Where to park in Budapest in Budapest?How to pay parking in Budapest? and What is Budapest parking price are some of the basic questions going through your mind if you are visiting Budapest by car.For car travelers coming to Budapest and looking for durable and beautiful luggage, go and check Horizn Studios and use code HSxBudapezt for 20% flat discount on all new luggage items.
For visitors coming to Budapest with kids and families, some great Hotels to check are
Where to Park a car in Budapest?
In Budapest, many visitors prefer coming by car as they may be on a Europe trip. One of the challenges they face is to find good parking in Budapest.Coming by car has this challenge that street parking in Budapest is very hard to find in central area around city center,while the parking garages charge a hefty price.
Majority of the Budapest hotels despite mentioning the parking available, still don’t allow you to park for free as they do not have parking spaces.
Following are the commons ways you can park you car in Budapest.
- Street Car parking
- P+R Car parking
- Hotel Garage parking
- Private Garage parking
- Private Open parking areas
- Parking in Shopping Plazas
- Airport Parking in Budapest
Parking available on any hotel website means Street parking,which is paid and may vary from 0.7 USD to 1.7 USD per hour depending upon the parking zones in Budapest.
Hence, selecting your hotel based upon parking may not be the best option in Budapest.
Street Parking in Budapest is tricky due to the fact that all the sign boards are written in Hungarian and foreigners have no clue,even using translators that what does it mean.
For a quick solution for parking in Budapest, you can download Parkl app on your mobile,which can be used for online parking payments in Budapest and use code CPNOA2 for an initial discount.
As you are coming by car to Budapest,there are potential traps where you can be fined upto 200 Euros when parking at the wrong parking place in Budapest.
Budapest Parking App
Although street parking in Budapest is possible with parking meters,in 2024, you can pay street parking with parking applications as well.
If you want to search for the Budapest parking apps used by locals, you should search in Google play store with “parkolas budapest”.
Few options which are worth checking for Budapest parking are
- Parkl
- Simple by OTP
- SMS parking
- Nemzeti Mobilfizetesi Rendszer(NMR)
Parkl,Simple by OTP and NMR require access to the debit/credit card and creation of an account.
NMR and Simple by OTP have some issues regarding payment validation as these are into many other things aside from parking payments.
The best of these apps is Parkl,as it is a complete solution for locals ans tourists to pay online parking in Budapest using a simple mobile application. You can get a discount on your first Budapest parking by using referral code CPNOA2 and following instructions here.
Budapest Parking hours
Parking hours in Budapest depend upon the parking place.Public parking hours start at 0800 in the morning,while the ending time varies upon the parking zone.
Budapest parking hours in each street can be checked on boards signs placed at start of each street. You can also check with Parkl App the parking hours of the area you are in Budapest, if you have an internet connection.
Budapest parking hours duration is from 8:00 till 22:00 in Budapest parking Zone A.
The street parking hours duration is up to to 20:00 in and 18:00 Parking Zone B and C,respectively.
Underground parking garages and paid P+R places allow parking for 24 hours or more. However, the rates may vary for morning and evening times.
Free parking in Budapest
As a car owner, people always look for opportunities for free parking in Budapest. You might also wonder if Budapest free parking is possible?Or where to park in Budapest for free?
However, these are few and far between.
There are many scenarios when the Budapest free parking is available.
- On weekends, parking is free in majority of public parking places of Budapest.
- If it is a public holiday in Hungary, the parking will be free as well. (1 Jan, 15 March,1 May, 20 August,23 October, 1 November, 25 and 26 December). Good Friday and Easter Monday are moveable,hence you have to check on your own.
- During working days, each parking zone has timings during which the parking has to be paid.
- One a working day, after the parking time limit has passed in the respective district, the Budapest parking becomes free.
- Budapest Holiday parking is free for tourists as well as locals,just like weekend parking. Just make sure you are not parking where only locals can park.
- If you download and use Parkl app (use discount code CPNOA2), it will also tell whether you need to pay on that specific day.
Budapest Parking Weekend
As of 2023 and moving into 2024, Budapest parking on weekends is still free.On weekends, parking is free in majority of the districts,except the castle district.
Parking in Budapest on Weekend is free if you are in district V,VI,VII,VIII,IX,as these are covering the majority of area covering the touristic attractions.
Budapest weekend is on Saturday and Sunday,hence Budapest parking in free on Saturday as well as Sunday.
Even on weekends,your car can be locked by the parking authorities if you park on wrong places.Therefore, make sure to park your car on correct street parking spots. Check where not to park in Budapest and What is meaning of Kivéve lakossági parkolási engedéllyel.
The best places to stay near Budapest City center are
Not only on weekends, Free Budapest parking is also available on public holidays of Hungary.
There are a couple of instances in a year in Budapest when Saturday becomes a working day (as another day is selected to be Holiday).
Despite free parking in Budapest, you can be fined up to 200 Euros for parking at wrong places in Budapest.
On such Saturdays if you parked your car without ticket,you will be fined.So please check in Parkl App about parking start time, whenever you are parking on the street. (Make sure to use referral code CPNOA2 in the Parkl App to get discount of 1.5 Euros on your first parking.)
Despite the fact that Budapest has free parking on weekends public holidays, you must still be very careful. You must park your car on designated places on the streets.
Specially in areas closer to Ferenciek ter,Deak Ferenc ter,around Basillica,Jewish district,Chain Bridge and parliament, there are many no go areas with White circle and red perimeter where only locals can park their cars.
Of course, its important to check when coming to Budapest if your accommodation provides parking.Here is a list of best and econoical parking places to park your car for 5 Euros for 24 hours. Get the best Budapest parking spots list here.
Parking Budapest City Center
Do you plan to visit Budapest by car in 2024, and looking for parking in the Budapest City Center?
The best option is to park your car in the underground garage,closer to Deak Ferenc ter, which may charge up to 1000 HUF(3 USD/EUR/GBP).
Parking your car in the underground garage in Budapest center is the safest option as there are numerous tricky parking places where you can be easily fined.
The one closes to Budapest center is erzsebet parkolo. It is closer to St Stephen Basilica as well as the Budapest wheel but charges around 1000 huf per hour (3 USD/GBP/EUR).
The area around Deak Ferenc ter, Ferenciek tere,Astoria and the road between Freedom Brigdge to Jazai Mari ter (near Margaret Bridge) is somehow part of the Budapest City center.
With Parkl App, you can find the street parking spots as well as parking plazas, and by using referral code CPNOA2 get a discount on your first parking.
Street parking in Budapest city center is very tricky and parking garages can charge upto 70 Euros/day. We have curated a list of best parking garages in Budapest. Click here to get the list of best parking garages in Budapest.
If your car is parked in city center at a wrong place, you can easily get a fine up to 30000 HUF (100 USD/EUR/GBP).
Budapest car parking price 2024
Budapest has 23 districts, which used to have their own ways of charging for the parking.
Some districts which were far from the Budapest center had free parking on the street.Whereas the districts closer to the city center required parking to be paid with highest rates.Hourly parking rates used to vary for each district in Budapest until end of August 2022.
With the new parking zones introduced in Budapest since September 2022,the parking has been quite simplified.
According to new rules, the hourly rates are same for street parking in Budapest city center and areas nearby.New standard parking rate in City center is 600 huf/hour(1.5 USD/GBP/EUR) as of 2024.
Areas closer to Synagogue, Basilica, Deak Ferenc ter have limited parking spaces.
Especially the 5th district.i.e. the area along Vaci Utca from Fovam ter till Vorosmarty ter is a risky area in terms of public parking.You can check the available parking areas and street parking rates in Budapest from the link.
The link has different colored lines mentioning the district boundaries,but the hourly rate has been updated with new uniform parking fees from September 2022 own wards.
Despite free parking in Budapest, you can be fined up to 200 Euros for parking at wrong places in Budapest. We recommend checking the detailed guide for Budapest parking to avoid fines.
Budapest Car Parking in Shopping Malls
Majority of Shopping malls in Budapest have big car parking. The famous malls in Budapest include Arena,Allee,WestEnd,Arkad2,Mammut and Etele. All of these malls have paid parking.
Parking at Arena Mall of Budapest is free only for the first hour.If your parking time exceeds 1 hours, you have to pay the all-inclusive time from the start of parking.
At West End and Allee Mall of Budapest, the parking is paid,even from the first hour.
All Budapest shopping malls parking have places for special drivers closer to the entrance, marked with blue color.
You should avoid parking at those special places at all cost.This machine is at the entrance of arena mall in Budapest which is closer to Budapest Keleti train station.
When you enter the plaza, there is a barrier which only opens when you have pressed the button of the machine and the card came out.
On exiting the plaza, you have to validate the ticket by paying the parking fees, if you stay exceeded the nominated time.
Best car parking in Budapest
Considering the risks associated with parking a car in the areas closer to Budapest City center, the best option is to park your car in an underground parking place.
Parking problems in Budapest do exist, but in the city center,street parking is pretty hard to find,with many parking spots not allowed for visitors.Hence, the best place to park for tourists is in underground parking garages.
The hourly rate in the underground parking place may be more, but they are still better than risking a huge fine by parking in Budapest streets.
With Parkl app, you can find the underground parking places in Budapest. For initial discount, you can use the code CPNOA2 and following simple steps to benefit from the code.
Cheapest car parking in Budapest
If you want a cheaper car parking option, one option is to park away from the city centre. There are multiple P+R parking places within Budapest as well as closer to the boundary of Budapest,where parking a car is the cheapest option.
You can park the car for whole day for around 5 USD, and use public transport to come to the city centre. If you are looking for a long term parking option in Budapest, which is cheaper as well, P+R parking places are the best.
