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Budapest · Hungary

Car hire and driving in Budapest

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In Hungary traffic drives on the right. Picking up at BUD means 18 km (11 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648855 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648856.

Drives from Budapest

Car rental from Budapest: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Budapest to SzékesfehérvárHungary59 km (36 mi)about 54 min
Budapest to KecskemétHungary82 km (51 mi)about 1 h 15 min
Budapest to GyőrHungary107 km (67 mi)about 1 h 38 min
Budapest to MiskolcHungary146 km (91 mi)about 2 h 14 min
Budapest to PetržalkaSlovakia159 km (99 mi)about 2 h 25 min
Budapest to BratislavaSlovakia161 km (100 mi)about 2 h 28 min
Budapest to SzegedHungary162 km (101 mi)about 2 h 28 min
Budapest to SuboticaSerbia163 km (101 mi)about 2 h 29 min
Budapest to PécsHungary170 km (106 mi)about 2 h 35 min
Budapest to DebrecenHungary194 km (121 mi)about 2 h 58 min
Budapest to NyíregyházaHungary207 km (128 mi)about 3 h 9 min
Budapest to KošiceSlovakia213 km (132 mi)about 3 h 15 min
Budapest to IstanbulTurkey1,067 km (663 mi)about 16 h 17 min
Budapest to MoscowRussia1,569 km (975 mi)about 23 h 56 min
Budapest to LondonUnited Kingdom1,449 km (900 mi)about 22 h 6 min
Budapest to Saint PetersburgRussia1,565 km (972 mi)about 23 h 52 min
Budapest to AnkaraTurkey1,390 km (864 mi)about 21 h 12 min
Budapest to BerlinGermany688 km (428 mi)about 10 h 30 min
Budapest to BursaTurkey1,141 km (709 mi)about 17 h 24 min
Budapest to KyivUkraine899 km (559 mi)about 13 h 43 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Auto EuropeA broker specialising in Europe, often with clearer all-in pricing for US renters.Get European rates on Auto Europe (opens www.autoeurope.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Budapest?

The right, as everywhere in Hungary.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.