Budapest transfer company

http://www.silverwings.hu/

Or you could download the CityTaxi app, put in a credit card number and the payment is automatic.

Or use Bolt.

Also, Uber is back in town, but never used it here.

Where are you staying and how much luggage do you have?

Thanks, Mr. E. I should have thought about contacting Laszlo about this. Not sure about luggage total yet - probably in the neighborhood of 4-7 various pieces of luggage, bags. We're staying at the Ritz Carlton (on points - a bonus). I have already contacted City Taxi and they sent me a reply e-mail. Even though I'm certain City Taxi is great, I foresee minor mayhem at the station (late afternoon to early evening arrival) on other scores. Automatic payment (first time I have heard about this) would certainly lessen the overall stress of the situation. Just trying to make this as smooth as possible, even if it costs a few more bucks. Thank you again.

I asked about the luggage in the event you were staying close to public transportation. FYI, there is an entrance to the Deak Ferenc ter metro station about 40 feet from the door of the Ritz. The M2 goes direct to the station.

EDIT: Dont blame you for not wanting to take the metro with luggage. But what are the odds you picked the perfect place. Look at the picture. The red dot that says Ritz-Carlton is at the front door. Note the stairs to the metro coming up out of the sidewalk to the right of the door. https://www.google.com/maps/search/ritz/@47.4975305,19.0531459,44m/data=!3m1!1e3?authuser=0&entry=ttu

What I am not being fair about is that the walk from you train platform, down the stairs to the metro station isnt real short. Maybe 3 minutes. Then once you get to Deak Ferenc ter you have to find the correct exit to end up at the Ritz, maybe 3 more minutes if you guess correctly. But the experience is priceless.

On the otherhand, if you get a driver, then he may greet you at the platform, then walk you outside to the curb where you wait while he goes and gets his car. Still, a nice way to get home upon arrival. And I always love it when my buddy gets some business.

And finally, yes, you can give the CityTaxi App a credit card and forget the fuss. But now you have to find the taxi. Which you can do if you use the app cause it has a map. Oh, did i say, never get one from the curb. Always book one on the app (or call).

Thanks, Mr. E. Nice to know about the direct M2 line. Valuable local knowledge you have provided. Also nice to know about the many "ifs" and "guesses" we may encounter trying to get to the metro stop from the train platform. We have been forewarned. Looking at the link you have provided, the metro stop is indeed very close to the hotel, as is the K&H ATM. I'll see what Laszlo has to say about a pick up and in will tell him once again that James says Hi. Yes, I know about taxis at the curb from previous posts. Thank you again.

In the event that the metro does in interest you.

At Keleti tracks 6, 7, 8, 9 actually pull into the old station building. Then there are six tracks on the left at the rear of the station and six tracks on the right at the rear of the station. When you get off your train walk to the center front of the old station building (worst case maybe 3 minutes), where you will find a set of stairs going down. At the bottom of the stairs on the right is a BKK office where you can purchase a TravelCard. You can do this with the GoBudapest App too, but I find the paper pass less hassle. Also at the bottom of the stairs you will see the sign directing you to the metro. You want the M2, not the M4. Board the M2 in the direction of déli pályaudvar (a small train station in Buda). Get off at the third stop, Deák Ferenc tér. Go up the escalator and walk and look to your right (i believe) for an exit with the name Erzsébet tér on it (i believe that is correct. I will be there tomorrow or the next day and will check). Up the stairs and you will be at the door to the hotel.

Better picture: https://www.google.com/maps/@47.4976547,19.0532285,3a,35y,131.7h,87.44t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1seaN329nGNfchaN9z1P0GPQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DeaN329nGNfchaN9z1P0GPQ%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.share%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26yaw%3D131.70489274607132%26pitch%3D2.5564420234758103%26thumbfov%3D90!7i16384!8i8192?authuser=0&coh=205410&entry=ttu

That's just wonderful. Thanks so much.

Glad I looked. This is sweet.

You arrive at the Deak Ferenc ter station.
Go up the escalator.
Turn left.
In about 20m on your left you will see a sign to the M1 metro platform. The sign isn't terribly obvious.
Walk down the short hall towards the M1 Platform.
At the end are two sets of stairs, go up the ones marked Mexikoi ut. (Literally Mexico Avenue)
Walk about 30m to the opposite end of the platform and up the stairs.
You are at the hotel door. If it takes 4 minutes from the M2 to your hotel door I would be surprised.

Your hotel is located very well. The M1 will take you from near the river in one direction and under Andrassy ut all the way to tge City Park in the opposite direction. With so much to see and do along Andrassy ut, hard to be more convenient. (But walk the full length of Andrasy ut at least once, it puts that Paris street to shame).

By the way, I think your hotel was the city police station when the Soviets were still here.

Edit: yup. https://www.budapestbylocals.com/the-ritz-carlton-budapest/#history-of-the-building.

Scroll down for the history.

That's just great and thank you once again. I will consult these notes as we navigate our first trip from this stop to the hotel door. Speaking of the Soviets, I'd really like to see the statues in Memento Park. Any thoughts or recommendations?

It sounds more complicated than it is. Get off the M2 and follow tge signs to the M1 Platform in the direction of Mexkoi.

For Memento Park. The dedicated bus is no more. So it comes down to time and interests. A taxi will take under 30 min. Probably cost about 8000 ft. Or, if you have tome in Budapest and you are interested in seeing some very interesting parts of town that most tourists don't, then take the tram to the market in the morning, then on the same tram cross the river to the Gellert. There is a nice wine and lunch spot, or go to the bath, then continue on the tram through some nice old part of town devoid of tourists. If it was too early for lunch at the gellert stop, I know another locally well respected place a bit further up. When you get to Kelenfold train station, the end stop, you get on a bus for the last 10 min of the trip. Total trip about an hour with no stops. But this is the sort of thing you do on day 5, otherwise the taxi.

Thanks again. Maybe Memento Park is not that popular anymore. I, for one, am fascinated by all that Soviet-inspired stuff and other historical relics of 20th Century Europe.

Then you might like this too:

https://bpretro.com/en

Looks interesting, especially if they have Soviet-inspired stuff which they appear to have (especially the cars). I was in Bayerischer-Eisenstein on the Czech border in the early 1980s and one of the things the people liked to do was look at the parade of visitors crossing over the Czech border from Eastern and Central Europe. The Soviet-era cars were something else.

You might also enjoy tĥis: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jQvSrR4XsG76HFYM9. And The Hospital in the Rock.

And https://rentatrabantbudapest.com/

Ha-ha . Looks like a lot of fun, actually, unless it's just a joke site.

I see Traby tour cars going around town from time to time. They use to be more popular but the environmentalist sort of spoiled the party. The Trabys have 2 stroke engines. You know, like a chain saw. You gotta put oil in the gas ... and of course the oil burns with the gas. Great car though. Made out of the equivelent of Formica like on old kitchen counter tops so never rusts.

I see the last TA review for that company is a few years old, but there is at least one company still doing tours cause I see the car from time to time. 20 years ago Trabys were all over the place. Pretty rare these days. Sad.