Are there any free parking spots in Budapest?
Are there any free parking spots in Budapest?Thank you for the question! This is a good question and, at times, a tricky question. The local government has removed more and more free parking spots in Budapest, but there are still some. Here we will write about some of those free parking spots.
First of all, in large parts of the city, it is free parking on Sundays and after 22.00 in the evening (on the other days). However, this is in general, so make sure to check it out as you park your car to know if this is valid for where you would like to park your card as well.
General advice is to never to leave valuables in your car because, as in all other cities, there are people in Budapest as well who like to steal valuables from cars, so if you have lots of valuable stuff in your car, you better go to a secure parking lot instead with guards, to make sure that you, your car and your values stay safe!
Free parking in Budapest
Campona
You must park outside the city center if you want 100% free parking in Budapest. You can park mostly anywhere in the 22nd district of Budapest and in other “outside districts” such as the 4th district, the 17th district, and many others. Still a better option is to park in the giant parking lot by the shopping mall Campona outside the city center of Budapest. From there, you can travel with public transportation buses to Moricz Zsigmond Korter, Bikas, Park, or Ujbuda center, and then you can travel further on with the green metro line to wherever you want to in Budapest
You can type Campona Budapest in your GPS and you will be taken to the mall and its giant parking lot. This is probably the best option right now if you want a 100% free parking in Budapest.
Market Central (Vecsés, Fő út 246-248)
This is a shopping area very close to Budapest Airport. Here you find all sorts of stores, such as Tesco, Praktiker, DM, kik, Deichmann, SportFactory, Lidl, Müller, Burger King, and many others. A large parking lot is in front of the complex, and you can leave your car here for free. From here you can travel by bus 200E towards Köbanya Kispest and travel on the blue metro line from there to the city center of Budapest.
The parking lot along the main road connects the city center with the airport. You should, of course, be careful with leaving valuables in the car, just like you should anywhere else in the city.
P+R parking in Budapest (not free, but very cheap).
It is hard to find free parking in Budapest at central locations, but there are a couple of P+R parking options that will allow you to leave your car at a cheap price and then travel on with public transportation to all of Budapest within a few seconds. These were completely free until July 1st in 2023, but they now require a payment. Luckily, they are still cheap, making them great options!
What is the price of the different P+R parking options in Budapest?
The price is 350 HUF per entrance (valid between 06.00 and 22.00). In other words, if you arrive at 8.00 and leave at 21.50, you only pay 350 HUF (less than 1 euro) for the entire parking time. If you leave your car there for the night, you need to pay 105 HUF per hour between 22.00 and 06.00. If you arrive at 10.00 on a Monday and leave the parking lot at 10.00 on a Wednesday, you will end up paying three-day tickets (3×350) and also 16 night hours (16×105). The end result is then 2730 HUF, approximately 7 euro. The parking lot is guarded, meaning that it should be considered fairly safe to leave your car in this and other P+R locations in Budapest for a couple of days
1) Etele tér P+R (not free, but cheap)
You can type this name into Google Maps, leading you to a big parking lot in Budapest. It is located next to a big shopping mall named Etele Plaza, and from here, you can travel by metro line 4 to Kalvin square and Fövam square which are central locations in Budapest. Be aware that many people use this option on weekdays, meaning it might be hard to find a free parking lot, but if you are patient and lucky, it should work out nicely!
2) Örmezö P+R (not free, but cheap)
This is located close to the first parking lot mentioned (Etele tér P+R), on the other side of the railway lines. It is the perfect place to start your trip to Budapest as you can leave your car for free and travel by metro to downtown. You can buy tickets at the metro station. If you’d rather travel by tram to central Budapest, that can also be done using tram 49.
3) KÖKI Terminál P+R (not free, but cheap)
This isn’t entirely free, but it is quite close to free. It is located next to metro line three (the blue line) and the station named Köbanya Kispest. It is a part of a giant mall, meaning that you can easily shop at this location besides parking your car.
The mall is between the main city center of Budapest and the international airport, making it ideal for those traveling between the city and the airport or who just want a good location for parking their car. It is possible to buy tickets for longer periods of time here, including a ticket valid for 30 days. Such long-term tickets must be bought in the parking office at the -1 level of the mall.
Above you can see the prices and tickets available for parking at Köki Terminal in Budapest.
4) Arena Plaza parking lot (this is not P+R, making it much more expensive than the other options)
The parking lot belonging to the Arena Plaza shopping mall can be used for free. It is not super central, but by walking a bit you can reach the Keleti Palyaudvar, and there you will find two metro lines, making it easy to get on from there in town.
November 2022 update. You can now only park for free for 2 hours in Arena Plaza. After this, all the following hours will cost 300 HUF (appx. 1 Euro). The parking lot is possible to use during the opening times of the Plaza itself.
5) Bikas Park (this is not P+R, so it is more expensive than the other options)
This is not very central, but this location has a metro station, and from here, you can easily travel to central locations using public transportation. It is also nice to know that this entire region has free parking, so if you cannot park at the large parking lot on the Bikas park, then you can also park for free in the streets around the park. Be aware of the fact that it is a local market at Bikas Park every Saturday, so all cars have to be removed from the spot before the market starts (they have to be removed latest on Friday evening before midnight).
This is a great place to leave your car if you come to Budapest by car and want to do a day of sightseeing before traveling in the evening. You can also leave your car here for days, but that isn’t a normal thing to do. If you leave your car here, make sure not to leave it from Friday to Saturday as it will be removed due to the market (a great local market in Budapest).
December 2022 update: The local government just changed its policy about Bikas park. Since December 5th in, 2022, you need to pay a parking fee here of 300 HUF per hour between 8:00 and 18:00 on weekdays. It is still free parking here on Saturdays after the market has finished (around 13.00) and on Sundays.
Hello,
I would like to ask You, if I can leave a car in Arena Plaza also at night (when shopping mall is closed).
Thanks for your response!
Hello,
as far as we know, that should be possible, meaning that you can park in Arena Plaza, also at night.
Update: It can not be left there during the night, only during the opening hours of the plaza itself!
Hey , there is free parking around Budapest, Danubius Hotel Astoria, Kossuth Lajos u. 19, 1053 Hungary
Hello, there is no free parking in that area, only on Sundays. It is actually one of the most expensive areas in Budapest to park (since it is the inner district of Budapest).
It is only possible to park in Arena Plaza during the opening times for the mall itself. Most stores close at 20.00, but the cinema is open until approximately 24.00 every day. In other words, you can not park in the mall at night.
Is it possible that the parking at 56-osok tere is not free any longer? Parked there 2 days ago for 1 night (round about 20 hours) and got fined for 20000 HUF (65 Euro). Every car had at least one fine (some even up to 7 fines), but when i parked my car the night before not one single car had one. Kind of mysterious. What do you think?
Is it possible that that`s a fake?
Thanks for your Response!
Hello, as far as I know, you know need to pay for your parking at the 56-osok tere (360 HUF per hour), so it might be a real fine you got. I must say that the fine was extremely high (compared to the parking fines you get elsewhere in the city), but maybe it is some special system for such fines in that area.
The parking place at Hosok ter is unfortunately not free anymore.
This tutorial is useless. You can’t find this names despite Plaza in Google Maps
I just searched for both Bikas park and Arena Plaza in Google Maps, and could easily find them both! Make sure to write Budapest as well after either Bikas Park or Arena Plaza!
So, at Arena Plaza you can park your car for free? Thanks a lot!
Yes 🙂
Is it free to park your car in Budapest on Saturday and Sunday?
In general, yes – but not everywhere, so you better check for sure at the location you would like to park before you leave your car there.
If i arrived at the plaza after they closed can i still park? Thank u!
Hello,
you can not park your car in the plaza when the mall is closed. It is only possible to park there during the opening times of the plaza (which is from approximately 6.00 in the morning until midnight)… The Tesco store inside is the first to open in the morning, and the cinema is the last to close in the evening.
So let me check if I got this write. If you park in Arena Plaza, first 3 hours are free and if you stay more would it be one or five hours you will pay 300 Huf ?
Hello,
you will pay 300 HUF for every single hour exceeding the 3 hour free limit. So, if you park for 5 hours you will pay 600 HUF.
5h of course if you stay 5h. Because you pick up the ticket at 10:00 and if you stay untill 15:00 you will pay whole time spent.
I want to make sure if it’s free to park in this street Városligeti fasor? Or in Budapest Park parkoló?
Thanks
Varosligeti fasor is not free for parking on weekdays… The Budapest Park parking lot (which is far from the city center) is far outside the center, so not ideal… when it comes to price, I am not sure.
Westend, külső parkoló 1.000Ft/day
Very good price (IMHO).
From there you can have Bolt taxy to center at about 2.000Ft.
I parked for 4 days there all day & night and it was all good.
Unfortunatelly, last year+ this is not the case. You can leave it there only 2 hours for free.
Hello, does every parkolo have same price of 1000 huf/h?
Thank you
Hello, any update on this for the year 2022 for Etele tér P+R and Örmezö? Is it still free?
It is still free, and hopefully, it will not change in 2023!
Hi,
All the best i New Year, is it safe to leave the car for 72hours at Etele tér P+R or Örmezö P+R (it is not expensive car)
I’d say yes, at least just as secure as parking your car elsewhere in Budapest. But, of course, you shouldn’t leave values at visible locations in the car etc…
Hi there, is parking at Etele tér P+R still free?
Yes, it is still free, but it is now harder to find a free spot since the street in the vicinity has turned into areas where you need to pay. But if you are lucky enough to find a free spot, you can park there without paying.
Thanks a lot. Is there any recommendation for other free parting, if that is unavailable?
It depends on whether you plan to stay for a long time or just a few hours. The parking at the Bikas park (nearby) “only” costs 300 HUF per hour, meaning that you can stay there for 3-4 hours and only pay 3 Euro in total. Be aware that there is a maximum time for parking there, meaning that you cannot leave your car there for the full day because you can only pay for a few hours at the same time.
You could consider going to Savoya Park (2km away from Etele P+R) and then travel from there with the tram 17 or 48 towards the city center. Tram 48 takes you all the way to Deak ter (city center), while tram 17 takes you to Moricz Zsigmond Korter where you can change to metro line 4 or other trams or buses taking you to the city center.
This is a big mall area with a big grocery store and other stores, and there are always lots of free parking lots available. They do not have cameras etc, so might not be the best place to leave a beautiful car for days, but in general, it works well as parking.
Hi Budapest Guide!
I need to leave my car in Budapest for ca. 10 days (due to my flight from/to Bud. airport). What would be the cheapest option? Are there any free parking lots near apartment blocks?
Best!
Hello,
there are free parking near several apartment blocks in BUdapest. You could also consider booking the cheapest parking at Budapest Airport which isn’t that bad in price (if they have free spots). You can also consider using one of the P+R options, for example in Köki Terminal as described in the article.
In the period 11.06-17.06.23 I am on vacation in Budapest at Atlantis apartaman’s ’16-18 Fazekas utca. I need parking for this period. Can you help me?
Read my reply to Stanimir above as his question dealt with parking in a very similar area. There are no good parking options here as they are all expensive (parking in the garages of hotels or shopping malls).
Hi, is the P+R Parkoló Budapest Batthány tér car park still free? Is it hard to find places there? Is it safe to leave the car there for 3-4 days?
No, and it isn’t an official P+R either, so I would not count on it at all. YOu will most likely have to park your car somewhere far away from this area. Mammut is a shopping mall nearby, but it is very expensive to leave your car there. You can also check Novotel Buda Danube, but that will for sure cost quite a lot as well.
If not, park in one of the much cheaper or free options further away and leave your car there while in Budapest.
Is the AKADÉMIA P+R Parkoló car park safe? And how will we pay there?
Hello, please recommend me a parking lot in the area of the Hungarian National Opera. Thanks in advance!
I would probably use either the parking lot at Deak square, or by Szent Istvar Ter, or maybe park in WestEnd CityCenter. These are good parking lots for some hours, but quite expensive if you want to leave your car there for a longer period of time.
Thanks! To be more precise, please recommend me parking for 6 days
Hello, I have just checked the information on this page, as I’m leaving for Budapest tomorrow and unfortunately, Etele ter and Örmezö are now paying parkings lots, since July 1st 2023. :((((((
You are entirely right about that, it’s time to update this article. It is a really bad thing, and it makes it so much harder to find free parking in Budapest…. what’s even more stupid is that they are running these parking lots on an hourly basis. They should at least have made it possible to buy a 24 hour ticket or a very discounted price if you leave your car there for multiple days.
Hi, I will stay 3 nights at Charles Hotel (Hegyalja út 23) from Thursday afternoon (Aug 3) till Sunday before noon (Aug 6). This hotel provides a limited number of parking places for 12,50 EUR/car/night. Can you suggest:
a. A better option, if possible…
b. One or two “emergency options”, for the situation when no parking places will be available at the hotel.
Thanks in advance!
The best option is probably to park in the hotel. Another option is to park at Etele P+R (described in the article) and grab a taxi for there to your hotel. That is a much cheaper option as the approximate daily fee is around 4 euros (see calculation in the article above). But, it isn’t as convenient as the car is elsewhere and you need to use a taxi or a combination buses/trams/metros (at least one change is required) to travel between the P+R and the hotel.
We want parking for 10 days in the Golden Park hotel area, close to Arena Mall, can we find parking in this area?
There aren’t a lot of good options. If the hotel can help you, that might be the best option. A second option is to buy a monthly pass for Arena Plaza (the price is 25,000 HUF). You can call them at +36 1 880 7024 for more information about this option.
If you want some other option, look at those described in the article. 🙂
In Arena Mall only first hour is free from 2023.
Yes, that is so. The second hour costs 200 HUF, and after that, each hour costs 300 HUF.
Buongiorno, dove ci sono le strisce bianche discontinue, è a pagamento? Invito non ho visto parcometri, ma ho preso la multa.
You will not always see parking meters at every corner, so sometimes, you need to look around. In general, you need to pay parking in all of the central districts of Budapest, normally from 06.00-20.00, but sometimes until 22.00. Some places are free during weekends, but you need to find the nearest meter to find out about that exactly.
Hello..
we booked apartment, on following adress: 1132 Budapest, Victor Hugo utca. We saw on Google street view, that there is public parking in front of apartment on the street. Can we buy daily ticket for that parking? If so – at what price and where? Tnx in advance!
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a daily ticket for the normal parking zones. You pay per hour, and normally, they have a standard of 3 hours of parking at a time (and then you need to renew your parking). I suggest you contact the owner of your apartment as he/she will for sure have more exact information and possibly about permanent parking solutions nearby where you can pay per day instead of per hour.
Thanks for this post, so helpful
Hello,
we need to leave our car somewhere for 21 days at a good price. I’ve read the entire article, and if I understand correctly, we have several options.
1) Market Central – which is close to the airport and offers free parking, but I guess everyone might use it, right?
2) KÖKI Terminal P+R – where it’s open from 6 AM to 10 PM, and the price is 350 HUF for the entire duration, with no extra charge for overnight parking. Does it work through a mobile app? Can we pay by card?
3) P+R parkoló (which is close to KÖKI) – on Google Maps, I found that it should cost 350 HUF per day, but they don’t seem to have a website. Do you know anything about it?
Thank you very much for your advice.
Dear Marketa,
Market Central is free, but I would hesitate to leave my car unattended unattended for 21 days. In the end, they might believe someone just left it there and they might remove it… (who knows). Of course, that isn’t very likely, but since it belongs to the shopping area, I would be careful leaving it for a longer period of time like you describe.
Koki Terminal P+R can be used during the night as well, But, if you leave the car for 21 days, there is a parking office at the -1 level at Köki where you can enter and buy a long-term ticket for 30 days. The price is about 10,000 HUF and it is then valid for 30 days, both day and night. I cannot guarantee that the people in the parking office has great English skills, so be prepared with Google Translate and such tools, but what you want is a ticket for 30 days, day and night.
“Thank you for the response.
The 30-day ticket sounds good. I see that you’ve also provided update info – so card payments are possible. Please check what they have on the official website, the price is 350 HUF per hour, may be mistake .. :
https://www.budapestkozut.hu/parkolas/parkoloink/koki-terminal-pr/
Do you also have any information regarding the P+R parkoló that is just a short distance from the Koki shopping center, as I asked in point 3, please?”
-Budapest, Kőbány-Kispest Metróvégállomás P+R Parkoló, 1103 Maďarsko
Thank you so much, Marketa
Dear Marketa,
the parking you refer to is just on the other side of the main road between the airport and the city (compared to Köki Terminal). It is much smaller and outdoors, so I would clearly choose the Köki Terminal option myself if I had to park somewhere.
Yes, you are right, a covered parking lot is better. We will arrive on Saturday morning. Will someone be at the parking office? I couldn’t find the opening hours anywhere. Is it easy to find the parking office on the 1st floor? And one last question: should we buy the 30-day ticket first and then enter the garage, or should we enter the garage first and then buy the 30-day ticket?
I assume that we can pay for the ticket by card.
I apologize for so many questions, but I like to be prepared.
You need to buy the ticket before entering the parking house, or possibly enter the parking house and pay for one hour, and then leave and then come back in with the 30-day pass later (that is probably the easiest option). 🙂
The ticket office is open every day.
Thank you so much for all the informations 🙏