Seasonal
Christmas Light Trams
BKV ünnepi fényflotta
Every Advent, BKV runs trams covered in festive lights through the city at ordinary fares. The 2026 fleet had not been announced when this was checked; last year it ran from 28 November to 6 January.
AI- When
- 27 November 2026 – 6 January 2027
- Where
- BKV tram network, Budapest
- Type
- Seasonal
- Official site
- www.bkv.hu
Why it's worth going
For the price of an ordinary ticket you ride through the centre in a tram lit from end to end. When one is working line 2 along the Pest embankment, with the castle and the Parliament across the river, it is one of the best rides in the city.
What to expect
Normal BKV tickets and passes are valid, with no surcharge. Check the BKK timetable for the day: the decorated vehicles move between lines, so on any given evening only some lines have one. It is best after dark, which in December means from about half past four.
Each Advent the city transport company decorates part of its fleet with lights. In 2025/26 BKV ran nine vehicles: six light trams, a lit cog-railway car, a light boat and a Santa bus. The fleet started on 28 November 2025; the trams ran until 6 January, the boat until 30 December and the Santa bus until 23 December. Each vehicle works a different line on different days, and BKK publishes the timetable. BKV had not announced the 2026/27 fleet when this page was checked. The dates here follow last season's pattern, from the end of November to Epiphany, and will be corrected when the timetable is out.
Build a day around this
Tell us you are coming for Christmas Light Trams and we will build the rest of the day around it — where to be and when, somewhere good to eat nearby, and the parts of Budapest most visitors walk straight past.
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