Budapest flights and travel guide

Book a flight to Budapest and step into a hot bath. The public baths of Hungary’s capital are a time-honored tradition that helps ease the mind of worry and lessen the ache of tired muscles. Filled with workers needing relief from an intense board meeting or passersby needing a quick mood enhancement, the therapeutic public baths of Budapest refresh and recharge everyone from the weary traveler to the hurried executive. And if the hot soak isn’t relaxing enough, today’s hot baths come complete with a massage.

Once you’ve participated in Budapest’s bathing rituals, take time to explore the city. Budapest is really two cities (Buda and Pest) split by the river and each offers its own character and personality. Buda is the older city and flanked with castles and royal palaces, while Pest is more contemporary with trendy cafes and retail boutiques. Regardless of which “city” you choose to spend your time in, there’s one thing that keeps everyone on the same page in Budapest – the weather. A cheap flight to Budapest any time of year will almost certainly come with sunshine and warm weather – Budapest averages 2000 hours of sunshine a year and even in the winter, blue skies and bright days are abundant for travelers.

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Budapest climate

Budapest experiences four distinct seasons and they’re usually punctuated by a drastic change in weather. Visitors spending time in Budapest during the winter should pack plenty of layers, because temperatures can plummet well below freezing. If you’re willing to brave the cold, winter is the best time to book cheap flights to Budapest. Spring and summer warm up considerably, although travelers will experience frequent rain. Autumn is the most agreeable time to book Budapest flights and travel plans, thanks to its consistently comfortable weather.

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Best Time to Fly to Budapest

There’s no wrong time to book your cheap flight to Budapest; Budapest is a city that thrives in the blustery winter winds as well as under the scorching summer sun.

Peak Season: Finding an affordable flight to Budapest during the summer months will be tricky, as summer is the most popular season to visit the Hungarian capital. Plan your Budapest trip in advance to take advantage of the best rates available on Budapest flights and hotels.

Off-peak Season: With frigid weather hitting Budapest December through March, it’s no wonder that cheap flights to Budapest are easier to come by after the holidays and before spring blooms due to the decreasing tourist traffic.

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Getting downtown Budapest

An airport bus leaves for the city center every 30 minutes, and there is an airport minibus service that takes passengers to any destination in the city as soon as the bus is full. Tickets can be purchased in the Arrival Hall at the Airport Minibus counter. Express bus 93 runs to the nearest metro station, or taxis are available from the taxi stand.

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Getting around Budapest

Hungary’s capital is divided in two by the Danube River, but both Buda and Pest will be easy to get around after your flight to Budapest. Buses, trams and trains are both affordable and dependable. The metro works off of an honor system. Validate your ticket when you board, or risk paying a large fine. (It’s not a risk worth taking. There are plenty of transport police and they’re strict when it comes to upholding fines.)

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Budapest Travel Information

• Eager to relax after your flight to Budapest? Make like the Romans did when they first set up camp on the shores of the Danube and head to the thermal baths. Budapest is a city built on numerous thermal springs, and some of the original Roman and Turkish baths are still frequented by locals and visitors alike. The oldest of these baths are the Kiraly Thermal Baths and the Rudas Medicinal baths and are both excellent examples of Turkish architecture.
• With a river halving the city, Buda and Pest are connected by countless bridges and several of them are popular attractions. The Liberty Bridge takes you from Pest to the foot of the hill on which the Citadel resides, and the famed Chain Bridge, whose tongue-less lion statues pose for plenty of photo-ops, is one of the oldest structures in the city at the ripe old age of 160 years.
• If there one must-see during your Budapest trip, it’s a visit to the hilltops of Buda. Trek to the top of the hills on the Buda side where you can capture awe-inspiring views of Pest and some of the city’s most famous landmarks. Buda Castle, the Citadel, and the Fisherman’s Bastion are all structures that are standing survivors of the three wars that ravaged the city, and the caves beneath the castle were transformed into a labyrinth by the Turks that make for an eerie jaunt through Budapest’s past.
• With the fall of Communism in 1989, all statues commemorating Lenin, Stalin, and the Communist movement were promptly removed from the streets of Budapest and collected for a makeshift statue graveyard of sorts, now known as the Statue Park of Buda. You don’t have to brush up on the Communist Manifesto before your flight to Budapest in order to fully experience the sculpture collection, but this site is not to be missed.. The gift shop at the Statue Park has quirky souvenirs that you won't find anywhere else, like “Red Star” coffee mugs, postcards fashioned after Soviet propaganda, and Karl Marx paperweights.

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