Hungary train dependability?

In 20 years I am not aware of a strike. I am sure there has been one, I just dont rememer it. Most trains are more or less on time, exept the ones that arent. On a local train like this I cant imagine its ever going to be more than a few minutes late unless it comes from across the border somewhere. Then the worst i have heard of was 30 minutes on a train from Vienna.

So, yes, very safe to consider going and a nice trip. Book your tickets here: https://jegy.mav.hu/ Get a seat assignment if they offer one. Use the phone app on the train to show your ticket. Note that if you get a seat assignement that you will get two things that look like a ticket, one is the ticket and the other is the seat. If you are 65 or older, your ticket is free but the seat assignment still cost. Thats about 3 euro.

Do this if you have no less than 3 full days in Budapest, but 4 full days here is better.

Thanks, Mr Ë! I appreciate your quick response and it is good to hear that the trains are dependable.

It's my first trip to Hungary. I have 5 full days plus an afternoon/evening upon arrival.
I am planning to spend the first ~4 days in Budapest, but I am considering to go on a daytrip the last day or possibly an overnight trip for the last day (travel the evening before, sleep and spend the next day there, and then return in the evening to Budapest before my flight out early the following morning).

Pecs and Bratislava appeal the most to me, but I lean towards Pecs since I can imagine I might go back to Vienna sometime and could possibly add Bratislava to that trip, whereas Pecs would be harder. Plus, this trip is primarily to visit Hungary, so I like the idea of visiting a different town in Hungary vs. going to a different country.

The typical daytrips from Budapest haven't caught my interest as much as the above two further out trips, but it does feel like a lot of travel time for a short stay, so I'm not decided. Of the daytrip options, a Danube bend tour has been of most interest (Szentendre + Esztergom).

For me Bratislava is that place you go on a 3rd trip to Vienna.

Where to go might depend on the time of year. Esztergom and then back to Szentendre and the boat to Budapest is good. Eger (closer), Pecs or Lillafüred or Tihany or a winery or two all ideas.

I made a day trip by train to Pecs from Budapest a few years ago and due to some planned engineering work this involved a bus replacement at each end--the total trip time must have been factored in to what I saw on the MAV website when I booked--arrivals and departures to the minute--but I was a tad surprised at the station that morning when I couldn't see my train listed...a helpful person at Kelenfold just said "Bus" and pointed outside...sure enough, we all got on the bus and after a good 30 minutes arrived at what seemed to be a deserted station who knows where, and shortly after a train arrived and we all got on. This was reversed on the way back.

Pecs made for a very enjoyable day trip, very scenic and walkable, and I went mainly for the museums. I also love Szentendre and visit every trip, but have not been to Esztergom.

Thanks again, Mr. Ë.

I will nix Bratislava from this trip, at least ; )

Christa, thanks for your input, too!

Would you mind sharing a bit more detail on your itinerary for that Pecs daytrip?
Also, if you have any thoughts/recommendations between choosing Pecs vs. Szentendre, I would appreciate your feedback.

Thanks!

In Pécs if the Palatinus Grand Hotel has reopened after the renovation, thats where you want to stay.

And just for grins: https://www.google.com/search?q=pronounce+P%C3%A9cs&rlz=1C1VDKB_en&oq=pronounce+P%C3%A9cs&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yBwgCEAAY7wUyCggDEAAYgAQYogQyCggEEAAYgAQYogQyBwgFEAAY7wXSAQg2Nzk3ajBqNKgCALACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:63067a8b,vid:eXOrS-LUmqE,st:0

I arrived in Pecs around 10:30 am and had printed a map to the main area of town so I headed up the street and the first stop was the Neprajzi (ethnographic) museum where the docents were alternately perplexed and pleased to find an American had wandered into their little museum--I managed to convey I am half Hungarian and explored the various displays for 30 minutes. It is very small compared to the excellent new building housing the Neprajzi in Budapest, but I always enjoy this type of museum no matter the size.

Headed further along and hit Szechenyi ter (square), the main area of old town with charming old buildings and churches and some Roman bath ruins, had lunch outdoors--not a lot of restaurants but the food I had was good. Then to the Zsolnay Museum--huge fan of their glorious ceramics and tiles and plenty was on display. Then for some art at the Csontvary Museum and finally one devoted to Victor Vasarely's Op art works. I had fully intended to visit the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter which is further from the main area but was having an epically awful blistered foot day--it's a wonder I did as much walking as I did! I managed to find a shopping mall and bought some comfy sneakers before heading back to the train station. All in all I am glad I visited Pecs for the Zsolnay, and it's a pleasant and pretty town...but I do prefer Szentendre.

I always take the ramshackle HEV5 train there, though you can also go via boat on the Danube. The town has a funky artist vibe and the architecture is distinctly different and is very charming but not overly so. I love the museum devoted to ceramicist Margit Kovacs just off the main square and visit every time I go. You can explore the town and there are numerous restaurants along the river--I like Gorog Kancso for Greek food and on the square there's Elisabeth Etterem. One trip I took the bus from the station out to the Szentendre Skanzen, a living history open air museum that is quite spread out and full of buildings from different eras. I enjoyed exploring it due to my heritage but it was a lot of walking. That made for a longer day than usual, typically I spend about 4 hours in Szentendre with a 40 minute journey each way to Budapest. It would probably be my choice for a day trip prior to the day before flying home. This link has a good explanation of how to get to Szentendre.https://thethoroughtripper.com/day-trip-from-budapest-to-szentendre/

It looks like the Palatinus Grand Hotel is not open but there is a sister location next door that is--the Palatinus Boutique Hotel.
I'm not sure how the two compare, but the Boutique one gets good reviews and is in pretty much the same very central location. Thanks for the recommendation!

Christa, thank you so much for sharing your experiences and thoughts on Pecs and Szentendre. It is really appreciated! It is going to be a tough decision!

Its a good location. I liked the old Grand Hotel because it was like something out of a gothic novel. Its been closed a few years for renovation. I keep hoping this is the year.

christa, good link for Szentendre.

Here are some related ideas. If you are flying into Budapest hire a transfer from the airport to Szentendre (Silver Wings.hu); spend the night (Bükkös Hotel & Spa) then at 5pm the next day take the boat into Budapest. There is something special about seeing Budapest for the first time from the boat as it rounds Margit Island. I had a friend come to visit once and I hired a transfer from the airport to Szentendre, but had the driver take the bags to a luggage storage in Budapest (The Lions Locker), then we took the boat into town. She said it was among the most amazing sights of her life (a bit much, but still very, very good).

The HEV trains are free if you are over 65. These are local commutter trains, open seating like a bus. Batthyány tér where the HEV 5 begins is on the M2 metro line and the 19 and 41 trams. The train at this point is underground, so go down. There is a ticket window on the way to the HEV 5 platform where you can get your extension ticket. Its usually open, but not always. But its easier than the machnies if it is open. https://www.mav-hev.hu/en/tickets-and-fares and https://youtu.be/0EKXTmTz610?si=DmxoNjNBUAmqgp77 When you get off in Szentendre, just follow the others down the sidewalk and under the road......

Take the train up and the boat back. I like the view coming back better and its a bit faster (with the current). Get to the boat about 30 min early as the outter decks are small and thats where you want to be. https://mahartpassnave.hu/en/budapest-szentendre-budapest-1 and https://youtu.be/YBr7JeNxjhI?si=FIIw8KDfzoyeGVI9