Hungary (MAV)

Country info: Hungary (Magyarország)

Rail companies: MAV (Magyar Államvasutak)   

How to Buy train Tickets in Hungary? We offer a Step by Step Guide

How to Travel from Budapest to Vienna? or How to Travel from Budapest to Prague? or How to Travel from Budapest to Poland (Warsaw, Krakow, etc.)?

Hungarian Rail Network Map

Accommodation: Best deals on hotels in Hungary

Currency: 1 euro = app. 310 Hungarian forints (HUF)

 Train travel in Hungary: train types, tickets, fares, discounts & other info

 
National (Domestic) Train Service:

Train types in Hungary: Passenger, Express, Rapid, InterCity, RailJet and EuroCity/EuroNight/International trains

mav_passenger_trains

Hungarian Railways (MAV) try to promote ticket purchase through a non-ticket desk channels, so they offer a couple types of discounts for those passengers who buys their tickets via MAV ticket machine or online via official MAV website: 5% discount is given for the ticket purchase via MAV ticket machine, while 10% or even 20% discount is given for the ticket purchase via MAV website (20% discount applies on certain >100 km connections marked by @ sign on the MAV timetable.

In case you plan a return trip within Hungary than there are also some tricks allowing potential passengers to save money on domestic journeys with MAV:

One of the interesting ticket tricks is to rely on the international tickets even if you travel within Hungary. Sounds illogic & strange, right? But not in Hungarian case. Absurdly enough, but because of the specific international discounts between Hungary and some neighboring countries buying the ticket to an abroad destination might be cheaper than paying regular MAV domestic fare. For example, let's take a trip to the picturesque and very popular among tourists destination in southern Hungary - town of Szeged. Full-fare one-way standard ticket for the most common on this route express train cost these days 3705 HUF (or 7410 HUF there & back, making it roughly 24 euro in total), while at the same time return ticket Budapest-Horgos (first Serbian station near Szeged) can be purchased for only 20,90 euro. What does it all mean? It means that on the trip Budapest-Szeged-Budapest passenger can save about 3 euro basically out of nothing just by smartly (and entirely legally!) byuing the international ticket till the first Serbian station instead of the ordinary MAV domestic ticket to Szeged.

budapest-deli

And there are many other destinations where it can be cheaper to buy international ticket instead of the more expensive domestic return tickets (e.g. same trick can work for many stations nearby the Croatian, Slovenian, Slovak or Ukrainian borders)

 
International Train Service:

a) Regular discounts

Passengers planning their rail trips in the region can as well take advantage of the special Multilateral Agreement between a number of the Central European railway companies. It allows to get 30% (or 40% for youth <26 years old and 50% for groups more than 6 passengers) discount from a regular SCIC-NRT tariff fare on any return ticket purchased for connections between countries participants of the tariff Agreement (Czech Republic (CD), Hungary (MAV), Romania (CFR), Poland (PKP), Slovakia (ZSSK), Bulgaria (BZD), Serbia (ZS) and FYR Macedonia (MZ))

Though at the same time one needs to be careful and also consider possible bilateral agreements between Hungarian Railways (MAV) and rail companies in other countries (those might turn out to be cheaper at the end). In case of Hungary it's cheaper to purchase tickets to Czech Republic, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Serbia and FYR Macedonia with a help of other discounts (Special offers and bilateral agreement for Serbia, bilateral agreement for Slovakia, SparSchiene and bilateral agreement for Czech Republic (Budapest-Brno/Prague connections), SparSchiene for Poland (Budapest-Krakow/Warsaw), bilateral agreements for Romania and FYR Macedonia and CityStar for Bulgaria)

b) Special offers (SparSchiene)

Ticket offers with unlimited number of tickets per each departure (=basically means that you can purchase it on the day of travel):

EURegio Special (4 day validity ticket): Austria (Tatabánya to Vienna and back 26 euro; from Győr to Vienna and back 23 euro (27,80 euro with Vienna city transport pass included); from Mosonmagyaróvár to Vienna and back 19 euro (23,80 euro with transport); from Szombathely to Graz and back 19 euro; from Szombathely to Vienna and back 27 euro), etc.

 

Ticket offers with limited number of tickets per each departure (= purchase in advance required):

c) CityStars

 

Cross-border fares to the neighboring countries: 

It is also possible to purchase Rail Plus card in Hungary (allows 25% discount on any international ticket between almost all the euroopean countries)

Prices: <26 and >60 – 15 euro and 25 euro for adults.

budapest-nyugati

 

How to Buy Train Tickets in Hungary:

National (domestic) and many international tickets (including the discounted offers) can be purchased online via MAV website - www.elvira.mav-start.hu (other tickets should be purchased at the International/domestic counters, travels agencies (Wasteels etc.) or MAV ticket machines)

 Step-by-step guide on how to purchase ticket via MAV Online Ticket Shop - europetrainsguide.com/Advice/How-to-Buy-Train-Tickets/Hungary-MAV.html

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For a short trips (e.g. Budapest to Szolnok, Esztergom, Szob etc.) it is possible to purchase tickets via MAV ticket machines located at all the major train stations

 

Do you still have further questions or want to share your own travel experience? You are welcome on our Forum

 

 

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