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London to Budapest
by train...
|
|
|
Budapest: Fisherman's Bastion, Castle Hill. |
The train
journey from London to Budapest is easy and takes just 24
hours, by Eurostar and high-speed Thalys train
from London to Cologne, then overnight to Vienna aboard the excellent
City Night Line hotel train for a fast EuroCity train to
Budapest. Or there are connections via Paris and
Munich, or Paris, Strasbourg and the (real) Orient Express.
All three options are explained here.
On this
page...
London-Budapest via Paris & the
Munich-Budapest sleeper
London-Budapest via Paris & the Paris-Munich
sleeper
London-Budapest via Brussels & the
Cologne-Vienna sleeper
Sponsored links:
Option 1: London - Budapest via
Paris & the Munich-Budapest
sleeper...
This is probably the easiest & cheapest way to reach
Budapest, with daily trains, a convenient mid-morning
departure from London and a breakfast-time arrival in
Budapest the next day, with all that sightseeing ahead of
you. If you'd prefer a departure from London later in
the day, see option 2.
Train times
London ► Budapest
-
Day 1: Travel
from London to Paris by
Eurostar,
leaving London St Pancras at 10:23 and arriving
Paris Gare du Nord at 13:53.
It's a
10 minute walk
from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est.
-
Day 1: Travel from
Paris to Munich by TGV on the new TGV-Est high-speed
line, leaving Paris Gare de l'Est at 15:24 and
arriving Munich Hauptbahnhof at 21:38. Cafe-bar
available.
-
Day 1:
Travel from Munich to Budapest overnight on the
EuroNight sleeper train 'Kalman Imre', leaving Munich
Hauptbahnhof at 23:40 and arriving Budapest Keleti
station at 08:53 next morning (day 2). The Kalman Imre
has a sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with
washbasin), couchettes (4 & 6 berth compartments) and
seats (not recommended). Spend a pleasant
morning in Budapest.
Train times
Budapest ► London
-
Day 1: Travel
from Budapest to Munich overnight on the EuroNight
sleeper train 'Kalman Imre', leaving Budapest Keleti at 20:40
and arriving in Munich at 06:15 next morning.
The Kalman Imre has a sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed
compartments with washbasin), couchettes (4 & 6 berth
compartments) and seats (not recommended).-
Day 2: Travel from
Munich to Stuttgart by high-speed
ICE, leaving
Munich Hauptbahnhof at 09:40 and arriving Stuttgart
at 12:00.
-
Day 2: Travel from
Stuttgart to Paris by high-speed TGV, leaving
Stuttgart at 12:55 and arriving Paris Gare de l'Est
at 16:37.
It's a
10-minute walk from
the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.
-
Day 2: Travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar,
leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 17:43 (18:13 on
Saturdays) arriving London St Pancras
at 19:17 (20:31 on Saturdays).
How much
does it cost?
Each train is
ticketed separately, so add up the price for each leg of
the journey.
|
1.
London to Paris
by
Eurostar: |
Return fares
start at £59 2nd class, £149 1st class.
One-way fares start at £44 2nd class.
Advice on one-way Eurostar fares. Child, youth & senior fares
|
|
|
|
2. Paris to
Munich
by TGV:
|
From £34 one-way,
£68 return in 2nd class
From £53 one-way,
£106 return in 1st class.
Limited
availability, book in advance to get these fares.
Full fare £81 one-way, £142 return. |
|
|
|
3.
Munich to Budapest
on
the Kalman Imre: |
In a
seat: |
In a
couchette |
In the
sleeping-car |
|
6-berth
|
4-berth |
3-berth |
2-berth
|
single |
|
Savings
fare
one-way: |
£24 |
£33 |
£41 |
£58 |
£66 |
£108 |
|
Savings
fare
return: |
£48 |
£66 |
£82 |
£116 |
£132 |
£216 |
|
Full fare
one-way: |
£79 |
£91 |
£96 |
£101 |
£116 |
£175 |
|
Full fare
return: |
£158 |
£182 |
£192 |
£202 |
£232 |
£349 |
|
Savings fare =
Special cheap fare, book in advance, limited availability,
no refunds, no changes to travel plans.
Normal fare = fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.
|
How to buy tickets online...
The best and cheapest way to buy tickets is online, because
there's no booking fee and all the special offers are there
for you to see.
It involves three stages on two websites, so it's best to
engage brain, jot down exactly what specific trains you want
to book on what specific dates, and do a dry run on both
sites to check prices and availability before booking
for real. Here's how to buy tickets online:
-
Bookings open 90 days before
departure, you
can't buy tickets before reservations open.
-
Step 1,
go to
www.raileurope.co.uk
and using the train times on this page as a guide, book the
train from Paris to Munich & back. Add it to your
basket.
-
Step 2,
still on
www.raileurope.co.uk,
click 'continue shopping' and book the Eurostar from London
to Paris & back. By all means take an earlier Eurostar
outward or a later one returning if it has cheaper seats
available.
Add it to your basket. -
Step 3, go to
www.bahn.de/citynightline, select 'English' top
right, and buy a
sleeper or couchette ticket from Munich to Budapest on the
direct overnight sleeper train, looking for the cheap
'Savings' fares. Your simply book online and print out
your own ticket in .PDF format using your PC printer.
Easy! Make sure you select the type of couchette or
sleeper that you want.
How to buy tickets by phone...
If you prefer to buy tickets by
phone, call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open
09:00-17:00 Mon-Fri, no booking fee), or www.europeanrail.com
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Mon-Fri,
09:00-13:00 Saturdays, £25 booking fee). Click
here for a list of
agencies and other useful information on how to buy
European train tickets.
Option 2: London-Budapest via the Paris-Munich
sleeper...
This is also a good & affordable option, with a
departure from London later in the day if that's
important. It runs daily
for most of the year but only 4 times a week in winter. Stop off
for a while In Paris if you like!
Train times London ► Budapest
-
Travel from
London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving
London St Pancras at 15:00, arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:56.
It's a
10 minute walk
from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est.
-
Travel from Paris to Munich
overnight by the City Night Line sleeper train
'Cassiopeia', leaving
Paris Gare de l'Est at 20:20 and arriving in Munich at
07:16 next morning. This
excellent train runs daily in summer, but only
4 times a week in winter. It runs daily until 13
Dec 2008, then on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
until 26 March 2009, then daily until 2 November 2009,
then on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays again.
It has sleeping-cars (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments,
standard with washbasin or deluxe with shower),
4- & 6-berth couchettes & ordinary seats, see the photos & information
below or
click for
more pictures & information about this train.
-
Travel
from Munich to Budapest by
air-conditioned Austrian 'RailJet' train, leaving
Munich at 09:27 and
arriving in
Budapest Keleti station at 16:53. A restaurant car
is available, so treat yourself to lunch!
Map of Budapest showing Keleti station.
Train times Budapest ► London
-
Travel from Budapest to Munich by
air-conditioned 'RailJet' train, leaving Budapest at 13:10
and arriving in Munich at 20:34. A restaurant car is
available, so treat yourself to lunch!
-
Travel from Munich to Paris by
the City Night Line sleeper train 'Cassiopeia', leaving
Munich at 22:44 and arriving at Paris Gare de l'Est
09:30 next morning. This
excellent train runs daily in summer, but only
4 times a week in winter. It runs daily until 13
Dec 2008, then on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays &
Sundays until 25 March 2009, then daily until 1 November
2009, then on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
again. The trains has ordinary seats, couchettes (6-berth
& 4-berth) and
sleeping-cars (1, 2 or 3-bed rooms, deluxe with shower or standard
with washbasin).
Click for more pictures and information about this train.
Walk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.
-
Travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar, leaving Paris Nord at
11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:38.
Introducing
the City Night Line Paris-Munich sleeper ...
The Paris-Munich overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent
City Night Line sleeper trains. Called the
'Cassiopeia', it has modern 'Comfortline' sleeping-cars
(1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower and
toilet, 1, 2 &
3-berth standard rooms with washbasin. There is a shower at
the end of the corridor for passengers in standard rooms,
and all rooms have power-points for laptop computers),
modern air-conditioned couchettes
(choose between a berth in a 4- or 6-berth compartment),
and ordinary seats (not recommended).
Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus
sleeping accommodation. The sleeping-car fare includes
a light breakfast.
Click for more pictures and information about this train.
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper:
The most comfortable & civilised option, with proper
beds & washbasin. |
|
4-berth couchettes:
Ideal for families, much more space per person than
6-berth couchettes. |
|
6-berth couchettes:
A very economical option, far better than a seat for
just a few euros more... |
|
Above: One of the new
'Comfortline' sleeping-cars on the Paris-Munich City Night Line sleeper train.
More pictures... |
How much does it cost?
|
1. London
to Paris
by
Eurostar: |
Return fares
start at £59 2nd class, £149 1st class.
One-way fares start at £44 2nd class.
Advice on one-way Eurostar fares. Child, youth & senior fares
|
| |
|
2.
Paris to
Munich by
sleeper train (per person) |
In a
seat |
In
a couchette |
In
the sleeping-car (standard room *) |
|
6-bunk |
4-bunk |
3-bed |
2-bed |
1-bed |
|
Savings fare, one way: |
29 euro (£21) |
39 euro (£28) |
49 euro (£35) |
- |
- |
- |
|
Savings
fare, return: |
58 euro (£42) |
78 euro (£56) |
98 euro (£70) |
- |
- |
- |
|
Normal fare, one-way: |
110 euro (£79) |
122 euro (£87) |
127 euro (£91) |
139 euro (£99) |
156 euro (£111) |
258 euro (£184) |
|
Normal fare, return: |
220 euro (£158) |
244 euro (£174) |
254 euro (£182) |
278 euro (£199) |
312 euro (£222) |
516 euro (£368) |
|
Child 0-14 with own berth: |
55 euro (£39) |
61 euro (£44) |
64 euro (£46) |
70 euro (£50) |
78 euro (£56) |
- |
|
Child 0-5: |
Child 0-5 sharing berth travels free... |
|
|
|
3. Munich to Budapest |
Special
fares from 39 euros (£33) one-way or 78 euros (£66)
return 2nd class
Normal
fare 105 euros (£88) each way. |
Savings fare =
Special cheap fare, book in advance, limited availability,
no refunds, no changes to travel plans.
Normal fare =
fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.
* The fare for a
deluxe sleeper with shower is around 10%-25% more than the
equivalent fare for a standard sleeper.
This is
probably the easiest way to book. Booking this way
involves two websites, so do a 'dry run'
first on both sites to check prices and availability before
booking for real.
-
Step 1,
go to
www.raileurope.co.uk, and book the sleeper from Paris
to Munich.
Tickets can be sent to any UK address or can be collected at
the station. Only UK credit cards are accepted.
It's best to book the Paris-Munich sleeper
train first and double-check arrival an departure times before
booking the Eurostar connection, in case times vary from the
ones shown above.
-
Step 2, after booking
the Paris-Munich sleeper train, add it to your basket & click 'continue shopping'.
Now book
the Eurostar from London to Paris and back. Use the recommended Eurostar times above as a guide,
but by
all means book an earlier Eurostar outward or a later
Eurostar on the way back if these have cheaper seats
available or if you'd like to stop off in Paris.
-
Step 3, now go to the German
Railways website
http://bahn.hafas.de, use the journey planner to bring
up the connecting Munich-Budapest train shown in the train
times above, and buy the ticket. It will show if any
cheap special fares are available. Tickets can be sent to any address,
or in some cases printed out yourself.
Sometimes
www.raileurope.co.uk
has the cheapest fares for the
Paris-Munich sleeper, sometimes
www.bahn.de/citynightline
is cheaper, so it's worth checking both sites.
If you book the Paris-Munich sleeper using
www.bahn.de/citynightline you'll need to book the
Eurostar separately at
www.eurostar.com, so do a 'dry run'
first on both sites to check prices and availability before
booking for real.
-
Step 1,
go to
www.bahn.de/citynightline, the German Railways official
sleeper train website. Select 'English' top right,
then click through to the online booking system. Book from Paris to
Munich and back on the direct overnight sleeper train.
Availability of cheap 'savings' fares and
fully-flexible fares will be shown, for each type of
seat, couchette & sleeper. You pay by credit card and print out
your own tickets in .pdf format. Easy! Note that
the prices shown on
www.bahn.de/citynightline are in euros, and are the
total cost for all passengers selected, not per person. Always book the
sleeper first and check its actual arrival & departure
before booking the Eurostar connection, as times
occasionally
vary.
-
Step 2, still on
www.bahn.de,
now use the journey planner to bring
up the connecting Munich-Budapest train shown in the train
times above, and buy the ticket. It will show if any
cheap special fares are available. Tickets can be sent
to any address, or in some cases printed out yourself.
-
Step
3, go to
www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar
tickets between London and Paris, using the Eurostar times
above as a guide. By all means book an earlier
Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if
this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop
off in Paris for a while. For one-way fares on Eurostar
see this
advice. Eurostar tickets can be sent to any UK
address, or picked up at the station if you're travelling at
short notice or booking from overseas.
How to buy tickets by phone...
If
you'd prefer to book by phone, just call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday, no
booking fee, £3 credit card fee), or a booking agency such
as
European Rail
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Mon-Fri,
09:00-13:00 Saturdays, £25 booking fee).
Option 3: London-Budapest via the Cologne-Vienna
sleeper...
This runs daily, and avoids any walk between stations if
that's important to you.
Train times London
► Budapest
-
Travel
from London to Brussels by
Eurostar,
leaving London St Pancras at 13:20, arriving in
Brussels Midi at 16:40.
-
Travel from Brussels to Cologne by high-speed
Thalys
| |
