Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport is sixteen kilometres south-east of the centre. There is one passenger terminal, Terminal 2, split into 2A and 2B, which share a central arrivals area — so whichever gate you land at, you end up in the same place.
There is no rail link to the airport. That is the single most important thing to know, because it is unusual for a European capital and it means the bus is the main option rather than a fallback.
The 100E airport bus
This is the direct one. It runs between the terminal and Deák Ferenc tér in the city centre, stopping at Kálvin tér and Astoria on the way, and takes about forty minutes depending on traffic.
It requires its own dedicated ticket. Ordinary travelcards and single tickets are not valid on the 100E, which catches out people who have already bought a Budapest pass. Buy the airport ticket from the machine at the bus stop or in the BudapestGO app.
It runs roughly every ten minutes from early morning to late at night, with a reduced night service.
The cheap way: 200E plus metro
Bus 200E runs from the terminal to Kőbánya-Kispest, the southern terminus of metro M3, and from there the metro runs into the centre. Total journey about fifty to sixty minutes.
This is covered by an ordinary single ticket or travelcard — and you need two singles if you are not on a travelcard, because bus to metro is a change of vehicle. If you are buying a 72-hour travelcard anyway, this is effectively free and only slightly slower than the 100E.
Taxis
Főtaxi holds the airport concession and has a marked desk in arrivals. Fares are regulated and metered, and a trip to the centre typically runs to something in the region of four to five times the bus fare. Journey time is twenty-five to forty minutes and can be considerably worse in rush hour.
Bolt operates in Budapest and is usually cheaper than the taxi rank; there is a designated pick-up area. Uber does not operate in Hungary.
Ignore anyone who approaches you inside the terminal offering a car. Licensed taxis do not tout.
Private transfers
Shared minibus transfers used to be the standard recommendation and have largely been overtaken by the 100E and by ride-hailing. They still exist and make sense if you have heavy luggage, a group, or an address well outside the centre.
Times and planning
Allow ninety minutes from the city centre to the terminal for a scheduled departure, and more in weekday rush hour. Security queues at Budapest are usually reasonable but the terminal is compact and busy.
Coming the other way, if you land after about half past midnight, the 100E has stopped and the night bus network takes over — 900 to Kőbánya-Kispest and then a night bus into town, which works but takes over an hour. A Bolt or a taxi is the sensible choice at that hour.
Money on arrival
There are ATMs in arrivals. Use a bank ATM rather than the standalone currency machines in the hall, and always decline the conversion when the machine offers to charge you in your own currency — that is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is poor.
Do not change large amounts of cash at the airport exchange desks. Rates in the city are much better, and card payment is accepted almost everywhere in Budapest, including on buses via the app.
Which to choose
If you are two people with normal luggage heading to the centre, take the 100E. If you have a travelcard and time, take the 200E and the metro. If you are arriving late, in a group, or with small children, take a Bolt and do not think about it further.
Which terminal, and the walk between
Terminal 2A and 2B are joined by SkyCourt, a shared central building with the shops, restaurants and most of the seating. Arrivals for both come out into the same hall, so you do not need to know which pier your flight used. Departures are split, and the walk between the two check-in areas takes about five minutes indoors.
There is no Terminal 1 any more. It closed to passengers in 2012, and the handsome 1930s building is sometimes used for events. Older directions occasionally still mention it, which causes confusion.
Luggage and the bus
The 100E is a standard city bus with luggage space rather than a dedicated coach, and at busy times it fills. If you are travelling with large cases, aim for a departure outside the peak arrival waves in the early evening, or accept that you may stand with a bag between your feet for forty minutes.
Getting back
Both 100E and 200E stop directly outside the terminal, and the stop is signed from the departures hall. Buy the ticket before boarding — there is no on-board sale — and remember that the 100E again needs its own ticket, not your travelcard. This catches people on the way out as reliably as on the way in.