Building Budapest Semesters in Mathematics
College International

Location: Bethlen Gábor tér 2, Budapest, VII. (district 7), Hungary

Mailing address: POB 51, H-1106 Budapest, Hungary

Tel: +36 1 413-3038
Fax: +36 1 413-3030

E-mails:

On this homepage you will also find information on getting to BSM *** public transportation, including ticket/pass prices *** using taxis *** arriving by air *** arriving by train.

How to come to BSM

The school is situated near one of the main railway stations of the city, "Keleti pályaudvar" at 2 Bethlen Gábor Square, in the proximity of the corresponding underground (metro) station and several bus stops.

If you take underground (metro) line No. 2 (red, recommended), get off at "Keleti pályaudvar" station, denoted by the blue metro-car sign on the map. Take Bethlen Gábor street ("utca") for three blocks till you reach Bethlen Gábor square ("tér"). Once there, you can't miss the old building of College International (housing BSM) covered with red bricks - see the picture above.

Alternatively, you can take buses 5, 7, 7E, 173, 173E, 178, 178A as well as trolley buses nos. 73, 75, 76, 78, 79, 80 or 80A. For either of these, get off at "Keleti pályaudvar" stop, and proceed as above. You can find information on routes and schedules here. A map featuring the citywide public transportation network can be viewed here and purchased at metro ticket booths.
View BSM Location in a larger map

Please note that due to the construction of a new underground line, as of Fall 2008, the whole city is upside down, including the immediate neighborhood of the school and Keleti pályaudvar with the construction sites changing frequently. This means you may have to make small detours to get to Bethlen Street from the metro/buses.

General Public Transportation Info

In Budapest, there is a great variety of public transport: several underground (metro) lines, buses, trams, even trolleys. Passengers taking any of them should use pre-purchased tickets that should be validated at the beginning of the journey (in the metro at the entrance, otherwise on the bus/tram etc.) Prices are constantly rising; as of January 31st 2009, the price of a single ticket (valid for any form of transport for one journey of arbitrary length) will be 320 HUF. You can buy blocks of 10 tickets which are somewhat cheaper (2800 HUF for the block) than buying just single tickets. There are also transfer and "metro section" tickets for 490/260 HUF.

Passes - valid for all means of transportation - are available for the following periods (prices are as of January 31st, 2009):

Currency converter

For more info about different kinds of tickets and passes click here.

Taxis

Avoid unmarked taxis. The following taxi companies, with logos well marked on the side of the car, are reliable and reasonably priced. Ordering a taxi by phone is cheaper than hailing one on the street. (include 061 when using a cell-phone; no need for 061 when using a regular phone):


Should you hail a taxi on the street, inquire about the fare in advance in order to diminish the risk of an unpleasant surprises.

For more info on taxis and fares click here.

Arriving to Budapest by Air

You will be landing at Budapest Ferihegy Airport. From there the easiest and most comfortable way of coming to town is to take a taxi. The taxi company "Zona taxi" specializes in downtown/airport/downtown service and work with fixed prices.
 Other taxis can be ordered by phone and will usually arrive within ten minutes.

A cheaper option is to take the Airport Shuttle. This later will pick you up in a minibus along with a few other passengers and will take you to the address you indicate (if it's a hotel the name usually suffices). You may buy your shuttle ticket at their counter in the baggage claim area or in the arrival hall. As of January 2009, the price of an airport-to-downtown trip, for one person, is 2990 HUF (ATM's and exchange booths are available at the airport).
You may order your return (downtown-to-airport) trip by phone 1 or 2 days before leaving. (296-8555)
Find more information here.

There is also a regular city bus service (Bus No. 200E) leaving roughly every 10-15 minutes from the Airport which for the price of a regular public transportation ticket will take you to the last station of underground line No 3 ("blue line"). On this bus you can also buy a ticket from the driver. Buses are available till midnight, but keep in mind that the last underground train leaves at around 23.10.

Finally, from Terminal 1 at the Airport you can take a regular train to "Nyugati palyaudvar".

Arriving to Budapest by Train

International trains usually arrive at "Keleti" railway station, from where you can take the metro and several buses to your home. If you arrive late at night it is better to take a taxi.

For more information on travelling by train click here.