Budapest Keleti Station, Nyugati and Déli: Which Station, How to Get In and Out

Budapest Keleti station (Keleti pályaudvar, “Eastern station”) is the city’s main international terminal, at Kerepesi út 2-4 on Baross tér in District VIII, with metro lines M2 and M4 underneath it. The trains to Vienna and Munich leave from here; the airport train, Szeged and the Danube Bend use Nyugati, and Lake Balaton uses Déli on the Buda side.

So before anything else, check which of the three names is printed on your ticket. They are all called Budapest-something, they are all terminus stations, and they are a metro ride apart.

📋 At a Glance

🚆 Keleti	Vienna, Munich, Zürich, Eger, Miskolc. Metro M2 and M4
🏛️ Nyugati	Airport (Ferihegy), Szeged, Debrecen, Esztergom, Danube Bend, Bratislava, Prague. Metro M3
🌊 Déli	Lake Balaton, Pécs. Metro M2, Buda side
🔁 Kelenföld	Sopron, Szombathely, Graz, Ljubljana; Vienna trains stop here too. Metro M4
🎫 City transport	BKK single ticket 500 HUF, 24-hour travelcard 2,750 HUF
🧳 Lockers	At all three stations, two sizes
⚠️ Déli Körvasút works	MÁV expects changes until the end of 2027: Vienna trains leave Keleti at half past the hour

Which station is my train using?

Budapest’s long-distance stations split the country between them by direction, which is useful to know when your booking app shows a town you have never heard of.

Going to	Station	Good to know
Vienna, Munich, Zürich	Keleti	Hourly, at half past; also stops at Kelenföld
Eger, Miskolc	Keleti	Agria and Tokaj InterCitys
Szeged	Nyugati	Napfény InterCity every hour, about 2 hours 34 minutes
Debrecen	Nyugati (most trains)	InterCitys at 12 past the hour, about 2 hours 45 minutes
Budapest Airport	Nyugati	Train to Ferihegy station, then bus 200E
Esztergom, Szob, Danube Bend	Nyugati	Esztergom trains every 30 minutes, about 1 hour 5 minutes
Bratislava, Prague	Nyugati	Metropolitan and Hungária EuroCitys
Siófok, Keszthely, Lake Balaton	Déli	Also stops at Kelenföld
Pécs	Déli	Mecsek InterCitys back at Déli since 21 September 2026
Sopron, Szombathely, Graz, Ljubljana	Kelenföld	Start at Kelenföld instead of Keleti during the works

Source: journey times and departure stations from the MÁV journey planner for Wednesday 4 November 2026; the Pécs, Sopron, Szombathely, Graz and Ljubljana changes from MÁV’s Déli Körvasút page; all checked 31 October 2026.

One more thing that catches people: a Hungarian journey planner often shows “Budapest” as the departure point and only names the station in the detail line. Tap into the connection before you set off for the wrong side of the river.

Keleti, the international station

Keleti opened in 1884, and the date is still carved on the façade. Inside the great arch are the platforms; under the square in front is a modern underpass where the metro, the ticket hall and most of the services live, so a lot of what you need is one level below the trains rather than beside them.

Keleti’s main façade on Baross tér, with the arched window of the train shed and the 1884 date stones. Photo: Suicasmo, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized, via Wikimedia Commons

Getting to the center. Follow the M signs down. The M2 (red) runs west through Blaha Lujza tér and Astoria to Deák Ferenc tér, the main interchange, and on under the river to Batthyány tér and Déli. The M4 (green) runs to Rákóczi tér, Kálvin tér and across to Szent Gellért tér and Kelenföld. On the surface, trams 24 and 28, trolleybuses 73, 76, 78 and 80 and a long list of buses stop around the station; our Budapest metro guide covers the lines and where they take you.

Tickets for the city. A BKK single ticket costs 500 HUF (about $1.50) and is good for one metro journey, including a change between metro lines. If you will ride more than five times in a day, the 24-hour travelcard at 2,750 HUF (about $8.40) wins; the 72-hour card is 5,750 HUF (about $17.50).

Prices are in HUF, which is what you pay at the machine or the counter. Converted at 1 USD = 328 HUF, the ECB rate on 30 October 2026. Rates move, so treat the converted figures as indicative.

Finding your platform. The departure boards (Induló vonatok) list the train number, destination, time and track (vágány). The track number often goes up only a short while before departure, so park yourself where you can see a screen and move when it appears. The long platforms are divided into lettered sectors, signed from the platform roof, and your seat reservation tells you which car to look for.

Tickets, lockers, toilets and the lounge at Keleti

The Utascentrum, the passenger center at underpass level, is where Keleti keeps its domestic and international ticket desks, customer service and lost property. It is open 04:30 to 00:30 every day, and the international desk sits inside it. Ticket machines handle domestic tickets; for international tickets, the MÁV app, the jegy.mav.hu webshop or the Utascentrum desk are the routes.

The station itself opens at 03:45 every day and closes at 01:00 Monday to Friday and 02:00 at weekends. The waiting room next to track 9 is open from 04:30 to 00:50 on weekdays and to 01:50 at weekends.

Lockers (csomagmegőrző) are automatic and stand at underpass level, opposite the Utascentrum. They follow the station’s opening hours. Small lockers measure 35 x 50 x 75 cm inside and large ones 50 x 60 x 75 cm, so a cabin case fits the small size and a big checked bag needs the large one.

The Premium lounge (Prémium váró) next to track 9 is open daily from 06:00 to 20:30, with snacks, drinks and charging points. A first-class international ticket, a sleeper ticket or a first-class Interrail or Eurail pass with a matching reservation gets you in for two hours either side of your train; anyone else can buy a two-hour entry for 2,990 HUF (about $9) at the door.

Toilets. There is an accessible toilet in the station. Some station toilets charge a small fee, so keep a few coins handy.

Source: opening hours, lockers, desks and accessibility from MÁV’s Budapest-Keleti station page; lounge hours, entry rules and price from MÁV’s Premium lounge page; BKK fares from bkk.hu; all checked 31 October 2026.

Taxis, touts and helpers

Keleti is a big, staffed, well-lit station, and most people pass through it without a second thought. The things that do go wrong here are small and avoidable, and they almost all involve someone walking up to you.

Taxis. Turn down any driver near the exits who offers a ride at a price agreed in advance, without the meter. Licensed Budapest taxis are yellow, carry a meter and charge a tariff set by the city, so a fixed quote from someone who approached you is the cue to say no thanks. Walk to the official rank or order through an app, and check the meter is running when you set off. Our Budapest taxi guide has the current tariff and the apps that work.

Helpers. Someone may offer to buy your ticket for you at the machine, show you the platform or carry a bag, and then ask for money. A polite “no, thank you” and walking on is enough. Station staff wear MÁV uniforms, and the Utascentrum is the place to ask a real question.

Pockets. Keep your phone out of back pockets in the crush at the platform ends when a full train empties, and keep an eye on your bag while you read the boards. That is ordinary big-station sense, not a Keleti warning.

If something does go wrong, the Utascentrum staff can point you in the right direction, and the scams guide explains what to do next.

Vienna trains and the Déli Körvasút works

MÁV is rebuilding the Déli Körvasút, the southern rail link between Kelenföld and Ferencváros, and from 7 April 2026 to around the end of 2027 trains on that stretch mostly share a single track. For the traveler, it boils down to three changes:

• Vienna trains still use Keleti, at new times. Railjets, EuroCitys and the EuroNight to Vienna leave Keleti at half past the hour, 10 minutes earlier than the usual timetable, and from Kelenföld they run to their normal times. Arriving from Vienna, trains wait 10 to 13 minutes at Kelenföld and usually reach Keleti at about 35 minutes past the hour.
• Some trains skip Keleti. The Tisza-Szamos EuroCity between Vienna and Ukraine or Romania calls at Kőbánya felső instead. The domestic InterCitys to Sopron and Szombathely, the G10 trains to Győr, the Kaposvár InterCitys and the Mura and Dráva InterCitys to Graz and Ljubljana start and end at Kelenföld.
• Pécs is back at Déli. Most Mecsek InterCitys to Pécs have used Déli again since 21 September 2026.

MÁV expects changes on the affected lines until the end of 2027, so look up your exact train in the MÁV planner a day before, and see our Budapest to Vienna guide for times, fares and the day-trip plan.

An ÖBB Railjet on track 9 at Keleti, sector D, with the arched train shed behind. Photo: Random photos 1989, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized, via Wikimedia Commons

Source: MÁV’s Déli Körvasút page and track works page, with the line 1 timetable notice (PDF) valid to 12 December 2026, all checked 31 October 2026.

Nyugati: the airport train, Szeged and the Danube Bend

Nyugati pályaudvar (“Western station”) stands on the Grand Boulevard at Teréz körút 55, and its glass-and-iron train shed was built by the Eiffel company of Paris and opened in 1877. MÁV restored the roof between 2020 and 2022, and the Márványcsarnok, the marble hall, reopened to passengers in October 2022.

Nyugati’s Teréz körút front, with the glazed gable of the Eiffel-built train shed between the domed wings, photographed in 2013 before the roof restoration. Photo: Varius, CC BY-SA 3.0, resized, via Wikimedia Commons

What leaves from here. The airport train to Ferihegy station (about 25 minutes, then bus 200E to Terminal 2), the Napfény InterCitys to Szeged, most Debrecen InterCitys, the trains to Esztergom and along the Danube Bend to Szob, and the EuroCitys to Bratislava and Prague. Our airport to city center guide compares the train with the 100E bus and taxis, and the Bratislava day trip starts here.

Getting in and out. Metro M3 (blue) stops underneath, and trams 4 and 6 run along the Grand Boulevard outside. Trolleybuses 72 and 73 and buses 9, 26, 91 and 191 also stop here. Tracks 14 to 17 are reached through the Ceglédi folyosó, a covered passage from the boulevard, and there is a ramp on the Teréz körút side for step-free access.

Tickets and lockers. Domestic and international ticket desks are open 06:00 to 19:35 daily; ticket machines work outside those hours. Lockers stand at the end of track 6, next to the ticket machines, from 02:30 to 00:50. Lost property is reached from the track 13 platform, 06:00 to 18:00. Nyugati has no customer service desk of its own; MÁV sends you to Keleti for that.

Train tickets and city passes. BKK single tickets and the 30 and 90 minute tickets are not valid on MÁV trains. The BKK 24-hour and 72-hour travelcards are valid in second class on MÁV trains within Budapest, which makes the Ferihegy train the cheapest airport run if you already hold one.

Works on the Cegléd main line change some Szeged, Debrecen and Nyíregyháza timetables, so check the planner on the day.

Source: services, hours and access from MÁV’s Budapest-Nyugati station page; the roof restoration from MÁV’s October 2022 notice; ticket validity from MÁV’s Budapest-area fare page; 24-hour and 72-hour travelcard validity from bkk.hu’s 24-hour ticket and 72-hour ticket pages; Cegléd line works (to 1 December 2026) from MÁV’s track works page; all checked 31 October 2026.

Déli: Lake Balaton and Pécs from the Buda side

Déli pályaudvar (“Southern station”) at Krisztina körút 37/a is the odd one out: a modern concrete-and-glass terminus in Buda, below Castle Hill, rather than a nineteenth-century palace. It is the end of the M2 (red) metro, so Keleti and Déli are a straight run on one line, with no change. Trams 17, 56, 59 and 61 and buses 21, 39, 102, 139 and 140 stop outside.

The Balaton trains leave from here: the Tópart and Balaton InterCitys reach Siófok in about 1 hour 20 minutes and the direct Balaton InterCity reaches Keszthely in about 2 hours 36 minutes. Most stop at Kelenföld on the way out, which is handier if you are staying on the M4. Our Lake Balaton day trip picks the right town for the day.

Tickets and lockers. The domestic ticket office is open 06:00 to 20:00 daily. The international desk at Déli is closed at times, so check the station page before you count on it; while it is shut, the customer service desk next to it sells international tickets. Lockers stand in the main hall, on the left as you come in by the entrance nearest the international desk, from 03:00 to 00:30.

Source: services, hours and the international desk status from MÁV’s Budapest-Déli station page; Balaton journey times from the MÁV journey planner for 4 November 2026; all checked 31 October 2026.

Kelenföld, the fourth name on the board

Budapest-Kelenföld, at Etele tér 5-7 in south Buda, is not a terminus, but during the track works it does more than ever. The Vienna trains call here about 17 minutes after leaving Keleti and leave at around five to the hour; the trains to Sopron, Szombathely, Graz and Ljubljana start here. It is the terminus of the M4 (green), which runs straight to Keleti, and trams 1, 19 and 49 stop outside. The ticket office in the underpass sells domestic and international tickets from 06:00 to 20:00 daily.

Source: MÁV’s Budapest-Kelenföld station page and the line 1 timetable notice (PDF), checked 31 October 2026.

From each station into town

Station	Metro	Trams	Ticket office
Keleti	M2, M4	24, 28	04:30 to 00:30 daily
Nyugati	M3	4, 6	06:00 to 19:35 daily
Déli	M2	17, 56, 59, 61	06:00 to 20:00 daily
Kelenföld	M4	1, 19, 49	06:00 to 20:00 daily

The metro is the answer from all four. Deák Ferenc tér, where the M1, M2 and M3 meet, is two stops from Nyugati on the M3 and three from Keleti on the M2, so most central hotels are a single change away. A taxi earns its fare at night, with heavy bags, or when the metro has stopped.

Step-free travel and assistance

All three terminus stations have an accessible toilet and keep a lifting device for boarding trains. MÁV’s assistance service has to be booked at least 24 hours before travel, and a request made less than 36 hours ahead may not be possible to organize, so book as soon as you know your train. The service has an information line on +36 80 630 053, free from Hungarian numbers.

For step-free metro stations, see the accessibility notes in our metro guide.

Source: MÁV’s accessible travel page and the three station pages linked above, checked 31 October 2026.

Money, food and a long wait

All three stations have cafés, bakeries and small supermarkets, and Nyugati has the Westend mall right next door if you have an hour to kill. For cash, a bank-branded ATM is the safe choice; at any machine or card terminal that offers to charge you in your home currency, choose forints. Our currency exchange guide explains why.

If your train is a long way off, spend ten minutes looking up at Keleti’s 1884 hall before you board. And if this is the start of a longer trip, our guide to Hungary by train covers tickets, discounts and the routes worth riding.