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The official currency is the FORINT. Previously there was a change called
fillér, but it's
officially not used anymore.
Coins : 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100
Bank notes : 200, 500, 1000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000
Money may only be
changed at official places. Keep receipts of transactions so that forints can be readily
re-exchanged into hard currency when you leave the country.
You
won't need your passport as proof of ID to change hard currency into forints,
although it's necessary for cashing travelers cheques.
Although banks charge commission on currency exchanges, their rates are often
better than non-commission change kiosks. Cash cards aren't a problem either, you
can find ATMs all around in the city.
Most banks
in the city center have machines which accept major credit cards such as Visa
and MasterCard. Banks are usually open Mondays to Thursdays 08.00-15.00, Fridays
08.00-13.00, but are closed on Saturdays.
Here you can
convert your currency into Forint to see updated rate:
Currency
Converter
See detailed information here!
You can
read general information here, to make a car reservation check our
Car Rental
Service Page !
It's easier to arrange a rental through your travel agent rather than on arrival. Not only will you save money (anything from 15-20%) but you'll also be able to find out about deposits, drop off charges, cancellation penalties and insurance costs without having to make yourself understood in a foreign language.
Make sure though you find out what equipment comes as standard (air conditioning is not always available) and check that the price quoted includes ÁFA (VAT). Optional extras such as roof racks and child seats should also be arranged before you go. US and Canadian citizens should note that the majority of rental cars in Budapest have manual, rather than automatic transmission.
To hire a car in Hungary you must be at least 21 years of age. Mileage rates are of the fixed amount free, unlimited or per kilometer variety, with extra charges for any additional drivers wanting to use the vehicle.
Although reputable
companies operate new fleets and service them to a high standard, make your own
checks before accepting a rental car. These should include:
checking for minor
bodywork damage, making sure that small defects are noted on the rental
agreement before you take the vehicle;
checking for tire wear
(insist on a different vehicle if the tread appears low, uneven or if there
are cuts or bulges in any tire sidewalls);
checking in advance to
see if rear seat belts are fitted (and arrange for a car seat if you have
small children).
Allow yourself plenty of
time to get used to the vehicle, unfamiliar road signs and Budapest's drivers.
When returning the car, fuel should be topped up to the same level as you when
first picked it up (otherwise you'll be charged at the rental company's s own
tariff per liter which is invariably higher than that of local forecourts).
Insurance requirements and general rules on driving in Hungary (including local
road signs) are covered in
Plugs in Hungary are the standard continental type, using 220-volt current (50 cycles A/C). Visitors from the UK need only buy a two pin plug adapter to use British 240v electrical goods, whereas North American travelers with 110v appliances also need a current transformer. Modern equipment such as PC notebooks work equally well on both currents, although it is advisable to check operating instructions before traveling
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The Hungarian language belongs to the Finno-Ugric group. It is fundamentally different from any other European language.
Despite this fact, Hungarian is not an 'impossible' language to learn, getting to grips with a few basic words and phrases will prove invaluable during your stay. For instance, rather than using prepositions, such as "from", "to" etc. Hungarian relies on adding suffixes to words. Easy enough you might think. Well, add in the fact that the choice of suffix is governed by a bewildering set of rules relating to vowel harmony and you have some idea as to why Hungarian isn't quite as easy to learn as French or German.
Visitors from most countries need only a valid passport to enter Hungary, but for citizens of Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Germany, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland an identity card is sufficient.
Loss of the passport must be reported without delay to the consulate or the embassy..
Only Albanian and Turkish citizens
need a visa in Europe to enter Hungary as tourists.
For citizens of the following countries outside Europe visa is NOT required :
Argentina, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Ecuador, Iceland, Israel,
Japan, Korean Republic, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Nicaragua, Republic of South
Africa, Seychelles, Singapore, United States of America, Uruguay and the former
Soviet Union except Georgia, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Tourists may apply for entry
(single, double or multiple) or transit visas.
Within the period of validity, an entry visa entitles the holder to a stay for a
period stated but not longer than 90 days. Holders of transit visas may stay in
Hungary for 48 hors. Visas are issued by the Hungarian consular or diplomatic
mission in the applicant's country. Single, double or multiple visas cost USD
40, 75 and 180.Single, double and multiple transit visas cost USD 38, 65 and
150.
You can get much more information on the homepage of Travel
Document Systems (www.traveldocs.com)
TDS is a visa agency that has been helping international travelers since 1985.
They work closely with the U.S. Passport Agency and Embassies representing many
governments, so that international travelers can depart on very short notice,
for many worldwide destinations
There are no fixed rules on tipping, but it's customary to add an extra 10-15% to restaurant bills and taxi fares. Hotel porters, hairdressers and cloakroom attendants also expect to be tipped. The going rate for a Gypsy violinist during an evening meal is between 500-1000 HUF
Tourinform, which is part of the Hungarian
Tourist Board has a centrally located office in Budapest located at
V. Sütő u. 2, (Open Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat-Sun 9am-4pm). Other
Budapest Information offices are located at:
There are now more than ten touchscreen tourist information points dotted throughout Budapest. Currently locations include: Tourinform offices, Ferihegy airport (1 in each terminal), the Southern Railway Station (Déli pu), Astoria metro station, the Royal Castle and Central Market Hall.
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