We are 70, so metro travel is free. Should I buy a Budacard for museum ticket discounts?

Yes, hubs will get discounts to most attractions if he shows his passport.

Once 65 all public transportation, including trains within Hungary, are free.

The public transportation works on the honor system for all. You get on and off at will. But its "Trust but Verify" meaning there are spot inspections in metro station and on the trams. If asked by an inspector you show your ticket or in your case a photo ID that has your birthdate on it. US drivers license is fine The spot inspections may happen one in ten rides. More often than not if you look your age the inspector will walk right past you or say Jó napot (Good Day) and wave you past as you approach them.

https://bkk.hu/downloads/31703/

The BudapestCard is rarely worth the money for those that get the benefit of transportation out of it, much less for old folks like us.

Oh and you said metro station. There are a couple of metro lines you might take, the M1 for instance, but for the most part you will use the trams. The trams in the part of town you will be in are sort of fun old world (really not that old, they just look it) and part of the charm of the city. No station, you just hop on and off when it stops.

We were just in Budapest last week for 5 nights.

I am 7 months short of 65 years, so I had to pay.

Each time you transfer, it costs Ft500. If you know you need to transfer at least once, you can buy a 30 minute ticket for Ft600 and transfer as much as you like as long as the last transfer is less than the 30 minutes.

The one day where we knew we would take more than six transfers, we bought a 24 hour unlimited pass for Ft 2,750. I think we took 12 transfers (once to our morning Szechenyi thermal baths, twice back to the Parliament for our afternoon building tour, three times back and forth on the scenic Tram 2 by the Danube, once back to the apartment to rest, and then five more transfers at night for stops at the Columbo statue and several viewpoints in Buda for fantastic night shots of the Parliament building and some bridges.

During our visit, the metro inspectors were out in droves. We used the Budapest Go app. One time my wife and I each bought a 30 minute pass. I had my phone on google maps so i could not scan the app at the tram door in my rush to jump on. At the next stop, i jumped out and scanned the ticket and jumped back on the tram. A voice over the speaker gave an English reminder directed presumably at me that there are QR codes in the interior at the end of each tram. At our stop we had to transfer to a metro. There were 2 inspectors at the entrance. My wife got waved through, but I got stopped. I pulled out my phone to show them that I had a valid 30 minute ticket. The inspector said I still had to scan my ticket before entering the metro station. This makes sense; otherwise a person could sneak in with an expired ticket. But I commented to the inspector that he stopped an ugly guy like me while waving through my pretty wife.

BTW, instead of buying tickets, it turns out you can also just tap your phone and pay. On our last day, on our way to the airport, I purchased an online ticket before going to the metro station . In my rush and confusion to catch the next train, I inadvertently tapped my phone instead of scanning my ticket so I paid twice for the same ride.

P.S. We did the math and the Budacard would not be worth it unless you do about 4 or 5 major attractions in a day. Yikes.

P.P.S. The modern trams are air conditioned. The old trams like the scenic Tram 2 that we rode do not have ac. It was pretty hot during last week's heat wave.

Funpig, good stuff. I will just fill in some holes. Do me a favor. You used the trams and i suspect one or two metro lines a bit. That's good. How much do you suppose you spent on tickets?

If you are over 65 you just show a photo ID if asked. Any photo ID with your birth date on it, even a US Drivers License. The inspectors are a bit shy about asking old folks so if you look your age the odds of being asked are low. I have been asked once in the last three months but that I think was because I was with an underaged (old aged) looking woman….

The odds of there being an inspector at a metro station or on a tram are generally about 1 in 6 but the last week was a bit busier due to the football match in town. Individual tickets have to be validated. If you are using your phone you do it with your phone, if you buy paper tickets you stick them in the machines on the trams and buses and at the entrances to the metro. If you are using passes you just get on and off and show them if asked. No matter what your reason or excuse, if you are caught you will pay the fine and its not cheap.

Most people avail themselves of the use of the trams. The above ground transportation is sort of like a hop on – hop off bus but cheaper.

For most people buying a TravelCard or a Month Pass is cheaper or more convenient (no validating) than individual tickets.

For a four-day visit if you buy a 24-hour and a 72-hour travelcard the cost per day is about $7, which is about the same cost as 4.25 individual tickets per day. If you read the post above, you will see that there is a very good chance that you will be using the equivalent of more than 4 tickets per day. If you stay 5 days and buy a month pass it drops to about $6 per day (the equivalent of 3.75 tickets per day).

The current prices are:
1 ticket = 500 Ft ($1.65)
10 tickets = 450 Ft per ticket ($1.50)
24 hour Budapest Travelcard = 2750 Ft ($9.00)
72 hour Budapest Travelcard = 5750 Ft ($19.00)
4 Days (one of each Travel Card above) = 8500 Ft ($28.00)
1 Month Pass (the number of days in the month in which you buy it) = 8950 Ft ($30.00). Even for 4 days this is just so much easier that I think its worth 2 extra dollars.

None of the cards above are the "Budapest Card". Thats a different animal. Yes, I dont see how they pay for themselves either. They cost 18.000 Ft to 40.000 Ft.

But I commented to the inspector that he stopped an ugly guy like me
while waving through my pretty wife.

On the rare ocassion that I do get stopped and have to show my ID (the last time TTM was sitting next to me and the guy assumed I was as young as she was) I always thank them for the complement.

There was a time when they were pretty "direct" but I think they have all gone through sensitivity training as in the last few years they have been a lot more enjoyable. But, you will still pay the fine. They just make you do it with a smile now.

Mr. Ê is way too nice. The young ticket inspector was so nice, also, that I thought at first he was asking if he could take my picture (very confused), then I thought he asked if I could take his picture. In my defense, I thought he was holding out his phone - plus I have only ever encountered an inspector on a tram once in all my trips. I did look pretty dumb….. But everyone had a good laugh.

Then I went to Szentendre yesterday and did it again on the train back. I was editing pictures sitting in a booth by myself. When the nice young man came up, I just glanced - assuming he had asked if anyone was sitting there. I told him he was welcome to sit there. It wasn’t till the third time that I noticed his BKK shirt. 🤦🏻‍♀️ We laughed about it - and when he finished checking the car, he DID come back and sit down. We had a great chat for the next 10 minutes, with him telling me stories about the job, till the next stop and a new car for him. Actually a highlight of the day. (In my defense, no one checked for tickets on the way TO Szentendre….)

Edit: and yes, there were people without the right ticket on the train yesterday that had to pay a fine…..

All I heard was "What? Do you want to take a picture?" and I am thinking ... "hmmmm do i bail her out or leave her in the clink?"

Not too many years ago I got to tour the then still operational prison that held Kati Marton's mother and father, and where they were tortured during the early cold war years (I know at least one RS type is reading the story, or just finished). I kept expecting to see Schwarzenegger and Stallone like in their 2013 movie "Escape Plan". Not a place you want to be TTM.