Hungary

Traveling

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service: Hungary.hu
Diplomatic representations: Hungarian embassy or consulates in your country

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation: Budapest is served by an efficient public transportation system, based on three subway lines, supplemented by a comprehensive bus, tram, and trolley system. Taxis are also readily available. Phoning for a taxi from one of Budapest’s major companies, rather than hailing off the street, helps ensure the appropriate fare.
Maps of urban networks: Budapest subway
Budapest Transport Company

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation: Railway lines crisscross the country to connect most cities. The "Inter-City" line provides first-class, express service to several cities. A hydrofoil ferries passengers to Vienna and Bratislava. Hungary’s highways, which are generally good, are undergoing a major improvement to meet EU standards. Express toll highways connect Budapest west to Vienna, south to the Serbian border, and east (almost) to the Ukrainian border.
Rail companies: Hungarian Rail Company
Hungarian Rail Company's time

Airlines

Name	Type	Domestic flights	International flights
Malév	National	None	Yes
British Airways	National	None	Yes
Sky Europe	Low-cost	None	Yes
Air France	National	None	Yes
Easy Jet	Low-cost	None	Yes
Air Berlin	Low-Cost	None	Yes

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation: Motorway network in good condition, but it is a toll motorway. Blood alcool level 0g/l. Be careful when crossing same level railway crosses as the signalisation is not perfect. Headlights are compulsory outside of towns, even during the day. No problem with refueliling. Road signalisation is in Hungarian according to EU standards.
Road maps: Maps offered by T-online
offers map of Budapest, and some other settlements
can find streets in Hungary's major cities
Find an itinerary: Route finder
For international routes

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical: Amongst others, roman ruins, medieval castles and baroque palaces can all be found in Hungary:
- the Benedictine Abbey at Pannonhalma,
- Buda Castle,
- Pest,
- Eger,
- Szentendre,
- Esztergom
- Sopron.
Cultural: There is a great cultural life in Budapest and in Hungary in general. Pécs, the city in the south of Hungary had won the right to become Europe's cultural capital in 2010. The capital is filled with art galleries, museum, offering a great variety of choice for those who like plastic art.
More Information on www.artsfestivals.hu, www.festivalcity.hu, www.szegediszabadteri.hu.
Nature: - Caves at the Aggtelek National Park
- Cycling, hiking in the Ferto-Hanság National Park
- Kiskunság National Park
- Hortobágy National Park
Religious: Budapest : Matthias Church, Basilica.
Esztergom : Basilica
Ják: Abbey church
Thermal: Visit Király Medicinal Baths, which date from the Middle Ages.
Beach: The Balaton is Central Europe's largest sweet water lake. Siófok, on the south shore of the lake, has some of the sandiest beaches and best facilities for tourists.
Or you can also enjoy a sunny afternoon by the Velence lake which is only 30 minutes away from Budapest.
Winter sports: Hungary is a pretty flat country. Generally those who wish to ski go to Austria, Slovenia, Italy or Slovakia if you are looking for cheaper ski holidays.
Outdoor activities: Hike in Hungary's hills: the Börzsöny, Pilis and Mátra, Kékestetö.
Fish in the River Tisza.
Go horse riding on the Great Plain.
Drink wine from the vineyards of the Szépasszony Valley.
Shopping: Hungary is a good place to buy caviar, foie gras and Hungarian wines and spirits. Most stores are open from Monday to Saturday.

Top 10 highlights of the capital city
Buda Castle
Paliament
Market place at Fõvámtér
Chain Bridge / Roosevelt place
Margit Island, Citadella, Duna corso (pest side) / váci utca, Academy of Music

Top 10 highlights of the country
Szentendre / Esztergom and the Duna bend, Grassalkovich Royal Palace (Gödöllõ), Tihany,Puszta, Baradla Caves, Miskolc, Hollókõ village, Sopron and Fertõ tó.
Tokaj wine region
Hévíz

Tourism organizations: Hungarian Tourism Board
Website on Hungary

Living conditions

Health and safety

Health precautions: No special risk.
International hospitals: Informations available on the website of the US embassy in Hungary.
For further information on sanitary conditions: Hungarian Ministry for Health
World Health Organization
Center for disease control and prevention
For further information on safety conditions: Gouvernemental portal for Hungary
Foreign affairs and international trade Canada

Emergency numbers

General emergency	112
Ambulance	104
Ambulance in English	311 1666
Firefighters	105
Police	107
English language hot-line	438-8080

Time difference and climate

Time and time difference: It is %T:%M %A in Budapest (GMT+1 in winter, GMT+2 in the summer, central Europeean standard time )
Summer time period: Standard Time: until last Sunday of March: the clocks spring forward one hour
Summer (Daylight Saving) Time: until the last Sunday of October: the clocks spring backwards one hour.

Map of the time zone

Fuseau(x) horaire

Type of climate: Generally there are four seasons, with a very warm summer from June to August. Spring and autumn are mild, while winters are usually very cold. Rainfall is distributed throughout the year with snowfalls in winter.
The average temperature is 11 °C
The coldest month is January (average temperature -2°C)
The hottest month is July (average temperature 28°C).
April, May, September months are the best months to visit the country

For further information: Hungarian tourist boards weather information

Average annual temperatures and rainfall

Climate

Eating

Culinary specialties: - Halászlé: a spicy soup made with freshwater fish and paprika;
- Gulyás - Hungarian goulash is a hearty beef, capsicum and paprika soup;
- Western goulash is called pörkölt or tokány;
- Gundel palacsinta: pancake served with walnuts, raisins, lemon rind, chocolate sauce and rum;
- Paprikás csirke: paprika chicken;
- Kolbasz: sausage spiced with paprika.
Drinks: - Tokaji: strong dessert wine;
- Bull’s Blood: strong red wine;
- Pálinka: brandy;
- Unicum(herb liqueur).
Dietary taboos: None

Paying

Domestic currency: Forint
ISO Code: HUF
To obtain domestic currency: The most practical way is to withdraw money directly from ATMs. There are many of them and they are easily accessible in airports, city centers, and all over the country. Currency can be exchanged at hotels, banks, bureaux de change, airports, railway stations, travel agencies and some restaurants throughout the country. Automatic exchange machines are available in Budapest and other main tourist centres.
Possible means of payment: Debit Cards and Travellers Cheque (accepted in some stores and banks, but not all). To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller’s cheques in Euros or US Dollars.

Speaking

Official language: Hungarian
Other languages spoken: Mostly English, German.
Business language: English is regularly used for business in Hungary, especially among multinational firms. However, Hungary’s smaller or state-owned firms may have principals who do not speak English. In this case, an interpreter may be used for meetings, though it is prudent to agree on this in advance. German is the second most common foreign language.
Getting some knowledge: Basic hungarian phrases
Basics of hungarian language (audio)
Free translation tools: Webfordítás - Powered by Morphologic
MOKK - Hungarian Sceintific Academy's language institute's website