A Week in Budapest - Access Budapest

Inside Budapest Keleti railway station — Keleti is one of three main stations, and which one is not obvious from the destination. Photograph by Slyronit, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

A week is long enough to add a second capital. Budapest sits within a few hours of four of them, and the trains are the easy part.

Days one to five

As in the five-day plan — the city, a bath each way, and a day out to Szentendre or Eger.

Budapest across the Danube at night — A week is long enough to stop sightseeing. Photograph by Karelj, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Days six and seven — a second city

These are overnights, not day trips. Go for one night and come back rested rather than doing eleven hours of it in a day.

City	From	Roughly	Operator
Vienna	Budapest Keleti	under 3 hours	MAV / OBB, several a day
Bratislava	Budapest Keleti	about 2.5 hours	MAV / ZSSK
Krakow	Budapest Keleti / Nyugati	a long day or an overnight	MAV / PKP
Zagreb and Belgrade	Budapest Keleti	a long day	MAV and partners

⚠️ Journey times are the published approximate ones and services change with the timetable. Check the operator on the day you book, and check which of Budapest’s three stations you are leaving from — it is not obvious from the destination.

Travelling as two or more? Ask about a group or regional fare. On several of these routes it beats singles by a wide margin, and it is not offered unless you ask.

Vienna is the obvious first choice — it is the closest, the most frequent, and the most different. We have a whole site for it: Access Vienna.

The Chain Bridge and its lion at night — The bridges are the city’s spine, and all of them are free. Photograph by Wilfredor, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Or stay put, and go deeper

A week is also enough to stop sightseeing. The third and fourth baths — Rudas under its Ottoman dome, Lukacs where locals go — the Buda hills, the wine bars, a concert at the Opera, and a morning market that is not the Great Market Hall. Several visitors find this the better week.

A courtyard on Castle Hill — The Castle District empties out a block back from the church. Photograph by Mister No, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Other lengths of trip

Five Days in BudapestAdds a day out of the city Three Days in BudapestAdds the thing you must book One Day in BudapestThe centre on foot

Journey times and opening patterns as published for 2026 and checked on 4 September 2026. Timetables, fares and closing days change without much warning — confirm with the operator or the institution before you travel. All the plans are in Itineraries & Day Plans.