💡 The Short Version: BKK repriced the card on 1 May 2026: 17,990 HUF for 24 hours, 23,990 for 48, 29,990 for 72 and 38,990 for 96. It does not cover the Hungarian Parliament, the House of Terror, the Opera tours, Fisherman’s Bastion or Matthias Church. It pays back for a plan of a bath, a museum and a cruise: 24 hours of Lukács, the National Gallery and a cruise cost 22,950 HUF without it. The usual first-timer list costs about 12,000 HUF more with a 72-hour card. Buy it from BKK, not a reseller.
The cards and what they cost
Prices are from BKK’s price page, converted at about 434 HUF to the pound. BKK, Budapest’s transport company, issues the card. Look-alike sites and resellers turn up in search results, and one GetYourGuide listing of the card starts at about £45, above BKK’s 17,990 HUF for 24 hours.
| Card | Price | Before 1 May 2026 | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 hours | 17,990 HUF (about £41) | 16,990 HUF | Public transport and the free and discounted sights below |
| 48 hours | 23,990 HUF (about £55) | 21,990 HUF | The same |
| 72 hours | 29,990 HUF (about £69) | 27,990 HUF | The same |
| 72 hours FLEXI | 27,990 HUF (about £64) | New | Public transport, the discounts, and five free services of your choice from seven, one per category |
| 72 hours PLUS | 39,990 HUF (about £92) | 47,990 HUF | One airport bus round trip, one funicular ride, a lángos and a chimney cake |
| 96 hours | 38,990 HUF (about £90) | 34,990 HUF | The same as 72 hours, for a day longer |
- FLEXI’s seven services: an airport 100E round trip, Lukács bath, a guided walking tour, a folklore show with dinner at GastroCellar, the Castle Bus, one cruise, and one of the Castle Museum, the National Gallery, the National Museum or the MOL Campus Skydeck. Take at most one from each category, so FLEXI allows one museum where the 72-hour card allows all of them.
- PLUS costs 10,000 HUF more than the 72-hour card. The airport round trip (2 × 2,500 HUF) and a funicular ride (4,500 HUF one way) come to 9,500 HUF before the lángos and the chimney cake.
- The 120-hour card was dropped, and the 96-hour card went up by 4,000 HUF.
- Buying and refunds: buy online on bkk.hu or at more than 300 locations. Swap an online voucher for a physical card at the airport, in the city centre or at a BKK ticket machine. A voucher you have not converted can be refunded within 14 calendar days of buying it.
What the card covers
BKK’s partner list for 2026 to 2027 sets this out.
| Free with every card | Discounted with every card | Not on the card |
|---|---|---|
| Public transport in Budapest; the official Buda Castle bus; one Danube cruise (choose one of four boats); the Zugliget chairlift; walking tours of Buda and of Pest | Széchenyi, Rudas, Palatinus and Római baths, 20%; St Stephen’s Basilica, 20%; the Zoo, Madame Tussauds and the Ferris wheel, 20% | The Hungarian Parliament |
| Lukács bath, once; Lupa Beach | Dohány Street Synagogue, the Kazinczy Street Synagogue and the Hungarian Jewish Museum, 10% | The House of Terror |
| The Hungarian National Gallery, the Castle Museum with Saint Stephen’s Hall, the National Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts | The Hospital in the Rock, 15% on BKK’s list and 10% on the hospital’s own price page | The Hungarian State Opera tours |
| Memento Park, the Citadel, the MOL Campus Skydeck, the Pál-völgyi Cave and Margaret Island’s water tower | Legenda cruises, 25%; the airport minibus, 25%; an organ concert in the Basilica, 10% | Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church |
- The funicular is free only with the 72-hour PLUS card.
- The 100E airport bus is covered only by PLUS and, as a choice, by FLEXI. A plain card gives public transport in the city but not the 100E.
- The free cruise: BKV’s riverboat is suspended because of low water, so pick Duna Bella, the sightseeing cruise or the Danube river cruise on the card’s list, and check that the date runs.
- Széchenyi’s 20% applies on site, only to the standard locker ticket: see the Széchenyi tickets guide.
- Budapest public transport: the card replaces a 24-hour travelcard (2,750 HUF) or a 72-hour travelcard (5,750 HUF). The public transport guide has the fares.
The tram 2 stop at Vigadó tér, with Buda Castle across the Danube. Photo: Perituss, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
The sums
Door prices for 2026, adult, on a weekday, from the operators. A cruise is counted at 7,400 HUF, Legenda’s 20 EUR for the Duna Bella day cruise. Transport is the 24-hour travelcard at 2,750 HUF, or 5,750 HUF for the 72-hour one. With the card, transport is free and the discounts come off.
| Plan | Without the card | With the card | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 hours: Lukács bath, the National Gallery and a cruise | 22,950 HUF | 17,990 HUF | Card saves 4,960 |
| 24 hours: the Parliament, the Basilica’s combined ticket and the Dohány Street Synagogue | 32,550 HUF | 45,530 HUF | Card costs 12,980 more |
| 72 hours: Lukács, the National Gallery, the Castle Museum, Memento Park and a cruise | 32,750 HUF | 29,990 HUF | Card saves 2,760 |
| 72 hours: those five, plus Széchenyi and the Basilica’s combined ticket | 52,750 HUF | 46,000 HUF | Card saves 6,750 |
| 72 hours: the Parliament, Széchenyi, the Basilica, the House of Terror, the Dohány Street Synagogue and a cruise | 60,150 HUF | 72,090 HUF | Card costs 11,940 more |
How the figures are built:
- Plan 1: 2,750 (transport) + 7,000 (Lukács) + 5,800 (Gallery) + 7,400 (cruise).
- Plan 2: 2,750 + 14,000 (Parliament) + 6,800 (Basilica) + 9,000 (Dohány). With the card, the Basilica is 5,440 and Dohány 8,100.
- Plan 3: 5,750 + 7,000 + 5,800 + 3,800 (Castle Museum) + 3,000 (Memento Park) + 7,400.
- Plan 4: Plan 3 plus 13,200 (Széchenyi) and 6,800 (Basilica), less 2,640 and 1,360 with the card.
- Plan 5: Parliament 14,000, Széchenyi 13,200, Basilica 6,800, House of Terror 4,000, Dohány 9,000, cruise 7,400 and transport 5,750. The card gives no discount on the Parliament or the House of Terror, and the discounts on the others come to 4,900.
Who the card suits
- A museum, bath and cruise plan. The free entries do the work: the National Gallery (5,800 HUF), the Castle Museum (3,800 HUF), Lukács (7,000 to 8,000 HUF), a cruise and Memento Park (3,000 HUF).
- A visitor who takes the airport bus both ways and wants one museum. The 72-hour FLEXI card is 2,000 HUF below the 72-hour card. Its airport round trip (2 × 2,500 HUF), Lukács (7,000 HUF), a cruise (7,400 HUF) and a museum (5,800 HUF) come to 25,200 HUF, and with the 72-hour travelcard’s 5,750 HUF they cost 30,950 HUF against the card’s 27,990 HUF. A visitor who wants several museums needs the plain 72-hour card.
The Royal Palace courtyard on Castle Hill, home to the Hungarian National Gallery. Photo: Slyronit, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Who it does not suit
- The first-timer list. The Parliament (14,000 HUF), the House of Terror (4,000 HUF) and the Opera tour (12,000 HUF) are not on the card, and the discounts on Széchenyi, the Basilica and Dohány come to about 4,900 HUF.
- Transport alone. A 24-hour travelcard is 2,750 HUF and a 72-hour one 5,750 HUF, so the card never pays for itself on transport.
- Mondays. The National Gallery, which does much of the work in the sums, is closed.
- A short stay with one museum. The card is dearer than the entries it replaces.
The card’s own savings figures, which BKK prints beside each card, assume that you use the attractions it lists. The sights the card does not cover each have a guide: the Hungarian Parliament, the House of Terror and the Opera tours. The ones it discounts are Széchenyi, St Stephen’s Basilica, the Dohány Street Synagogue and the Hospital in the Rock, and the ones it makes free are covered in Buda Castle and the National Gallery and the thermal baths guide. Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church are not on the card. For the rest of the city’s bookings, see what to book before you go to Budapest. 3 days in Budapest and Budapest in one day build the plan round the bookings. Budapest airport to the city centre compares the 100E with the alternatives, and Danube river cruises covers the free cruise. To sleep nearby, where to stay in Budapest compares the areas, best time to visit Budapest covers the seasons, and day trips from Budapest compares the fares for trips beyond the city.
Common questions
How much is the Budapest Card?
From 1 May 2026: 17,990 HUF for 24 hours, 23,990 HUF for 48 hours, 29,990 HUF for 72 hours and 38,990 HUF for 96 hours. The 72-hour FLEXI card is 27,990 HUF and the 72-hour PLUS card 39,990 HUF. BKK, the city's transport company, issues it.
Is the Budapest Card worth it?
Only for a plan built on its free entries: a bath at Lukács, the National Gallery or another museum, a cruise and public transport. The usual first-timer list of the Parliament, Széchenyi, the Basilica, the House of Terror and the Dohány Street Synagogue costs about 12,000 HUF more with a 72-hour card than without.
Does the Budapest Card cover the Hungarian Parliament?
No. The Parliament, the House of Terror, the Opera tours, Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church are not on the card's list of free or discounted sights.
What is free with the Budapest Card?
Public transport in Budapest, the Hungarian National Gallery, the National Museum, the Castle Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Memento Park, the Citadel, one entry to Lukács bath, one Danube cruise, the official Buda Castle bus and the walking tours of Buda and Pest.
What is the difference between the 72-hour FLEXI and PLUS cards?
FLEXI is 27,990 HUF, 2,000 HUF below the 72-hour card, and lets you choose five of seven extras, with one per category. PLUS is 39,990 HUF and adds an airport bus round trip, one funicular ride, a lángos and a chimney cake.
Where do I buy the Budapest Card?
Online on bkk.hu or at more than 300 locations. Swap an online voucher for the physical card at the airport, in the city centre or at a BKK ticket machine. A voucher you have not converted can be refunded within 14 calendar days of purchase.
Does the Budapest Card include the airport bus?
Only the 72-hour PLUS card includes a 100E airport bus round trip, and the 72-hour FLEXI card offers it as one of its five choices. The other cards cover city public transport but not the 100E.
