Local Tip
Skip the bureaux on Váci utca and at the airport. Grand Boulevard offices from Oktogon to Blaha Lujza tér sit close together, so compare a few. For cash, use a machine at a bank branch, not a Euronet.
Where to change money in Budapest
Exchange offices (pénzváltó) are plentiful in central Budapest, with varying rates and handling fees. Both local guides we checked warn against the offices on Váci utca, at the airport and at hotel desks, and Budapest Travel Tips adds that bureaux open late at night do not give the best rates.
- Grand Boulevard, Oktogon to Blaha Lujza térBudapest Travel Tips says bureaux here, and on Rákóczi út from Blaha Lujza tér to Astoria, give good rates, and Hungary Unlocked says that offices within sight of one another help keep prices competitive.
- Correct Change (central office: József körút 40) A chain acting as an intermediary of MBH Bank, with its central office at József körút 40 (District VIII) and Grand Boulevard branches including Erzsébet körút 41 (District VII) and Szent István körút 23 (District V). Its handling fee can differ by branch, so ask what you will receive after it.
Changing money at the airport
Interchange's website lists its counters at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD): in the Terminal 2A and 2B arrivals meet-and-greet areas, in the Terminal 2 SkyCourt and airside. Both guides advise against changing money at the airport, and you don't need forints to reach the city, as the 100E bus takes contactless cards.
ATMs and cards in Budapest
Hungary Unlocked and the UK Foreign Office both favour cash machines at banks (the guide names OTP, Erste and K&H), and both local guides warn against standalone Euronet machines for their poor rates. If a Budapest screen asks whether to settle in forints (HUF) or sterling, stick with forints so that your own card issuer, not the machine's operator, sets the rate. Cards are taken almost everywhere, but keep some forints for market stalls, pogácsa (savoury scone) stands and tips.
Paying for transport in Budapest
With BKK's Budapest Pay&GO, you hold a contactless bank card or phone against the reader at a metro entrance (lines M1 to M4) to buy and validate a single ticket; if inspected, tap the same card or device. On the 100E Airport Express, the Pay&GO machine is by the door. Fares on BKK's price list in September 2026, which can change: 500 forints for a single ticket, 2,750 forints for a 24-hour Budapest-travelcard, and 2,500 forints for the airport shuttle bus ticket the 100E requires (ordinary single tickets are not valid on it).
Good to know
- Never change cash with someone who approaches you in the street: the UK Foreign Office advises against it, and the MNB, Hungary's central bank, warns of unofficial 'traders' offering tempting rates near railway stations and airports.
- Under an MNB recommendation, a bureau must post the gap between its buying and selling rates for euros and US dollars if it exceeds 10 per cent, so a displayed figure signals a wide margin.
- A 10 to 15 per cent tip is usual in restaurants and bars, but first check whether service is already on the bill.
Key Areas in Budapest
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Exchange bureaux, banks and cash machines, as mapped by OpenStreetMap. The map loads only when you ask for it.
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Budapest travel money FAQ
Where is the best place to exchange money in Budapest?
Try the Grand Boulevard bureaux from Oktogon to Blaha Lujza tér, which Budapest Travel Tips says give good rates, or a Correct Change branch such as József körút 40. Compare rates and fees at a few, and avoid Váci utca, the airport and hotel desks.
Do I need my passport to change money in Budapest?
Take it. Hungary's anti-money-laundering law requires bureaux to run customer checks on any exchange of 300,000 forints or more, and Correct Change's FAQ names a passport as the document foreign visitors should show.
Can I pay in euros in Budapest?
Some central, tourist-facing places take euros, but Hungary Unlocked says the rate is rarely good, and Budapest Travel Tips names market stalls, small grocers and bakeries among places that may refuse them. Pay in forints, by card or in cash.
Checked September 2026. Fees, fares and opening times change, so check locally before relying on them. Sources: Budapest Travel Tips · Hungary Unlocked · BKK (Budapest transport) · GOV.UK (FCDO) · Magyar Nemzeti Bank (central bank of Hungary) · Nemzeti Jogszabálytár (Hungarian government legal database)
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