Hungary: FREE trains and public transportation if you are over 65.

Thanks for posting the information. We will be in Budapest for 6 nights in Sept and being able to just hop on and off the public transportation for free will be very handy.

Glad we decided to spend extra time in Budapest

The younger short stay tourists are subsidizing the rest of us. But even younger, if you stay a week or more and buy a 15-day pass, the cost is only a few dollars a day for public transportation.

I'm nervous this won't last long after the upcoming elections, so enjoy.

If you have time, search for Pozsonyi u. In District 13, right off the 4/6 tram line. This is non-tourist, typical Budapest at its best. Bring an appetite, a nose for antiques and good wine and appreciate the Jewish book store operates freely and safely.

I would like even just the convenience of this. I believe Prague also offers ID-only free travel for seniors.

I do wonder why there are so many discounts for seniors around the world, when seniors are usually the wealthiest cohort of the population. Usually I am too embarrassed to ask for it, e.g. the $2 discount for the buffet at Pizza Ranch.

Usually I am too embarrassed to ask for it

An unruly mop of grey hair - no need to ask, the discount is automatically applied.

Tom, Hungary is a very poor country. Especially pensioners. If they do it for Hungarian seniors, the EU, I believe, requires they do it for EU seniors too. Now we are down to non EU senior tourists which aren't many (except RS people) .... maybe just easier to not try and enforce it any other way. Maybe encouraging more tourism income.

I have found Budapest to have two groups of people. The young adults are beautiful and very hip. You'll see them talking to each other practicing their English. And then you have the old pensioners--old ladies wearing long overcoats with scarves over their heads--living out in the suburbs in high rise Iron Curtain apartments. Yep, the old folks appear very poor.

But when we're next there, we'll take advantage of the public transport. Thanks for letting us know.

It's been awhile since we were in Budapest as we've ended up on Mediterranean cruises our last couple of trips--and in Italy. But we'll be back hopefully next year.

We're about through with the large crowds in London, Paris, Florence and Rome--and the relatively high costs of visiting there. There are still many off the beaten path places to visit in countries like Slovenia and Croatia.

Young and hip but relatively poor.

There are still many off the beaten path places to visit in countries like Slovenia and Croatia.

As well as Poland, although it does seem popular for Europeans.

Mister E - it sound like one can function there as a tourist with only English plus a few local language pleasantries?

My city has free bus and tram transportation but only for city residents. The system used to be free for ages under 18 and over 65 but it was recently expanded to the whole population.

There may be lots of NA cities that would like to offer free transport, but with cries for a greatly expanded network to the sprawl the cities are cash-strapped and are unable to offer free-ridership. Even seniors have to pay some form of discounted rate.

Property owners are absolutely bagged out with 5% + annual hikes in property taxes and fees.

markcw, first I would say that Croatia is not exactly off the beaten path any longer. The new Croatia is Montenegro. And when Montenegro becomes like Croatia things will move south to Albania. Done them all, all beautiful.

As a tourist in Hungary with only English? I live here and the only Hungarian I know is "uborka". Okay, I know a bit more.

What do you do if you are a citizen of a small, very poor, country of less than 10 million that speaks the single most obscure language in Europe and you want to have every opportunity to get ahead in life? You learn to speak English of course. So English is very universal in the city, less so in the countryside.

I take Hungarian lessons to increase my connectivity with the culture, not because I have to to be able to have a good life here.

And yes, I understand that N.A. cities are not as wealthy as Hungary.

Bets, I only got this second hand, but from more than one source, but still I say it with some caution that I may be wrong .... I had been told that under the EU agreement that for things like the transportation if it were given to lets say French residents, it had to be extended to all EU residents? Last time I heard this come up as an issue was when the Hungarian government was subsidizing gasoline for Hungarian residents but not permitting foriegn nationals who drove across the border to purchase the gas as the same price. Am I wrong? I trust you on this one.

The cost of living will certainly increase in Hungary with the conversion to the € - it has increased in every other country post conversion - no reason to believe Hungary will be spared. (no firm conversion date has been set, as yet)

You are correct. There will be a 5% bump in costs like there was in other countries. My impression is that the bump leveled out after a few years, then the inflation rate will be what it will be. But the question is, when will that happen. The best Hungarian government / bank estimates are 2030. I bet later than that.

But anyone who jumps through all the hoops to do what I did, just for cost of living will be very dispointed I suspect. More to life than money.

My impression is that the bump levelled out after a few years

For Canadians pre-conversion, the CDN $ was laying waste to the European currencies NOW with the € we are getting our preverbal clocks cleaned with the current exchange rates.

Look, upon arrival in Frankfurt we stay in a small inn north of the city. Pre-conversion we paid 65 marks for the room, the day after conversion the room cost was 65 euro, We felt it, but so would've the Germans.

I have never been to Hungary. This has piqued my interest! Hope I turn 65 before free public transportation becomes history and before the conversion to Euros.

Fantastic. This gives me additional incentive to get back to Budapest in a few weeks , the last time in 2015 on a day trip I bought a ticket to ride the M-4(?)...it was one of the subway lines.

Free public transportation reminds me of the practice by certain hotels in Germany giving the guests the free public transportation pass. If asked in BP, then produce the passport, which is on me anyway...regardless.

Passport or driver's license. They won't look at what ever you pull out. I went thru 3 check points today with nothing but a nod and a smile. They were suspicious of Texad TravrlMom cause she looks so young ..... not a problem I have.

OK, Mr. É, you made me laugh.

I do think things have become a little more expensive in Budapest since my first visit in 2022. But that is because everything felt pretty inexpensive on that trip.

But for those who haven’t been yet and are thinking about it, much of what is amazing is the architecture - and that is completely free, just like the transportation for those over 65. And good food and good wine is extremely affordable.

I am hoping I actually manage to make it on a train trip out of Budapest next time.

TTM, inflation in Hungary did out pace the average inflation in the EU, so some of the gap has been closed. But there is a long way to go. There are a couple of good sources for costs. Both somewhat hampered by a limited data set, but they do give an idea of order of magnatude.

Numbeo is cost of living and safety and crime statistics and comparisons: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=United+States&country2=Hungary&city1=Kansas+City%2C+MO&city2=Budapest&tracking=getDispatchComparison

Budget Your Trip is pure tourism costs: https://www.budgetyourtrip.com/search.php

Pricing for budget travel by location: https://thesavvybackpacker.com/daily-costs-visit-budapest-city-price-guide/

Then the Big Mack index can be examined two ways: First the nerd https://www.economist.com/big-mac-index Then the simple "what do it cost" https://www.statista.com/statistics/274326/big-mac-index-global-prices-for-a-big-mac/