London Stansted to Budapest Ferenc Liszt
1450 km great-circle distance, typically flown in 2h 13m with 5 airlines operating direct service from London Stansted (STN) to Budapest Ferenc Liszt (BUD). Cheapest fares are usually in January (around £53 return), with peak prices in August (around £132). Departures on a Tuesday tend to undercut weekend prices on this corridor.
Flying from London Stansted
Stansted is built around Ryanair, with over 200 routes and the airport's single Norman Foster terminal optimised for fast turnarounds. The Stansted Express runs to Liverpool Street in 47 minutes; the airport sits 34 miles northeast of central London. Fares from Stansted are typically the cheapest of the London airports, especially on Eastern European, Italian and Iberian routes — the trade-off is fewer full-service options and a longer ground transfer at both ends.
Arriving in Budapest
Budapest Ferenc Liszt is 16 km southeast of the city, with bus 100E running direct to Deák Ferenc tér in 35 minutes for 2200 HUF. Ryanair, Wizz and easyJet drive most UK traffic; BA adds Heathrow service. Budapest holds its value through winter (off-peak fares from £39 from London bases) — the spa-and-cafe city break is cheaper in November–February than at any other time.
Who flies STN to BUD?
| Airline | IATA | Flight time | Cabin |
| Ryanair | FR | 2h 13m | Economy |
| easyJet | U2 | 2h 13m | Economy |
| Wizz Air | W6 | 2h 13m | Economy |
| Jet2.com | LS | 2h 13m | Economy |
| Pegasus Airlines | PC | 2h 13m | Economy |
5 carriers fly direct on this corridor. Frequencies vary by season — summer and winter holiday peaks see additional flights.
Best time to fly STN→BUD
Synthesised from 12-month price aggregates. Cheapest months in green, peak in red.
Estimated baseline. Prices update on a 30-day cadence as Travelpayouts data refreshes. Cheapest day-of-week typically Tuesday.
London to Budapest FAQs
Direct flights from London Stansted (STN) to Budapest Ferenc Liszt (BUD) take approximately 2h 13m for the 1450 km journey, plus 30–60 minutes of taxi, climb and descent. Total airport-to-airport time depends on cruise winds and air-traffic queueing on approach.
January is typically the cheapest month on this route, with one-way fares from £40. August is the peak — expect prices 2–3× higher. Book 4–8 weeks ahead for best fares; last-minute prices on this corridor rise sharply inside two weeks of departure.
5 carriers operate direct service from London Stansted (STN) to Budapest Ferenc Liszt (BUD): Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air, Jet2.com and Pegasus Airlines. Frequencies vary by season and carrier — Ryanair typically operates the highest weekly count on this corridor.
UK passport holders generally do not need a visa for short stays in Hungary (Schengen-area members allow 90 days in any 180-day window). ETIAS pre-authorisation will apply once live for European destinations. Always check gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/hungary before booking.
Budapest Ferenc Liszt (BUD) is the primary international airport for Budapest. Allow 30–60 minutes for the ground transfer by train, express bus or taxi, depending on traffic and time of day. Most European hub airports sit 10–25 km from their host city centre. See the airport's official website for current train and shuttle timetables.