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Hello,

I am sorry if this question has been asked before, but the Hungarian train website is so user-unfriendly that I can't seem to figure it out even having read through some of the previous posts.

I would like a one-way ticket for myself from Budapest to Bratislava on 31 May (preferably for the one leaving from Budapest-Keleti at 17.25), and since I live in Germany, I would like to purchase the ticket online asap. However, when I try to buy the ticket on elvira.mav-start.hu, and I enter the date and the stations, enter my birthday, and click on "Tickets and Prices," it says "No offer available for the journey with these conditions. For the list of available offers click here." At the same time, Budapest-Bratislava IS among the available offers when I click on the link. For whatever reason though, I can't seem to be able to buy the ticket online. Any help would be appreciated, language (Hungarian/English) is not a problem.

Thank you very much in advance.
Judit

Hi, Judit

It's totally fine to ask any questions Even if something was already asked on forum before, then no guarantees that the situation didn't change with time, better to reask and be sure about current day information

Regarding your question about Budapest to Bratislava, then the answer is really simple - in relation between Hungary and Slovakia return tickets cost less than one-way (sounds weird, but such things sometimes happen in Central Europe) and in the light of these Hungarian Railways (MAV) doesn't sell one-way tickets to Slovakia, but on the contrary sells return one (=cheaper). So if you search for return ticket, then you'll see something like

And can easily buy this ticket any moment, the return part of the ticket just won't be used by you

However, do you really need to buy Budapest-Bratislava ticket in advance? The point is that none of the trains on this route required seat reservation, thus can't sold out, and the price of the ticket is always the same no matter when you buy your ticket (it's not like in Germany when in advance purchase can get you much lower price), as result most of the passengers just buy tickets like Budapest to Bratislava before departure and don't bother with not very friendly MAV eShop interface & further printing of the ticket via MAV ticket machine

Hi,

Thank you so much for the quick reply! Also, thanks for pointing out that it does not make any difference when and where I buy the ticket - indeed I got so used to the German system that automatically thought it would be more expensive to buy the ticket right before the journey. I guess I won't bother with this rather annoying website and printing then.

Thank you so much once again! Your work really is invaluable.
Cheers,
Judit

We always glad to help fellow travelers

it does not make any difference when and where I buy the ticket

Yep, just buy your ticket at any international ticket counter in Budapest (located at all the major station Keleti, Nyugati, Deli, MAV office at Jozsef Attila street), it will be easier than to deal with MAV website