Budapest in 6 Days Plus Day Trips

Six days is the same Danube Bend, Eger, Vienna and Bratislava spine as the 5-day plan, plus Lake Balaton, a genuinely summer-only trip, June through August only. Traveling outside those months? Swap day 6 for a slow morning back in Budapest instead. Shorter trip? See the 5-day version . Got a seventh day? The 7-day plan adds a Godollo Palace half-day before departure.

Book these before you go

Day 1: Land, settle into Budapest

Bus 100E runs from the airport straight to Deak Ferenc ter for 2,500 HUF, roughly 30-45 minutes depending on traffic; a Fotaxi booth at arrivals dispatches a fixed fare of 10,000-13,000 HUF if you’d rather not deal with the bus. Settle in near Keleti station or anywhere on the M2 red line. Hungary uses the forint, not the euro, so decline any card terminal’s offer to charge you in euros.

Day 2: The Danube Bend, Szentendre

Take the HEV suburban line H5 from Batthyany ter, every 15-20 minutes, for the roughly 40 minute ride to Szentendre. A standard BKK ticket plus a small supplement covers it, around 700-800 HUF one way. Walk the Baroque old town and see the Skanzen open-air museum if time allows.

Day 3: Eger’s wine cellars

A direct MAV train from Keleti covers the roughly 132km to Eger in about 1 hour 50 minutes, close to hourly, for a fare around 3,000-4,000 HUF. Pick two or three cellars in the “Valley of the Beautiful Women” rather than rushing five.

Day 4: Vienna, a whole other country

Railjet and EuroCity services from Keleti run 12-16 times a day, covering the roughly 2 hour 16 minute to 2 hour 37 minute ride. Book a few days ahead and fares start around EUR 12-19; walk up on the day and the same seat runs EUR 32 or more.

Day 5: Bratislava, faster and cheaper than Vienna

The fastest OBB and RegioJet services cover Bratislava in about 1 hour 54 minutes, roughly 12 trains a day, with advance fares from around EUR 12 climbing past EUR 40 on the day. Slovakia’s old town clusters tightly around the castle hill, walkable in an afternoon.

Day 6: Lake Balaton, if it’s actually summer

Trains from Budapest-Deli reach Siofok, the livelier south shore, in about 1.5 hours, and Balatonfured, the quieter north shore, in about 2 hours, first departures around 6-6:30am and returns running until roughly 10pm. This is a swimming and beach trip, and outside June-August it’s a cold, half-empty lake not worth the round trip. In season, Siofok if you want some evening energy, Balatonfured for a calmer day.

Is Lake Balaton worth it if you’re visiting outside summer?

No, be honest with yourself about this one. Balaton’s whole appeal is swimming and beach time; visit in October and you’re looking at a large, closed-for-the-season lake from a train platform. Swap this day for a second look at something in Budapest itself, or push it to a future summer trip instead.

Which order makes the most sense for these 5 day trips?

Danube Bend first, since it’s the shortest and needs the least planning. Eger next, since the wine cellars reward a clear head rather than the tail end of a tiring week. Vienna and Bratislava, the two international days, work well back to back since you’re already thinking in two currencies. Balaton last, since it’s the most weather-dependent and benefits from being the trip you can drop without unravelling the rest.

The 6 real day trips from Budapest, for reference

Day trip One-way time Fare
Danube Bend (Szentendre) ~40 min, HEV from Batthyany ter ~700-800 HUF
Eger ~1h50min, MAV from Keleti 3,000-4,000 HUF
Vienna, Austria ~2h16-2h37min, Railjet from Keleti EUR 12-19 advance, EUR 32+ walk-up
Bratislava, Slovakia ~1h54min, train from Keleti EUR 12 advance, EUR 40+ walk-up
Lake Balaton (summer only) ~1.5-2h, train from Budapest-Deli 1,900-3,000 HUF
Godollo Palace ~30-45 min, train or HEV from Keleti/Ors vezer tere standard suburban fare

Pack a swimsuit only if day 6 actually lands in summer. It’s the one item on this whole itinerary that’s useless the other eight months of the year.