Budapest to Ljubljana, crossing through Prekmurje

By direct train via Hodoš

The Tourist Board explains that the line links the two capitals via Celje and Maribor, with two possible routes from Maribor, via Hodoš or via Spielfeld. Slovenske železnice runs one direct train a day via Hodoš. The MV 247 leaves Ljubljana at 9.15am, calls at Celje, Pragersko and Murska Sobota and pulls into Budapest’s Déli station at 4.59pm. Coming back, the MV 246 leaves Budapest Déli at 9am and reaches Ljubljana at 4.44pm. It doesn’t stop in Maribor; from there you connect at Pragersko with the 10.50am ICS, and on the way back with the 2.50pm IC. The Tourist Board warns of works on the Hungarian side, so check the line’s status before you go.

By train via Graz

There’s a second option through Austria. The IC 351 leaves Ljubljana at 5am, runs via Maribor and Graz and reaches Budapest Keleti at 1.44pm. The IC 350 returns from Budapest Keleti at 4.13pm and reaches Ljubljana at 1.04am. It leaves very early, takes nearly nine hours and is far dearer, €111.70 at the standard fare from Ljubljana, so I’d only use it to stop in Graz.

Train fares and First Minute

For Hodoš, the Slovenske železnice table only lists First Minute fares, the joint offer with Hungarian Railways, from €16 to €33 one way depending on the level, the same price from Ljubljana, Celje or Maribor. It’s cheaper bought three or more days ahead, isn’t sold on the day of travel, is valid for two days and isn’t refundable. Under-15s travel free with their parents or grandparents. Via Spielfeld, First Minute costs €42.90 from Ljubljana bought three days ahead. Other cross-border deals are listed in trains to Slovenia.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Maribor on Expedia and filter by area before price.

Budapest to Ljubljana by coach

By road, FlixBus and Nomago are the companies the Tourist Board names between Ljubljana and Budapest, and from Budapest’s main bus station there are routes to Ljubljana via Maribor and Celje. FlixBus also runs direct from Budapest airport, which is 461 km from Ljubljana and 340 km from Maribor.

By car, with two vignettes

It’s about 461 km centre to centre and nearly five hours without traffic, by my OpenStreetMap calculation, on the E57 and E71 according to Ljubljana’s tourist board. Hungary has its own motorway vignette, and in Slovenia you need the DARS one from the first motorway. Coming in through Prekmurje, Maribor is 340 km from Budapest, a good place to stop before carrying on; it’s covered in Ljubljana to Maribor. How to buy the Slovenian vignette is in the Slovenian vignette. Other ways into the country are in how to get to Slovenia.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Maribor and pick one that fits your day.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Maribor on Booking.com and filter by area before price.