Népliget is the main bus station in Budapest for international and long-distance buses. It is located in the south-eastern part of the city, about 10 minutes by metro from the historical centre. On this page I have summarized practical info for travelling through Népliget Bus Station.
Népliget Station Location and Directions
The bus station is very easy to find, because it is directly at the exit from a metro station with the same name – Népliget on metro line M3 (blue), 4 stops from Kálvin Tér, in direction to Köbánya-Kispest (the same direction as to the airport).
The Hungarian name of the station, which you will often find in bus timetables, is Népliget Volánbusz Pályaudvar. Its address is 1091 Budapest, Üllöi út 131.
It is located at the corner of Üllöi út (út = street) and Könyves Kálmán körút (körút = boulevard), across the street from Budapest’s largest public park, which has given the station its name (Népliget means People’s Park). Üllöi út is the main street between the historical centre and Budapest International Airport.
Bus Services at Népliget Station
Népliget station is the place of arrival and departure for virtually all scheduled international bus services, as well as most long-distance domestic services. The largest bus operators include Volánbusz, which is the Hungarian member of Eurolines, other Eurolines services, Orangeways and other international coach companies such as Flixbus or Regiojet.
The following are some of the most popular services and their usual travel times:
- Vienna (3 hours)
- Bratislava (3 hours)
- Zagreb (5 hours)
- Krakow (7 hours)
- Prague (7.5 hours)
- Ljubljana (7.5 hours)
- Cluj Napoca (8.5 hours)
- Munich (10 hours)
In summer there are also seasonal services to the Adriatic coast in Croatia – particularly Dubrovnik, Split or Rijeka.
There are also direct connections to more distant destinations such as Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam or London, although travel times for these are already quite long and it is usually better (and often cheaper) to fly – Hungarian low-cost airline Wizzair has its base at the nearby Budapest International Airport.
Getting Bus Tickets
There are ticket offices for Volánbusz (the company operating the station), Eurolines and some of their partners. That said, the best way to book international bus tickets is on the websites of individual operators. You can find the links below:
- Volánbusz & Eurolines – lots of destinations
- Orangeways – lots of destinations
- Flixbus – particularly Vienna, Munich
- Regiojet – particularly Bratislava, Prague
Make sure you read the terms and conditions for your particular ticket. Especially how long in advance you must get to the station (typically 15-30 minutes before departure) and whether you need to print the ticket (you often do).
Luggage Storage
There is a luggage storage service on the lower level of the station. It is open daily from 6:00 to 21:00.
Expect to pay around 350 HUF for one day for normal-sized luggage, more for larger items.
Other Facilities
The main waiting hall is open daily from 4:30 to midnight.
There are also ATMs, currency exchange offices, a cafe and toilets. Note that opening times for some of these may be different from the waiting hall hours stated above.
Hotels near Népliget Bus Station
Although it is not walking distance to the historical centre, the connection is very fast and convenient – in 10 minutes you can get to the inner city by metro, which is very cheap, efficient and reliable in Budapest. The area around the bus station and Népliget park offers a good selection of accommodation, which is often priced a bit lower than hotels in the centre. Therefore it might be a good place to stay for those on budget.
Note: From personal experience and for very cheap shorter 1-2 night stays I can recommend Hotel Platanus, which is located in Könyves Kálmán körút close to the bus station. The hotel looks a little dated and is nowhere near luxury or modern, but has all the basics you need, friendly staff, free breakfast, and they were OK with me unexpectedly checking in at 2am after my flight was late. It’s good especially when you have to catch a bus early morning – saves some precious minutes. Otherwise, for a longer stay I would prefer to stay in a nicer place somewhere in the historical centre. See my guide to where to stay in Budapest.