🇭🇺 Cross-border drive · Hungary → Italy 🇮🇹
Driving from Budapest to Bologna
- Drive time
- 8h 47m
- Distance
- 845 km
- Same day?
- Long day
- under 12 h
- Fuel cost
- ≈ €117
- petrol · diesel ≈ €103
- Tolls
- ≈ €56
- mixed
- EV charging
- Plenty fast
- 21 of 77 ≥50 kW
On this page
Route map
Route options
Other paths OSRM found between the two cities — handy when traffic, tolls, or scenery matter more than raw speed.
Alternative
+53m- Distance:
- 896 km (+52 km)
- Duration:
- 9h 40m
Via: A2 · A4 · A23 · M1
Avoids motorways
+6h 1m- Distance:
- 883 km (+38 km)
- Duration:
- 14h 48m
Via: 8 · SS13 · B85 · B69
How else can you make this trip?
Driving is the focus of this guide; here's how cycling, coach, and (soon) train and plane stack up for the same pair.
8h 47m
845 km · €117 fuel
See details ↓
Not realistic
845 km is far beyond a typical multi-day cycle tour. Try a shorter pair like a day or weekend stage.
12h 35m
FlixBus-eu
See details ↓
2h 18m
from €40
See details ↓
15h 58m
Magyar Allamvasutak
See details ↓
Trip plan
How to think about the drive: one day, split, or overnight.
Consider splitting over two days
Technically a one-day drive, but it is a slog. Splitting overnight halfway makes it a much better trip and lets you see the middle, not just the endpoints.
A natural overnight stop near the halfway point: Celje (si).
- Distance:
- 845 km
- Duration:
- 8h 47m (free-flow, no traffic)
Where to stop
Places along the route that make natural breaks for coffee, lunch, or a night.
-
Balatonfüred 🇭🇺 hu
≈121 km≈ 16.8 km detour from the main route
-
Lenti 🇭🇺 hu
≈241 km≈ 20.4 km detour from the main route
-
Slovenska Bistrica 🇸🇮 si
≈362 km≈ 5.9 km detour from the main route
-
Vrhnika 🇸🇮 si
≈483 km≈ 1.1 km detour from the main route
-
San Giorgio di Nogaro 🇮🇹 it
≈603 km≈ 4.5 km detour from the main route
-
Noventa 🇮🇹 it
≈724 km≈ 1.6 km detour from the main route
Key moves
Things to know before you set off — borders, sides of the road, tolls.
Multi-country chain · HU → HR → SI → IT
You'll cross 4 countries on this drive — each with its own toll system, fuel pricing, and motorway rules. Skim the must-know section below before you set off, and have your registration plus insurance card in the door pocket for any roadside check.
Tolls on motorways in HR / IT
Budget for motorway tolls — France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal charge per-km, Croatia and Greece by section. Contactless cards work almost everywhere; have one loaded.
Vignette required in HU / SI
Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Romania require a sticker or e-vignette for motorway use. Buy at the border — missing one is a heavy on-the-spot fine.
Long rural stretch on RA13
Plan for about 16 km of two-lane country roads. Slower than motorway, but often the pretty part — fewer overtakes after dark.
Must-know before you go
The things a driver from another country wouldn't think to ask about — fines, stickers, payment cards, opening hours.
City access & emission zones
ZTL cameras read your plate from any country
Must knowItalian historic centres (Florence, Rome, Milan, Bologna, Pisa, Siena, Verona, Naples, Turin, Palermo and dozens more) are ringed by automatic Zona Traffico Limitato cameras. Driving in without a permit triggers €80–120 per crossing, and the fine reaches your home address up to a year later via cross-border collection. Treat any city centre as off-limits unless you've confirmed your hotel offers a permit, and ask the hotel to register your plate the day you arrive.
Italian historic-centre ZTL — confirm your hotel registers your plate
Must knowBologna
This city's old town is encircled by automatic ZTL cameras. Crossing without a permit triggers €80–120 per pass. Ask your hotel the day you arrive: "Can you register my plate for ZTL access?" Some only register the entry, not parking — clarify both. Cameras read plates from any country and Italian fines reach foreign addresses up to a year later.
Tolls, vignettes & road payment
Hungarian vignette tied to plate AND vehicle category
Must knowHungarian e-vignette costs depend on category — D1 covers most passenger cars (HUF 5,150 / ~€13 for 10 days). Buy on autopalya.hu or at any major fuel station. The system is plate-linked, no sticker. Critical detail: a roof box that pushes you over 2m height triggers category D2 — pay the higher rate or risk a fine.
You'll hit three different toll systems on this trip
Must knowThis route crosses countries with mismatched toll mechanics — France's ticket-and-pay, vignette stickers, electronic-only stretches. There's no single transponder that works everywhere, but a Telepass EU device covers FR/IT/ES/PT and a Bip&Go covers the same plus a few more. For a one-off trip, contactless cards plus a Swiss vignette and Austrian e-vignette is the simplest mix.
Telepass saves you the toll-booth queue
UsefulItalian autostrade work like France: ticket on entry, pay on exit. Contactless cards work at most modern lanes (look for "Carte" — avoid yellow "Telepass" lanes without the device). For long routes, a Telepass EU transponder works in IT/FR/ES/PT and pays for itself across two days; at minimum, keep your insurance card and registration in the door pocket — booth attendants occasionally ask.
What your car must carry
Hi-vis vest mandatory before stepping out
Must knowItalian law requires you to wear a reflective vest before exiting the vehicle on a motorway shoulder, day or night. One warning triangle in the boot is also required. Both items are typically €15 at any Autogrill or fuel station — don't arrive without them.
Driving rules & habits
Plan your stops, not just your finish time
UsefulOSRM gives you free-flow drive time. Realistic add: 10% on motorway-heavy routes, 25% if you're crossing two cities. Eat at off-peak hours (11:30 lunch, 18:00 dinner) — service-area queues at noon kill 20 minutes. EU fatigue research is consistent: 15-minute break every 2 hours, full 45-minute break before 6 hours. The drive between hours 7 and 9 is where avoidable accidents cluster.
Avoid Margaret Bridge between 16:00–19:00
TipBudapest
Budapest crossings between Buda and Pest pile up in late afternoon. Margaret Bridge (Margit híd) is the worst — single lane each way once you account for the tram-only middle section. Liberty Bridge (Szabadság híd) and the Lágymányosi/Rákóczi bridges flow better. Adjust your sat-nav arrival time to match.
Fuel stations
"Servito" pumps cost about €0.20/L more
UsefulItalian fuel stations split between fai-da-te (self-service) and servito (attended). The same station typically offers both, with attended pumps charging a 10–15% premium. Off-hours, attended turns into self-service automatically. If a pump is out of paper or won't take your card, try the next station — Italian banking sometimes refuses foreign chip cards on first attempt.
Contactless cards work at virtually every motorway pump
TipMajor brand stations (Shell, Total, BP, Repsol, Cepsa, OMV, Eni, Esso) take Visa and Mastercard contactless without an issue. American Express and Diners are spotty south of the Alps. A €100 pre-authorisation hold is normal — it releases within 5 days. Carry €50 cash for the rare independent station.
Off-motorway stations close at lunch and on Sundays
TipOutside motorways, expect 12:30–15:30 closures and most of Sunday off. Motorway service areas (autogrill) run 24/7. If you're cutting through a small town in the early afternoon, fuel before noon or push to the next motorway entrance.
Money & connectivity
EU roaming covers calls, texts and data at no extra cost
TipYour home EU SIM works at home rates across every EU member, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The "fair use" cap on data only applies if you're abroad more than four months. For a 2-week road trip, just use your phone normally — but switch off "data roaming" if you're leaving the EU into UK / CH for any segment.
Emergency & breakdown
112 works everywhere in the EU and continental neighbours
TipSingle number for police, ambulance, fire — works from any phone, any network, any country. On motorways, the orange SOS pillars every 2km connect direct to the regional traffic control centre and pinpoint your location. Use them over your phone if you can — it speeds the response.
Rules, fees, and thresholds change. Always verify against the official source the day before you drive — this page is a checklist, not a legal reference.
Main roads
The highways this route spends the most kilometres on.
-
M7 —219 km
-
A1 —186 km
-
A4 Autostrada Serenissima157 km
-
A13 Autostrada Bologna-Padova115 km
-
A5 —79 km
-
M70 —21 km
-
RA13 —16 km
-
A3 —11 km
-
H3 Severna obvoznica9 km
-
M1; M7 Budaörsi út8 km
-
A2 Zahodna obvoznica3 km
-
RA14 Raccordo Autostradale 142 km
Route character
How much of the drive is motorway vs. secondary vs. rural.
Motorway drive — fast, predictable, uneventful.
- Motorway
- 95%
- Secondary
- 0%
- Other / rural
- 5%
Drive difficulty
At-a-glance feel: how demanding is this drive for one driver?
Overall
Challenging
Long day with at least one complicating factor. Split into two days or share the driving.
- Long drive: 8h 47m behind the wheel at free-flow speeds.
- Cross-border: hu → it. Keep documents accessible and check border rules.
Elevation profile
Highs, lows, and the total climb / descent along the route.
- Lowest point
- 0 m
- Highest point
- 647 m
- Total ascent
- ↑ 792 m
- Total descent
- ↓ 828 m
Fuel & tolls
Rough cost expectation for a typical EU passenger car. Treat as an estimate — pump prices change weekly.
Petrol (RON 95)
≈ €117
63.4 L × €1.85 / L · 7.5 L/100 km
Diesel
≈ €103
50.7 L × €2.03 / L · 6 L/100 km
Electric (DC fast)
≈ €72
148 kWh × €0.49 / kWh · 17.5 kWh/100 km
Public DC fast charging — slower AC charging at home or hotels typically costs about half.
Motorway tolls & vignettes
≈ €56
- HU — Vignette (motorway sticker / e-vignette) — €15.00 for 10 days Annual vignette is €130.00 if you drive often
- HR — €0.08/km on the motorway network (≈ 51 km in-country ≈ €4)
- SI — Vignette (motorway sticker / e-vignette) — €16.00 for 7 days Annual vignette is €117.50 if you drive often
- IT — €0.08/km on the motorway network (≈ 282 km in-country ≈ €21)
Prices last refreshed 2026-10-12.
Fuel and EV charging along the route
Stations within a few kilometres of the road, sampled at evenly-spaced waypoints.
EV charging
21 at 50 kW or above (fast / ultra-fast).
Fastest first
- Centro Porsche Padova — Padova 350 kW
- STOP SHOP Slovenska Bistrica Supercharger — Slovenska Bistrica 250 kW
- GreenFlux HPC Corso Brasile — Padua 175 kW
- Be Charge AdS Gonars Nord — Gonars 100 kW
- POWY FAST Via Venezia — Vigonza 100 kW
- ATLANTE Via Francia — Vigonza 100 kW
- Route 220 @ FOUR POINT SHERATON 96 kW
- SB e-Mobility AdS Gonars Sud 60 kW
- POWY Via Cappello — Noventa Padovana 60 kW
- POWY Corso Stati Uniti — Padua 60 kW
- BECHARGE Corso Stati Uniti 4 — Padua 60 kW
- Budapest, Várkert Bazár mélygarázs — Budapest 50 kW
Weather by month
Average daytime high / overnight low and typical monthly rainfall, over the past five years.
🇭🇺 Budapest
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6°
-0°
|
8°
0°
|
14°
4°
|
17°
7°
|
21°
11°
|
27°
16°
|
29°
18°
|
30°
18°
|
24°
14°
|
17°
8°
|
9°
2°
|
5°
0°
|
| 51mm | 24mm | 58mm | 55mm | 95mm | 60mm | 58mm | 60mm | 57mm | 55mm | 68mm | 55mm |
hot mild cold
🇮🇹 Bologna
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
9°
2°
|
12°
3°
|
16°
6°
|
18°
8°
|
22°
13°
|
29°
18°
|
32°
20°
|
31°
20°
|
26°
16°
|
21°
12°
|
13°
5°
|
10°
3°
|
| 64mm | 72mm | 88mm | 63mm | 167mm | 76mm | 57mm | 53mm | 74mm | 103mm | 40mm | 68mm |
hot mild cold
Next 5 days at Bologna
Live forecast — refreshes every few hours.
-
Mon 26
☀️
17° / 7°
—
-
Tue 27
☀️
17° / 7°
—
-
Wed 28
⛅
16° / 9°
—
-
Thu 29
⛅
19° / 8°
—
-
Fri 30
⛅
17° / 9°
—
Forecast: MET Norway
Directions
Turn-by-turn summary of the main manoeuvres, generated by OSRM.
Show all 26 manoeuvres
- Clark Ádám tér (2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 10) 0.1 km
- Budaörsi út (M1; M7) 8 km
- (M7) 219 km
- (M70) 21 km
- (A5) 79 km
- — 0.2 km
- (A1) 122 km
- Severna obvoznica (H3) 9 km
- — 1 km
- Zahodna obvoznica (A2) 3 km
- — 0.9 km
- (A1) 64 km
- (A3) 11 km
- Raccordo Autostradale 14 (RA14) 2 km
- — 0.7 km
- (RA13) 16 km
- (A4) 7 km
- Autostrada Serenissima (A4) 150 km
- Autostrada Bologna-Padova (A13) 115 km
- — 0.5 km
- — 0.6 km
- Tangenziale di Bologna (RA1)
- Via Stalingrado 2 km
- Viale Pietro Pietramellara
- Via Guglielmo Marconi
- Via Cesare Battisti
By coach from Budapest to Bologna
Indicative duration of the fastest direct long-distance coach found in the FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus EU schedules.
- Travel time
- 12h 35m
- Direct
- Operator
- FlixBus-eu
- Departures / day
- ~1
- Approximate based on the published schedule.
Show coach corridor on map
Schedules sourced from the FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus GTFS feeds via transport.data.gouv.fr. Times are indicative; verify on the operator's site before booking.
Booking link coming soon.
By plane from Budapest to Bologna
Indicative travel time on a non-stop flight, based on great-circle distance, average commercial cruise speed (850 km/h), and a 90-minute allowance for taxi, security, and boarding.
- Total time
- 2h 18m
- Door-to-door from :from airport.
- In the air
- 48 min
- At ~850 km/h cruise speed.
- On the ground
- 90 min
- Taxi + security + boarding (typical short-haul).
- Route
- BUD → BLQ
- 682 km great-circle.
Indicative fare: from €40 — fares vary by season, day of week, and how far ahead you book. Always check the airline or a meta-search before planning around this number.
Show flight path on map
Estimate-only. We don't pull live schedules or fares for flights — see the methodology page for how this number is computed.
Air travel emits roughly 5–10× the CO₂ per passenger-km of rail for the same distance.
By train from Budapest to Bologna
Fastest cross-border rail itinerary from the public Transitous planner. Times reflect a typical Monday-morning departure on the next available service-day.
- Fastest journey
- 15h 58m
- 3 changes
- Lead operator
- Magyar Allamvasutak
- Alternatives
- 4
- Itineraries returned by the planner.
Trains on the fastest itinerary
- RJX 66
Includes a high-speed rail leg (TGV, ICE, AVE, Frecciarossa-class).
Show route on map
Routing via the public Transitous OTP planner (community-run MOTIS instance). Cached 24 hours; verify on the operator's site before booking.
How this page is built
Compiled by COD Solutions Oy from open European data — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for the route geometry, Open-Meteo for monthly climate normals, OpenTopoData SRTM 30m for elevation, EU Weekly Oil Bulletin for cross-border fuel-price bands, and Open Charge Map for EV charging stations. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.