Railjet Vienna to Budapest - how to book ticket online?
Feb 1, 2013, 7:14 am
#16
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Europe
Posts: 1,589
You can buy tickets on the MAV website here - in Hungarian only, but you should be able to manage with an online translator.
You will get a booking reference which you will need to pick up the tickets at the station in Hungary.
Personally, I think €44 is too expensive - I wouldn't book business class for this relatively short journey - but that's just me. 2nd class advance purchase tickets are only €13 each way (more expensive on the OeBB site).
If you are only going to Vienna for a few days, there is a very useful round-trip 4-day excursion ticket (2nd class) from Budapest for €25 - you can buy this at the station, no pre-booking necessary. In this case, you have flexibility over the trains you take; if reservations are important for you, you can buy them separately (but they are not essential).
You will get a booking reference which you will need to pick up the tickets at the station in Hungary.
Personally, I think €44 is too expensive - I wouldn't book business class for this relatively short journey - but that's just me. 2nd class advance purchase tickets are only €13 each way (more expensive on the OeBB site).
If you are only going to Vienna for a few days, there is a very useful round-trip 4-day excursion ticket (2nd class) from Budapest for €25 - you can buy this at the station, no pre-booking necessary. In this case, you have flexibility over the trains you take; if reservations are important for you, you can buy them separately (but they are not essential).
Feb 1, 2013, 7:56 am
#17
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Body in Downtown YYZ, heart and mind elsewhere
Programs: UA 50K, refugee from AC E50K, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 5,132
Thanks railways!
I was actually on that page earlier on and just tried it again. I wasn't clicking enough. To others who might have the same problem I did, keep clicking through until you get to the page that tells you to select from the list of options below. In my case there was only one thing to click.
Then click on the small orange arrow below what you just clicked. You'll see a list to pick from.
User error in my case ... pure & simple!
I was actually on that page earlier on and just tried it again. I wasn't clicking enough. To others who might have the same problem I did, keep clicking through until you get to the page that tells you to select from the list of options below. In my case there was only one thing to click.
Then click on the small orange arrow below what you just clicked. You'll see a list to pick from.
User error in my case ... pure & simple!
Feb 1, 2013, 8:32 am
#18
Join Date: Oct 2011
Programs: FB Platinum for Life
Posts: 1,019
As railways has said, it should be possible to book on the MAV website - although as you've discovered, it's somewhat confusing, and even if you start in English, it switches to Hungarian half-way through. I think you also need to register, in order to complete a ticket purchase.
There's a bit more guidance on using it on Seat61: Buy tickets starting in Budapest & Hungary
There's a bit more guidance on using it on Seat61: Buy tickets starting in Budapest & Hungary
Feb 1, 2013, 8:58 am
#19
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Europe
Posts: 1,589
As railways has said, it should be possible to book on the MAV website - although as you've discovered, it's somewhat confusing, and even if you start in English, it switches to Hungarian half-way through. I think you also need to register, in order to complete a ticket purchase.
There's a bit more guidance on using it on Seat61: Buy tickets starting in Budapest & Hungary
There's a bit more guidance on using it on Seat61: Buy tickets starting in Budapest & Hungary
Mar 19, 2013, 8:41 am
#20
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Body in Downtown YYZ, heart and mind elsewhere
Programs: UA 50K, refugee from AC E50K, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 5,132
All's well that ends well. As noted above, I was able to purchase my tickets online - €87 for 3 pax (one-way). For a journey of approximately 200km, the €174 I spent for the return trip was undoubtedly one of the cheapest ways to travel. I purchased tickets in 1st Class.
For my trip, in both directions 1st Class was fairly empty whereas the 2nd Class cars were much fuller. Business Class, as far as I could tell, had 1 or 2 people. When I traveleld from BUD to VIE, I had just come off a couple of flights (YYZ-MUC-BUD) and I found the seats and general comfort of 1st Class to be just fine. It might have been nice to be in the Business Class seats but it really didn't matter since towards the end, the entire car had us + one other guy. I'd estimate there were another 10 or so pax in my car who traveleld from BUD to Gyor.
As near as I could tell, 2nd Class was a 2x2 config. 1st Class went to 1x2 and Business Class had semi-private cabins which were either 3 seats or 4 that faced each other. I think in 1st Class you have your own 230V power plug at your seat whereas in 2nd you have to share with someone. There's also a restaurant car where you can sit at a table and enjoy a meal or a few drinks. The food actually looked quite appetizing and the portions seemed generous. Prices were on the expensive side but not truly exorbitant.
I had been warned that Budapest is one of those places where unscrupulous taxi drivers will do their best to rip off the tourists. So for my transfer from BUD to the train station (Keleti) I pre-booked via email with Taxi Budapest. For €25 we were met at the airport by a driver holding the sign who took us to a Mercedes E-class station wagon and drove us to the train station. City Taxi is another company that's been recommended by FTers and I suspect they might be a bit cheaper if I had called them upon arrival, but really - €25 for 3 pax is not something to worry about especially when you're met at the airport in a city you've never been to before.
I later learned that company taxis are OK to take. So if the phone number is printed on the side of the cab, like 111 111 or 222 222 etc then they are safe to get into. The better hotels in Budapest (I stayed at Le Meridien) also have their own fleet of metered taxis.
Upon arrival at the Keleti train station I went to a ticket office armed with my email to claim my tickets. I was directed to a machine outside. There was one right beside the main entrance where I simply entered my 10-digit reservation code on the touchscreen. Seconds later, my tickets came out along with a receipt and that was that. In retrospect, if one really needs the services of a ticket office (say, to upgrade to business class) then you need to make sure you use the right office. I went to the office on the south side of the station (Kerepesi Ut) but the main MAV office is actually on the north side. Oh well, no big deal ...
The trip from BUD to VIE was uneventful, though it did take longer than I thought it would. The train is apparently capable of travel at 200 km/h but the fastest we ever went was 160 and that only for brief spurts. Most of the time we seemed to be travelling at a respectable 130 km/h. As a result, the 200 km trip took almost 3h to complete.
The return trip from VIE to BUD was basically the same thing. The 1st Class car had a few more pax but there were still quite a few empty seats and more than enough space to store luggage on the racks and overhead.
I had again pre-booked with Taxi Budapest to transfer from the train station to the hotel. This time they gave me a 15% discount for using their services a second time. I was charged 12 € / 3500 HUF which is probably a bit more than just hailing a cab outside the station, but again for 3 pax, not so big a deal. And like the first time, I was met at the station by the driver who held up a sign so it was all very simple.
Other random stuff - Budapest, in the downtown area at least, is really quite nice. We stayed at Le Meridien which is well-situated and enjoyed easy walks along the pedestrian thoroughfares as well as over to the market designed by Gustav Eiffel. A quick taxi ride over to Buda took us to the Fisherman's Bastion where we enjoyed a very tasty lunch on the terrace. 2 other good restaurants - Cyrano in the pedestrian area off Vaci Ut and Onyx which I discovered is a Michelin 1-star restaurant. (We spent approximately $400 CDN for 3 pax there. Expensive but worth it!!) Also not to be missed are the cakes at Cafe Gerbeaud. One should also see Hero's Square but I'd recommend taking the metro there (350 HUF per pax) then walking back along Andrassy Ut. You can also visit the opera house along the way but the tours only run at 15h and at 16h. The visit to the Parliament building is short but it's worth seeing. There's airport-style security to get in there so leave the Swiss Army knife at the hotel. You need to pre-book your tickets in a timed block. The hotel concierge was instrumental in helping here.
For me, this was my first visit to Budapest and indeed to Hungary. I really enjoyed my time there and I look back to my next visit where hopefully I'll have time to rent a car and see some more of the country.
For my trip, in both directions 1st Class was fairly empty whereas the 2nd Class cars were much fuller. Business Class, as far as I could tell, had 1 or 2 people. When I traveleld from BUD to VIE, I had just come off a couple of flights (YYZ-MUC-BUD) and I found the seats and general comfort of 1st Class to be just fine. It might have been nice to be in the Business Class seats but it really didn't matter since towards the end, the entire car had us + one other guy. I'd estimate there were another 10 or so pax in my car who traveleld from BUD to Gyor.
As near as I could tell, 2nd Class was a 2x2 config. 1st Class went to 1x2 and Business Class had semi-private cabins which were either 3 seats or 4 that faced each other. I think in 1st Class you have your own 230V power plug at your seat whereas in 2nd you have to share with someone. There's also a restaurant car where you can sit at a table and enjoy a meal or a few drinks. The food actually looked quite appetizing and the portions seemed generous. Prices were on the expensive side but not truly exorbitant.
I had been warned that Budapest is one of those places where unscrupulous taxi drivers will do their best to rip off the tourists. So for my transfer from BUD to the train station (Keleti) I pre-booked via email with Taxi Budapest. For €25 we were met at the airport by a driver holding the sign who took us to a Mercedes E-class station wagon and drove us to the train station. City Taxi is another company that's been recommended by FTers and I suspect they might be a bit cheaper if I had called them upon arrival, but really - €25 for 3 pax is not something to worry about especially when you're met at the airport in a city you've never been to before.
I later learned that company taxis are OK to take. So if the phone number is printed on the side of the cab, like 111 111 or 222 222 etc then they are safe to get into. The better hotels in Budapest (I stayed at Le Meridien) also have their own fleet of metered taxis.
Upon arrival at the Keleti train station I went to a ticket office armed with my email to claim my tickets. I was directed to a machine outside. There was one right beside the main entrance where I simply entered my 10-digit reservation code on the touchscreen. Seconds later, my tickets came out along with a receipt and that was that. In retrospect, if one really needs the services of a ticket office (say, to upgrade to business class) then you need to make sure you use the right office. I went to the office on the south side of the station (Kerepesi Ut) but the main MAV office is actually on the north side. Oh well, no big deal ...
The trip from BUD to VIE was uneventful, though it did take longer than I thought it would. The train is apparently capable of travel at 200 km/h but the fastest we ever went was 160 and that only for brief spurts. Most of the time we seemed to be travelling at a respectable 130 km/h. As a result, the 200 km trip took almost 3h to complete.
The return trip from VIE to BUD was basically the same thing. The 1st Class car had a few more pax but there were still quite a few empty seats and more than enough space to store luggage on the racks and overhead.
I had again pre-booked with Taxi Budapest to transfer from the train station to the hotel. This time they gave me a 15% discount for using their services a second time. I was charged 12 € / 3500 HUF which is probably a bit more than just hailing a cab outside the station, but again for 3 pax, not so big a deal. And like the first time, I was met at the station by the driver who held up a sign so it was all very simple.
Other random stuff - Budapest, in the downtown area at least, is really quite nice. We stayed at Le Meridien which is well-situated and enjoyed easy walks along the pedestrian thoroughfares as well as over to the market designed by Gustav Eiffel. A quick taxi ride over to Buda took us to the Fisherman's Bastion where we enjoyed a very tasty lunch on the terrace. 2 other good restaurants - Cyrano in the pedestrian area off Vaci Ut and Onyx which I discovered is a Michelin 1-star restaurant. (We spent approximately $400 CDN for 3 pax there. Expensive but worth it!!) Also not to be missed are the cakes at Cafe Gerbeaud. One should also see Hero's Square but I'd recommend taking the metro there (350 HUF per pax) then walking back along Andrassy Ut. You can also visit the opera house along the way but the tours only run at 15h and at 16h. The visit to the Parliament building is short but it's worth seeing. There's airport-style security to get in there so leave the Swiss Army knife at the hotel. You need to pre-book your tickets in a timed block. The hotel concierge was instrumental in helping here.
For me, this was my first visit to Budapest and indeed to Hungary. I really enjoyed my time there and I look back to my next visit where hopefully I'll have time to rent a car and see some more of the country.
Mar 25, 2013, 1:34 pm
#21
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,300
I purchased tickets in 1st Class.
I think in 1st Class you have your own 230V power plug at your seat whereas in 2nd you have to share with someone.
Prices were on the expensive side but not truly exorbitant.
The train is apparently capable of travel at 200 km/h but the fastest we ever went was 160
Nov 11, 2013, 2:38 pm
#22
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: MHT
Programs: AA Plat, Bonvoy Gold, HHonors Gold, , IHG Gold
Posts: 209
I am so glad I stumbled on this post as I am in the process of planning a trip from IAD-VIE-BUD in March with my 19 year old daughter. I have 2 quick Q/s about the trains: 1) Does anyone happen to know how far out you can book the tickets? and 2) In 2nd class, do the seats recline? I don't see any reason for a splurge to 1st unless the seats are rigidly upright like in the UK. I have a bad back and need to be able to adjust the recline, even if only a tiny bit.
Many thanks in advance for any help!
Many thanks in advance for any help!
Nov 11, 2013, 2:47 pm
#23
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,300
In 2nd class, do the seats recline?
When you book a "Sparschiene Ticket" you Pay just 10€ more for 1Class.
Does anyone happen to know how far out you can book the tickets?
EDIT: https://ticketing.oebb.at/inet/pub/en/ticket
ooohhh ffuuu.... you cant book an ÖBB Ticket because you start not in austria.... I ask in Facebook maybe you get an cheap ticket on the counter (if you want i can buy it for you).
Nov 11, 2013, 2:53 pm
#24
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: MHT
Programs: AA Plat, Bonvoy Gold, HHonors Gold, , IHG Gold
Posts: 209
ToGo - thank you for your very quick reply!
Do I also understand correctly that since we will be leaving from Vienna, I will need to book the tickets on the OEBB website, and not the less-expensive MAV site?
Do I also understand correctly that since we will be leaving from Vienna, I will need to book the tickets on the OEBB website, and not the less-expensive MAV site?
Nov 11, 2013, 3:06 pm
#28
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: MHT
Programs: AA Plat, Bonvoy Gold, HHonors Gold, , IHG Gold
Posts: 209
Sorry, not clear. We will spend 2 days in Vienna at the beginning of our trip, then travel to Budapest via train and will spend 5 days there before flying home (from Budapest.)
Nov 11, 2013, 3:13 pm
#29
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,300
Perfect you can take an non Flex Ticket for the Trip. Do you have a Date for me?
The Problem white Online Ticket are the are only Valid in the Country you Board the Train.
Like: Vienna -> Budapest = ÖBB Ticket
Vienna -> Hegyeshalom = ÖBB Ticket -> Hegyeshalom -> Budapest MAV Online Ticket
Because the Train Agend have Stamp the Ticket and check the validation witch his small Pocket Pc. He can check only the Ticket in his Country like Austria -> ÖBB/ Hungray -> MAV. Now when you buy an ÖBB Online Ticket the Austrian Train Agend Stamp it and make the Ticket for the hole Journey Valid.
The Problem white Online Ticket are the are only Valid in the Country you Board the Train.
Like: Vienna -> Budapest = ÖBB Ticket
Vienna -> Hegyeshalom = ÖBB Ticket -> Hegyeshalom -> Budapest MAV Online Ticket
Because the Train Agend have Stamp the Ticket and check the validation witch his small Pocket Pc. He can check only the Ticket in his Country like Austria -> ÖBB/ Hungray -> MAV. Now when you buy an ÖBB Online Ticket the Austrian Train Agend Stamp it and make the Ticket for the hole Journey Valid.