About this experience
Budapest is the city of the first metro line on the continent (and second in the world), the city of romantic trams and legendary 'Ikarus' trolleybuses. Exploring its transport system is no less fascinating than visiting famous temples and clubs.
When in May 1896 Emperor Franz Joseph opened the first line of the underground electric tram, the joy of the citizens of Budapest knew no bounds. And to say: there is no metro in Vienna, none in Paris. Nowhere except in distant and foggy London. And in Budapest - there is! The first on the continent. The old metro has been preserved as it was in the very beginning - right down to the wooden doors and copper latches. And those very first cars are preserved in a museum at one of the central stations.
Overall, there are four metro lines here: yellow - the old one, red - standard European, blue - with greetings from socialism in the form of blue Mytishchi cars, and recently - the new, green one, technological, with clever lighting and spatial tricks.
There is also a history here for buses (everyone remembers the Hungarian 'Ikarus' buses?), and for trolleybuses (want to know why all the routes are only from the 70s?).
But the main hero of Budapest and its mythological character is, of course, the tram. On Christmas evenings, a shining tram decorated with garlands of lights runs along the embankment. In the summer, antique trams from the 1930s go on route, and sometimes - the patriarch of the city's public transport, a tram from 1912.
What to expect
We meet where three metro lines intersect and the most important tram and bus lines for tourists meet, which is at Deak Ferenc Square.
Then - on the Budapest metro we ride to the Oktogon Square, where the longest trams in the world run along the boulevard. The tram will take us to the newest, 4th metro line, opened in 2014. Two stops - and we are on the embankment, where old trams run.
On the tram along the embankment, we will go to the Parliament building, and from there - to the final point of the route by trolleybus. For independent study - the magnificent Transport Museum (for boys of any age).
Who is this excursion for
For those interested in technology in general and the history of urban transport in particular, activists of 'Urban Projects,' and all those caught in the rain in Budapest. Let's go for a ride!
