Vienna to Budapest by car: M1 roadworks and which vignette to buy

The apps don't always agree on how much the works on the A4 near Vienna and on the M1 near Budapest will slow you down.

The route at a glance

The M1 ends in central Buda, so the last stretch is city streets, where no e-vignette is needed.

Which Hungarian e-vignette to buy

The e-vignette is registered to your number plate, and the M1 is tolled from the border. Car prices, checked 26 September 2026:

Two 10-day vignettes cost 13,800 Ft and three cost 20,700 Ft, so the regional one wins from the third trip. It expires on 31 January 2027 whenever you buy it.

Buying it without paying extra

• Buy from an official seller: the toll operator's own shop, toll-charge.hu, or the state payment service, nemzetimobilfizetes.gov.hu. On 23 September 2026 the operator warned about sites reselling e-vignettes above the official price.
• Type the plate and country code exactly.
• Buy before you reach the border. A same-day e-vignette is valid from purchase, not from midnight.
• ADAC says a driver who joins a toll road by mistake has at most 60 minutes to buy one without a surcharge. The surcharge is 27,790 Ft if paid within 60 days and 95,730 Ft after that (2026 rates).

Austria: the vignette and the A4 works

The A4 needs an Austrian vignette all the way to the border: €9.60 for the digital 1-day one or €12.80 for 10 days (2026 prices, checked 26 September 2026). The rules are in our vignette guide.

About 7 km of the A4, from where you join it off the A23 to Schwechat, are being renewed, with completion planned for December 2026. ÖAMTC (25 September 2026) reports at least two lanes each way on weekdays and 60 km/h enforced by section control, which measures average speed.

Night closures come and go, so if you drive late, check ÖAMTC's list of Vienna motorway works first.

The M1 widening

MKIF, the project company, is widening the 78 km of the M1 between the M0 ring road and km 94 to three lanes each way, plus a stopping lane on each side that can open to traffic at peak times. The targets are 31 August 2028 as far as Bicske and 31 August 2029 for the rest.

On 26 September 2026 MKIF announced that over the coming weeks, in stages, both directions move onto the widened Budapest-bound side between the M0 and Tatabánya, two lanes each way. The limit rises from 80 to 90 km/h, and from 60 to 70 km/h at junctions. Into Budapest you keep your own side; on the way back you cross the works zone to leave the motorway or reach a rest area.

Border checks on the way back

Austria checks traffic entering from Hungary from 16 September 2026 to 15 March 2027, so any queue is on the way back; Hungary runs no checks of its own. ÖAMTC says everyone, children included, needs a passport or ID card, and waits are likelier at weekends and in holidays. More in Border checks in 2026.

Parking near Keleti

Since 1 July 2026, Budapest's four parking zones charge cars 800 Ft (A), 600 Ft (B), 400 Ft (C) or 300 Ft (D) an hour, on working days from 8:00 until 22:00 (A), 20:00 (B) or 18:00 (C, D), with a 3-hour maximum in A to C (checked 26 September 2026). Some districts start at a different time, so read the sign.

Most districts have removed their meters, so you pay by app, text or call, using the zone code on the sign. Text payment works only with Hungarian mobile networks, so register an app before you travel.

Or skip central parking: BKK lists about 1,500 P+R spaces at Kelenföld, at the Buda end of metro M4, on the side of the city the M1 arrives on; the M4 runs straight to Keleti. Where P+R is paid, it costs 500 Ft per occasion from 06:00 to 22:00 and 300 Ft an hour at night (2026), though BKK says most hub car parks are free.

Checklist

• An Austrian vignette for every day you drive the A4, including the day back.
• A Hungarian e-vignette from an official seller, bought before the border.
• Passport or ID card for everyone, for re-entering Austria.
• MKIF's M1 site checked for closures between the M0 and Tatabánya.
• A Budapest parking app, or Kelenföld P+R.
• From 1 November, winter tyres when Austrian roads are wintry; see the winter rules.
• Live times from Mapssy before you leave, and again before the border on the way back.