Hungary may be a small country in terms of territory, but it is admired by people worldwide for its architectural marvels and cultural heritage. A road trip is one of the best ways to explore this country. However, you need to know a few things before going on a road trip to Hungary.
If you prefer to travel abroad by car, you must know about the driving rules as well as the toll system that is in effect in the country. Even in Hungary, you need a vignette to drive on the toll sections. While you have the option to purchase a Hungary vignette online, here are a few things you need to know about driving on highways in Hungary.
Learning about Hungarian Highways
Hungary has a sophisticated network of highways, allowing you to travel between most of the major towns and regional centres more quickly and easily. Lake Balaton and other main tourist attractions are also linked to the tollway networks. The Hungarian highway system also connects to the tollway networks of neighbouring countries, making it easier to visit Vienna or Bratislava if you want.
The complete length of the Hungarian toll-road network, as per the 2022 records, was 1,855 km. In Hungary, you will come across two types of highways – motorways and expressways. The motorways have a speed limit of 130 km/h, and it is 110 km/h for expressways. While the motorways are equipped with an emergency lane, expressways do not get such an emergency lane.
An Introduction to Vignette in Hungary
If you are travelling to Hungary, you must purchase a vignette to use the toll roads. As per the legal regulations in effect, you must purchase a Hungary vignette for the toll section of the road before driving onto it. Retroactively buying a vignette does not give you the entitlement to use the road. In other words, retroactively purchased stickers are considered unauthorised for road use and lead to a penalty.
You can avoid the penalty if you purchase a Hungarian vignette within 60 minutes of the time you started using the toll section of the road. You must provide precise information to get authorisation, including country code, license plate number, fee category, and time of validity. The fees for these vignettes depend on the validity duration and the vehicle category. Cars that can carry up to 7 people fall under the category of D1.
10-day vignette: For the D1 category of cars, you need to pay HUF 5,500 to get this 10-day vignette.
Monthly vignette: For a car in the D1 category, you will need to pay HUF 8,900 for the monthly vignette.
Other vignette Hungary options have different validities, such as daily highway vignettes, regional highway vignettes, and yearly highway vignettes. For someone doing a road trip through Hungary, a 10-day or monthly vignette is ideal.
How to Buy a Vignette in Hungary?
You can purchase a vignette for Hungary roads in one of the following ways:
- Buy it at a petrol station by mentioning your license plate and country code.
- Buy it online from the webpage of the Hungarian National Toll Payment Service PLC.
Whichever option you choose, make sure the details you provide are correct.
Time to Take the Roadtrip!
Exploring Hungary in a car can be a great experience as long as you are aware of all the rules and regulations for driving on the highways. When you have all the necessary permits and the vignette, you can focus on the road without worrying about any penalties or obstructions.