Is Budapest worth a day trip?

Yes, as a short day: 6.1 hours in Budapest, £170 for the whole day, 40 min into town each way. Enough for the centre and one paid sight; pick one, not three.

How long do you actually get in Budapest?

About 6.1 hours in Budapest. Landing to take-off is 10.2 hours; the trip into town and back, passport checks and the time at the airport come off that.

How do you get from Budapest airport into town?

Bus 100E, 40 min, 2,500 HUF. A day ticket on local transport is BKK 24h Budapest-travelcard 2,750 HUF. Cheaper option: Bus 200E + Metro M3, 850 HUF on a 90-minute ticket (or two 500 HUF singles).

What does a day in Budapest cost, not counting the flight?

About £32 a person for the day: local transport, lunch, dinner and a drink. Paid attractions are listed separately because most people do one or none, and an average that includes them is a number nobody actually pays.

Is the flight price on this page the one I will pay?

The fare shown was checked 14 October against Google Flights for this exact date and these exact flights. Fares move, so it can change before you book, and the price is not held for you.

How early do I need to be back at the airport?

Leave the city by 18:20. That allows 40 min to get back to the airport and 135 min there, including 45 min for passport checks on the way out, before the 21:15 flight home.

Will passport checks eat my day?

We allow 30 min on landing for the EU Entry/Exit System (fingerprints and a photo on your first trip) and 45 min extra on the way out. That is already taken off the 6.1 hours shown. These are estimates; queues run longer on busy days.

Day trip to Budapest.
From Birmingham, back by 23:10.

Hungary·Mon 19 Oct · 6.1 hours in the city

£170

the whole day

6.1 hours

in the city

23:10

back in Birmingham

Time in the city

6.1 hours

after transfersAfter transfers and airport time

Airport distance

16km

to the centreFrom Budapest centre (BUD)

Daylight

10.8 hours

07:06 to 17:52Sunrise 07:06, sunset 17:52

First EU trip since 2025? Allow 30 min more.

FlightAirport, immigration and transportIn the city

07:35
Leave Birmingham
TUI Airways
12:15
In the city
Lands 11:05, 30min immigration, 40min from the airport
18:20
Leave the city
40min back, 135min at the airport incl. immigration
23:10
Back in Birmingham
Flies 21:15 with Jet2

Leave BirminghamTUI Airways07:35
Land in Budapest2h 30min11:05
In the city30min immigration, 40min from the airport12:15
Leave the city40min back, 135min at the airport incl. immigration18:20
Fly homeJet2, 2h 30min21:15
Back in Birmingham23:10

How we'd do it

Open up the maps to see full detail.

12:2130 min there

18 min walk

13:0930 min there

5 min walk

13:4415 min there

11 min walk

14:1030 min there

22 min walk

15:0260 min there

16:02Free timeuntil 18:12

about 8 min walk

18:20Back to the airport

100E Airport Express · 40 min

AirportFlight 21:15

Weather while you are there

13:0017°

14:0017°

15:0017°

16:0017°

17:0016°

18:0015°

Budapest’s Christmas markets open 13 Nov

With kids in BudapestShow

First 1,000 members

Become a founder

Half the price, kept for good, for the first 1,000 members.

£19a year, locked for life

Day Trips is live.

Try it for 14 days. Full refund if it's not for you.

Built by Josh and Samar

£19 today for your first year, then £19 a year for as long as you stay.

Day Trip Flight Details

How we'd do it

Open up the maps to see full detail.

12:2130 min there

18 min walk

13:0930 min there

5 min walk

13:4415 min there

11 min walk

14:1030 min there

22 min walk

15:0260 min there

16:02Free timeuntil 18:12

about 8 min walk

18:20Back to the airport

100E Airport Express · 40 min

AirportFlight 21:15

What a day in Budapest costs

Flights and on-the-ground spend, per person.

£170/ all in, per person

Bus 200E + Metro M3 to the city, there and back£4

Local transport£7

Lunch£8

Dinner£13

Beer calculator× 0£0

Entry fees, on top (optional)

Szechenyi Thermal Bath£32 (13,200 Ft)

Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum£23 (9,500 Ft)

Matthias Church£8 (3,400 Ft)

Opening days vary, so check before you go.

Walk the Danube embankment and cross the Chain Bridge, Gellert Hill and the Citadella viewpoint over the city, Margaret Island park, Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial near Parliament, Buda Castle district streets and the lower terracesFree

On the ground£32

Prices checked 3 Oct 2026

Return flight from£138

Google Flights price. Checked 44 hours ago.

Getting to Birminghamfrom free

All in, per person£170

Out with TUI Airways, back with Jet2. Two separate tickets. Book both before you go.

Estimated cost. Fares last checked 14 Oct, 13:12. Prices and availability change and are set by the airline or agent when you book.

Book on Google Flights

Not ready to commit?

The cheapest day trips of the week, free, every Sunday. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Report a problem

First 1,000 members

Become a founder

Half the price, kept for good, for the first 1,000 members.

£19a year, locked for life

Day Trips is live.

Try it for 14 days. Full refund if it's not for you.

Built by Josh and Samar

£19 today for your first year, then £19 a year for as long as you stay.

What you get

Unlimited searches
Save unlimited trips and places
Ask about any city, unlimited
Live fare for your exact date
All your saved places on one map
Your preferences: airports, days, flight length
Themes: 8 looks and your own colour
Every UK airport

Only for founders

£19 a year instead of £39.99, a saving of £20.99 every year
Your price never goes up, even if everyone else's does
Full refund within 14 days, no questions asked.

Getting to the airportShow

Getting to Birmingham

Per person. Not in the total above. Prices checked 25 Sept 2026.

Free

Free drop-offFree
Free for the first 0-10 minutes at the Drop Off car park. Source

Train

From Birmingham (New Street, via the free AirRail Link monorail from Birmingham International station)Price not published10-15 min
Source

Coach

National Express and FlixBus from BirminghamPrice not published
Source

Taxi

From Birmingham city centre£20-£30 one way~10 miles
Estimate, not a quote.

Parking at the airport

Paid drop-offfrom £7
Drop Off car park: free 0-10 min, then £7 (10-15 min) rising to £56 at the 1-hour mark; no-return-within-1hr policy. Source
Car Park 1 (1 min walk)£67
Same-day rate. Source
Car Park 2 & 3 (1 min walk)£67
Same-day rate. Source
Car Park 4 (3-5 min walk)£67
Same-day rate. Source
Car Park 5 (5-10 min walk, free shuttle)£67
Same-day rate. Source
Car Park 7 (meet & greet, bus 10-15 min)£51
Same-day rate. Source
Elmdon Short Stay£51
Same-day rate. Source

More parking

Valet Parking (meet & greet, 1 min walk)No same-day price
Source

Parking nearby

No same-day price published. See multi-day prices

Airparks Self Park (2.1 mi)£7.31
Multi-day price, not a same-day quote. Shuttle 14 min. Source
Airparks Drop & Go (staff park it)£8.12
Multi-day price, not a same-day quote. Shuttle 14 min. Source
Maple Parking Meet & Greet (~2 min walk, on-airport)£9.85
Multi-day price, not a same-day quote. Shuttle 2 min. Source

Costs people forgetShow

Costs people forget

Not in the total above. Worth a minute before you go.

Phone data. EE, Vodafone and Three charge about £2.75 a day to use your allowance in Europe. O2, Tesco Mobile and giffgaff include it free.
Card fees. Many cards add a foreign-exchange fee to every payment abroad. Check yours before you go, or take one that doesn't charge it.

Ask about Budapest

Your hours, your budget, what you like. Answered from real costs and tips from people who have been.

Tips from day trippers

Nobody has left a tip for Budapest yet. Tap a place on the map to be the first.

Day trip to Budapest.
From Birmingham, back by 23:10.

Become a founder

Day Trip Flight Details

Become a founder

Related reading

Budapest Christmas Market 2026 in a Day: Hour by Hour from Stansted

Related reading

Budapest Christmas Market 2026 in a Day: Hour by Hour from Stansted

Day trip to Budapest.From Birmingham, back by 23:10.

Become a founder

Day Trip Flight Details

Become a founder

Related reading

Budapest Christmas Market 2026 in a Day: Hour by Hour from Stansted

Related reading

Budapest Christmas Market 2026 in a Day: Hour by Hour from Stansted

Day trip to Budapest.
From Birmingham, back by 23:10.