Budapest City Passes
This post provides details about each tourist pass in Budapest, including information about how to use them, how much money you can save, and even advice on which pass will best fit your needs.
BEFORE YOU BUY
There are a few different passes you can use to save money on a variety of popular attractions and activities.
If you’re planning to visit multiple locations or take more than one tour, these services are definitely worth consideration.
Here are a few of the most popular things to see and do with these tourist attraction discount passes:
- Hop on Hop off Bus Tours
- Danube Sightseeing Cruise
- Fisherman’s Bastion
- St. Stephen’s Basilica
- Museum of Fine Arts
- The Ludwig Museum
- Gellert Spa & Bath
- Szechenyi Baths
- Royal Palace
- Buda Castle
- And more!
Depending on which pass you choose, you should be able to save at least 20% – 50% off general admission prices for various historic landmarks, museums, attractions, tours, and other activities.
If you’re wondering how each discount pass and/or combo deal works, here are a few details you should consider before deciding which pass is best for your needs.
Do you need transportation?
It’s worth noting that one pass includes a public transport ticket while the other has a bus tour instead.
While a hop on hop off bus tour will take you to most of the notable landmarks in Budapest, public transportation could be a better option depending on where you want to go and what you want to see.
What are your plans?
Although some of these services are better for visiting museums, others focus more on taking tours of Budapest.
If you’re interested in having a guide to help you learn more about the city, chances are the pass providing several tours would be your best bet.
However, visitors who want to experience Budapest at their own pace and see attractions without a guide should consider an alternative instead.
How much time do you have?
While each pass is valid for up to 6 days, the best way to save money with these services is by using them for as many different activities as possible.
If you have limited time to spend in Budapest, we recommend getting a combo package instead.
Combination deals typically include at least 1-2 tours and at least 1 notable attraction or activity.
BUDAPEST CARD
This is the most popular tourist pass in the city, and it covers admission to the following activities for one flat price:
- 19 Museums.
- Public Transport ticket
- Discounts of up to 50% on other attractions & tours
The Budapest Card is valid for increments of 1-5 days, so no matter how much time you’re planning to spend here, there’s a version of this tourist pass that fits your itinerary.
If you purchase a longer pass, you’ll pay less per day than you would for a 1-2 day card, so it’s actually easier to save more money when you choose the longest option.
Here are just a handful of the great museums and services included for free with this tourist pass:
- Museum of Fine Arts | €9.50
- The Ludwig Museum | €4.75
- Hungarian National Museum | €7.75
- Budapest History Museum | €7
- Hungarian National Gallery | €9.50
- St. Lukacs Thermal Bath | €12
- Cityrama Walking Tour | €10
- Mai Manó House | €4.50
- Budatower | €4.50
In addition to covering the cost of tickets for these attractions and services, the Budapest Card also includes free public transportation (€5 – €12 value) for the amount of time that the pass is valid.
As if that weren’t enough, they also offer discounts of 10% – 50% off various additional museums, tours, historic landmarks and more, including some of the following examples:
- City Sightseeing Hop on Hop off Bus Tours | 20% off
- Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden | 25% off
- Miniversum Theme Park | 30% off
- Gellert Thermal Bath | 20% off
- Pinball Museum of Budapest | 10% off
- Szechenyi Thermal Baths | 20% off
- Budapest Bike Tour | 50% off
- Hard Rock Cafe | 10% off
- Evening Cruise | 15% off
- Aquaworld | 20% off
- And more!
As you can see, even if there aren’t many locations included for free that you want to visit, the additional discounts might still make the pass worth consideration.
Here are the prices for each Budapest Card, as well as the price per day:
- 1 Day Pass: €21.99
- 2 Day Pass: €32.99
- Price Per Day: €16.49
- 3 Day Pass: €42.99
- Price Per Day: €14.33
- 4 Day Pass: €52.99
- Price Per Day: €13.25
- 5 Day Pass: €62.99
- Price Per Day: €12.60
Purchase the Budapest Card or learn more.
Some of the tickets included with this pass are more than €10 per person, so it’s easy to see how you could rack up the savings just by using the card for 2-3 activities.
Here is an example of how you can use the 3-day pass to save some money while touring Budapest.
Day 1
- St. Lukacs Thermal Bath | €12
- Cityrama Walking Tour | €10
- Museum of Fine Arts | €9.50
- 3-Day Public Transport Pass | €12
Day 2
- Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden | €9.75
- CSOPA Science Center | €10.75
- Aquaworld | €19.25
Day 3
- Memento Park | €5
- Pálvölgy Cave | €6.50
- Budapest Bike Tour | €21.50
Total Value: €116.25
Total Cost: €76.45
Total Savings: €39.80 (35% off)
Needless to say, if you can manage to fit even more activities into your day, you could save even more money!
With all of the additional discounts on family-friendly attractions and tours, this could be a great deal for families.
That said, the main services included in the price of this pass are certainly museums and cultural landmarks.
In other words, if you’re not planning to use the extra discount opportunities, this service is probably best for visitors who want to experience more of the culture of this city.
BUDAPEST EXPLORE PASS
This tourist pass is very similar to their competition in that it’s all-inclusive and covers the price of dozens of popular attractions.
However, there are some notable differences to consider before making your purchase.
The first big difference is that this pass does not include free access to public transportation.
While a hop on hop off bus tour is provided, it’s not always going to be a great alternative to other forms of transport.
In addition to that, the Explore Pass focuses primarily on a variety of different tours, and they offer admission to far fewer museums/attractions than their competitors.
Here are some of the best tours included:
- Hop on Hop off Bus Tours | €22
- Danube Wine Tasting Cruise | €33
- Budapest Tuk Tuk Tour | €47
- City Park Segway Tour | €32
- Budapest Night Bike Tour | €25
- Buda Castle District Walking Tour | €36
- Jewish Heritage Tour | €30
- And more!
Although this pass doesn’t have as many attractions, there are several interesting locations you can visit and events you can enjoy with this service, including some of the following examples:
- Szechenyi Thermal Baths | €21
- Gellert Thermal Spa & Bath | €22
- Wine, Cheese & Charcuterie Tasting | €34
- Hungarian Folk Dancing Performance | €24
- Organ Concert in St. Stephen’s Basilica | €20
- Budapest Caving Adventure | €44
- Miniversum Theme Park | €11
- And more!
In addition to these tours, attractions and other activities, the Budapest Explorer Pass also provides extra discounts for a few other services:
- Hungarian National Gallery | 10% off
- Dry Martini Budapest Boat Tour | 15% off
- TimeTrap Escape Rooms | 30% off
- Sweet Travel Private Tours | 15% off
- Pogacia Photo Tours | 10% off
- The Tasting Table Food Tastings | 10% off
- Rent-A-Trabant Tours | 10% off
- Private Airport Transfers | 10% off
Another notable distinction is that this tourist pass is available in increments of either days or activities.
In other words, you can purchase this service either for 1-2 days or for 4-6 of the included tours, attractions and more.
While the day passes are only valid for the amount of time specified, each activity pass is valid for 3 months, giving you plenty of time to use it at your leisure.
Although you’ll probably save the most with a day pass, you could also save a lot of money with the activity pass.
Here are the prices for each option and the cost per day:
- 1 Day Pass: €99/Adults | €89/Children
- 2 Day Pass: €139/Adults | €115/Children
- Price Per Day: €69.50/Adults | €57.50/Children
- 4 Activity Pass: €109/Adults | €79/Children
- Price Per Activity: €27.25/Adults | €19.75/Children
- 6 Activity Pass: €129/Adults | €99/Children
- Price Per Activity: €21.50/Adults | €16.50/Children
Purchase the Budapest Explore Pass or learn more.
As you can see, this tourist pass is a lot more expensive than its competitors, but that probably has something to do with the value of the included tours and attractions.
After all, some of the examples we listed above are over €40 per person, so it’s not difficult to see how a pass like this could save you plenty of money if you use it for at least 3-4 services per day.
Here’s a sample itinerary showing how you could use the 2-day pass to get a great overall discount:
Day 1
- Hop on Hop off Bus Tours | €22
- Gellert Thermal Spa & Bath | €22
- Wine, Cheese & Charcuterie Tasting | €34
- Budapest Night Bike Tour | €25
Day 2
- Danube Wine Tasting Cruise | €33
- Budapest Caving Adventure | €44
- Budapest Tuk Tuk Tour | €47
- Szechenyi Thermal Baths | €21
Total Value: €248
Total Cost: €139
Total Savings: €109 (43% off)
The nice thing about the activities included is that while some require a lot of physical activity (like the caving adventure), others are very relaxing (like the wine tasting cruise).
This makes it easy to enjoy multiple tours and attractions each day, allowing you to get the most use out of this pass.
If you’re not interested in fitting as many activities as possible into just a few days, their activity pass is a great alternative which is valid for a total of 3 months.
To save the most possible money, make sure to use their activity passes for services with the highest ticket prices.
At €21.50 per attraction/tour, you certainly wouldn’t want to use the activity pass for something like Miniversum (€11), because you’d actually be losing money!
Instead, use the activity pass for things like the Tuk Tuk tour (€47) and the caving adventure (€44).
While there are a lot of family-friendly tours, attractions, and other services included with the Budapest Explore pass, many of the best things to do are aimed at adults.
If you’re visiting Budapest with your family, you’ll have to compare and contrast each of the activities included before making up your mind.
However, it’s fair to say that this pass is definitely a safe bet for couples or visitors traveling on their own.
COMBO PACKAGES
If you’re looking for an alternative to tourist passes, this section provides details about combo deals which typically include 3-4 activities or attractions for one flat price.
Most of these packages are offered by hop on hop off bus tour companies, which means you can expect their tours to be the primary services included.
Big Bus Tours
While most of the deals this company offers aren’t technically combo packages, their premium and deluxe tickets include additional activities you may enjoy.
Premium Ticket
- 2 Day Hop on Hop off Bus Tour
- Guided Budapest Walking Tour
- Danube River Cruise
- €28/Adults | €22.50/Children
Deluxe Ticket
- 3 Day Hop on Hop off Bus Tour
- Guided Budapest Walking Tour
- Danube River Cruise
- Buda Castle Shuttle
- Night Bus Tour
- €36/Adults | €28.80/Children
Purchase tickets or learn more.
In addition to these ticket options, Big Bus also has a package with both Budapest and Vienna hop on hop off bus tours.
If you’re planning to visit each city, this could be a great way to save some money on admission.
Budapest & Vienna Tour Package
- Premium Budapest Hop on Hop off Bus Tour
- Premium Vienna Hop on Hop off Bus Tour
- Guided Budapest Walking Tour
- Danube River Cruise
- €54/Adults | €43.20/Children
Purchase combo package or learn more.
City Sightseeing Tours
Much like their competition, this company also offers premium tickets which include additional activities such as cruises, night bus tours, and even a free bike tour.
Bus + Cruise Ticket
- 2 Day Hop on Hop off Bus Tour
- Danube River Cruise
- Free Walking Tour
- Free Bike Tour
- €30/Adults | €27/Children & Students
Bus + Cruise + Night Tour Ticket
- 3 Day Hop on Hop off Bus Tour
- Danube River Cruise
- Night Bus Tour
- Free Walking Tour
- Free Bike Tour
- €33/Adults | €30/Children & Students
Purchase tickets or learn more.
Thermal Bath Combo Deals
In addition to the bus tour combo tickets, there is also a company that provides packages with admission to one of the most popular Thermal Baths in Budapest.
Segway Tour + Szechenyi Thermal Baths
- 1 Hour Budapest Segway Tour
- Priority Entrance to Szechenyi Baths
- €65 per person
Purchase combo package or learn more.
Danube Cruise + Szechenyi Thermal Baths
- Danube River Cruise
- Priority Entrance to Szechenyi Baths
- €41 per person
Purchase combo package or learn more.
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