Difference between revisions of "Budapest"

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== Hitching in ==
 
== Hitching in ==
  
If your driver is only going around Budapest on the ring road, and not entering the city, the best exit points are Dabas-Soroksár (close to M5, south-east) from which you can take a bus to Népliget, and Dunakeszi-Újpest (close to M2, north) from which you can take bus 104.
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If your driver is only going around Budapest on the ring road, and not entering the city, the best exit points are '''Dabas-Soroksár''' (close to M5, south-east) from which you can take a bus to Népliget, and '''Dunakeszi-Újpest''' (close to M2, north) from which you can take bus 104.
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Dabas-Soroksár is the exit from the M5 to the local road number 5. If you get from the highway onto the 5, walk or ask the driver to bring you 2km in direction of the city center (towards the M51). After you pass the M51 there will be a MOL petrol station. Behind the petrol station is the bus number 66. This one will go inside the city and will bring you to the next metro station, too.
  
 
== Hitching out ==
 
== Hitching out ==
  
 
(These directions are for leaving the city centre. See [[Budapest Ferihegy international airport]] for hitching from there.)
 
(These directions are for leaving the city centre. See [[Budapest Ferihegy international airport]] for hitching from there.)
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'''Take care! Due to increasing popularity of car-sharing services and the risks of the refugee crisis drivers are less wiling to pick-up hitchhikers. If you are not a european face your chances are minimal."
  
 
=== Northwest towards [[Bratislava]], [[Vienna]] M1 {{E|60}} & Southwest towards [[Zagreb]] M7 {{E|71}} ===
 
=== Northwest towards [[Bratislava]], [[Vienna]] M1 {{E|60}} & Southwest towards [[Zagreb]] M7 {{E|71}} ===
==== Option 1: Motorway service station M1/M7 (OMV) '''Kelenföld''' ====
 
1. Take bus 8E from ''Keleti pályaudvar'' (Keleti train station) in the direction of Kelenföld vasútállomás M, (and change at BAH-csomópont for bus 139), or take bus 139 from ''Széll Kálmán tér'' in the direction of Gazdagréti tér, and get off at ''Nagyszeben út'' (not Nagyszeben tér!). Walk back 100m east in the direction the bus came from along Budaörsi út and you will see the OMV petrol station and McDonalds on the right.
 
  
2. Take metro 4 from ''Keleti pályaudvar'' to the last stop ''Kelenföld vasútállomás''. Walk through the underpass and up the steps in northwest direction. Continue along the footpath till you reach the main road Budaörsi út. Cross the main road and turn left and walk west for 250m along Budaörsi út till you reach the OMV petrol station / McDonalds.
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==== Option 1 : OMV petrol station BAH-csomópont ====
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Take bus 8E, 110, 112 from ''Keleti pályaudvar'', or 139, 140, 140A from ''Széll Kálmán tér'', in direction of Kelenföld vasútállomás M and get off at ''BAH-csomópont''. Alternatively, trams 17 and 61 stop here. Also, you can walk ≈4.5km west from Keleti train station to the beginning of ''Budaörsi út''.<br/ >
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This place is relatively close to the center and there is a lot of traffic to the M1 and M7. It appears like this is the only option in the list that nobody has specifically spoken against.
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*''Great place to hitchhike. It took us half an hour to get a ride all the way to Prague.' -- September, 2017 [[User:Kossabossa|Kossabossa]]
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==== Option 2: Motorway service station M1/M7 (OMV) '''Kelenföld''' ====
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1. Take bus 8E from ''Keleti pályaudvar'' (Keleti train station) in the direction of Kelenföld vasútállomás M, (and change at BAH-csomópont for bus 139), or take bus 139 from ''Széll Kálmán tér'' in the direction of Gazdagréti tér, and get off at ''Nagyszeben út'' (not Nagyszeben tér!). Walk back 100m east in the direction the bus came from along Budaörsi út and you will see the OMV petrol station and McD on the right.
  
This petrol station is at the very beginning of the motorway that splits after a few kms into motorways M1 and M7. Many cars stop here also because of the McD's (thumbing at the exit works well, as many cars go only to McD's and do not tank). Alternatively, there is also an Agip petrol station about 200m further along the road.
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2. Take metro 4 from ''Keleti pályaudvar'' to the last stop ''Kelenföld vasútállomás''. Walk through the underpass and up the steps in northwest direction. Continue along the footpath till you reach the main road Budaörsi út. Cross the main road and turn left and walk west for 250m along Budaörsi út till you reach the OMV petrol station / McD.
  
'''Edit July 2015''': '''Do not go there!''' Motorway under construction = bad place! Much better option is to take bus 272 from Moricz zsigmond and stop at Budaörs, benzinkút.
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This petrol station is at the very beginning of the motorway that splits after a few kms into motorways M1 and M7. Many cars stop here also because of the McD (thumbing at the exit works well, as many cars go only to McD and do not tank). Alternatively, there is also an Agip petrol station about 200m further along the road.
  
'''Edit August 2015''': We went there and after the petrol station, there is an other one (like 1 minute walking further), and you can hitchhike directly on the road front of it. The construction is actually great because cars aren't going that fast. Got a ride to Vienna in 10 minutes.
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However, people using this spot say:  
  
==== Option 2 : OMV petrol station BAH-csomópont ====
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(The construction work is over, and the junction is significantly rebuilt! Do not trust on Google Streetview, it shows the old system. Most traffic heading to the motorway AVOID the McDonalds on new lanes, you can try at the exit of the OMV station, or at the area of the AGIP (will be rebranded to MOL) petrol station.)
Take bus 8E, 110, 112 from ''Keleti pályaudvar'', or 139, 140, 140A from ''Széll Kálmán tér'', as in Option 1 but get off closer to the city centre at stop ''BAH-csomópont''. Alternatively, trams 17 and 61 stop here. Also, you can walk ≈4.5km west from Keleti train station
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to the beginning of ''Budaörsi út''.<br/ >
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*''Do not go there! Motorway under construction = bad place! Much better option is to take bus 272 from Moricz zsigmond and stop at Budaörs, benzinkút. [See Option 3]'' -- July 2015
This place is closer to the centre than in Option 1, but there is a lot of traffic to the M1 and M7.
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*''We went there and after the petrol station, there is another one (like 1 minute walking further), and you can hitchhike directly on the road front of it. The construction is actually great because cars aren't going that fast. Got a ride to Vienna in 10 minutes.'' -- August 2015
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*''Definitely don't go here, it's a really bad spot. Cars coming around the corner, driving fast and they have no time to see you. Got picked up after 3 hours luckily because the guy knew there were a lot of hitchhikers on this spot.'' -- July 2016
  
 
==== Option 3: Motorway service station M1/M7 (Agip) '''Budaörs''' ====
 
==== Option 3: Motorway service station M1/M7 (Agip) '''Budaörs''' ====
 
Take metro 4 from ''Keleti pályaudvar'' to the last stop ''Kelenföld vasútállomás''. Take bus 172 or 173 and get off at stop ''Budaörs, benzinkút'', which is right at the Agip service station.<br/ >
 
Take metro 4 from ''Keleti pályaudvar'' to the last stop ''Kelenföld vasútállomás''. Take bus 172 or 173 and get off at stop ''Budaörs, benzinkút'', which is right at the Agip service station.<br/ >
It has a lot of traffic to both motorways can be a great place if you get a chance to talk to drivers, though the staff of the petrol station may not allow it. Note: This is a bad spot, even though it looks perfect - it's next to the motorway, but most cars come there from the small local road and are driving only in the vicinity. Went from there 4 times, waiting time from 1h to 3.5h.
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It has a lot of traffic to both motorways and can be a great place if you get a chance to talk to drivers, though the staff of the petrol station may not allow it. One person using this spot cautions: ''"This is a bad spot, even though it looks perfect -- it's next to the motorway, but most cars come there from the small local road and are driving only in the vicinity. Went from there 4 times, waiting time from 1h to 3.5h."''
  
 
==== Option 4: Motorway service station M1 '''Biatorbagy''' ====  
 
==== Option 4: Motorway service station M1 '''Biatorbagy''' ====  
 
Take metro 4 from ''Keleti pályaudvar'' to the last stop ''Kelenföld vasútállomás''. Then take a local train to ''Biatorbagy'' (it costs about EUR 1 (HUF 370)). From the station, turn right for 20m, and then right again at the roundabout under the railway tracks along Dózsa György út for ≈350m until you reach a main road. Turn left (northwest) and follow this national road 1 for 2km to a turning on the right. Walk north along this road for ≈750m under the motorway bridge to the service station on the north side of the motorway.<br/ >
 
Take metro 4 from ''Keleti pályaudvar'' to the last stop ''Kelenföld vasútállomás''. Then take a local train to ''Biatorbagy'' (it costs about EUR 1 (HUF 370)). From the station, turn right for 20m, and then right again at the roundabout under the railway tracks along Dózsa György út for ≈350m until you reach a main road. Turn left (northwest) and follow this national road 1 for 2km to a turning on the right. Walk north along this road for ≈750m under the motorway bridge to the service station on the north side of the motorway.<br/ >
If you are ready to invest some time to get to the first petrol station after the motorway splits, you should do so because it is a perfect spot because essentially all the cars there are going towards Vienna/Bratislava.  
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If you are ready to invest some time to get to the first petrol station after the motorway splits, you should do so because it is a perfect spot as essentially all the cars there are going towards Vienna/Bratislava.
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However, one person says:
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*''I tried this option and it is not working. There is not local train nor bus going to "Biatorbagy".'' -- January 2017
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**As of July 2017, both S10/G10 (direction Győr) and S12 (direction Oroszlány or Komárom in the late evening) go from Budapest-Déli via Kelenföld to Biatorbágy - check https://www.mavcsoport.hu/en for timetable and price (still HUF 370) -- [[User:Ans|Ans]] ([[User talk:Ans|talk]])
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This option works super good in June 2019
  
 
==== Option 5: Various spots near the city centre ====
 
==== Option 5: Various spots near the city centre ====
Starting from inside the city (between Moszkva tér and Kelenföld) is a possibility worth trying, especially because there are some good spots that are quite popular among local hitchhikers. Pros are that you don't need to spend any money on transport; cons are that there is a lot of local traffic and so waiting times could be very long.
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Starting from inside the city (between Moszkva tér and Kelenföld) is a possibility worth trying, especially because there are some good spots that are quite popular among local hitchhikers. Pros are that you don't need to spend any money on transport; cons are that there is a lot of local traffic and so waiting times could be very long. (In real nobody will take you, go out to the edge of the city).
  
 
=== South towards [[Szeged]], [[Serbia]], [[Arad]] ([[Romania]]) (M5) {{E|75}} ===
 
=== South towards [[Szeged]], [[Serbia]], [[Arad]] ([[Romania]]) (M5) {{E|75}} ===
==== Option 1: Start of M5 motorway ====
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Take the metro to ''Határ út''. Then take bus [http://www.bkv.hu/busz/84e.html #84E], [http://www.bkv.hu/busz/89e.html #89E] or [http://www.bkv.hu/busz/294e.html #294E] to the stop ''Naszód utca (Használtcikk piac)''. Here you can start to hitch (you should see a Citroen car lot on the other side of the road. A sign "Szeged" is useful. If you take bus 84E, you can continue straight onto the motorway to a OMV petrol station that you can hitch from.
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These spots are ordered by their proximity to the city center.
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==== Option 1: Gyáli út ====
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Take tram 4 or 6 to ''Boráros tér'', then take bus number 54 or 55 to the stop ''Gyáli út''. Walk straight for 75 m and then turn left on the street ''Gyáli út''. After about 150 m there is a curve in the road, turn right there and walk to the motorway (it's not yet a motorway officially, so you can hitchhike there). There is no road or pavement leading there, but it's easy to cross. You will see a half complete ramp on your right going on the motorway. It's basicaly a 100 meters long lane with no traffic on it, it's ideal for cars to stop, and you are also visible from a long distance. As of January 2017, there is some construction which leaves no space for stopping except on the exit lane of the petrol station nearby. The spot still worked quite well, but [[User:Zenit|Zenit]] would recommend options 2 or 3 instead.
  
 
==== Option 2: Petrol Station OMV on Nagykőrösi út ====
 
==== Option 2: Petrol Station OMV on Nagykőrösi út ====
Take tram 4 or 6 to ''Boráros tér'', then take bus 54 or 55 to the stop ''Radnó utca''. There is a petrol station on the other side of the noise barrier wall. You could also thumb at the bus stop on the bus-only lane. Don't go any further, this road will change into a motorway in few hundred meters.
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Take tram 4 or 6 to ''Boráros tér'', then take bus 54 or 55 to the stop ''Radnó utca''. There is a petrol station on the other side of the noise barrier wall. You could also thumb at the bus stop on the bus-only lane. If you want to go any further, option 3 is about 800 meters down the road.
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Edit from other hitchhikers: Petrol station seemed to be a good spot. However we (2 guys) waited almost 2 hours. It's a good idea to bring a Hungarian flag.
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*  [[User:justgettingaround|Justgettingaround]] we (2 girls) got on this in August 2019. Didn´t have much luck at the petrol station - most people just staying around town - so we walked up to the other side of the noise barrier and got a ride within 15-20 mins. Took us all the way to Belgrade (although the border was about a 2 hour wait) in just one day :)
  
==== Option 3: Gyáli út ====
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==== Option 3: Start of M5 motorway ====
Take tram 4 or 6 to ''Boráros tér'', then take bus number 54 or 55 to the stop ''Gyáli út''. Walk straight for 75 m and then turn left on the street ''Gyáli út''. After about 150 m there is a curve in the road, turn right there and walk to the motorway (it's not yet a motorway officially, so you can hitchhike there). There is no road or pavement leading there, but it's easy to cross. You will see a half complete ramp on your right going on the motorway. It's basicaly a 100 meters long lane with no traffic on it, it's ideal for cars to stop, and you are also visible from a long distance.
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Take the metro to ''Határ út''. Then take bus [http://www.bkv.hu/busz/84e.html #84E], [http://www.bkv.hu/busz/89e.html #89E] or [http://www.bkv.hu/busz/294e.html #294E] to the stop ''Naszód utca (Használtcikk piac)''. Here you can start to hitch (you should see a Citroen car lot on the other side of the road. A sign "Szeged" is useful. If you take bus 84E, you can continue straight onto the motorway to a OMV petrol station that you can hitch from. (This information is unconfirmed; maybe this is the OMV in option 2.)
  
 
==== Option 4: Motorway service station M5 Inárcs ====
 
==== Option 4: Motorway service station M5 Inárcs ====
 
Take the metro 3 to ''Népliget''. Take bus [http://www.volanbusz.hu/en/timetable/lines/line/?menetrend=2204 Volánbusz 608] to ''Inárcsi elág (M5-ös út)''. After approximately 30km, it will leave the motorway and go to Inárcs. Remember the way and get off the bus at the first stop (shortly past where the town starts) and walk back to the OMV petrol station where the bus left the motorway. Take care, because there is no sidewalk and cars/trucks can be quite fast. It is the first big petrol station on M5 after Budapest [http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/47.2750/19.3289] and there will be cars and trucks to all the southerly destinations - just ask around. You can look for foreign plates if you want to leave the country.<br/ >
 
Take the metro 3 to ''Népliget''. Take bus [http://www.volanbusz.hu/en/timetable/lines/line/?menetrend=2204 Volánbusz 608] to ''Inárcsi elág (M5-ös út)''. After approximately 30km, it will leave the motorway and go to Inárcs. Remember the way and get off the bus at the first stop (shortly past where the town starts) and walk back to the OMV petrol station where the bus left the motorway. Take care, because there is no sidewalk and cars/trucks can be quite fast. It is the first big petrol station on M5 after Budapest [http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/47.2750/19.3289] and there will be cars and trucks to all the southerly destinations - just ask around. You can look for foreign plates if you want to leave the country.<br/ >
Transport will cost 350 HUF for a metro ticket and HUF 650 for the bus (Sep 2015)
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Transport will cost 350 HUF for a metro ticket and HUF 650 for the bus (November 2019)
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*[[User:Movethathoof|Movethathoof]] made the trek out here in November 2019 (be sure you find the right bus buy at the terminal!) and had a ride to Timisoara in Romania with the very first car that passed him (and the station looked like it would have been an excellent spot even if he hadn't had such luck).
  
 
=== South towards [[Érd]], [[Pécs]] (6, M6) {{European Route Number|73}} ===
 
=== South towards [[Érd]], [[Pécs]] (6, M6) {{European Route Number|73}} ===
 
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Take tram 61 from near train station ''Déli Pályaudvar'', or tram 6 from ''Blaha Lujza tér.'', or bus 7 from ''Ferenciek tere'', to ''Móricz Zsigmond körtér''. From here, cross the street and walk on for about 20m. Take bus 33 or 33A and get off at ''Budatétényi Sorompó'' (the stop after the big shopping mall Campona on your left). From the bus stop, turn back and walk in the direction the bus just came from. Cross the street at the first crossing to your right (Növény ut.). That street has a railway overpass that crosses over it. Walk under the overpass and in a couple of minutes you'll arrive at a busy road. This is road #6 that goes south to Pécs. Turn left on that road and start hitching before the traffic light near the bus stop. There is enough room for cars to pull over there.
To get out of Budapest, get to the public transportation hub ''Móricz Zsigmond körtér''. You can take tram 61 from near the train station ''Déli Pályaudvar'', or tram 6 from ''Blaha Lujza tér'' or ''Ferenc krt''. You can also take bus 7 from ''Ferenciek tere''. Once you are at ''Móricz Zsigmond körtér'', cross the street, walk further for about 20 m and get on bus 33 or 33A. After approximately 27 minutes, you’ll see a big shopping mall called Campona on your left. Get off at the next stop, ''Budatétényi Sorompó''. From the bus stop, turn back and walk the way the bus just came. Cross the street at the first crossing to your right. There’s no street sign, so no name. That street has a railway overpass that crosses over it. Walk under the overpass and in a couple of minutes you'll arrive at a busy road. This is road #6 that goes south to Pécs. Turn left on that road and start hitching before the traffic light near the bus stop. There is enough room for cars to pull over there.
 
  
 
If you take bus 33, you can go until the last stop (''Nagytétény, Chinoin''). Walk forward (east) for 200 m and then turn left to the ramp which leads you to a roundabout. There is an entry to the M6 here where you can thumb.
 
If you take bus 33, you can go until the last stop (''Nagytétény, Chinoin''). Walk forward (east) for 200 m and then turn left to the ramp which leads you to a roundabout. There is an entry to the M6 here where you can thumb.
  
For food, bathroom, and buses, get dropped of at the Tesco in Pécs. There's a bus station there where cars can stop.  
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For food, bathroom, and buses, get dropped of at the Tesco in Pécs. There's a bus station there where cars can stop.
  
 
=== East towards [[Miskolc]], [[Košice]] ([[Slovakia]]), [[Ukraine]] (M3) {{European Route Number|71}} ===
 
=== East towards [[Miskolc]], [[Košice]] ([[Slovakia]]), [[Ukraine]] (M3) {{European Route Number|71}} ===
Line 83: Line 106:
 
==== Option 4: Motorway service station M3 ====
 
==== Option 4: Motorway service station M3 ====
 
Take bus 5 from ''Blaha Lujza tér'' in the direction of Rákospalota, Kossuth utca and get off at ''Juhos utca''. Walk ≈450m northeast along Régi Fóti út. You will see a Lidl supermarket on the right. Turn right on the small road and walk southeast for 1km crossing over the motorway bridge. (You can see the service station on the left from the bridge). Take the first road left after the bridge and walk ≈700m until you see the big Praktiker store. Turn left and walk through the car park to the end and jump over the small-ish fence and once past the road, you will be on the petrol station. There is a McDonalds and KFC here too.
 
Take bus 5 from ''Blaha Lujza tér'' in the direction of Rákospalota, Kossuth utca and get off at ''Juhos utca''. Walk ≈450m northeast along Régi Fóti út. You will see a Lidl supermarket on the right. Turn right on the small road and walk southeast for 1km crossing over the motorway bridge. (You can see the service station on the left from the bridge). Take the first road left after the bridge and walk ≈700m until you see the big Praktiker store. Turn left and walk through the car park to the end and jump over the small-ish fence and once past the road, you will be on the petrol station. There is a McDonalds and KFC here too.
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''''''Option 5:'''''' Kacsóh Pongrác út bus station''''''
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Take M1 to Mexikói út metro station and cross the railways in the underpass to the Róbert Károly körút where you will find Kacsóh Pongrác út bus station. It's a very safe place to stop and it is directly before the entrance to the M3 highway. (Waiting time as a woman 10-15 min, hichhiked many times here)
  
 
=== East towards [[Szolnok]], [[Debrecen]], [[Oradea]] ([[Romania]]) {{European Route Number|60}}, (4) ===
 
=== East towards [[Szolnok]], [[Debrecen]], [[Oradea]] ([[Romania]]) {{European Route Number|60}}, (4) ===
  
#Take metro line 3 to the end of the line where you will find a bus station. Take the airport bus, it will stop at terminal 1, stay on the bus until the second to last stop before the airport. You will notice that the city ends quite abruptly. Prior to this you will see a petrol station, this is the last petrol station for at least 10–15 km. From the second to last bus stop you will have to walk back to this station. There is no good place to hitch after this point for around 10–15 km as the road is motorway. Later on there are more hitching opportunities and it's easy to get dropped off somewhere useful.
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==== Option 1: Agip petrol station on national road 4 ====
#Take a regional train from the train station ''Nyugati Pályaudvar'' to the station ''Üllő'' (it costs about HUF 550 and takes 30 minutes). You can walk through the town to a big roundabout where there is a MOL petrol station.
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Take metro 3 to the end of the line at ''Kőbánya-Kispest''. Walk to the bus station on the other side of the #4 road. Take the airport bus 200E and get off at the second to last stop before the airport: ''Vecsés-nyugat''. Walk back along the road ≈600m and you will reach the Agip petrol station & McDonalds.<br/ >
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==== Option 2: Üllő roundabout & MOL petrol station ====
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Take a regional train from train station ''Nyugati Pályaudvar'' to ''Üllő'' (550 HUF and 30 min ride). Walk ≈700m southwest on Deák Ferenc ut. till you reach the main road through the town Pesti út. Turn left (southeast) here and walk 2km along Pesti út to the large roundabout and MOL petrol station at the end of town. You can also hitch 100m past the roundabout on national road 4; although there's no shoulder, there is some space for cars to pull over and stop. 20/09/17 Tried option 1 for 3 hours and then went to option 2, waited maybe 30min.
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=== Option 3:  M3 Highway for Debrecen ===
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Take a subway till station Mexicói út after walk 4 km ( it's pretty far and I saw a bus  25, but didn't check from where is it going ) till you cross Ozman utca( or around it) it will be a gas station OMV, the road is going among M3 highway, and here some cars are going to a gas station from Highway to this road and back to the highway, and also there is a bus stop after a gas station, where is very convenient to stop the car. I spent 10 mins and caught a straight car to Debrecen. 
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( dec 2017)
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*July,2018 I used the google map to go to this OMV station, got off at metro station Mxicoi Ut and took the bus 25,price 350Huf, you cannot blackride because the driver only open the front door, got off after 8 stops, walked 300m aross the bridge. There is little traffic comes to the petrol station, so I stood on the petrol station roadside, and it took me 5 minutes to get a lift.
  
=== M2 North towards [[Slovakia]], [[Kraków]] ([[Poland]]) {{European Route Number|77}} ===
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=== North towards [[Slovakia]], [[Kraków]] ([[Poland]]) M2 {{European Route Number|77}} ===
  
 
[[File:vacifoti.jpg|thumb|right|220 px| The bus stop at the Váci-Fóti intersection]]
 
[[File:vacifoti.jpg|thumb|right|220 px| The bus stop at the Váci-Fóti intersection]]
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==== Option 1: Motorway Junction Sződliget ====
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Take a train from ''Nyugati Pályaudvar'' in the direction of Vac and and get off at ''Sződliget'' (HUF 550/EUR 2 and 30 min ride). Walk south along the platform to the road (Dunai fasor). Turn left (east) and walk ≈400m to the entrance sliiproad over the motorway bridge. Stand on the motorway hitchhiking instead of the sliproad as there's a lot of space to pull over and people don't really drive too fast at that stretch of the road.
  
Get on one of the very frequent ''Vac''-bound trains from ''Nyugati Pályaudvar'' (which is the main train station) and get off at the ''Sződliget''-stop which is roughly a half hour train ride(HUF 550/EUR 2) . When you get off the train walk find the road and take a left. Follow it for about 200 meters until you get to the motorway and then just stand on the motorway hitchhiking instead of the onramp as there's a a lot of space to pull over and people don't really drive to fast at that stretch of the road.
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==== Option 2: Motorway service station (Shell) ====
 
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Take a train from ''Nyugati Pályaudvar'' to "Dunakeszi Gyártelep‎" (HUF 150/300) and walk 3.5 km to the petrol station on the E77 (Hungarians call it Road Number Two). The walk is 40+ minutes but its pretty straightforward - check this [http://goo.gl/maps/bCKPV map]. From Pipa st. you can see the sign of the petrol station in the distance, and it will help you to navigate.
Alternatively, you can take train from Nyugati to "Dunakeszi Gyártelep‎" (HUF 150/300) and walk 3.5 km to the petrol station on the E77 (Hungarians call it Road Number Two). The walk is 40+ minutes but its pretty straight-forward - check this [http://goo.gl/maps/bCKPV map] From Pipa st. you can see the sign of the petrol station in the distance, and it will help you to navigate.
 
  
The motorway only has two lanes, and cars are going pretty slow, so it's not a problem to cross it. Once you get there its great spot to catch a long drive! You can be picky, so best wait for someone going straight to Poland because once you get the Slovak border the road is getting bad and this is your best shot.  
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The motorway only has two lanes and cars are going pretty slow, so it's not a problem to cross it. Once you get there its great spot to catch a long drive! You can be picky, so best wait for someone going straight to Poland because once you get to the Slovak border, the road is getting bad and this is your best shot.  
  
If you're heading to [[Poland]] you'd most likely be better of finding a direct lift to Poland from the Hungarian- Slovak border rather than getting short lifts through Slovakia. Trucks go until the Chyzne border crossing between Slovakia and Poland, where it's easy to get a lift to Krakow or further to Warsaw.
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If you're heading to [[Poland]], you'd most likely be better off finding a direct lift to Poland from the Hungarian- Slovak border rather than getting short lifts through Slovakia. Trucks go until the Chyzne border crossing between Slovakia and Poland, where it's easy to get a lift to Krakow or further to Warsaw.
  
 
== Public Transport ==
 
== Public Transport ==
  
Budapest has an extensive public transportation system consisting of a metro, buses and trams. A single ticket is about 1.15 (a set of 10 tickets is about EUR 9.90). After you buy your ticket, you have to validate it. There are red machines on buses and trams that punch a hole in a different place on your ticket each day, which is how they determine if you validated your ticket that day (or at least not the day before...).  
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Budapest has an extensive public transportation system consisting of a metro, buses and trams. A single ticket is about 1.15 (a set of 10 tickets is about EUR 9.90). After you buy your ticket, you have to validate it. There are red machines on buses and trams that punch a hole in a different place on your ticket each day, which is how they determine if you validated your ticket that day (or at least not the day before...).  
  
Inspections on buses and trams are rare except for the most popular lines (e.g. buses 7, 7E, 173 and 173E and trams 4, 5 and 6). Rush hours are usually safe when the trams/buses are too crowded for the inspectors to walk through the vehicles. If you want to be safe, hang around the machine and if you see an inspector coming, punch your ticket immediately.
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Inspections on buses and trams are rare except for the most popular lines (e.g. buses 7, 7E, 173 and 173E and trams 2 (very frequent), 4 and 6). Rush hours are usually safe when the trams/buses are too crowded for the inspectors to walk through the vehicles. If you want to be safe, hang around the machine and if you see an inspector coming, punch your ticket immediately. You can usually also get off the carriage when you see inspectors getting on as usually at least some of them will wear uniforms.  
  
In the metro there are inspectors posted at the entrance to the platforms during all operational hours who will demand to see your ticket. Most of the time they check those who are entering and don't bother with people who are leaving the platform (Keleti railway station is one notable exception), so if you see no conductors at the entrance then you are fine. Either you take your chance that there will be no checking at the exit, or take the bus/tram, you can get pretty much everywhere without the metro.
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'''Be careful: the system has changed, and the controllers are often escorted with a public area inspector who has the right to stop you and demand for your ID cards.''' Its better to buy a day ticket for such EUR 3.
  
If you get caught without a valid ticket, the official fine on the spot is HUF 8,000, which is about EUR 27. Do not let yourself be fooled with another amount, it is HUF 8,000, and the received paper is valid for travelling that day. But if you are cool enough you can get away without paying at all.
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In the metro there are inspectors posted at the entrance to the platforms during all operational hours who will demand to see your ticket. Most of the time they check those who are entering and don't bother with people who are leaving the platform (Keleti railway station is one notable exception), so if you see no conductors at the entrance then you are fine. Either you take your chance that there will be no checking at the exit, or take the bus/tram, you can get pretty much everywhere without the metro. Oftentimes you can also just walk past these inspectors at the entrance or flash them a used ticket without stopping. Be careful changing lines at Deák Ferenc tér, usually there are controllers on stations of Line 2 and 3.  
  
At around 20:30 or later, the ticket inspectors that stand at the entrance to the escalators go home, meaning you can get on the metro for free. Be aware also that if they have controls while you exit the station, they announce it as you get off the train and again every 2 minutes or so ("Please have your tickets ready for inspection as you leave the station.") If this happens, simply get back on the next train and get off a stop before or after your chosen stop. Do not try and run past any inspectors if they have a control - they are notoriously aggressive and will have no problem chasing you.
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If you get caught without a valid ticket, the official fine on the spot is HUF 8,000, which is about EUR 27. Do not let yourself be fooled with another amount, it is HUF 8,000, and the received paper is valid for travelling that day. But if you are cool enough you can get away without paying at all. On the trams and buses the inspectors legally aren't allowed to touch you. Avoid speaking English or German to the controllers. Instead, pick the most obscure language you know and keep them busy until the next stop. When the doors open, simply exit the tram and walk away. Never give the controllers your ID or passport. Maybe try searching for it or your ticket until the next stop, then get off the tram/bus then. Some of the controllers will try to take you to a cash machine if you say you have no money. Same system applies - simply walk away from the controller. I've also heard of people stalling the controller for so long that the controller gets bored and walks away.
  
On the trams and buses the inspectors legally aren't allowed to touch you. Avoid speaking English or German to the controllers. Instead, pick the most obscure language you know and keep them busy until the next stop. When the doors open, simply exit the tram and walk away. Never give the controllers your ID or passport. Maybe try searching for it until the next stop, then get off the tram/bus then.
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At around 20:30 or later, the ticket inspectors that stand at the entrance to the metro go home, meaning you can get on the metro for free. Be aware also that if they have controls while you exit the station, they announce it as you get off the train and again every 2 minutes or so ("Please have your tickets ready for inspection as you leave the station.") If this happens, simply get back on the next train and get off a stop before or after your chosen stop. Do not try and run past any inspectors if they have a control -- they are notoriously aggressive and will have no problem chasing you.
 
 
Some of the controllers will try to take you to a cash machine if you say you have no money. Same system applies - simply walk away from the controller. I've also heard of people stalling the controller for so long that the controller gets bored and walks away.
 
  
 
On the green line there are security guards stationed on the platforms, but don't worry, they won't check your tickets. They're just a security precaution. The same thing applies on tram 4 or 6 at night (they run 24 hours). They will stand at some entrances to the tram and check peoples' tickets as they enter the tram (They'll be wearing either a yellow vest or a green armband.) Choose a different entrance and you'll be fine, because the controllers stand at one door and don't move through the tram.
 
On the green line there are security guards stationed on the platforms, but don't worry, they won't check your tickets. They're just a security precaution. The same thing applies on tram 4 or 6 at night (they run 24 hours). They will stand at some entrances to the tram and check peoples' tickets as they enter the tram (They'll be wearing either a yellow vest or a green armband.) Choose a different entrance and you'll be fine, because the controllers stand at one door and don't move through the tram.
  
 
For finding connections between two points in the city, there's a very good route planner available also in English: [http://www.bkk.hu/en/timetables/ http://www.bkk.hu/en ]
 
For finding connections between two points in the city, there's a very good route planner available also in English: [http://www.bkk.hu/en/timetables/ http://www.bkk.hu/en ]
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There is a [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373981/ very good Hungarian movie] about the controllers on Budapest's public transportation. Finding English subtitles is easy, too.
  
 
== Sleeping  ==
 
== Sleeping  ==
  
If you want to sleep outside in summer, you can do so anywhere in Buda hills. Other possibilities are the two big parks, Margitsziget (47.528694,19.047618) and Városliget (47.513566,19.085126). Margitsziget is an island in the Danube and it's a popular place to walk and escape from the busy city in the nice weather. Városliget is about the same. In both places you could find hidden places where nobody would bother you at night. Although there are sometimes people still awake at nights, especially young ones, but they won't harm you. Homeless people are harmless.
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If you want to sleep outside in summer, you can do so anywhere in Buda hills. ''(Double check the place at daytime: these places are abandoned after dark, far from people, and sometimes used by homeless people. Its much better and safer to find some other alternative).''
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Other possibilities are the two big parks, Margitsziget (47.528694,19.047618) and Városliget (47.513566,19.085126). Margitsziget is an island in the Danube and it's a popular place to walk and escape from the busy city in the nice weather. Városliget is about the same. In both places you could find hidden places where nobody would bother you at night. Although there are sometimes people still awake at nights, especially young ones, but they won't harm you. Homeless people are harmless.
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''(Margitsziget: strong police control, they will not leave you to sleep there. At the Városliget there are construction works with plenty of security guards, also not an ideal place).''
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In case the weather outside is not very warm nor welcoming, the mall Duna Plaza, in the northern part of the city XIII district, metro stop Gyongyosi utza offer great opportunities to find a shelter and not being discovered by security guards. In a cold night of november ('13)  [[User: Fedecicco| Fede]]  found a perfect spot to lay down on his mat and sleep, behind the high bar of a closed (but open..) pub on the 2nd floor, next to the restaurants, emergency exit stairs on the back, at the highest floors are also a good option. Toilets are closed at night and security go around to check when they close the building around 02:00.
 
In case the weather outside is not very warm nor welcoming, the mall Duna Plaza, in the northern part of the city XIII district, metro stop Gyongyosi utza offer great opportunities to find a shelter and not being discovered by security guards. In a cold night of november ('13)  [[User: Fedecicco| Fede]]  found a perfect spot to lay down on his mat and sleep, behind the high bar of a closed (but open..) pub on the 2nd floor, next to the restaurants, emergency exit stairs on the back, at the highest floors are also a good option. Toilets are closed at night and security go around to check when they close the building around 02:00.
  
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Try the market at Újbuda Központ (Vásárlócsarnok) and you can maybe get some free vegetables from the sellers there.
 
Try the market at Újbuda Központ (Vásárlócsarnok) and you can maybe get some free vegetables from the sellers there.
 
   
 
   
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At Örs vezér tere, there's an IKEA with a great food court. Just take a left after you come up the stairs to avoid all the showrooms unless you enjoy playing there to raise your appetite :-)
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On the top floor of the central market at Fovam ter, there are many food stalls, popular among tourists, most of whom are ignorant fuckers who order what they want but not what they need, i.e. A LOT of leftovers on the table. There are public tables where these fuckers eat and they are not frequently cleaned by workers, thus easy opportunity for table diving. Please do this, even just once or twice. I have seen big sandwiches and baked potatoes and such being left after a single bite. We should make wasting food a crime.
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== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
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Revision as of 13:37, 13 October 2020

Budapest
<map lat='47.506534' lng='19.125824' zoom='10' view='0' float='right' height='270' width='350' />
Information
Country:
Flag of Hungary
Hungary
Population: 1,744,665
Major roads: E 60, E 71,E 75,E 77
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. It is often abbreviated as BP, which is easier for car drivers to see on a sign.




Hitching in

If your driver is only going around Budapest on the ring road, and not entering the city, the best exit points are Dabas-Soroksár (close to M5, south-east) from which you can take a bus to Népliget, and Dunakeszi-Újpest (close to M2, north) from which you can take bus 104.

Dabas-Soroksár is the exit from the M5 to the local road number 5. If you get from the highway onto the 5, walk or ask the driver to bring you 2km in direction of the city center (towards the M51). After you pass the M51 there will be a MOL petrol station. Behind the petrol station is the bus number 66. This one will go inside the city and will bring you to the next metro station, too.

Hitching out

(These directions are for leaving the city centre. See Budapest Ferihegy international airport for hitching from there.)

Take care! Due to increasing popularity of car-sharing services and the risks of the refugee crisis drivers are less wiling to pick-up hitchhikers. If you are not a european face your chances are minimal."

Northwest towards Bratislava, Vienna M1 E 60 & Southwest towards Zagreb M7 E 71

Option 1 : OMV petrol station BAH-csomópont

Take bus 8E, 110, 112 from Keleti pályaudvar, or 139, 140, 140A from Széll Kálmán tér, in direction of Kelenföld vasútállomás M and get off at BAH-csomópont. Alternatively, trams 17 and 61 stop here. Also, you can walk ≈4.5km west from Keleti train station to the beginning of Budaörsi út.
This place is relatively close to the center and there is a lot of traffic to the M1 and M7. It appears like this is the only option in the list that nobody has specifically spoken against.

  • Great place to hitchhike. It took us half an hour to get a ride all the way to Prague.' -- September, 2017 Kossabossa

Option 2: Motorway service station M1/M7 (OMV) Kelenföld

1. Take bus 8E from Keleti pályaudvar (Keleti train station) in the direction of Kelenföld vasútállomás M, (and change at BAH-csomópont for bus 139), or take bus 139 from Széll Kálmán tér in the direction of Gazdagréti tér, and get off at Nagyszeben út (not Nagyszeben tér!). Walk back 100m east in the direction the bus came from along Budaörsi út and you will see the OMV petrol station and McD on the right.

2. Take metro 4 from Keleti pályaudvar to the last stop Kelenföld vasútállomás. Walk through the underpass and up the steps in northwest direction. Continue along the footpath till you reach the main road Budaörsi út. Cross the main road and turn left and walk west for 250m along Budaörsi út till you reach the OMV petrol station / McD.

This petrol station is at the very beginning of the motorway that splits after a few kms into motorways M1 and M7. Many cars stop here also because of the McD (thumbing at the exit works well, as many cars go only to McD and do not tank). Alternatively, there is also an Agip petrol station about 200m further along the road.

However, people using this spot say:

(The construction work is over, and the junction is significantly rebuilt! Do not trust on Google Streetview, it shows the old system. Most traffic heading to the motorway AVOID the McDonalds on new lanes, you can try at the exit of the OMV station, or at the area of the AGIP (will be rebranded to MOL) petrol station.)

  • Do not go there! Motorway under construction = bad place! Much better option is to take bus 272 from Moricz zsigmond and stop at Budaörs, benzinkút. [See Option 3] -- July 2015
  • We went there and after the petrol station, there is another one (like 1 minute walking further), and you can hitchhike directly on the road front of it. The construction is actually great because cars aren't going that fast. Got a ride to Vienna in 10 minutes. -- August 2015
  • Definitely don't go here, it's a really bad spot. Cars coming around the corner, driving fast and they have no time to see you. Got picked up after 3 hours luckily because the guy knew there were a lot of hitchhikers on this spot. -- July 2016

Option 3: Motorway service station M1/M7 (Agip) Budaörs

Take metro 4 from Keleti pályaudvar to the last stop Kelenföld vasútállomás. Take bus 172 or 173 and get off at stop Budaörs, benzinkút, which is right at the Agip service station.
It has a lot of traffic to both motorways and can be a great place if you get a chance to talk to drivers, though the staff of the petrol station may not allow it. One person using this spot cautions: "This is a bad spot, even though it looks perfect -- it's next to the motorway, but most cars come there from the small local road and are driving only in the vicinity. Went from there 4 times, waiting time from 1h to 3.5h."

Option 4: Motorway service station M1 Biatorbagy

Take metro 4 from Keleti pályaudvar to the last stop Kelenföld vasútállomás. Then take a local train to Biatorbagy (it costs about EUR 1 (HUF 370)). From the station, turn right for 20m, and then right again at the roundabout under the railway tracks along Dózsa György út for ≈350m until you reach a main road. Turn left (northwest) and follow this national road 1 for 2km to a turning on the right. Walk north along this road for ≈750m under the motorway bridge to the service station on the north side of the motorway.
If you are ready to invest some time to get to the first petrol station after the motorway splits, you should do so because it is a perfect spot as essentially all the cars there are going towards Vienna/Bratislava.

However, one person says:

  • I tried this option and it is not working. There is not local train nor bus going to "Biatorbagy". -- January 2017
    • As of July 2017, both S10/G10 (direction Győr) and S12 (direction Oroszlány or Komárom in the late evening) go from Budapest-Déli via Kelenföld to Biatorbágy - check https://www.mavcsoport.hu/en for timetable and price (still HUF 370) -- Ans (talk)

This option works super good in June 2019

Option 5: Various spots near the city centre

Starting from inside the city (between Moszkva tér and Kelenföld) is a possibility worth trying, especially because there are some good spots that are quite popular among local hitchhikers. Pros are that you don't need to spend any money on transport; cons are that there is a lot of local traffic and so waiting times could be very long. (In real nobody will take you, go out to the edge of the city).

South towards Szeged, Serbia, Arad (Romania) (M5) E 75

These spots are ordered by their proximity to the city center.

Option 1: Gyáli út

Take tram 4 or 6 to Boráros tér, then take bus number 54 or 55 to the stop Gyáli út. Walk straight for 75 m and then turn left on the street Gyáli út. After about 150 m there is a curve in the road, turn right there and walk to the motorway (it's not yet a motorway officially, so you can hitchhike there). There is no road or pavement leading there, but it's easy to cross. You will see a half complete ramp on your right going on the motorway. It's basicaly a 100 meters long lane with no traffic on it, it's ideal for cars to stop, and you are also visible from a long distance. As of January 2017, there is some construction which leaves no space for stopping except on the exit lane of the petrol station nearby. The spot still worked quite well, but Zenit would recommend options 2 or 3 instead.

Option 2: Petrol Station OMV on Nagykőrösi út

Take tram 4 or 6 to Boráros tér, then take bus 54 or 55 to the stop Radnó utca. There is a petrol station on the other side of the noise barrier wall. You could also thumb at the bus stop on the bus-only lane. If you want to go any further, option 3 is about 800 meters down the road.

Edit from other hitchhikers: Petrol station seemed to be a good spot. However we (2 guys) waited almost 2 hours. It's a good idea to bring a Hungarian flag.

  • Justgettingaround we (2 girls) got on this in August 2019. Didn´t have much luck at the petrol station - most people just staying around town - so we walked up to the other side of the noise barrier and got a ride within 15-20 mins. Took us all the way to Belgrade (although the border was about a 2 hour wait) in just one day :)

Option 3: Start of M5 motorway

Take the metro to Határ út. Then take bus #84E, #89E or #294E to the stop Naszód utca (Használtcikk piac). Here you can start to hitch (you should see a Citroen car lot on the other side of the road. A sign "Szeged" is useful. If you take bus 84E, you can continue straight onto the motorway to a OMV petrol station that you can hitch from. (This information is unconfirmed; maybe this is the OMV in option 2.)

Option 4: Motorway service station M5 Inárcs

Take the metro 3 to Népliget. Take bus Volánbusz 608 to Inárcsi elág (M5-ös út). After approximately 30km, it will leave the motorway and go to Inárcs. Remember the way and get off the bus at the first stop (shortly past where the town starts) and walk back to the OMV petrol station where the bus left the motorway. Take care, because there is no sidewalk and cars/trucks can be quite fast. It is the first big petrol station on M5 after Budapest [1] and there will be cars and trucks to all the southerly destinations - just ask around. You can look for foreign plates if you want to leave the country.
Transport will cost 350 HUF for a metro ticket and HUF 650 for the bus (November 2019)

  • Movethathoof made the trek out here in November 2019 (be sure you find the right bus buy at the terminal!) and had a ride to Timisoara in Romania with the very first car that passed him (and the station looked like it would have been an excellent spot even if he hadn't had such luck).

South towards Érd, Pécs (6, M6) E 73

Take tram 61 from near train station Déli Pályaudvar, or tram 6 from Blaha Lujza tér., or bus 7 from Ferenciek tere, to Móricz Zsigmond körtér. From here, cross the street and walk on for about 20m. Take bus 33 or 33A and get off at Budatétényi Sorompó (the stop after the big shopping mall Campona on your left). From the bus stop, turn back and walk in the direction the bus just came from. Cross the street at the first crossing to your right (Növény ut.). That street has a railway overpass that crosses over it. Walk under the overpass and in a couple of minutes you'll arrive at a busy road. This is road #6 that goes south to Pécs. Turn left on that road and start hitching before the traffic light near the bus stop. There is enough room for cars to pull over there.

If you take bus 33, you can go until the last stop (Nagytétény, Chinoin). Walk forward (east) for 200 m and then turn left to the ramp which leads you to a roundabout. There is an entry to the M6 here where you can thumb.

For food, bathroom, and buses, get dropped of at the Tesco in Pécs. There's a bus station there where cars can stop.

East towards Miskolc, Košice (Slovakia), Ukraine (M3) E 71

Option 1: Junction & Petrol station on M3 bevezető

Take trolleybus 74 from Károly körút (Astoria M) near Astoria metro station. Get off at Sárrét park. Turn back in the direction from where the trolleybus came from and walk ≈50m along Ungvár ut. Turn right and walk 200m along Rákosszeg park to the end. Turn right on Kacsóh Pongrác út. and walk 100m to the entrance slip road, or turn left on Kacsóh Pongrác út. and walk 50m to the OMV petrol station.

Option 2: M3 Junction

Take bus 7, 7E, 8E, 108E, or 133E from Blaha Lujza tér and get off at the last stop Újpalota, Nyírpalota út. Walk northwest 1km along Szentmihályi út. to the sliproad at the beginning of the M3 proper. It's not the best hitchhiking spot, but it works after a while. If you get stuck here, walk 2km along the motorway to the service station.

Option 3: M3 Junction Mogyoród

Take metro 2 to the last stop Örs Vezér tér. From the HÉV (regional train station), take train 8 in the direction 'Gödöllő' and get off at Mogyoród. From the station, walk left 20m on Vasút ut. Turn right and walk ≈400m along Gödöllői ut. Then turn right and walk ≈500m along Szadai út. until you reach the entrance sliproad to the M3 motorway on the right. Alternatively, two kilometres further on, there is also a petrol station on the motorway.

Option 4: Motorway service station M3

Take bus 5 from Blaha Lujza tér in the direction of Rákospalota, Kossuth utca and get off at Juhos utca. Walk ≈450m northeast along Régi Fóti út. You will see a Lidl supermarket on the right. Turn right on the small road and walk southeast for 1km crossing over the motorway bridge. (You can see the service station on the left from the bridge). Take the first road left after the bridge and walk ≈700m until you see the big Praktiker store. Turn left and walk through the car park to the end and jump over the small-ish fence and once past the road, you will be on the petrol station. There is a McDonalds and KFC here too.


'Option 5:' Kacsóh Pongrác út bus station' Take M1 to Mexikói út metro station and cross the railways in the underpass to the Róbert Károly körút where you will find Kacsóh Pongrác út bus station. It's a very safe place to stop and it is directly before the entrance to the M3 highway. (Waiting time as a woman 10-15 min, hichhiked many times here)

East towards Szolnok, Debrecen, Oradea (Romania) E 60, (4)

Option 1: Agip petrol station on national road 4

Take metro 3 to the end of the line at Kőbánya-Kispest. Walk to the bus station on the other side of the #4 road. Take the airport bus 200E and get off at the second to last stop before the airport: Vecsés-nyugat. Walk back along the road ≈600m and you will reach the Agip petrol station & McDonalds.

Option 2: Üllő roundabout & MOL petrol station

Take a regional train from train station Nyugati Pályaudvar to Üllő (550 HUF and 30 min ride). Walk ≈700m southwest on Deák Ferenc ut. till you reach the main road through the town Pesti út. Turn left (southeast) here and walk 2km along Pesti út to the large roundabout and MOL petrol station at the end of town. You can also hitch 100m past the roundabout on national road 4; although there's no shoulder, there is some space for cars to pull over and stop. 20/09/17 Tried option 1 for 3 hours and then went to option 2, waited maybe 30min.

Option 3: M3 Highway for Debrecen

Take a subway till station Mexicói út after walk 4 km ( it's pretty far and I saw a bus 25, but didn't check from where is it going ) till you cross Ozman utca( or around it) it will be a gas station OMV, the road is going among M3 highway, and here some cars are going to a gas station from Highway to this road and back to the highway, and also there is a bus stop after a gas station, where is very convenient to stop the car. I spent 10 mins and caught a straight car to Debrecen. ( dec 2017)

*July,2018 I used the google map to go to this OMV station, got off at metro station Mxicoi Ut and took the bus 25,price 350Huf, you cannot blackride because the driver only open the front door, got off after 8 stops, walked 300m aross the bridge. There is little traffic comes to the petrol station, so I stood on the petrol station roadside, and it took me 5 minutes to get a lift.

North towards Slovakia, Kraków (Poland) M2 E 77

File:Vacifoti.jpg
The bus stop at the Váci-Fóti intersection

Option 1: Motorway Junction Sződliget

Take a train from Nyugati Pályaudvar in the direction of Vac and and get off at Sződliget (HUF 550/EUR 2 and 30 min ride). Walk south along the platform to the road (Dunai fasor). Turn left (east) and walk ≈400m to the entrance sliiproad over the motorway bridge. Stand on the motorway hitchhiking instead of the sliproad as there's a lot of space to pull over and people don't really drive too fast at that stretch of the road.

Option 2: Motorway service station (Shell)

Take a train from Nyugati Pályaudvar to "Dunakeszi Gyártelep‎" (HUF 150/300) and walk 3.5 km to the petrol station on the E77 (Hungarians call it Road Number Two). The walk is 40+ minutes but its pretty straightforward - check this map. From Pipa st. you can see the sign of the petrol station in the distance, and it will help you to navigate.

The motorway only has two lanes and cars are going pretty slow, so it's not a problem to cross it. Once you get there its great spot to catch a long drive! You can be picky, so best wait for someone going straight to Poland because once you get to the Slovak border, the road is getting bad and this is your best shot.

If you're heading to Poland, you'd most likely be better off finding a direct lift to Poland from the Hungarian- Slovak border rather than getting short lifts through Slovakia. Trucks go until the Chyzne border crossing between Slovakia and Poland, where it's easy to get a lift to Krakow or further to Warsaw.

Public Transport

Budapest has an extensive public transportation system consisting of a metro, buses and trams. A single ticket is about 1.15 (a set of 10 tickets is about EUR 9.90). After you buy your ticket, you have to validate it. There are red machines on buses and trams that punch a hole in a different place on your ticket each day, which is how they determine if you validated your ticket that day (or at least not the day before...).

Inspections on buses and trams are rare except for the most popular lines (e.g. buses 7, 7E, 173 and 173E and trams 2 (very frequent), 4 and 6). Rush hours are usually safe when the trams/buses are too crowded for the inspectors to walk through the vehicles. If you want to be safe, hang around the machine and if you see an inspector coming, punch your ticket immediately. You can usually also get off the carriage when you see inspectors getting on as usually at least some of them will wear uniforms.

Be careful: the system has changed, and the controllers are often escorted with a public area inspector who has the right to stop you and demand for your ID cards. Its better to buy a day ticket for such EUR 3.

In the metro there are inspectors posted at the entrance to the platforms during all operational hours who will demand to see your ticket. Most of the time they check those who are entering and don't bother with people who are leaving the platform (Keleti railway station is one notable exception), so if you see no conductors at the entrance then you are fine. Either you take your chance that there will be no checking at the exit, or take the bus/tram, you can get pretty much everywhere without the metro. Oftentimes you can also just walk past these inspectors at the entrance or flash them a used ticket without stopping. Be careful changing lines at Deák Ferenc tér, usually there are controllers on stations of Line 2 and 3.

If you get caught without a valid ticket, the official fine on the spot is HUF 8,000, which is about EUR 27. Do not let yourself be fooled with another amount, it is HUF 8,000, and the received paper is valid for travelling that day. But if you are cool enough you can get away without paying at all. On the trams and buses the inspectors legally aren't allowed to touch you. Avoid speaking English or German to the controllers. Instead, pick the most obscure language you know and keep them busy until the next stop. When the doors open, simply exit the tram and walk away. Never give the controllers your ID or passport. Maybe try searching for it or your ticket until the next stop, then get off the tram/bus then. Some of the controllers will try to take you to a cash machine if you say you have no money. Same system applies - simply walk away from the controller. I've also heard of people stalling the controller for so long that the controller gets bored and walks away.

At around 20:30 or later, the ticket inspectors that stand at the entrance to the metro go home, meaning you can get on the metro for free. Be aware also that if they have controls while you exit the station, they announce it as you get off the train and again every 2 minutes or so ("Please have your tickets ready for inspection as you leave the station.") If this happens, simply get back on the next train and get off a stop before or after your chosen stop. Do not try and run past any inspectors if they have a control -- they are notoriously aggressive and will have no problem chasing you.

On the green line there are security guards stationed on the platforms, but don't worry, they won't check your tickets. They're just a security precaution. The same thing applies on tram 4 or 6 at night (they run 24 hours). They will stand at some entrances to the tram and check peoples' tickets as they enter the tram (They'll be wearing either a yellow vest or a green armband.) Choose a different entrance and you'll be fine, because the controllers stand at one door and don't move through the tram.

For finding connections between two points in the city, there's a very good route planner available also in English: http://www.bkk.hu/en

There is a very good Hungarian movie about the controllers on Budapest's public transportation. Finding English subtitles is easy, too.

Sleeping

If you want to sleep outside in summer, you can do so anywhere in Buda hills. (Double check the place at daytime: these places are abandoned after dark, far from people, and sometimes used by homeless people. Its much better and safer to find some other alternative).

Other possibilities are the two big parks, Margitsziget (47.528694,19.047618) and Városliget (47.513566,19.085126). Margitsziget is an island in the Danube and it's a popular place to walk and escape from the busy city in the nice weather. Városliget is about the same. In both places you could find hidden places where nobody would bother you at night. Although there are sometimes people still awake at nights, especially young ones, but they won't harm you. Homeless people are harmless.

(Margitsziget: strong police control, they will not leave you to sleep there. At the Városliget there are construction works with plenty of security guards, also not an ideal place).

In case the weather outside is not very warm nor welcoming, the mall Duna Plaza, in the northern part of the city XIII district, metro stop Gyongyosi utza offer great opportunities to find a shelter and not being discovered by security guards. In a cold night of november ('13) Fede found a perfect spot to lay down on his mat and sleep, behind the high bar of a closed (but open..) pub on the 2nd floor, next to the restaurants, emergency exit stairs on the back, at the highest floors are also a good option. Toilets are closed at night and security go around to check when they close the building around 02:00.

Food

At Allee shopping centre (metro stop Újbuda Központ, green line. Tram 4 and 6 too) on the top floor there is a large food court where it's possible to table dive. Also at Kőbánya Kispest (last stop on the M3 blue line) there is a large shopping centre beside the train station. There's a large food court on the top floor also where you can table dive. Also in the Corvin Plaza there's a food court on the top floor to table dive. Try the market at Újbuda Központ (Vásárlócsarnok) and you can maybe get some free vegetables from the sellers there.

At Örs vezér tere, there's an IKEA with a great food court. Just take a left after you come up the stairs to avoid all the showrooms unless you enjoy playing there to raise your appetite :-)

On the top floor of the central market at Fovam ter, there are many food stalls, popular among tourists, most of whom are ignorant fuckers who order what they want but not what they need, i.e. A LOT of leftovers on the table. There are public tables where these fuckers eat and they are not frequently cleaned by workers, thus easy opportunity for table diving. Please do this, even just once or twice. I have seen big sandwiches and baked potatoes and such being left after a single bite. We should make wasting food a crime.

Nomadwiki & Trashwiki

Check Nomadwiki for info on accommodation, showers etc. or Trashwiki for dumpsters...and share your wisdom :)