Budapest's Santa Bus, Mikulás Trolleybus and Santa Trains
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Budapest’s public transport dresses up for December. Six trams covered in lights, a glowing cogwheel railway, a lit boat on the Danube, and in the middle of it a few vehicles built around Mikulás, St Nicholas, the figure who fills Hungarian children’s boots on the night of 5 to 6 December.
For a visiting family the appeal is simple: most of these run on ordinary routes at ordinary fares, so a ticket you already have buys a Christmas ride. This guide covers the four Mikulás vehicles, what children get on each, and how to catch them. If Mikulás is new to you, start with our guide to Mikulás and St Nicholas Day in Hungary.
For the rest of the Hungarian year, from carnival to Christmas, see our calendar of Hungarian holidays and traditions.
📋 At a Glance
| Last year, 2025 | |
|---|---|
| BKV Mikulásbusz | Retro Ikarus 280, weekdays on lines 5, 7 and 133E, a different line each weekend, until 23 December, normal fare |
| Mikulástroli | Trolleybus lines 72, 75, 76, 77, 80 and 82, Mikulás on board, shoebox gifts collected 5 to 17 December, normal fare |
| MÁV Mikulásbusz | Népliget to Gödöllő at 16:00 on 6, 7, 13, 14 and 20 to 23 December, 3,000 Ft return |
| Children’s Railway Santa trains | Beginning of December, prepaid special-fee tickets only |
| Rest of the fleet | Six light trams until 6 January, light cogwheel railway, light boat until 30 December |
| 2026 | Not announced by late October; BKV announced 2025 on 25 November |
Why Ride One
Mikulás is not Santa Claus. He comes on 6 December with small treats, and the Christmas presents come later, on the 24th, from Jézuska. The vehicles carry his name because early December is his season, and they stay on the road until just before Christmas.
What makes them worth seeking out is that they are part of daily city life rather than a tourist product. The BKV bus and trolleybus run between ordinary stops with commuters on board. Riding one costs the same as riding any bus. The two exceptions, MÁV’s bus to Gödöllő and the Children’s Railway Santa trains, are proper outings with their own tickets.
BKV’s Mikulásbusz
BKV first decorated a Mikulásbusz in 2015. The bus and the lines change from one year to the next, but the idea stays the same: a bus dressed inside and out, working regular routes at regular fares.
In 2025, for the tenth anniversary, it was a retro-style Ikarus 280 articulated bus, the first time BKV had dressed that classic type for the job, with about 130 m² of decoration inside and out. It joined the festive fleet on 28 November and ran until 23 December:
- On weekdays on one of the Rákóczi út lines, 5, 7 or 133E, which run along the main road from the center out toward Keleti station.
- At weekends on a different line each time, in different parts of the city: 9, 30, 34, 85, 97E, 139, 224 and 276E.
In 2024 it was a low-floor CNG Van Hool bus, on lines 105, 210, 130, 11, 99 and 198, from 6 to 23 December; its license plate, DPI206, hid the date Mikulás arrives. So treat the lines above as last year’s, not as this year’s.
How to catch it. A valid BKK ticket or pass is all you need. In 2025 BKV pointed passengers to the festive timetables at bkk.hu/unnepijaratok, and our BudapestGO app guide covers tickets and live departures. On a weekday, the Rákóczi út lines are the easy bet: they are short hops from Astoria or Blaha Lujza tér, so you can wait at a stop on the main road rather than cross the city for a weekend line.
What children get. The ride and the decorations. BKV describes a decorated bus, not a visit from Mikulás, so if meeting him is the point, choose the trolleybus below.
Sources, read on 29 October 2026: the 2025 bus, lines, dates, decoration and fares from BKV’s notices Elindult a BKV 2025-ös ünnepi flottája (28 November 2025) and Indul a BKV ünnepi flottája (25 November 2025); the 2015 start and the 2024 bus, lines and plate from BKV’s Mikulásbusz notice (5 December 2024).
The Mikulástroli: Mikulás on Board
This is the one to choose if your children want to meet him. The Mikulástroli is a decorated BKV trolleybus, and BKK’s news archive dates the first one to December 2015.
In 2025 it ran on trolleybus lines 72, 75, 76, 77, 80 and 82. From 5 to 17 December, Mikulás rode along with a helper, children could take a seat next to him and listen to stories, and passengers could hand over shoebox gifts for the Cipősdoboz Akció, the Shoebox Campaign of Hungarian Baptist Aid, which takes them to the poorest children around the country. Boxes could also be left at four BKK customer centers: Keleti, Kelenföld, Széll Kálmán tér and Szentlélek tér. Travel was at normal fares. From 19 December to 4 January the same trolleybus ran on as a fénytroli, a light trolleybus.
If you want to join in with a box, the campaign’s rules on what goes in are on Baptist Aid’s site; the trolleybus is only the drop-off point.
Sources, read on 29 October 2026: the 2025 lines, dates, Mikulás on board, the shoebox campaign, the drop-off points and the fares from Hungarian Baptist Aid’s report Idén is útra kelt a Mikulástroli (6 December 2025); BKK’s notices A Mikulástroli idén is útra kel (December 2025) and Idén első alkalommal Mikulástroli közlekedik Budapesten (December 2015).
MÁV’s Mikulásbusz to Gödöllő
MÁV, the state railway group, runs its own Mikulásbusz: an Ikarus 280 nostalgia bus covered in lights. It is not just any old Ikarus. MÁV says it is the jubilee 200,000th bus of the Ikarus 200 family, built in 1993 and restored.
In 2025 it ran on 6, 7, 13 and 14 December and daily from 20 to 23 December:
- Out: 16:00 from the Népliget bus station in Budapest to Szabadság tér in Gödöllő.
- In Gödöllő: half-hour nostalgia loops at 17:15 and 18:15, for 1,500 Ft per person, paid to the driver while seats last.
- Back: 19:00 from Gödöllő to Népliget, with a stop at Heroes’ Square so passengers can take photos.
- Ticket: 3,000 Ft per person, return, sold at jegy.mav.hu, in the MÁV app and at ticket offices while seats last. Online, search from “Népliget” to “Szabadság tér” and pick the MIKU/1 service.
This is the outing of the four: an evening with a lit-up Ikarus, a short loop in a small town and Heroes’ Square after dark. The bus reaches Gödöllő after dark, so the Royal Palace itself is better left for a separate daytime trip.
Source, read on 29 October 2026: MÁV-csoport press release December 6-tól elindul a Mikulásbusz is (5 December 2025, updated 13 December 2025), for the bus, dates, times, fares, ticket sales, the Gödöllő loops and the Heroes’ Square stop.
The Children’s Railway: Santa Trains and Advent Carriages
The Children’s Railway in the Buda Hills, the narrow-gauge line run by children under adult supervision, has two kinds of Christmas trains.
Santa trains (Mikulásvonat), at the beginning of December. Mikulás meets every child on board and gives them a sweet gift. These are private trains organized with a partner company, and only prepaid special-fee tickets are valid, so you cannot just turn up at the station.
Decorated Advent carriages, for everyone. In 2025 every train ran with a decorated carriage from 25 November into early January, and both the red and the blue carriages were dressed. During the winter break, 20 December to 4 January, trains ran every day, hourly from Hűvösvölgy (09:10 to 16:10) and from Széchenyihegy (10:03 to 17:03); on 24 December the last trains left at 12:10 and 13:03, and on 1 January service started an hour later. One carriage and a diesel locomotive were lit on the outside as a fényvonat, a light train.
Fares on the normal trains: 1,000 Ft for an adult single and 500 Ft for children aged 6 to 18, free under 6. Tickets cannot be bought in advance, and you pay in forints; not every station takes cards.
Sources, read on 29 October 2026: the Santa trains from the Children’s Railway’s events page; the 2025 decorated carriages from its notice Christmas Light Train in Budapest; the 2025 winter-break timetable and the light train from MÁV-csoport’s Év végi menetrend a Gyermekvasúton (19 December 2025); fares and payment from the railway’s prices page.
What Else: BKV’s Advent Fleet
The Mikulásbusz is one vehicle of BKV’s festive fleet. In 2025 the fleet had nine: six light trams, the light cogwheel railway, the light boat and the Mikulásbusz. They set off together on 28 November at 17:00, when the six light trams ran in convoy on line 4 along the Grand Boulevard.
- Light trams (fényvillamos): until 6 January, each on a different line on the other days of Advent, at normal fares.
- Light cogwheel railway: started from Városmajor after dark on 28 November.
- Light boat: set off from the Kossuth Lajos tér pier and ran until 30 December, on its own fare and timetable published by BKV.
QR codes on the vehicles took donations for Catholic Caritas’s Advent appeal.
Our Christmas lights guide puts the light tram in context with the street lighting and the Basilica projection, and Christmas in Budapest and the Christmas markets guide cover the rest of the season.
Sources, read on 29 October 2026: the 2025 fleet, launch, lines, end dates, fares and the Caritas QR codes from BKV’s notices Elindult a BKV 2025-ös ünnepi flottája and Indul a BKV ünnepi flottája.
When the 2026 Details Come Out
None of the four Mikulás vehicles had been announced for 2026 by late October. Going by last year, BKV announces its festive fleet in the last week of November (25 November in 2025), and MÁV announced its Mikulásbusz on 5 December. We will update this page with the 2026 lines and dates when they are published.
Tips for Families
- Pick by what your children want. To meet Mikulás: the Mikulástroli or a Children’s Railway Santa train. For a ride on a decorated vintage bus: BKV’s Mikulásbusz. For an evening outing: MÁV’s bus to Gödöllő.
- Have a ticket or pass ready. The BKV vehicles are normal services, and the normal fare rules apply.
- Book the two special trips early. MÁV sold its seats while they lasted, and the Santa trains take only prepaid tickets.
- Bring forints for the Children’s Railway. Not every station takes cards.
- Dress for waiting. Catching a festive vehicle on a regular line can mean standing at a stop in the December cold, and it gets dark around four.
- Make a day of 6 December. Our Mikulás guide has the boots in the window, the chocolate figures and the Santa run, and Budapest in December has the rest of the month.
Good to know
Is there a Santa bus in Budapest?
Yes. BKV, the city's transport operator, first ran a decorated Mikulásbusz in 2015. It works ordinary bus routes, so you board it like any other bus. In 2025 it was a retro Ikarus 280 articulated bus, on lines 5, 7 and 133E along Rákóczi út on weekdays and a different line each weekend, until 23 December. The 2026 bus had not been announced by late October.
Do you need a special ticket for the Mikulásbusz?
Not for the BKV one. BKV's Mikulásbusz and Mikulástroli charge normal fares, so a valid ticket or pass is enough. MÁV's Mikulásbusz to Gödöllő is different: in 2025 it had its own ticket, 3,000 Ft per person return, sold at jegy.mav.hu, in the MÁV app and at ticket offices while seats lasted.
Is St Nicholas actually on board?
On the Mikulástroli, yes. In 2025 Mikulás rode the decorated trolleybus with a helper, children could sit next to him and listen to stories, and he collected shoebox gifts for children in need. On the Children's Railway Santa trains Mikulás greets every child with a sweet gift. BKV's Mikulásbusz is a decorated bus, and BKV does not say that Mikulás rides it.
How do you ride MÁV's Mikulásbusz to Gödöllő?
In 2025 it left the Népliget bus station at 16:00 on 6, 7, 13 and 14 December and daily from 20 to 23 December, and went to Szabadság tér in Gödöllő. In Gödöllő it ran half-hour nostalgia loops at 17:15 and 18:15, for 1,500 Ft paid to the driver, and it left for Budapest at 19:00, stopping at Heroes' Square for photos. The return ticket cost 3,000 Ft per person.
When are the 2026 Mikulás buses announced?
Usually in late November or early December. BKV announced its 2025 festive fleet on 25 November 2025 and MÁV its Mikulásbusz on 5 December 2025. The 2026 vehicles had not been announced by late October 2026, and this page will be updated when they are.