In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Szentendre and Gödöllő are the easy trips: a suburban train of 39 minutes or less, about £2 to £3 each way to Szentendre and 1,490 HUF (£3.50) return to Gödöllő, and each fits in half a day. Eger is a direct 1 hour 52 minute train (5,660 HUF, £13, return) with no group tour on GetYourGuide, so go on your own. The Danube Bend is the trip a tour improves: three towns on three timetables, and the Danube boats are suspended for low water. Vienna and Bratislava in one day is a tour. Or book a tour: the Danube Bend day tripad (£72.24, 4.3 stars from 652 reviews, 9 hours, lunch included) replaces three bus timetables with one booking and costs about £45 more than doing the loop yourself, and the small-group Vienna and Bratislava tourad (£150.43, 4.7 stars from 289 reviews, 12 hours) is the only practical way to see both in a day (GetYourGuide).
The day trips compared
Train and bus fares are full adult second-class fares from menetrendek.hu, Hungary’s national timetable, and RegioJet’s own search for Vienna and Bratislava. Tour prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” price for one adult.
| Trip | Getting there | Return on your own | Tour from | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Szentendre | HÉV H5 from Batthyány tér, 39 minutes, every 20 minutes | £4.50 to £5.50 | £59.49 | Skanzen is 4,000 HUF and closes for winter on 1 November |
| Danube Bend | Train to Esztergom (1 hour 5 minutes), buses to Visegrád and Szentendre | About £27 with entries | £72.24 | Boats suspended; the tours return by coach |
| Gödöllő | MÁV from Keleti, 25 to 39 minutes | 1,490 HUF (£3.50) | £42.49 | The palace is 5,000 HUF on weekdays and closes on 1 November |
| Eger | MÁV from Keleti, 1 hour 52 minutes, direct | 5,660 HUF (£13) | No group tour on GetYourGuide; private from £216.72 per group | The last train back leaves Eger at 20:08 |
| Lake Balaton | MÁV “S” train from Déli to Balatonfüred, 1 hour 50 minutes, then a 12-minute bus to Tihany | 5,840 HUF (£13.50) | £118.13 | Rail works replace some weekend trains with buses |
| Keszthely and Hévíz | MÁV InterCity from Déli, 2 hours 36 minutes, then a 10 to 20 minute bus | 7,620 HUF (£17.50) | £131.73 to £155 | Hévíz bathing is outdoors only in 2026 |
| Vienna | RegioJet train from Kelenföld, 2 hours 24 minutes to 2 hours 34 minutes | €18 to €52 (£15 to £44) | £150.43, with Bratislava | Schönbrunn is €42 |
| Bratislava | RegioJet bus from Népliget, 2 hours 55 minutes to 3 hours 10 minutes | No same-day return on the direct bus | £150.43, with Vienna | Castle €14; the history museum is closed on Tuesdays |
| Puszta horse show | Tour by coach; trains go as far as Kecskemét, 1 hour 26 minutes | n/a | £94.58 | The trains stop at Kecskemét; the tours drive on to the ranch |
When a tour is worth it
A tour earns its price where the connections are poor or the day is long:
- Vienna and Bratislava. By train you reach Vienna alone, with about 7 hours there; Bratislava has no same-day return by the direct bus. The Blueridge small-group tourad (£150.43, 4.7 stars from 289 reviews, 12 hours) covers both with hotel pickup, and the full-day guided tourad (£160.63, 4.8 stars from 319 reviews) can end in Vienna. The Vienna and Bratislava guide has the stops.
- The Danube Bend. Cityrama’s day tripad (£72.24, 652 reviews) and the Program Centrum tour with a 3-course lunchad (£92.64, 4.1 stars from 943 reviews) cost £45 to £66 more than the loop on your own. They save three timetables and the Visegrád hill. The Danube Bend guide compares them.
- The Puszta. The trains stop at Kecskemét and the show is at a ranch outside it, so the full-day tour with lunch and showad (£96.04, 4.6 stars from 143 reviews) or the 5-hour half dayad (£94.58) is the only way. See the Puszta guide.
- Gödöllő. A guided visit costs £42.49 to £50.99 against about £15 on your own, and buys a guide in a palace that is otherwise self-guided with a 1,000 HUF audioguide. The Gödöllő guide has the three tours.
Not worth a tour: Eger (GetYourGuide has no group tour), Szentendre (the HÉV costs about £5 return against £59.49 for the half-day tour, which adds only a guide) and Lake Balaton and Hévíz (the trains are a third of the price; the small-group tours are capped at 8 and 4 guests).
The trips
Szentendre
HÉV H5, 39 minutes, every 20 minutes · Skanzen 4,000 HUF · tour from £59.49
A riverside town at the end of the H5 HÉV line, with a free old town and the Hungarian Open Air Museum, Skanzen, on its edge. The Szentendre guide has the HÉV tickets, the Skanzen season and the half-day tours.
The Danube Bend
Train to Esztergom 1 hour 5 minutes, 1,120 HUF · Esztergom Basilica combined ticket 5,600 HUF · Visegrád Citadel 2,800 HUF · tour from £72.24
Esztergom’s basilica, the hilltop Citadel at Visegrád and Szentendre on one loop. MAHART’s Budapest boats are listed as not running from 13 July to 11 October 2026 because of low water, and the tours return by coach. The Danube Bend guide has the loop by bus and train.
Esztergom and the Danube from the Basilica’s tower. Photo: Karelj, Wikimedia Commons.
Gödöllő
MÁV from Keleti, 25 to 39 minutes, 745 HUF each way · palace 5,000 HUF weekdays, 5,400 weekends · tour from £42.49
The Grassalkovich palace, where Franz Joseph and Elisabeth spent their summers, with a park and a half-day trip. Closed on 1 November and from 23 to 26 December. The Gödöllő guide has the tickets and the three tours.
The Grassalkovich palace at Gödöllő, seen from the park. Photo: Andres rus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Eger
MÁV InterRégió “Agria”, 1 hour 52 minutes, 2,830 HUF each way · castle 4,800 HUF · thermal bath 4,600 HUF
A baroque town with a castle, a minaret and the Valley of the Beautiful Women, where the wine cellars are. GetYourGuide has no group tour to Eger; the train leaves Keleti every hour. The Eger guide has the order of the day and the last train back.
Eger’s rooftops and the Minorite Church tower, seen from the castle. Photo: isol, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Lake Balaton
MÁV “S” train from Déli to Balatonfüred, 1 hour 50 minutes, 2,520 HUF each way · Tihany Abbey 3,400 HUF · tour from £118.13
The north shore: Balatonfüred, the Tihany peninsula and the abbey, with the Szántód to Tihany car ferry at 1,000 HUF. The Lake Balaton guide has the trains, the bus and the one small-group tour.
Keszthely and Hévíz
MÁV InterCity from Déli, 2 hours 36 minutes, 3,410 HUF each way · Festetics Palace 5,200 HUF · Hévíz lake from 4,500 HUF
The Festetics Palace in Keszthely and the thermal lake at Hévíz, 10 to 20 minutes by bus apart. The central bath building at Hévíz is closed and bathing is outdoors only in 2026. The Hévíz and Keszthely guide has the day costed.
Vienna and Bratislava
RegioJet train to Vienna, 2 hours 24 minutes to 2 hours 34 minutes · tour from £150.43
Vienna is a day by train, about 7 hours on the ground, and Bratislava needs a tour or a night. The Vienna and Bratislava guide has the RegioJet times, Schönbrunn’s prices and the two tours.
The Puszta horse show
Tour £94.58 to £96.04 · 5 to 8 hours
Kecskemét and a ranch at Lajosmizse for a horse show, a carriage ride and lunch. The Puszta guide compares the three tours.
Other trips
These have no page of their own.
Pécs
MÁV InterCity “Mecsek” from Déli, 2 hours 26 minutes to 2 hours 33 minutes, 4,600 HUF each way · Zsolnay ticket 9,900 HUF
Eight direct trains a day, the first at 06:05 and the last direct train back at 19:14, so a day trip is about 5 hours on the train for a few hours in town. The Zsolnay Cultural Quarter is free to walk and its exhibitions are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00; the Zsolnay ticket (9,900 HUF) covers the Gyugyi Collection, the family and factory exhibition and the other sites (zsolnaynegyed.hu). Go overnight.
Hollókő
One direct bus a day · otherwise 2 hours 19 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes with a change at Salgótarján, 2,230 to 2,360 HUF
A UNESCO village that public transport does not serve as a day trip: the one direct bus leaves Budapest at 15:20 and the one back leaves Hollókő at 05:07. GetYourGuide sells it as a private tourad (£280.46 per group, 4.8 stars from 4 reviews), or with Eger in one dayad (£207.66 per group).
Tokaj
MÁV InterCity “Tokaj”, 2 hours 43 minutes, 4,600 HUF each way, 16 direct trains
The wine town, and a long day: 5½ hours on the train. GetYourGuide has private tours only (£399.44 per groupad).
Pannonhalma
Rail to Győr, 1 hour 5 minutes to 2 hours 5 minutes, 2,520 to 3,170 HUF, then a local bus
The Benedictine archabbey has no direct connection from Budapest, and there is no tour. Treat it as a night away, with Győr on the way.
Etyek and the wine villages
Volánbusz from Kelenföld, 46 to 51 minutes, about 600 HUF each way · tour from £72.24
The wine region west of the city. A tasting needs a cellar that takes visitors, which is what the tours arrange: City & Wine’s half-day tourad (£72.24, 4.8 stars from 807 reviews, 4 to 5 hours) includes two courses and tastings, and the Páty wine village tourad (£80.74, 4.9 stars from 170 reviews, 3 hours) includes at least four wines and a tapas plate.
Before you choose a day
| Where | Closed or limited |
|---|---|
| Danube boats from Budapest | MAHART lists Szentendre, Visegrád and Esztergom as not running from 13 July to 11 October 2026; after that they are seasonal, so check mahartpassnave.hu for your date |
| Skanzen, Szentendre | Closed from 1 November, except the St Martin’s festival on 14 and 15 November; closed Mondays in season |
| Visegrád Citadel | Exhibitions free on Friday 23 October 2026; hours shorten from 27 October |
| Visegrád Royal Palace | Closed Mondays |
| Gödöllő Royal Palace | Closed 1 November and 23 to 26 December |
| Eger Castle | Hours are posted to 31 October |
| Eger Observatory | Closed Mondays from October to March |
| Tihany Abbey | From 1 November, 10:00 to 16:00; from Monday to Thursday only the church and crypt are open |
| Festetics Palace, Keszthely | Closed Mondays outside June to August, and on 1 November |
| Hévíz lake | Closes at 17:00 from 5 to 24 October and 16:00 from 25 October |
| Bratislava Castle history museum | Closed Tuesdays |
| Zsolnay exhibitions, Pécs | Closed Mondays |
| Balaton line | Rail works replace direct trains with buses on some weekends, including Saturday 10 October 2026; check MÁV for your date |
Friday 23 October is a national holiday, and Sunday 1 November closes several of these sites. The Vienna, Bratislava and Danube Bend tours cross a border or stop near one, so carry your passport. For the month, see the best time to visit Budapest. Budapest public transport has the tickets and stations for HÉV, Keleti, Déli and Nyugati, where to stay in Budapest has the areas for the nights between trips, and the airport to the city centre covers the first and last day. What to book before you go to Budapest has the city tickets, 3 days in Budapest shows where a day trip fits, Budapest in one day is the plan if you have no day to spare, and the Budapest Card guide says when a pass pays back. Danube river cruises covers the sightseeing boats in the city, and Budapest’s thermal baths compared covers a bath without leaving it.
Common questions
What is the easiest day trip from Budapest?
Szentendre and Gödöllő. Szentendre is the H5 HÉV from Batthyány tér, 39 minutes, every 20 minutes. Gödöllő is a MÁV train from Keleti, 25 to 39 minutes and 745 HUF each way, and the palace costs 5,000 HUF on a weekday. Both fit into half a day.
Which day trips from Budapest need a tour?
Vienna and Bratislava in one day, and the Puszta horse show, because the trains stop at Kecskemét and the show is at a ranch outside it. The Danube Bend is the third: three towns on three timetables, with the Danube boats suspended for low water. Eger, Gödöllő, Szentendre, Lake Balaton and Hévíz are cheaper on your own.
Can you take a boat from Budapest to Szentendre or Visegrád?
Not at the moment. MAHART lists its Budapest to Szentendre, Visegrád and Esztergom boats as not running from 13 July to 11 October 2026 because of low water. When they run they are seasonal, so check mahartpassnave.hu for your date before you plan around one, and never rely on a boat for the way back.
Is Pécs a day trip from Budapest?
Not a comfortable one. The Mecsek InterCity takes 2 hours 26 minutes to 2 hours 33 minutes each way and costs 4,600 HUF, and the last direct train back leaves Pécs at 19:14. Stay a night.
