Airport hub guide

Budapest Ferenc Liszt BUD: the complete layover guide

One terminal split into a Schengen half and a non Schengen half, a glass SkyCourt in the middle where the lounges and food cluster, free wifi, and a 24 hour express bus into one of Europe's best value capitals. Budapest is an easy airport to use once you know the layout. Here is the whole picture.

Layover verdict Good for short and medium layovers, workable overnight. The single terminal keeps walks short, four lounges take Priority Pass, and with 5 or more hours on the ground the 100E bus puts you at Deák Ferenc tér in the city center in about 40 minutes.

Best lounge play The SkyCourt Lounge on the mezzanine above the food court, open 04:30 to 21:00, takes Priority Pass and sits before the Schengen and non Schengen split, so any departing passenger can use it. The stay is capped at 2 hours.

The one thing to know There is no terminal change at BUD. Terminal 2A handles Schengen flights and 2B handles non Schengen, but they are two ends of the same building joined by the SkyCourt, and a connection between them is a short indoor walk plus, on the non Schengen side, passport control.

Last reviewed 14 April 2026

Quick facts

Budapest at a glance

Control tower and aircraft at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport — Photo: Christo, CC BY SA 4.0

Terminals	One in use: Terminal 2, split into 2A for Schengen and 2B for non Schengen flights, joined by the central SkyCourt hall. Terminal 1 has been closed to passengers since 2012, and a new terminal is in development as part of a 1 billion euro expansion
Airside transit between terminals	Not an issue. 2A and 2B share the same building and the same airside SkyCourt; moving to the B gates for a non Schengen flight just adds passport control
Free wifi	Yes, free and unlimited throughout the terminal
Sleep friendliness	Fair. The terminal stays open 24 hours landside and airside, with padded benches in the SkyCourt area, but overnight cleaning is loud and every lounge closes by late evening
Lounge count	6 across Terminal 2: the SkyCourt and Mastercard lounges in the central hall, plus Plaza Premium and Platinum rooms on each of the Schengen and non Schengen sides
City distance	About 16 km southeast of the center; roughly 40 minutes on the 100E express bus, 30 to 45 minutes by taxi depending on traffic

Orientation

How Budapest airport is laid out

Budapest Ferenc Liszt sits about 16 km southeast of the city center, and the whole operation runs through one building. Terminal 2A takes Schengen flights, Terminal 2B takes non Schengen and long haul, and the glass SkyCourt opened in 2011 joins the two halves into a single airside complex where most of the shopping, the food court and four of the six lounges live.

The flow is hard to get wrong. Check in desks for 2A and 2B sit in adjoining halls landside, security feeds you into the SkyCourt, and from there Schengen passengers walk straight to the A gates while non Schengen passengers clear passport control on the way to the B gates. Walks are short by hub standards, so a 60 to 90 minute connection on one ticket is comfortable here, and even a Schengen to non Schengen switch only costs you the passport queue. Signage runs in Hungarian and English and is genuinely clear.

The history explains the odd numbering. Terminal 1, the handsome 1950s building closer to the city, closed to passengers in 2012 and has stayed shut ever since despite years of reopening talk. Instead the airport's owners launched a roughly 1 billion euro expansion, laying the foundation stone in early 2026 for a new terminal of about 35,000 square meters with centralized check in and security, alongside a promised six lane motorway link by 2028 and a rail connection later. Completion dates keep shifting, so treat all of them as to be confirmed. For now, everything you need is in Terminal 2, and expect some construction hoardings around it in the meantime.

Getting downtown is one of BUD's strong points. The 100E Airport Express runs around the clock between Terminal 2 and Deák Ferenc tér, the metro junction at the heart of Pest, in about 40 minutes, every 6 to 10 minutes during the day and every 30 to 40 minutes in the small hours. It needs a dedicated airport ticket rather than a regular Budapest pass, currently 2,500 forints, around 6 euros, sold in the BKK app, at machines and by bank card. The budget route is bus 200E, which reaches Ferihegy railway station in about 12 minutes on a standard 450 forint city ticket, for a train to Nyugati station in the center in roughly 25 minutes, and continues to the Kőbánya Kispest terminus of metro line M3. A taxi from the official rank outside arrivals takes 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic; fares are metered, so confirm a rough total at the taxi desk before you ride.

Entry is straightforward for most travelers. Hungary is in the Schengen area, so arriving from another Schengen country means no passport check at all, while non Schengen arrivals clear immigration in the terminal. Citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and many other countries enter visa free for short stays under the 90 in 180 day rule, and the EU's new biometric entry checks are still rolling out, which can slow the queues. Rules change and your nationality may differ, so verify before travel. With 5 or more hours on the ground, the 100E drops you close to the Danube, the basilica and the central market, and Budapest rewards even a 3 hour wander.

Inside the terminal

What the BUD terminal gives you

The SkyCourt: where the lounges cluster

The SkyCourt is the multi level glass hall between the A and B piers, and it is the part of the airport to plan around. The food court spreads across it, the best shopping sits here, and the mezzanine above the restaurants holds the most useful lounges. The SkyCourt Lounge is the workhorse: open 04:30 to 21:00 daily, it takes Priority Pass and similar programs, pours decent Hungarian wines alongside the usual snacks and hot bites, and because it sits before the split between the Schengen and non Schengen zones, every departing passenger can reach it. The catch is a 2 hour maximum stay, enforced when it gets busy. Next door, the Mastercard Airport Lounge, a 160 square meter room run in partnership with Plaza Premium Group, opens 05:00 to 21:00 but admits only holders of Hungarian issued premium Mastercard cards, so most visitors can skip it. Priority Pass also lists a Plaza Premium Lounge on the Schengen side of the SkyCourt area; its exact hours are to be confirmed, so check your app before you build a plan around it.

Terminal 2A: the Schengen side

The A gates handle flights within the Schengen zone, which at Budapest means most of the European network. The dedicated room here is the Platinum Lounge opposite Gate A8, open 05:00 to 20:00, a quieter spot with a self service bar, a cold buffet and workspaces, listed on Priority Pass and selling walk in entry as well. It is smaller and calmer than the SkyCourt Lounge, which makes it the better pick when the mezzanine fills up with the morning departure bank. Boarding for the A gates is rarely more than a few minutes from the SkyCourt, so there is no need to camp at the gate early.

Terminal 2B: non Schengen gates beyond passport control

Cross passport control and you are in the B pier, home to long haul departures and flights to the UK, the Balkans and beyond. Two lounges sit out here. The Plaza Premium Lounge on the mezzanine of the departures level is the full service option, with local and European dishes, a proper coffee and bar menu, workspaces, baggage storage and Priority Pass access; it opens at 05:00, and current sources disagree on whether it closes at 21:00 or 23:00, so the exact closing time is to be confirmed. The Platinum Lounge above Gate B7 is the simpler self service room, with recent listings quoting walk in entry around 15,600 forints plus VAT for 2 hours; whether it currently takes Priority Pass is to be confirmed. One practical note: the food and shopping thin out noticeably past passport control, so eat and buy in the SkyCourt before you cross.

The overnight reality at Budapest

The terminal stays open all night, landside and airside, and nobody will move you on. The honest assessment: it is survivable rather than pleasant. The padded benches in the landside SkyCourt area are the best free real estate, a couple of food outlets keep serving through the night, and the free wifi has no cutoff, but the overnight cleaning crews are loud and the lights stay on. Security reopens around 04:00 for the first wave of departures, so a late arrival connecting to an early flight will spend at least part of the night landside. Every lounge closes by 23:00 at the latest, so there is no lounge overnight play here. If you want an actual bed, the ibis Styles Budapest Airport and the TRIBE Budapest Airport hotels stand side by side about a 5 minute walk from Terminal 2, close enough to roll a bag over without a shuttle. For any layover past about 8 overnight hours, the room wins.

Your layover, planned

The BUD guides

Budapest layover guide, hour by hour

What 3, 5 and 8 hours actually buy you at BUD, when the 100E run into Pest makes sense, and how to time the passport queue back into the non Schengen pier.

Check lounge access for BUD

Six lounges operate across Terminal 2 and four of them are listed on Priority Pass, including the SkyCourt Lounge that any departing passenger can reach. Compare current access options, prices and hours before you fly.

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FAQ

Budapest layover questions

Can I sleep overnight at Budapest airport?

Yes. The terminal stays open 24 hours landside and airside, and the padded benches in the landside SkyCourt area are the most comfortable free option. Expect loud overnight cleaning and full lighting, and note that security reopens around 04:00 if you arrive late without access to the airside zone.

Which lounges at Budapest airport take Priority Pass?

Four rooms are listed: the SkyCourt Lounge and a Plaza Premium Lounge in the SkyCourt area, the Platinum Lounge opposite Gate A8 in Terminal 2A, and the Plaza Premium Lounge in the non Schengen Terminal 2B. The SkyCourt Lounge caps stays at 2 hours, so check your app for current terms before you fly.

How do I get from Budapest airport to the city center?

The 100E Airport Express runs around the clock to Deák Ferenc tér in about 40 minutes, with a dedicated airport ticket currently priced at 2,500 forints. The cheaper route is bus 200E to Ferihegy railway station in about 12 minutes for 450 forints, then a train to Nyugati station in roughly 25 minutes.

Is wifi free at Budapest airport?

Yes. Free unlimited wifi covers the terminal, which makes BUD an easier overnight than many airports that cut you off after an hour.

Is there a hotel at Budapest airport?

The ibis Styles Budapest Airport and the TRIBE Budapest Airport hotels stand side by side about a 5 minute walk from Terminal 2, no shuttle needed. For layovers of 8 or more overnight hours they beat the terminal benches comfortably.

Do I need a visa for a layover in Budapest?

Hungary is in the Schengen area, and citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and many other countries enter visa free for short stays under the 90 in 180 day rule. The EU's new biometric entry checks are still rolling out and can slow the queues, so verify the current rules for your nationality before travel.

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