Buying tickets for Hungary

[Watershed]

I'm looking for some advice on how best to buy tickets for travel in Hungary.

One journey I'm looking to do is to take one of the 'circular' IC trains (e.g. IC562 Jazmin) from Budapest Keleti to Nyugati via Debrecen. However it seems that MAV's booking engine cannot handle such a journey as it shows no results.

Has anyone had any experience with getting reservations for such journeys? Is there any way of selecting specific seats as I can see that these trains have one coach with compartments, at the front?

Also, does anyone know what the supplement is for doing a trip such as the above on an FIP coupon? RSTL's Travel Tips for Europe document states that supplements are payable on IC services but does not elaborate.

 

[superalbs]

Buy Budapest-Keleti to Cegléd, then Cegléd to Budapest-Nyugati. Not sure if it's the cheapest option, but it works.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Nov 2021 ==


== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Nov 2021 ==


== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Nov 2021 ==

Try the new MÁV website with the route I suggested above, you may be able to request a specific seat type.

 

[yorkie]

I am on this train and we were given reservations with rubbish 'airline' style seats.

Do most people on these trains get reservations or not? Unfortunately the reservations appear to be invisible, so no way to know which seats are reserved.

The front coach is pretty much empty and has loads of bays of 4. If we move there, is there much chance of us being chucked out? And if we do, could we return to our original seats?

If anyone has any ideas that would be great.

 

[dutchflyer]

Its likely too late, but on MAV-IC trains ALL seats are reserved all the way and its obligatory.
Its very easy done at MAVs machines by clicking the relevant buttons-its also in /en/. For the full circle buy 2 sections. The price for just the RES is less as 1 eur, the also required supplemt for IC/fast goes by distance, up from 150 HUF (45 cts). That a seat is empty now does not mean its empty all the way. And as any seat can/most be reserved, there is also no need to label such seats.
Same applies for those lucky EU-ciotizens >65 who can travel for free for the basic cost, but not for the supplements

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Nov 2021 ==

and a little more: was there quite a few times before covid and for 3 days in sept. ´21. They have changed their system and the new one (old one was named elvira) seems to have many quirks still. Also all IC-stops do have at least 1 such yellow machine, out of Bp they only take cards, IN Bp and some major stops also cash. However, I do not exactly know if FIP includes the gyors=fast supllmt or not (seniors 65+ have to pay), InterRail includes. In the old system it was possible to buy just a seat, in the new one I did not discover this anymore.
In old style railways EUR tradition colleagues from other railways-obvious by your FIP, are often invited to move to 1st and get a warm welcome. Of course in expectation that once in the UK the british colleagues will do the same!

 

[Watershed]

Its likely too late, but on MAV-IC trains ALL seats are reserved all the way and its obligatory.
Its very easy done at MAVs machines by clicking the relevant buttons-its also in /en/. For the full circle buy 2 sections. The price for just the RES is less as 1 eur, the also required supplemt for IC/fast goes by distance, up from 150 HUF (45 cts). That a seat is empty now does not mean its empty all the way. And as any seat can/most be reserved, there is also no need to label such seats.
Same applies for those lucky EU-ciotizens >65 who can travel for free for the basic cost, but not for the supplements

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Nov 2021 ==

and a little more: was there quite a few times before covid and for 3 days in sept. ´21. They have changed their system and the new one (old one was named elvira) seems to have many quirks still. Also all IC-stops do have at least 1 such yellow machine, out of Bp they only take cards, IN Bp and some major stops also cash. However, I do not exactly know if FIP includes the gyors=fast supllmt or not (seniors 65+ have to pay), InterRail includes. In the old system it was possible to buy just a seat, in the new one I did not discover this anymore.
In old style railways EUR tradition colleagues from other railways-obvious by your FIP, are often invited to move to 1st and get a warm welcome. Of course in expectation that once in the UK the british colleagues will do the same!

Thanks - it was not too difficult in the end, I went to the ticket office in Budapest Keleti (they were still open at half past midnight!) and they were able to sell me the tickets, reservations and supplements. The supplement and reservation was 1010 HUF in total for the 'round' trip.

Unfortunately the seating was very disappointing; I had seen on Vagonweb that standard class would have a compartment coach and first would not, but it turned out to be the other way around. Sadly I wasn't invited into First. Oh well, still some lovely scenery and nice to explore more places!

 

[JRT]

As an aside, a few years ago was planning a trip to Hungary, involving a local railway journey from Ferihegy to Gyömrő. So a bit wary of traveling without a ticket I bought a ticket at the railway's website (no problems).
Needn't have worried, there was a ticket office AND a big yellow ticket machine on the platform!