their route at any time, wherever you are. That means you can take it to get from one place to the other or just sit inside and get your sightseeing Tour by Bus. Best however is the combination of both. You can get on the bus to start your city tour and if there is a sights that you consider to be interesting you hop off and visit the sight. After you had a look or guided tour e.g. in the Budapest Parliament you go back to the bus stop and carry on with your tour.
In this way you can easily spend the entire day seeing all the poplar and important places in Budapest while hving a comfortable ride in between with audio guide along. These hop on hop off bus tours are popular all over Europe, often you can find several offers in the same city. In Budapest you buy 1 ticket valid for 48 hours for 23 Euro per person and can take any of the 3 different lines.
The audio guide is offered in the following 16 languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Finnish, Swedish, Dutch, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Hebrew and Hungarian (The boat line tour is only offered in English and German). The bus lines start every 30 minutes and you can buy the tickets online or in any of the bus lines for approximately 27 Euro.
Routes of the 3 Hop On Hop Off Bus Lines
Red Bus Line
The Red Bus Line is the longer of the 2 bus lanes and goes far more outside the city, e.g. to the city park. It also takes you to the spectecular view on Gellért Hill which you should not miss. The Red Bus Line is for sure the more popular one because it passes more of the famous sights.
1. József Nádor Tér (See on Map)
The József Nádor Tér is on the backside of Café Gerbeau from where you can have a nice walk along Vaci Utca, to Chain Bridge or to Basilica. All in a walking distance of 5 minutes.
2. Erzsébet Tér (See on Map)
Erzsébet Tér is not far away from József Nádor Tér, you can easily reach the Basilica, take a walk on Andrássy Út or take a beer at Gödör Club.
3. Andrássy Út (See on Map)
World famous Andrássy Út is perfect for a nice walk on a sunny afternoon with many cafés and restaurants. Also worth a visit is the Opera.
4. Opera (See on Map)
The Opera itself is of course worth a visit otherwise there is not much to say what hasn’t been said above already.
5. Liszt Ferenc Tér(See on Map)
On Liszt Ferenc Tér I recommend to visit one of the bars and restaurants around which are especially interesting in the summer time when the entire square is filled up with tables, chairs and of course people.
6. Heroes’ Square (See on Map)
Heroes’ Square is one of the main monuments in Budapest and a must see for every tourist. Beautiful at night and impressive there is no way around visiting Heroes’ Square in Budapest.
7. Eastern Railway Station (See on Map)
The Keleti Pályaudvar is an impressive building but not really worth a visit. I guess it is nominated as a stop to catch people arriving by train to Budapest.
8. Astoria (See on Map)
The Astoria is one of the major junctions in Budapest and is named after the Hotel Astoria which is situated there. From here you are in walking distance to the Hungarian National Museum and the Synagogue.
9. Funicular (See on Map)
one of the fanciest ways to get up to the castle district is the Funicular, which is owned and operated by the BKV, the Budapest Public Transportation company. The Funicular is a tram which is going very steep up and down the hill. Worth a ride though often very crowded and pricey.
10. Castle District (See on Map)
A must see in Budapest, you have the best view over the city including a perfect look on the Budapest Parliament. The Castle District is a nicley populated area with bars, cafes, restaurants and even supermarkets. You chould not miss the Matzas Church.
11. Citadella (See on Map)
On top of the famous Gellert Hill you can find the Citadella, one of the main monuments in Budapest. From here you have an awesome view over Pest. Many people come here for that one picture.
12. Marcius 15. Tér (See on Map)
Not particularly worth visiting but the Marcius 15. square is close to famous vaci Utca as well as many hotels which are located at the Danube. It might be a get on or off point but not really worth a full stop.
13. Parliament (See on Map)
Must See, beautiful, impressive. The parliament in Budapest is again one of the main attractions for tourists and I recommend you to have a stop there and take the Budapest Parliament Tour.
14. Back to József Nádor Tér
See point nr. 1 above
Yellow Bus Line
The Yellow bus line is going through the city center as well as on the Buda side. Compared to the Blue Line it is shorter and stopping at the interest points which are in the city like the Synagogue or the Great Market Hall.
1. Erzsébet Tér
See Blue Bus Line point Nr. 2.
2. Synagogue (See on Map)
The Synagogue is the symbol for the strong Jewish community in Budapest. The enitre area around has a Jewish touch and the Synagogue itself is very beautiful and point of interest for many tourists in Budapest.
3. Astoria
See Blue Bus Line point Nr. 8.
4. Dózsa György Tér (See on Map)
The Dózsa György Tér is a good point to walk up to the Castle District or to go throught the tunnel (even though I wouldn’t recommend to go there by foot) otherwise there is not too much to see around.
5. Batthyány Tér (See on Map)
The Batthyány Tér itself is not an outstanding place to be but what this square is famous for is the one picture you want to take from the Budapest Parliament. Batthyány Tér is located directly opposite of the Parliament across the Danube so you have the perfect location for your picture.
6. Margit Bridge (Buda Side – See on Map)
This is the best stop if you want to have a look or walk on Margaret Island, located in the middle of the Danube. Since stopping or parking on margaret island is not too easy you have to take a little 5 mins walk to get to the island.
7. Parliament
See Blue Bus Line point Nr. 13.
8. Vigadó Tér (See on Map)
The Vigadó Tér itself is not spectecular at all but it is a perfect stop if you would like to take a walk along the Danube, jump into the city (Vaci Utca) for shopping, christmas market or a bite to eat and it is also very close to many Budapest Hotels next to the Danube.
9. Market Hall (See on Map)
The Gand market Hall at the end of Vaci utca is the perfect place to see Hungarian culture, cuisine and life in one place. Though very touristic it is worth to check the fruits, vegetables and meat sellers and maybe have a quick snack in one of the fast food stands in there.
10. National Museum (See on Map)
I haven’t been to the National Museum so I cannot say much about it but from what I have heart it is worth a visit especially if you want to know more about Hungary and its history.
11. Back to Erzsébet Tér
Blue Boat Line
The blue boat line of course differs from the 2 bus lines because it is going on the water but also the stops are just 3 different, the Vigadó square, the Batthyány square and the Margaret Island. I recommend to you to take the boat in the evening when it is dark or getting dark because you will see the shores of the Danube and the brigdes lighted up by tens of thousands of lights.
1. Vigadó Tér
See Yellow Bus Line point Nr. 8.
2. Batthyány Tér
See Yellow Bus Line point Nr. 5.
3. Margaret Island
Different from the stop Margrit Bridge of the Yellow Bus line with the boat you are stopping directly at the Margit Island and can start your walk or your visit to one of the bars or restaurants.
4. Back to VigadóTér
See point Nr. 1.
As I mentioned before I think that the Hop On Hop Off Bus in Budapest is one of the greatest ways of exploring Budapest and you can adjust your tour to what you want to see while not missing any point of interested or a must see.
No Comments