In September 2019, we visited another European capital, the lovely Budapest. Its dramatic history, colorful architecture, delicious food, thermal baths, and vibrant nightlife attract many visitors from all around the globe. I was pleasantly surprised to see quite a few wheelchair users exploring the city despite its lack of accessibility. Although efforts are made continuously to improve accessibility, there’s still a lot to be done. Of the European cities I’ve visited so far in a wheelchair, Budapest was the most challenging one.
When reading, keep in mind that I travel in a lightweight, collapsible wheelchair with power-add, and I have a companion in case assistance is required. These are my personal experiences and impressions based on my abilities.
Getting there
We flew into Budapest Airport (Ferenc Lizst), located ~20km southeast of Budapest. The assistance crew was very efficient and pleasant, even though they hardly spoke English. The entire deplaning, passport control, and baggage claim process took ~40 minutes.
From the airport to the city, there aren’t many transportation options for us, the wheelchair users.
The 100E bus
The bus is wheelchair-accessible, cheap (900 HUF), takes approximately 25 minutes, and stops at a very central location. Therefore, if your accommodation is conveniently located and you arrive during bus operating hours, I believe it’s the best option. For more information about the bus route and timetable, check the BKK website.
Taxi
As of today, there are no wheelchair-accessible taxis in all of Budapest. I contacted every local taxi company, tourist information office, and travel agency, NONE! However, if you can transfer into a regular car and your wheelchair is collapsible, the fare is ~30 euro. Just make sure to use an official taxi company (there is a booth right outside the terminal).
Specialized transportation company
Since our flight arrived at 1 am (no bus), and we knew we would be too tired for chair-folding and transferring, we decided to use an accessible transportation company. There aren’t many of those either, and the prices are very high, 50-130 euros one way. We used Paratrans, excellent service, very punctual and pleasant. The owner doesn’t speak English, all the arrangements were made via email, with the help of google translate.
Budapest Accessible Transportation
Well, there aren’t many options, really. We mostly explored on foot (wheels) or used city buses. The majority of buses are wheelchair-accessible. You have to notify the bus driver that you want to board the bus, and he will set up a manual ramp (usually at the 2nd door). The ramp incline can be quite steep, depending on the sidewalk’s height at the bus stop. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take pictures because my companion had to help me up/down the ramps. A single-trip bus ticket costs 350HUF if bought in advance or 450HUF on the bus. Tickets can be purchased from big purple machines at main bus/metro stations or some kiosks. Tramlines 4 and 6 and Metro line 4 are also wheelchair accessible but weren’t very useful to our planned destinations.
To help you efficiently plan your route, I recommend using the BKK FUTAR app and/or website. In settings, mark the wheelchair (low-floor) box, and it will give you accessible transportation options only.
Accessible Accommodation
Finding an affordable wheelchair-accessible hotel wasn’t easy. There are several excellent, centrally located, fully accessible options such as Kempinski Hotel or Hotel Moments. Unfortunately, they were quite expensive for us. We stayed at Eurostars Budapest Center, a four-star hotel in the city center. The room was big, and the bed was easily accessed in a wheelchair on both sides (not sure if one could use a hoist). The bathroom was big, with a roll-in shower, shower bench, roll-under sink, and some grab bars. It suited my needs but wasn’t fully accessible: not enough grab bars, unreachable toilet paper, high electric outlets, no shelf for shower amenities, and a very heavy door. In addition, there was no wheelchair-accessible restroom in the lobby or other public hotel areas.
General accessibility in Budapest
Rolling around
The streets of Budapest are not easy to maneuver in a wheelchair. The lowered curbs aren’t entirely flat, and the inclines are just ridiculous. There are many bicycle lanes around the city, where the curbs are actually lowered and smooth. It definitely made crossing some streets much more comfortable, but the bicyclists weren’t happy with me. Then add the occasional cobblestones, tram lines, broken and narrow sidewalks, construction sites, and some very, very steep ramps – not the smoothest experience.
Rolling across the historic Széchenyi Chain Bridge, built in 1849 and the newer Elisabeth Bridge was effortless, and we really enjoyed the views of the Danube river and both Pest and Buda districts.
Restaurants/Cafes
Most restaurants, bars, and cafes in Budapest aren’t wheelchair-accessible. In fact, none of the restaurants we visited was fully accessible. Some didn’t have wheelchair-accessible restrooms, and others offered an only accessible outside area. Even the famous New York Cafe had a massive step at the entrance. I must say that everywhere we went, the staff were very apologetic for the lack of access and happily lifted me into the restaurant. At Street Cakes (Of course, I had to try the famous chimney cake – Kürtős), the owner put a table outside just for us, since the shop entrance had steps.
If you want to taste delicious Hungarian food, Fatal restaurant is the place. Only the outside area is wheelchair-accessible, no restroom, and they only accept cash, but the food is soooo gooood! Sorry, I don’t have pictures; as soon as the plates arrived, we dug in.
Budapest Shopping
The famous pedestrian Vaci street, filled with shops and restaurants, is easy and enjoyable to roll on. The atmosphere is excellent, but don’t count on doing a lot of shopping. Most stores, even the big brand ones, aren’t accessible. After being lifted into some and realizing that they weren’t accessible inside as well, I gave up and just stuck to window shopping.
A much better shopping experience for a wheelchair user is at one of Budapest’s shopping malls. We took a bus to a fully accessible (including wheelchair-accessible restrooms) WestEnd shopping center and spent some money! Another option is the Arena mall, Budapest.
Accessible restrooms
We spent a lot of time looking for wheelchair-accessible restrooms, especially in the Buda district. My advice: if you find one, use it! You never know when you will find another. Since most building entrances aren’t accessible (including some hotels), even regular restrooms were unreachable.
Sightseeing
Dohany Street Great Synagogue
Dohány Street Synagogue is the biggest Synagogue in Europe. The complex consists of the Great Synagogue, the Heroes’ Temple, the graveyard, the Memorial, and the Jewish Museum. The entrance to the complex, including the tour, was free for both my companion and me. We were shown to a side entrance since the main entrance wasn’t accessible, where we were met by a staff member and shown around. The complex, except for the museum, is wheelchair-accessible, including the restroom.
St. Stephen's Basilica
A beautiful Roman Catholic Basilica, named after Stephen, the first King of Hungary (his hand is still housed in the Basilica). Its decor is truly magnificent, and the views from the observation deck should be beautiful (we didn’t get to see them this time). Make sure to wear modest clothes and to remove your hat inside. The church entrance is free, while the treasury and the tower are 400HUF and 600HUF, respectively.
To enter St. Stephen’s Basilica, my companion had to climb the stairs to the main entrance and notify the attendant of our arrival. We were then shown to an elevator with an intercom at the side of the Basilica. After ringing the intercom and repeating “wheelchair” several times, a staff member emerged and accompanied us through 2 elevators, the columbarium, into the Basilica. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to visit the tower, which is supposed to be wheelchair-accessible, as we arrived almost at closing time. When you are ready to leave, locate another staff member to walk you out.
The area around the Basilica is easy for rolling and full of restaurants and bars, most of which have an accessible outside seating area. Again, no wheelchair-accessible restrooms in sight.
Hungarian Parliament building
This impressive, domed, neo-Gothic structure, inspired by London’s Houses of Parliament, was designed by a Hungarian architect Imre Steindl. It’s situated in Kossuth Square, in the Pest side of the city and on the banks of the Danube and is the largest building in Hungary. The tour of the Parliament is wheelchair accessible, make sure to arrive 15 minutes early. It’s strongly advised to purchase tour tickets in advance, especially if you are interested in languages other than English.
Heroes square, Budapest City Park (Városliget) and Zoo
Heroes square is one of the major squares in Budapest. The statues represent the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars and other influential Hungarian national leaders, as well as the Memorial Stone of Heroes. In addition, the square hosts the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of art (Műcsarnok). The Budapest City Park, right next to it, is easy to roll through if you want a quiet break from the city noise. The Széchenyi Thermal Bath is right in the park and is supposedly accessible; it was too cold for me to try.
To get there, we rolled along the relatively smooth and busy Andrassy ut., enjoying the city commotion and tasting local street foods. It is a bit far from the central area, so taking a city bus, as we did on our way back, is a great option. The information center to the right of the square has a wheelchair-accessible restroom, although the center’s threshold isn’t completely smooth and might require assistance.
The zoo, located to the left of the square, left me a bit confused and disappointed. The main paths were smooth, but it’s either cobblestones or ridiculously steep and dangerous ramps to access the animals. Some areas weren’t accessible altogether. It seems like a lot has been done as the new buildings have wheelchair-accessible restrooms and elevators, but there’s still a lot to improve.
Castle Hill
Among the Castle Hill points of interest is the Royal Palace/Buda Castle that today hosts the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum, the Sandor Palace, which is the home of the republic’s president, Trinity Square, Matthias Church, and Fisherman’s Bastion. It also offers beautiful views of Budapest and the Danube river below.
Now, for what’s really important. There are no wheelchair-accessible restrooms anywhere on castle hill. The staff on-site are also totally unaware. We were sent to two public restrooms (both only reachable by stairs) by two different workers. Finally, we found a building with a ramp (Gallery buildings A and B), only to discover that the restroom isn’t public and isn’t wheelchair accessible. I had to beg the guard to let me use it (luckily, I can still take a few steps and leave my wheelchair behind). Also, the grounds around Buda Castle are mostly cobbled, and the ride is very shaky. The area around Matthias Church is smooth and easy to roll around. Many cafes and restaurants offer outside wheelchair-accessible seating.
The Castle Hill Funicular
There are several ways to reach castle hill: by bus, by one of the recently installed elevators (according to the tourist information office), or by funicular. The castle hill funicular was first opened in 1970 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site, so of course, we had to give it a try. Surprisingly, it was wheelchair-accessible-ish. The gap between the platform and the cart required assistance, so I am unsure if it can be overcome with a massive power chair. The return ticket costs 1800. HUF and we paid full price. For more information about operating hours, fares, etc., here is a link.
Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion
Matthias Church (The Church of our lady) was built in the 13th century and is named after King Matthias Corvinus, who was married there. The Church is wheelchair-accessible, and the entrance is free for a wheelchair user and one companion.
I was a little disappointed that we couldn’t enjoy the marvelous views from Fisherman’s Bastion. Unfortunately, it’s not accessible at all.
Useful links and emails
Tourist Information office Email: tourism@budapestinfo.hu They were very helpful in answering all my questions regarding accessibility.
Budapest Association of disabled: the website is in Hungarian (yey google translate), but they speak English. Email: pestikozpont@mbeinfo.hu
Accessible Budapest – not all information is accurate, unfortunately, but some was helpful.
Have you visited Budapest? Leave a comment and share your Budapest experience. You can also follow me and my travels on Instagram.
So much good information here. I haven’t been to Budapest yet but now it would be much easier.
Thanks for the very well written post. 😊
Rod
Might the Hilton in the Castle area have had accessible loos?
At the information center, they weren’t sure, and we were too far to just check. Thank you, this might be helpful to others
Yes they do have an accessible loo!
Please tell me where and I will update it for future travelers.
Thank you. Would love to hear about your experience and whether this was helpful in any way.
Hi, I live ín Budapest and I had a serius illness and I used wheelchair, but I’m Ok. Im walking again. I’m glad to help. Sorry I little speak english but I try.
Thank you! I will forward questions to you if it’s ok.