Official Budapest Card

A Budapest Card shop, and where the card works

Official Budapest Card is a website that sells the Budapest Card, a city pass and travel card for Budapest, Hungary. The site calls the card "the official city pass & travel card of Budapest, which provides a huge package of free and discounted services", and pitches it as "The best choice for tourist, who wants to reduce the cost of staying and visiting Budapest." The site does not run tours or attractions; it sells the card, takes payment through an online form and arranges pick-up in Budapest. It does not say whether it issues the card itself or sells it on behalf of the issuer. Everything the card covers is in Budapest: the site describes the transport benefit as "Unlimited free use of public transportation within the territory of Budapest", and all the free entries and discounts it lists are in the city.

Prices are shown in euros. The site is available in English, Polish, Italian and Spanish, and its page title advertises 5% off with the code CARD5. Contact details sit at the top of every page: a phone number, 0036 70 388 87 18, and the email address info@officialbudapestcard.com.

The cards and their prices

The site lists 5 types of card under the heading "2026 Budapest Card Prices (till 30/04/2027)":

• 24 hour Budapest Card, €53
• 48 hour Budapest Card, €69
• 72 hour Budapest Card, €85
• 72 hour PLUS Budapest Card, €115
• 96 hour Budapest Card, €112

The site says all of them "offer the SAME BENEFITS (with the 72h PLUS Card including additional discounts)", and that the main difference is the validity period. The PLUS card lists 3 extras: a free return ticket on the 100E Airport Express bus, a free ride on the Buda Castle Funicular, and free traditional Hungarian treats, namely a lángos at Molnár's Lángos and a kürtőskalács at Molnár's Kürtőskalács. As listed, the 72-hour PLUS card costs more than the 96-hour card.

Each card also has its own page in the site's Budapest Cards menu, next to the Prices, Discounts, How to and Buy Now sections, and every card on the price list leads straight to a Buy Now button. Because the benefits are the same across the durations apart from the PLUS extras, the choice mostly comes down to how many hours a visitor will spend in the city, and whether the airport bus return ticket, the funicular ride and the 2 snacks justify the step from €85 to €115.

What the card includes

The benefits section groups the offer into 5 blocks.

Transport. Unlimited free public transport within Budapest for the card's validity.

Walking tours and a cruise. A free Buda and Pest walking tour and a sightseeing Danube river cruise, both with an English-speaking guide. The discount list gives the walking tours as "(2x2h)" and names the free "Budapest River Cruise".

A thermal bath. One free entry to the Lukács Thermal Bath.

Free entry to 30+ sights. The site names the Hungarian National Gallery in Buda Castle, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Aquincum Museum, the Hungarian National Museum and Memento Park, and the discount list adds free entry to Buda Castle / Royal Palace, the Budapest Castle Bus, the Aquincum Roman Museum, the Kunsthalle (Mucsarnok) and the Zugliget Chairlift.

Discounts of 10-50% at more than 70 places. The site mentions baths (Szechenyi, the Gellért spa and Aquaworld), Madame Tussauds Budapest, churches including the Great Synagogue and St. Stephen's Basilica, museums, restaurants, city tours, boat tours, Danube sightseeing cruises and cultural and folklore programs. Its discount list gives specific figures: 20% off the Szechenyi Thermal Bath, Aquaworld Water Park, Rudas Baths, Palatinus Bath, the Panorama Lookout at St. Stephen's Basilica and the Budapest Zoo; 15% off the Tropicarium; and 10% off the Hospital in the Rock Museum, an organ concert and the Budapest Jewish Museum. An "All discounts" link leads to the full list.

Buying, collecting and using the card

The "How it works" section sets out 3 steps.

Buy. Cards are bought through the site's online form and paid by credit card. The site says the confirmation is then sent by email.

Pick up. The card is collected in Budapest, and the site lists 3 options:

• At the airport, with 0-24 pick-up at the reception of the Ibis Style Airport Hotel Budapest, marked available.
• In the city center, with 0-24 pick-up at the reception of Hotel Gozsdu Court, Király street 13., 1075 Budapest, marked available.
• Delivery to a hotel, Airbnb, hostel, private apartment or dental clinic, where the card would wait at reception or in the room on arrival. This option is marked "Currently Not Available".

Use. Holders show the activated card at the attractions. The site does not explain on the homepage how or when a card is activated, or whether the 24 to 96 hours are counted from first use.

The site answers its own question "is it worth it?" with "Definitely YES", saying a tourist who wants to see the main attractions "will definitely SAVE MONEY AND TIME with the Card" and pointing out that the card doubles as a travel card for public transport.

What the site leaves open

The homepage does not state a cancellation or refund policy; the footer links to an FAQ and a contact page, which is where those questions would go. It shows a single price for each card, with no child, student or family rate, and it does not say whether the free walking tour and cruise run on a schedule or need booking. The time savings the site promises are not explained: it does not say whether the free entries skip any queue. How activation works and when the clock starts are also left to the FAQ.

Who it suits

The card suits a visitor who will ride Budapest's public transport every day and wants a thermal bath, a guided walk, a Danube cruise and several museums inside a fixed window, with airport or city-center pick-up at any hour. The PLUS card adds the airport bus return ticket and the funicular for travelers arriving by air.

It fits less well for someone planning only 1 or 2 museums, a family looking for child rates, or a traveler who wants the delivery-to-hotel option, which the site currently lists as unavailable.