Budapest BUD: 3 Hours, 30 Min to the City
Széchenyi thermal bath in 4 hours: chess in the pool, lángos, Danube. BUD is worth leaving the terminal.
Getting from the airport
BUD to city center: 30 minutes by metro (M3 Line). Fare is $1.5. Trains run every 10 minutes. Service runs 04:30 to 23:00. Skip the taxi unless your connection is under 5 hours.
What to do in Budapest
The stops worth making: Széchenyi Thermal Baths, Fishermen's Bastion, Hungarian Parliament Building, Ruin bars in the Jewish Quarter. You do not need the full tourist circuit. Pick two and commit.
Visa and entry
Budapest is visa-free for US passports. No application, no fee. The border process at BUD is standard — budget 30 minutes.
How long do you need
The minimum useful layover is 3 hours. That gives you 30 minutes in each direction plus about 30 minutes on the ground. Up to 24 hours is a proper overnight.
BUD airport
BUD has 5 lounges. For short connections under 4 hours, the terminal is the destination — food options, showers, and enough space to reset before the next leg.