Budapest to Hungary

Q: I am planning a road/train trip from Budapest in Hungary to Geneva in Switzerland next June, and I was wondering if you could help me with tips on how to make my way between the two cities. I already have a Schengen visa. - Leopoldo Amaral

A: You can fly on a number of low-cost airlines in Europe, but your questions suggest you prefer to travel by train or bus. The best train service I could find will take you around 17 hours for the journey via Munich and Zurich. I did a sample booking departing Budapest on Friday, 19 June, 2009. The service departs Budapest-Keleti station at 21.05 and arrives at Geneva the next day at 14.46. You change trains at Munich and Zurich, but the route you travel passes through Vienna, Linz, Inssbruck and Bern. From Budapest to Munich you travel on the Euro Night (EN 462) service arriving at 06.15 in the morning. You transfer to the Eurocity (EC 196) service, departing at 07.12, arriving in Zurich at 11.44. Your final train is the Intercity service (IC 522) departing Zurich at 12.04, arriving in Geneva at 14.46. I could not get fares for the trip, which is subject to many variables. You can get further information from the www.bahn.de website. I could not find details of bus services between the two cities. Train travel seems far more popular. I found a bus service from Budapest to Zurich, with a one-way fare of 17000 forint (57 Euros), which seems very reasonable. The service is aimed at students, but uses luxurious coaches and has no age limits. Check the www.studentagencybus.com website.