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This year's autumn break in Hungary starts on Friday 23 October and ends on Sunday 1 November: the last school day is Thursday 22 October, the first one back is Monday 2 November. That is ten days off, framed by two long weekends – a national holiday at the start, All Saints' Day at the end. For the airport this means most families leave on the same two days and come home on the same two days. After the summer peak, this is one of Liszt Ferenc Airport's busiest periods, and the parking lots feel it too.
What does the availability calendar show?
At the time of writing, a good three weeks before the break, every partner lot on ParkoLow can still be booked for the whole period. That is good news, with one thing worth adding.
Free spaces do not run out evenly. The lots closest to the terminal and the cheapest ones fill first, and for the peak days – the evening of 22 October and the morning of 23 October – space can run out well before it does for the middle of the break.
When should you book?
Now. This is not pressure, there is a simple reason: a ParkoLow booking can be cancelled free of charge, and you only pay at the lot, on arrival. Booking early costs nothing; booking late can: the lot you had in mind may no longer be available. If the trip does not happen after all, you cancel with one click and have lost nothing.
If you have never booked on ParkoLow, we walk through the process step by step here: How to reserve airport parking on ParkoLow. It takes a few minutes, and the confirmation email arrives straight away.
What ten days of parking cost
Current prices are in the search above. What is worth knowing: for the same ten days, the cheapest and the most expensive Budapest airport lot differ by roughly a factor of two. On a longer stay that is a noticeable sum, and a gap that size makes a careful comparison worth the few minutes it takes.
The full range is on one page in the comparison of Budapest airport parking lots.
Departure morning
The first days of the autumn break mean heavier traffic at the airport lots as well: many cars arrive in the same two or three hours, and the shuttle carries the same number of passengers per run as on any other day. A few things that spare you needless stress:
- Put the lot's address into your navigation, not the airport's. Partner lots are near the terminal, but not right at it: the exact address is in your booking and in the confirmation email.
- Arrive at the time you booked. The lot plans its shuttle around it. If you turn up 15–20 minutes earlier or later than booked, the shuttle may not be available straight away.
- Expect a surcharge for a bigger vehicle. The price shown on ParkoLow is for one standard-size car. If you arrive in a Volkswagen Transporter or a BMW X5, the lot is not obliged to give you a space at the price booked on ParkoLow, and a vehicle much larger than standard (a Fiat Ducato, say) may not be accepted at all.
- Keep the confirmation email handy. It has the lot's phone number, the address and your booking reference. You will need the number to call the shuttle when you land.
The typical mistakes – from a booking that does not cover the whole trip to a forgotten return time – are collected in a separate article: The 6 most common mistakes travellers make when parking at Budapest Airport.
And if you would rather park "for free"...
Ten days is a long time for an unattended car. Yet the autumn break is exactly when the streets and verges around the airport fill up, because many people assume the cost of parking can be saved. What they leave out of the calculation is that free airport parking rarely costs nothing. And the best-known "free" spot is on its way out: Vecsés is reserving its housing-estate parking for residents, and specifically wants to filter out those heading for the airport.
In a guarded lot, by contrast, there is nothing to calculate. Your space is reserved until the day you return, you know the price in advance, the car stands in a camera-monitored area, and the shuttle takes you to the terminal and brings you back. Whatever question remains – how cancellation works, when the shuttle runs – is answered on the frequently asked questions page.
Have a good trip and a relaxed autumn break, from the ParkoLow team!