Travel

Flight to Budapest

By plain you will arrive at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD), formerly known as Budapest Ferihegy International Airport,  at Terminal 2A or 2B, which are adjacent to each other and connected by a short passage.  Terminal 2A serves all the airlines to/from the Schengen countries, while 2B welcomes travellers of all non-Schengen destinations.

Most major European and North American airlines (also low-cost airlines)  operate flights to Budapest. Here you find the flights from Europe. To have and idea about the fares you can go and check e.g. Kayak or Skyscanner.

To get to Szeged from the airport you have two options.

  • by shuttle bus
    The price of this transport is higher than public transport but it is more convenient, see the offers of  Signum Transzfer and Pegazus Transzfer. The latter also has last minute deals sometimes that can be cheaper than a train ticket. You can also order one-way transfer in the Budapest Airport – Szeged or in the reverse direction from both companies. The journey takes about 1:45 hours depending on traffic and brings you to any address in Szeged. But note that scheduled transfers may wait a reasonable time (up to 2 hours) for late passengers.
  • by train

    The trains from Budapest to Szeged also stops at Ferihegy railway station right across Terminal 1, which is a ten minute bus ride from Terminal 2.  Thus from terminal 2 (2A or 2B) you can either hire a taxi or  can take bus 200E to Terminal 1. Bus tickets can be purchased from the driver for 450 HUF (= about 1.50 EUR) or can be bought in advance  for 350 HUF at the post office, the news-stand called „Relay”, or  from a ticket vending machine at the bus stop itself.  To get to the platform to Szeged you need to leave the bus stop and cross the tracks by means of a footbridge. Once on the footbridge, as you approach the other side, you will see a sign for the trains to Szeged. Hungarian state railway company (MÁV) operates a domestic ticket office at the Ferihegy train station every day from 6:00 to 18:00 in addition, train tickets can also be purchased from the ticket machines located on the platforms. You can use credit or debit cards. Trains run every hour from 6:13 am till 21:13.  Intercity ticket price with a reserved seat: 4210 HUF for a single, one way ticket (about 17 EUR). You are recommended to check the schedules for this destination, because the start times and changing points might vary due to some railways reconstruction works. On the same page you can check the prices and schedules of other destinations as well. See the section below for more details.

International trains

International trains arrive at one of the three major train stations in Budapest: the Western (called ‘Nyugati’), the Eastern (‘Keleti’) and the Southern (‘Déli’) Railway Stations. If your train arrives either at the Eastern or Southern Train Station in Budapest,  you have to get to Western (‘Nyugati’) Railway Terminal to take the train to Szeged. From both the Eastern (‘Keleti’) and Southern (‘Déli’) Railway Terminals take Metro #2 (red line) to Deák Square and change for Metro #3 (blue line) to Western (‘Nyugati’) Railway Terminal. Both rides may take about 20-30 min depending on the traffic. If you come from the directions of Vienna, the Balaton, Miskolc, we recommend that you take a reserved seat.

From Western (‘Nyugati’) Railway Station trains depart at :53 every hour between 5:53 and 20:53 to Szeged.  Travel time is about two and a half hours. On this line in some carriages seat reservations are required, while other carriages can be used without it. Check the timetable of the Hungarian Railways. Intercity ticket price with a reserved seat: 4210 HUF for a single, one way ticket (about 17 EUR). You are recommended to check the schedules for this destination, because the start times and changing points might vary due to some railways reconstruction works. On the same page you can check the prices and schedules of other destinations as well.

Coaches

If you plan your trip to Budapest by coach, you can check the Eurolines timetables here. All coaches from abroad arrive at “Népliget” coach station in Budapest, from where you can take a direct coach to Szeged. From Népliget, you can also take the Metro #3 (blue line) to get directly to the Western (‘Nyugati’) Railway Terminal from where trains leave for Szeged.

Arriving by car

The M5 motorway connects Budapest and Szeged. To avoid entering the city of Budapest by car, you may consider taking the (half-)belt around Budapest. If you use any of the country’s motorways you will need to buy a motorway ticket (called ,,matrica”) at any petrol station. Price: 2975 HUF (good for 10 days), 4780 HUF (good for 1 month). Travel time from Budapest of Szeged is about 1,5 hours. To find your way through the city by car, please consult the city map and address finder.  If you rent a car, please make sure the rental fee includes the motorway ticket and insurance.

Public Transportation in Szeged

Szeged is an easily walkable city, however buses, trolley buses, and trams are all available means of transportation. Tickets valid for any of these vehicles can be purchased almost anywhere in town, in kiosks, in shops, and even from the drivers for a small extra fee. Tickets have to be validated on the vehicle. One ticket is valid for one journey only (single way on the same vehicle). Upon changing vehicle, one needs to validate another ticket. All conference participants will receive a city map at registration. The conference venue Szent-Györgyi Albert Agóra (Szeged, Kálvária sgt. 23.)  can be reached

You can find the timetable of every the tram a trolley on the webpage of  Szeged Transport Company (SZKV) and the timetable of buses on the webpage of Tisza Volán. There to see the reverse direction choose the drop-down list called ,,Irányválasztás”.

Transportation in Budapest

From the airport the city can be reached by airport shuttle minibus. The order can be made upon arrival or on-line prior to travel. For local travel suggestions  you can use a trip planner for public transport or you can also take a taxi, which are now uniform yellow cabs in Budapest. Further travel and touristic information about Budapest can be found on the Budapest Portal, the official website of Budapest,  Budapest Info, a website devoted to touristic information concerning the city or on the website of  Visit Budapest.