Budapest Card or 3-day pass ?

No, they use the Forint. Euros are taken in the tourist areas (restaurants, gift shops, hotels) but you will pay a transaction fee. You should use Forints. Just get them from ATM's or exchange other currency at a bank. I believe that they will be using the Euro by 2015- but my guess is that your trip is before then!

You can use a charge card for hotels and most restaurants, this gets you the best exchange rate.

Generally, the three day transit pass is a better deal. The Budapest Card only includes very minor discounts at the major sights (I think it was 10%). Some attractions are higher discounts, but these are not ones you will probably visit.

A 3 day card is 7,500 Forints for the Budapest card and a 3 day transit card is 3,850 Forints. That is about an $18 spread. I doubt that any of the discounts on the Budapest card will add up to anywhere near that difference.

THanks, Mike. Next question is about currency. Doesn't Hungary use Euros nowadays ? Would it be a problem if I only use Euros ?

Ok, thanks!

FYI, when I reserved my hotel in Budapest, they charge in Euros, but in Prague, it was in Kronos. Same hotel chain. That's why I thought Hungary already switched to Euros.

I agree, do not buy the Budapest Card, the travel pass is less than the half of the price for the Card.

Same here: working in tourism I can say that buying a budapest card is profitable ONLY if you want to have a tight program 8 hours a day... like 3-4 museums daily, restaurant every night, spas and other things...THEN can you spare the price of the card.
Need more info on Budapest? budapest.nu
or www.budapesttips.co.uk

So 3 day-pass, definitely.

Can I but the 3-day pass from Ferihegy Airport ?

Hi Sonny,

My husband and I just got back a day ago from a trip that included 4 nights in Budapest. We had considered buying a 3-day transit pass but waited until we got there to determine how much we thought we'd be using public transportation.

It turned out that we ended up walking just about everywhere, and even the days where we used the metro we wouldn't have used it nearly enough to justify buying the 3-day pass.

So it may be something to consider, waiting to buy it until you get the "lay of the land." Unless, of course, your lodging is on the outskirts of the tourist center and you already know you'll be using public transit a great deal.

If you do end up going with individual tickets as needed, just don't forget to validate them in the machines at the top of each metro entrance.

Hope you have a great trip - Budapest was one of our highlights!

Also, you can buy a carnet of tickets at the metro stations. I think that there were packs of ten. The discount is minimal, but it makes travel easier since you are not worried about buying tickets on every trip. They are valid on the trams as well.

I will be going to Budapest in May and will be there for 5 days. Would you suggest to buy a 7-day travel pass? And, I have the ISE international student ID. I wonder if the museums would accept this or if they only accept the ISIC international student ID. Do you know?

Compare the cost of a 7 day v/s 2 3-day travel passes and choose the cheaper one.

I was in Budapest for 4 days and went everywhere by walking. I used the metro only to get from the train station to my hotel. If you are not in great shape or if your hotel is far away from everything, I would just by metro tickets when you need them. Budapest is a surprisingly walkable city.

With the 7-day travel card, do I need to validate the ticket every time? or just once when I first use the card?

Just the first time you use it

Per Angela and Kate's responses, it seems like a carnet of 10 tickets would do for a 2 persons. But is this the city where you pay for each ride ? even if you are just transfering to another metro train underground ?