Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport has an unusually good lounge offering for its size, and — unlike most airports — almost every lounge sells walk-in access to any passenger, whatever airline or ticket class you are flying. Walk-in rates cluster around HUF 15,600 (about €39) for two hours, several lounges are on Priority Pass, and one is a private VIP terminal service in a different league entirely. This guide compares all of them, with locations, 2026 prices, hours and who gets in free.
Budapest Airport lounges at a glance
- Where they are — all airside in Terminal 2: in the Schengen pier (2A), the non-Schengen pier (2B), and on the mezzanine of the SkyCourt building that joins them.
- Who can enter — most sell walk-in access to anyone, so you do not need a business-class ticket or a lounge membership.
- Typical price — around HUF 15,600 (€39) for a two-hour stay; children under 2 usually enter free.
- Memberships — Priority Pass and DragonPass are accepted at several lounges here.
- The catch — a lounge is only useful on the side of the terminal you actually depart from, so check Schengen versus non-Schengen before you buy.
| Lounge | Where | Zone | Walk-in (2 h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SkyCourt Lounge | SkyCourt mezzanine | Both, before the split | ~HUF 15,600 (€39) |
| Plaza Premium Lounge | SkyCourt / 2B mezzanine | Schengen and non-Schengen | ~HUF 15,840 (€39.60) |
| 2A Platinum Lounge | Near Gate A8 | Schengen | ~HUF 15,600 + VAT |
| 2B Platinum Lounge | Above Gate B7 | Non-Schengen | ~HUF 15,600 + VAT |
| Mastercard Lounge | SkyCourt mezzanine | Both, before the split | Cardholders; ~HUF 12,000 for some |
| Tungsram Lounge | Terminal 2 | Check on arrival | Priority Pass |
| bud:vip | Gates A12–A19 | Private VIP service | ~HUF 108,000 (€270) |
SkyCourt Lounge
The SkyCourt Lounge is the largest lounge at Budapest Airport and, for most travellers, the right default. It sits on the mezzanine level of the SkyCourt, the central building between 2A and 2B — which means it is before the Schengen / non-Schengen split and usable no matter where your flight departs from. It is fully accessible.
Inside there are comfortable seating areas, work spaces, charging points, free Wi-Fi, TVs, newspapers, magazines, flight information displays and restrooms. Breakfast is served in the morning and hot dishes from roughly 12:00 to 15:30, with drinks available all day.
- Opening hours — approximately 04:30–21:00 daily.
- Walk-in price — around HUF 15,600 (€39) for two hours.
- Children — under 2 free.
- Memberships — accepted on Priority Pass and DragonPass.
Plaza Premium Lounge
Plaza Premium is the international chain most frequent flyers will recognise, and at BUD it is listed on both sides — a Schengen location in the SkyCourt area and the long-standing non-Schengen lounge on the 2B mezzanine. Both are airside, fully accessible, and have large windows over the apron.
The food is a step above the airport average: local and European dishes, vegetarian options, and a bar and coffee menu that reviewers rate well. There are charging stations, work areas, baggage storage, free Wi-Fi, showers and baby-changing facilities — the shower is the reason to pick this one after a long-haul arrival or before a night flight.
- Opening hours — daily from about 05:00, typically to 23:00 (to 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays).
- Walk-in price — around HUF 15,840 (€39.60) for two hours.
- Memberships — Priority Pass accepted.
2A Platinum Lounge (Schengen)
The 2A Platinum Lounge is airside in the Schengen departures area near Gate A8. It is a calm, stylish room with seating areas, restrooms, Wi-Fi, satellite TV, newspapers, magazines and flight displays.
A self-service bar covers alcoholic and soft drinks and snacks, and hot meals are served between 12:00 and 14:00, with vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free options. Note that the quoted price is plus VAT, unlike some of the others.
- Opening hours — 05:00–20:00.
- Walk-in price — around HUF 15,600 (€39) plus VAT for two hours.
- Children — under 2 free.
2B Platinum Lounge (non-Schengen)
The 2B Platinum Lounge is the non-Schengen counterpart, on the mezzanine above Gate B7, with a warmer wood-panelled design and runway views. Amenities mirror the 2A room: Wi-Fi, press, TVs, flight monitors, restrooms and a self-service bar with drinks, snacks and a cold buffet, plus special dietary options. Hot dishes appear depending on how busy the day is.
- Walk-in price — around HUF 15,600 (€39) plus VAT for two hours.
- Children — under 2 free.
- Use this one if you are flying outside the Schengen area — see our terminals guide for which pier your flight uses.
Mastercard Airport Lounge
The Mastercard Airport Lounge sits next to the SkyCourt Lounge on the same mezzanine and was refurbished recently, with a business zone and a separate quiet area. Hot meals, drinks and vegetarian options are served.
Access is the unusual part: it is aimed primarily at holders of Hungarian-issued Mastercard Gold, Platinum, World Elite or Premium Business cards. Some international Mastercard holders — Black or World Elite, for instance — can enter for a fee of roughly HUF 12,000 (€30). Only card payment is accepted.
- Opening hours — 05:00–21:00.
Tungsram Lounge
The Tungsram Lounge is the newest name on the Priority Pass list at Budapest Airport. Because its published details change more often than the established lounges, check the current location, opening hours and whether walk-in entry is being sold in your Priority Pass or DragonPass app on the day you fly, rather than relying on a guide written in advance.
bud:vip — the private VIP service
bud:vip is not a lounge you drop into; it is a separate premium service near Gates A12–A19, aimed at business travellers but open to anyone who books. It bundles assisted check-in, a separate security screening lane and a vehicle transfer to the aircraft with two hours of lounge use, plus food and drink, business facilities and press.
It costs around HUF 108,000 (€270) and must be reserved online in advance. Whether that is worth it depends entirely on whether you value skipping the public queues; for pure comfort while waiting, the SkyCourt Lounge does the job for a fraction of the price.
Priority Pass, DragonPass and card access
Budapest is well covered by lounge memberships. Priority Pass lists several lounges here — the SkyCourt Lounge, Plaza Premium, the Platinum lounges and the Mastercard and Tungsram lounges among them — and DragonPass covers the SkyCourt Lounge too. Many premium credit cards bundle one of these memberships, so check what your card already includes before paying a walk-in rate.
Two practical warnings. Membership lounges can refuse entry when they are full, particularly during the early-morning bank of departures, so have a fallback in mind. And a membership only helps in the zone you are flying from — a Schengen-side lounge is no use once you have cleared passport control into 2B.
Which lounge can you actually use?
- Flying Schengen (2A) — SkyCourt Lounge, Mastercard Lounge, the Schengen Plaza Premium, or the 2A Platinum Lounge.
- Flying non-Schengen (2B) — SkyCourt and Mastercard lounges before the split, then Plaza Premium or the 2B Platinum Lounge beyond it.
- Not sure yet — pick something on the SkyCourt mezzanine; it works either way.
- You want a shower — Plaza Premium.
- You want to skip the queues — bud:vip, at roughly seven times the price.
Is a lounge worth it at Budapest Airport?
At around €39 for two hours, a lounge here costs roughly what two coffees, a sandwich and a beer cost landside — so the food and drink alone can come close to paying for it if you are hungry. The stronger arguments are a guaranteed seat and a power socket during the 05:00–08:00 and 16:00–19:00 peaks, when the public seating in SkyCourt fills up, and somewhere civilised to sit out a long connection.
It is poor value if you are arriving at the gate with 40 minutes to spare — see how early to arrive to judge that — or if you would rather spend the money airside on food or in the duty-free shops. On a long layover it is usually the best money you will spend at the airport; if the wait is really long, weigh it against leaving the airport instead, and check our layover guide. Departure times and gates are on the departures board, and the rest of the airport is covered in our travel guide.