Track upgrading 2019-2026, direct trains cancelled
The 350 km (220 mile) railway from Budapest to Belgrade is largely straight over flat terrain, but speeds were slow and journey times long. Major reconstruction started in 2019 aiming to raise line speed to 200 km/h and cut journey time to 2h40 by (we hope) 2026. Direct Budapest-Belgrade express trains have not run since 2019.
New service now running!
After being postponed several times, the new fast SOKOL service started running between Subotica (on the Hungarian border) and Belgrade on 8 October 2025. These are smart double-deck Serbian trains capable of 200km/h.
By taking a Hungarian Intercity train from Budapest to Szeged and a cross-border local train from Szeged to Subotica, it's possible to travel from Budapest to Belgrade by rail again. The timetable below started running from 8 October 2025.
Hopefully, direct expresses from Budapest to Belgrade will start running from a date to be announced in 2026, and we are also promised a couple of direct Vienna-Belgrade trains every day. I will update this page as news comes in.
Read downwards, each column is a departure you can take. You change trains at each dark grey bar.
How much does it cost?
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If you buy a through ticket from Hungarian Railways:
Budapest-Belgrade starts at €26 in 2nd class, limited availability, the price varies.
Budapest-Belgrade costs €43.60 full-price bought on the day.
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If you split the booking:
Budapest-Szeged starts at €6 in 2nd class, €8.50 in 1st class or €16 in Premium 1st class, booked in advance.
Szeged-Subotica costs €5, 2nd class fixed-price.
Subotica-Beograd costs €9.
How to buy tickets
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Buy tickets from Budapest to Belgrade (or vice versa) at the Hungarian Railways website jegy.mav.hu, see my tips for using it.
This gets you a through ticket, but you can't book 1st class this way, or (for some reason, probably the 90-minute wait in Subotica) the 05:35 from Budapest.
If this doesn't work for you, split the booking as shown below.
Or split the booking:
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Splitting the booking can actually make it cheaper, and it allows you to select 1st class or Premium 1st class on the Budapest-Szeged train, with an option to select your seat from a seat map. It also lets you book the 05:35 from Budapest which for some reason MAV won't do as a through booking.
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Step 1, buy a ticket from Budapest to Szeged (or vice versa) at the Hungarian Railways website jegy.mav.hu, see my tips for using it.
You'll see each train listed twice. The first is the Intercity (IC) with 1st & 2nd class, air-conditioned with reserved seats. The second is the cheaper older Gyorsvonat (Gy) carriages attached to the same train with no air-con, reservations, power outlets or WiFi. I recommend the first one, unless you're on a very tight budget!
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Step 2, buy a ticket from Szeged to Subotica (or vice versa) at the Hungarian Railways website jegy.mav.hu.
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Step 3, buy a ticket from Subotica to Belgrade (or vice versa) at the Serbian Railways website webapi1.srbvoz.rs/ekarta. It's in Serbian, but easy enough with a little help from Google Translate (or use Google's Chrome browser, right click and select Translate).
Interrail & Eurail passes
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Interrail & Eurail passes cover all these trains. A seat reservation is required between Budapest & Szeged, make this at the station in Budapest or Szeged or using jegy.mav.hu, as explained here. A seat reservation is required for 200 km/h SOKO trains between Subotica & Belgrade, around €1, this cannot be done online, make it at the station when you reach Serbia.
Route map
What's the journey like?
Step 1, Budapest to Szeged by Intercity train
These comfortable Hungarian Intercity trains have air-conditioned 1st & 2nd class, a cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. Seat reservation is compulsory and included with your ticket. There are one or two 2nd class Intercity cars with seats in an open saloon and one first class Intercity car with a cafe-bar counter.
Built in 2021, the first class car has a small 15-seat 1st class open saloon, two 6-seat 1st class compartments and two spacious Premium 1st compartments each with 4 electrically-reclining leather seats. A higher fare is payable for Premium 1st, shown as 1+, this includes a complimentary cup of tea/coffee from the cafe counter.
You can check the train formation, car numbers & seat maps at www.vagonweb.cz. Change cs to English, click Train formations, then look for Hungary & click IC.
You can select your seat from a seat map if you book this train at jegy.mav.hu, separately from the Szeged-Subotica train.
A number of older non-Intercity cars are attached, these are classified Gyorsvonat (Hungarian for express) and listed on the MAV website as a separate train. They have no reserved seats, no air-con, no WiFi or power outlets and more basic interiors. Stick with the Intercity cars!
A Budapest to Szeged Intercity train at Budapest Nyugati. The yellow stripe indicates the 1st class car. Photos courtesy of Josef Blazej.
Step 2, Szeged to Subotica by local train
This is an air-conditioned diesel train, 2nd class only, there's a toilet but no catering so bring your own food & drink. Hungarian and then Serbian border guards come on board during the journey to check passports.
The 08:58 & 17:58 from Szeged and the 13:37 from Subotica are a Serbian diesel train like this, seen at Szeged. Photos courtesy of Josef Blazej.
The 14:58 from Szeged and 07:37/16:37 from Subotica are a Hungarian diesel train like this. Photos courtesy of Stephen Gallagher.
Step 3, Subotica to Belgrade by SOKO train
You take a swish 200 km/h double-deck SOKO train from Subotica to Belgrade Centar. Built by Swiss firm Stadler, these modern air-conditioned trains have 1st & 2nd class with refreshments, toilets, power outlets at all seats & free WiFi. Soko is Serbian for falcon, hence the logo.
A 200 km/h double-deck SOKO train at Belgrade Centar. Courtesy of Hugo van Vondelen.
Until the new service starts, you can travel from Subotica to Novi Sad on another Serbian local train like the Szeged-Subotica one, 2nd class only with toilet. It takes the rural route through Sombor, Bogojevo & Gajdobra, avoiding the still-closed main line. Then you take a 200 km/h double-deck SOKO train from Novi Sad to Belgrade Centar. Photo courtesy of @AndyBTravels, DiscoverByRail.com.