Budapest Nyugati: See location map
Station overview: See station plan
Budapest's beautiful Nyugati Pályaudvar was built by the Eiffel company in 1877, roughly on the site of Budapest's first station dating from 1846. Nyugati Pályaudvar simply means west station. Most international trains originally used Budapest Keleti, but the EuroCity trains to/from Bratislava & Prague were transferred to Nyugati in December 2017, followed by the sleeper to Berlin, Prague & Warsaw. You can read more about the station's history at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest-Nyugati_Railway_Terminal.
If your train arrives at or leaves from platforms 10-13 in the magnificent original trainshed, enjoy the experience. In the long term it is planned to remove all tracks from the Eiffel trainshed and turn it into a circulating area, with modern platforms created just outside, the buffer stops level with where platform 1-9 are today.
Budapest Nyugati, seen in 2022 during renovation work (now completed). That's the 4 & 6 tram stop in front of the station. The beautiful station facade, built by the Gustave Eiffel Company in 1877, has largely been covered with scaffolding.
Platforms 10-13 & the main departure boards, inside the magnificent original trainshed.
Which platform for your train?
Budapest Nyugati is a terminus with 17 platforms, numbered from left to right as you look towards the trains. See station plan.
Platforms 1-9 are set back on the north side, accessed by walking 150m along platform 10, or via the forecourt on the north side of the original station.
Platforms 10-13 are the longer platforms that come right in to the beautiful original trainshed as seen in the photo above.
Platforms 14-17 are also set back, on the south side.
International trains may leave from platforms 10-13 in the old trainshed, but may equally leave from platforms 1-9.
Being a terminus, there's easy level access to all platforms. There are no ticket gates or barriers, there's free and open access from street to concourse to platforms. Tickets are checked on board the trains.
The main departure boards will tell you which platform your train leaves from, but you can sometimes see which platform your train is due to leave from at the Hungarian Railways website www.mavcsoport.hu. Look up your train using the journey planner and when the list of trains appears, click on the orange arrow against your train. Often the platform is given, but not always. Remember that platforms may change on the day, so always check the departure boards.
Platforms 1-9. This is what you see when you walk 150m down platform 10 and look to your left.
Standing in front of platforms 1-9, looking back towards platform 10 in the original trainshed.
Platforms 14-17. This is what you see when you walk 150m down platform 13 and look to your right.
Tickets & reservations
The domestic ticket windows used to be in a magnificent ticket hall next to platform 13, with the international ticket windows in a smaller hall next door. Currently there's a temporary ticket office during the building works, to find it walk along platform 13 and turn right just before reaching platforms 14-17.
Temporary ticket office, domestic & international - walk along platform 13 and turn right.
Luggage lockers & ATMs
Building work has disrupted the left luggage facilities, but there are some coin-operated luggage lockers half way down platform 10. See the luggage lockers page for prices.
There's at least one ATM cash point inside the station, near the buffer stops for platform 10, shown on the station plan.
First class lounge
There is no first class lounge at Budapest Nyugati, although there's a first class lounge at Budapest Keleti.
Food & drink
There's a McDonald's at Budapest Nyugati in what I believe is the original station restaurant of 1877. It's in the building immediately to the right of the right-hand tower in the main facade as you look at the front of the station. Whether you like fast food or not, you can't knock the magnificent surroundings! If you find other suggestions, let me know!
There's a Spar supermarket directly across the road from the station if you need to stock up for a journey.
McDonald's cafe & burgers at Budapest Nyugati station.
Local transport: Walking, taxis, metro
Walking: There's no reason why you can't walk from the station to the inner city and the river, but it will take you 40 minutes, see Google map of Budapest. You may prefer to take the metro or a taxi.
Metro: Budapest's metro is clean and efficient, Budapest Nyugati is on Metro line 3. If you don't fancy the walk to the river, the metro will get you there, or to Budapest Deli, Budapest Keleti or Kelenfold stations if you need to reach them. For Budapest metro & tram information see bkk.hu, click English top right for English, then click maps for a metro map. Metro stations are marked 'M' on this Google map of Budapest, so you can easily find the metro station closest to where you want to go.
Tip, buy transit tickets on your phone: Download the BudapestGo app for iPhone or BudapestGo app for Android. You can then buy Budapest city transit tickets in the app on your phone using your credit or debit card, including single tickets, 30 or 90 minute timed tickets (which allow multiple transfers within that timeframe) or an inexpensive travelcard giving unlimited travel on trams, buses & metro for 24 hours. If you buy one or more single tickets or 30 or 60-minute tickets, these sit on your phone until you need them. When you want to use one, simply click validate against that ticket in the app, your camera will open, scan the QR code on the metro station ticket validators or on the tram doors and that ticket is activated. One-day and longer travelcards & passes don't need to be validated as they are bought for a specific day. The whole system is open, with no ticket gates to go through, you simply show the ticket QR code on your phone if stopped by an inspector.
Taxis: For a taxi fare calculator see www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Budapest-Hungary&lang=en. Taxis are usually plentiful outside the station, but as always make sure you use a clearly-marked city taxi and make sure they start the meter.
Tip: Budapest's official taxis come in two varieties, taxi companies and freelancers. Both are yellow. To reduce the chances of being overcharged, avoid those which say Freelancer on the front doors and use taxis which have a company logo on the doors. Trustworthy companies include Főtaxi, Citytax & Bolt. There is no Uber in Budapest.
Metro: Budapest's metro is the best way to transfer between Keleti, Deli & Nyugati stations, or between Keleti and the inner city.
Trams 4 & 6 stop right outside Nyugati station. It's my favourite way between Nyugati, Keleti & the Corinthia Hotel!
How to transfer from Nyugati to Deli
By metro, go two stops on metro Line 3 to Deák Ferenc then four stops on metro line 2 to Deli Pályaudvar see bkk.hu.
By taxi it is 5.5 km, journey 15 minutes, fare around 2,500 forint.
How to transfer from Nyugati to Keleti
By metro, use metro line M3 for two stops between Nyugati Pályaudvar and Deák Ferenc then metro line 2 for three stops between Deák Ferenc and Keleti Pályaudvar. See bkk.hu.
By tram, take tram 4 or 6 from the stop in front of Nyugati station to Blaha Lujza Ter. Then walk 13 minutes along the main boulevard away from central Budapest to Keleti station. See bkk.hu. Buy a ticket from a ticket vending machine before boarding the tram and validate the ticket in the validator on bard the tram, or buy transit tickets in the Budapest Go app your phone as explained above.
By trolleybus, take trolleybus 73 from outside Nyugati station, this goes directly to the bus bays on the south side of Keleti station.
By taxi it is 3 km, journey 9 minutes, fare around 1,600 forint.
On foot it is 2.8 km and takes around 36 minutes.
Recommended hotels
For an affordable hotel close to the station, try the highly-recommended 3-star T62 Hotel just across the road (a traveller's favourite with funky interior design, see the photos below) or the cheaper 3-star Star Inn Budapest Centrum a few minutes walk away also with good reviews. The 4-star Radisson Blu Béke Hotel is just one block along the road from the station.
The funky and recommended T62 Hotel, just across the road from Budapest Nyugati...
For somewhere special, the luxurious Corinthia Hotel is one of Budapest's most historic hotels. Formerly the Grand Hotel Royal and opened in 1896, it was almost certainly the inspiration for the 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel, made 2 years after film-maker Wes Anderson stayed at the Corinthia. It's a superb hotel with a great spa and an excellent breakfast - with choice of dry or sweet champagne included. It's !5 minutes walk from Nyugati station along the same boulevard. It's 20 minutes walk or 9 minutes by taxi from Keleti station.
A suite at the luxurious Corinthia Hotel, Budapest.
Also historic and top notch, the New York Palace Hotel originally opened in 1894 and houses the famous New York Cafe on its ground floor. It's 21 minutes walk or 6 minute taxi ride from Nyugati station and gets fabulous reviews. As luxury hotels go, it's pretty affordable. It's just 14 minutes walk from Keleti station.