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| Popular Destinations |
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Budapest, Danube Bend, Eger, Pecs, Gyor,
Most visitors only spend time in Budapest. |
| Hungary centre of Europe borders with seven countries: Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Yugoslavia, Croatia and Slovenia. |
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Tourist Offices: Tourinform
is the national organization. The main branch in Budapest
has multi-lingual staff. Lots of free brochures and maps in various languages. Staff are knowledgeable and helpful to supply accommodation info or find accommodation. You can ask questions by e-1-mail: tourinform@mail.hungarytourinform.hu, hungary@tourinform.hu, |
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Useful Publication Budapest Week Weekly magazine with a special supplement for tourists - an essential guide to Budapest 100Ft, but you can get for free at American Express. Budapest Sun 158Ft, www.budapestsun.com Panorama issued monthly with map, listings from Tourinform. Budapest in your pocket - published 5 tmes a year, essential city guide, very useful for travelers, 258Ft Hightly Rec |
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Web Sites: www.hungaryinform.hu, www.tourinform.hu www.miwo.hu, www.budapesthotels.com, www.datanet.hu/ftur www.travellers-hostels.com, www.budapest.nethotels.com Train http://elvira.mavinformatika.hu |
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| National | Magyar: different from most European languages. Closer to Japanese, Mongolian, Korean. |
| Foreign |
English, German, Russian. Many speak foreign languages. |
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Weather: Very hard to generalize
weather. Summer: Jul to Aug. Generally dry and pleasant but it sometimes gets very hot (35 C.) or very chilly. Better to have a summer jacket. It occasionally rain sheavily with thunder. Autum: Sep to Nov. Winter: Nov to Feb. It snows and gets very cold. Spring starts March. In autum & spring, it rains regularly but very light. |
| High season Best season:Summer: July & August, Many travelers visit in Budapest, but it is not so hard to find budget accommodation. |
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| Visa related useful information: www.mfa.gov.hu/consul.htm | |
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No Visa req.: USA, UK, Japanese,
Hong Kong, Singapore. Most can stay 90 days. |
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| Visa Req.: Australia, New Zealand,Cost for Visa in | |
| Viena, Austria | Aus-, NZ |
| Prague, Czech | Aus-, NZ |
| Bratislava, Slovakia | Aus-, NZ |
| Warsaw, Poland | Aus-, NZ |
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| Room (bed) | 1000Ft+ | Room (double) | 2,500Ft+ |
| During summer time(July August), many college dormitories are open to tourist. Their price is very cheap, charged per person even though you don't share with anybody. Guest houses are available only in Budapest, 1200-2000ft. | |||
| Coffee(Bar) | 50Ft+ | Coffee(cafe) | 100Ft+ |
| Mineral water 1liter | 100Ft | ||
| Big Mac meal, | 319Ft | Ice Cream | 50Ft |
| Coke(market) | 80Ft | Coke(restaurant) | 150Ft |
| Beer(market) | Beer(restaurant) | ||
| breakfast | 300Ft | ||
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| Government: | M-F 8-17:00 |
| BANK: | Varies. M-Th8-16:00, F8-13:00 |
| Post Office: | M-F 8:00-19:00, Sa8:00-13:00. Some open later. See local info. |
| Shops : | Varies. Food shops/shopping centers M-F 7-19:00, Sa7-14:00. On Sunday only the 24 hr shops so called Nonstop shops and large malls are open. |
| Museums: | Tu-Su 10:00-18:00, shorter in winter. |
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| BANK/EXCHANGE : Many banks and money changers will change foreign currencies. The rate varies. Usually good rate for cash at money changer. |
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Lattest Rate: OTO Bank: Cash/TC 1 Euro=243.56/245.63Ft, 1 GBP=355.77/358.8Ft, JPY100=179.78/181.63Ft, US$1=198.94/200.63Ft www.otpbank.hu/otpportal2000 click English, then Rate IBUSZ: Cash 1 Euro=246.50Ft, 1 GBP=360Ft, JPY100=182.50Ft, US$1=203.50Ft www.ibusz.hu/szolgaltatas/valuta.phtml?menu_id=105&lang=en |
| T/C: Changable only at bank. Many banks in Budapest can change T/C. But in local cities, you have to go to specified bank. Commission varies between banks. Sometimes between branches. OTP banks usually does not charge any com. |
| ATM/Cash advance:Many ATMs and many banks have cash advance services. |
| Rates at Airport: T/C com : ? rate : US$1 =? |
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| Post office: |
M-F 8:00-19:00, Sa8:00-13:00 Some at train station open later. |
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| Neighbour | Europe | Other | |
| post card | 28Ft | 90Ft | 100ft |
| letter, 20g | 36Ft | 140Ft | 150ft |
| small percel surf 250g |
500Ft |
500Ft |
600Ft |
| small percel surf 500g |
800Ft |
800Ft | 950Ft |
| small percel surf 1kg | 1400Ft | 1600Ft | 1900Ft |
| small percel surf 2kg | 2700Ft | 3000Ft | 3500Ft |
| Airmail special service | 17Ft/20g | ||
| Telephone | Country Code 36 | ||
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| 1 min.: | 135Ft? |
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| Police: 107 | Ambulance: 104 | ||
| Inquiry:Domestic 198 | Inquiry: Int'l 199 | Operator(Int'l) 190 | |
| Local call: | 20 Ft. | ||
| Public phone: |
Coin 10, 20, 50Ft/card 800Ft and 1800Ft You can buy calling card(3,000Ft) at any Master point shop which gives you at least 20% discount. |
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| Emergency numbers American Express: 00800-11120 | |||
| Colletct Call | Call 190 and ask Home country direct for other countries | ||
| USA | 06-8000-1111 | ||
| UK | 06-8000-4411 | ||
| Australia | 06-8000-6111 | ||
| Japan | 06-8000-8111 | ||
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University dormitories:
Available during July and August. Rooms are usually double, but charges per person. There are so many rooms available , not necessary to share. The problem is that many managers cannot speak English so very hard to make a reservation over the phone. You can get help from Tourinform to book for free. |
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Travelers Guest House: Available only in Budapest. Facilities are dormitory. Cost from 1200Ft/p, normally 2000Ft. |
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Official IYH: Only in Budapest. Very expensive, more than 3000Ft/p |
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Private rooms: Local travel agents, such as Ibiz, can find private rooms for you. cost from 2000/p + fee |
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Hotels Tourinform has all information. They sometimes book a room for you for a small fee. |
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| Cheap restaurants are called etterem. Paprika is a standard ingredient | |
| ! Warning: | Some tourist restaurants charge for dishes you have not ordered. Make sure the amount of your bill is correct. Some drinks prices are listed per quantity. |
| Food | |
| Bogracsgulyas | Goulash soup |
| Jokai bableves | pork & bean soup |
| toltott kaposzta | stuffed cabbage rolls |
| paprikas csirke | chicken with sour cream & paprika |
| Gyumolcsleves | fruit based cold soup, |
| retes | apple strudel |
| palacsinta | fruit pancakes |
| Restaurants | |
| Budapest has numerous cafes, many are interesting to visit, far superior to Vienna's and much cheaper. | |
| Drink | |
| Coffee(Kave) | excellent and cheap, |
| beer | Very cheap. |
| Wine | Hungary produce excellent wine. Tokaj, Egri Bikavar (Bulls Blood) are very famous. |
| Palinka | brady based liqueurs, szilvapalinka plum. Unicum |
| Unicum | bitter liqueur |
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AIR: Ferihegy Internatioal Airport Terminal 1: Out of international service, 20km from Budapest. Terminal 2A: Malev use this terminal, 24km from Budapest. Terminal 2B: new terminal replacing T-1. Exchange is available but the rate is 5% lower and need 1% com. for T/C or cash. Transport: Airport Minibus: both airports to any address in Budapest. 1,500Ft City Bus: Airport to Erzerbert ter bus station. Every 30 min. 600Ft Public Bus: Red #93, From only Terminal 1 to Kobanya-Kispest Metro Station. need 2 tickets(95Ftx2) Taxi: Ariport to Budapest. About 2,000Ft |
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TRAIN: International trains from major foreign cities, such as Vienna, Munich, Bratislava, Bucharest, to Budapest. Many local trains also connect cities near borders. Arad(R) - Bekescsaba(H), Subotica(R) - Szeged(H), Komarno(S)-Komarom(H), Kosice(S)-Miskolc(H), Wiener Neustadt(A)-Sorpron(H), Osijef(Y)-Pecs(H) You have to pay international-train fare for international trains. To avoid this high fare, you have to CHANGE trains on border. Under 26: international fare discount about 30%. Rail Pass: Interail, Europass, Euroflexpass are valid. Info for the time table: www.elvira.hu/ international Fare: informacio@mav.hu |
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BUS: Services are available
between most major cities. Also available between local cities near the border. Arad(R)-Bekescsaba(H) |
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BOAT: Hydrofoil boats are
running from Vienna, Bratislava. During July & August, 2 boats/day, Spring/autum, 1 boat/day, Winter no service. See Vienna or Budapest section for more details. Int'l ferry: Sturovo(S) - Ezstergom(H) runs every hour 8:00-16:00, Summer 8:00 - 20:00? Currency exchage available. 100Ft |
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| AIR | There are a few airports, but not many scheduled flights |
| TRAIN |
Very cheap and many trains are running. Trains
with [R] require compulsory seat reservation, 480Ft, ones with [P] require compulsory supplement, 200Ft. Hungary Card: 7,935Ft, allows you to have 50% off for 7 return journeys and 33% off for 3 single journeys. valid until April 15, 2005. This card allows you to have 20% discount for associated hotels and restaurants and 20-100% for some museums, and ,more. www.elvira.hu/ |
| BUS |
Many services throughout the country. The
fare is almost same as train's. Usually no reservation. www.menetrendek.hu/cgi-bin/menetrend/html.cgi |
| BOAT |
Danube river: Hydrofoil boats
and pleasure boats are running on the Danube, Budapest to cities
on the Danube Bend, such as Esztergom, Visegrad, Szentendre High season(July,August) everyday. Low season (Spring/Autum) only weekend. Winter no service. Lake Balaton: ferry(late May to October) and pleasure boats(July, August) are running |
| Domestic train fare s2nd class, unit Ft | |||||||
| 10km | 88Ft | 80km | 698Ft | 200km | 1844Ft | 400km | 2966Ft |
| 20 | 162 | 90 | 802 | 220 | 1986 | 450 | 3168 |
| 30 | 238 | 100 | 906 | 240 | 2130 | 500 | 3372 |
| 40 | 312 | 120 | 1094 | 260 | 2272 | 550 | 3576 |
| 50 | 386 | 140 | 1284 | 280 | 2416 | 600 | |
| 60 | 490 | 160 | 1468 | 300 | 2558 | 650 | |
| 70 | 694 | 180 | 1656 | 350 | 2762 | 700 | |
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Except Budapest, in most of the cities, sightseeing
spots are located in the center, which are small enough to walk
around. Most cities have good bus/tram systems. Metro: Excellent system in Budapest. Bus/Tram: Excellent system. the cost is also very reasonable. Many different types of fare, single, day, 10-ride, weekly, monthly. Single ride tickets are available from kiosks. Usually no tickets sold on board, sometimes sold extra charge. Other types are sold at offices. The fare system is honesty system. Tickets must be validated on board by stamp machines. Day tickets also need validation by the machine. Occasional inspections. Rent-A-Car: Available in major cities. Rental bicycle: Available in some tourist cities, but not so many. Tax:i: All metered 80-100Ft/km Better to call taxi by phone for security reasons and cheaper. See Budapest city section for more details. |
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| Tipping | Round up the bill at restaurants/cafes. Make sure your bill does not include a service charge. |
| Dress | Casual. |
| Cheers | It is considered rude to clink glasses in a toast. |
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| In most major cities, hospitals/clinics have good facilities. Most doctors can speak English. | |
| Health Hazards | None |
| Tap Water | Is drinkable in most major town. Sometimes very delicious. |
| Emergency number | Ambulance 104 |
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Very safe. One problem people may encounter is cheating in bill
s in restaurants. See Food section above. Pick-pockets must take care in tourist area. Don't leave valuables in cars. |
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| Police | 107 |
| Credit Card | Visa/Master Card 06-800-12701 |
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| General opening hours: Varies. Food shops/shopping centers M-F 7-19:00, Sa7-14:00. On Sunday only the 24 hr shops so called Nonstop shops and large malls are open. |
| Bargaining: Most shops have fixed prices, Bargaining in markets. |
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| W1 | Budapest and its environment |
| W2 |
Pannonhalma Abby and its enviroment Taka a bus from Gyor, 15km 13th C Bacilica, Crypt, 15th Cloister, 18th C. Library Not all area are open to visitos. Please contact Tourinfo or contact T096-570-191, F570-192 |
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Hollok village: Village remaining
old tradition and live style. Many festivals are held. Transport: Daily bus frokm Budapest Nepstadion Jun-Aug. Only Su Sep-May |
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Aggtelek caves: Very long
caves continues to Slovakia. There are a few caves open to public. Baradla is open 8-18:00 for summer, 8-16:00 for winter. Tours: Aggtelek short tour: 1km Baradla Cave: 2.2km and 2 hr tour start from Voros Lake Josfavo Tour: 1.4km 1 hr from josfavo entrance Long tour: 7km from Aggtelek to Josfavo caves. Tourinform: Baradla oldal 1, T343-073 Transport : take a bus from Eger or Miskolc |
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| There are many spa resorts throughout Hungary. Many of them have thermal baths, swimming pools, resort hotels. Some of offer medical treatment only which requires a letter from a doctor |
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There are several wine regions in the country. Most of them has
excellent wines. The most famous are: Takaj, Eger, Villany. The
complete list of regions is as follows. Csongrad, Hajos-Baja, Kunsag, Aszar-Neszmely, Badacsony, Balatonfured-Csopak, Balatonmellek, Etyek, Mor, Pannonhalma-Sokoroalja, Somlo, Sopron, South Balaton, Mecsekalja, Szekszard, Villany-Siklos, Bukkalja, Eger, Matraalja, Tokaj-Hegyalja, Zala, Tolna |
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| Voltage Electricity: | 220V, 50 Hz 2 pronged-rounded Plug type, Bring transformers/adapters with you , difficult to find locally. |
| Photo/Quality | Generally good. |
| English Newspapers | |
| English Radio | FM 102.1Mhz, New every hour 5:00-22:00 |
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EVENTS Hungary's major celebration is the Budapest Spring Festival (March), a two-week cultural extravaganza of local and international performances, conferences and exhibitions. Other important events include: the Budapest Film Festival (February), which premieres new Hungarian films; Buso Procession (Mohacs; February also), the nation's top Mardi Gras; Sopron Festival Weeks (Sopron; June/July), showcasing ancient music and dance performances; the Folk Arts Festival (Nagyki August), one of the biggest and best events of the year; and Jazz Days (Debrecen; September), which is Hungary's top jazz festival. |
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| 2000 | ||
| Jan 1 | PH | New Year's Day |
| Mar 15 | PH | National Day/Revolution Day |
| Apr 4-5 | PH | Easter Monday |
| May 1 | PH | Labor Day |
| May 24 | PH | Whit Sunday/Monday |
| Aug 20 | PH | St Stephen's Day |
| Oct 23 | PH | Republic Day |
| Dec 25-26 | PH | Christmas. |
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| Dates are probably adjusted with calender every year. | |
| Jan 1 | Budapest, New Year's concert at the Opera House. |
| Feb 25 | Mohacs, Buso Procession: Originated in Balkans. Held on the Sunday 7 weeks before Easter. People wear monster-like costumes to defeat cold winter and welcome spring. The Sunday is the largest. On previous Thursday, the childrend's procession is held. |
| Mar 16 to Apr 1 |
Budapest, Budapest
Spring Festival Folk arts performances.Also similar festivals are held in Debrecen, Gyor, Kecskemet, Sopron, Szentendre and others. |
| Apr 15-16 | Holloko(UNESCO's Heritage site), Easter Festival |
| Jun 22-Jul15 | Sopron, Sorpron Fesival Week |
| Jul 9, 10 | Visegrad, Int'l Tournament, Visegrad Palace. |
| Jul21-29 | Eger, Castel festival. |
| July | Kiskunsag, Shepherd & Horse Festival |
| Jul1-Aug27 | Szeged, Open-air Festival |
| Aug 1 - 8 | Budapest, Pepsi Island Festival |
| Aug 20 | Debrecen, Flower Carnival |
| Aug 16-20 | Budapest, Craft Fair |
| Aug 16-20 | Budapest, Formular - Grand Prix |
| Sep 4-9 | Budapest, Wine Festival |
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Internet is available in large cities only,
Budapest, Pecs. Many charging about 10Ft/min. or 500Ft/hr. |
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