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Budapest - Useful information
 
The airport
The place of arrival in Budapest by plane is Ferihegy. Ferihegy has three terminals, Ferihegy 1 is the terminal for low-cost airlines, Ferihegy 2A is the terminal for MALEV (Hungarian airline) planes, Ferihegy 2B is the terminal for other foreign airlines.
 
Arrival in the city centre by Airport Minibus

The tourists at the airport can resort the services of the Airport Minibus, Taxi Companies or they can travel by public transport such as bus or railway to the city centre.

The Airport Minibus is relatively cheap: a one-way ticket for one person is 2990 Ft anywhere within the city, a one-way ticket for two people are 4490 Ft anywhere within the city. A return ticket for one person is 4990 Ft, a return ticket for two people costs 8490 Ft. Depending on traffic, the journey from the airport to the city center with Airport Minibus can take from 40 to 60 minutes.

 
Arrival in the city centre by public transport
The services of the public transport are much cheaper than airport minibus, or taxi. Public transport to the city centre:
By bus 200 E from the airport to the terminus of the metro (Kob‡nya-Kispest). From there, the city center can be reached in 15 minutes with the metro line 3. In total, the journey with the public transportation system takes about an hour.
By train directly from Ferihegy station to the Western railway station (stop of subway, line 3). Trains come every 20 minutes, the price of the ticket is 300 HUF, and the duration of the journey is 20 minutes.
Budapest has direct rail links to 25 capitals. There are 3 major international railway stations in Budapest: the Eastern Railway Station, Western Railway Station and Southern Railway Station. Each of the stations can be reached by subway.
 
The transport in general
Budapest has 3 subway lines. Metro runs in 2Ð15 minutes interval from 4.30 a.m. to 11.10 p.m. The citizens of the European Union over the age of 65 years can travel free of charge on BKV Budapest public transport services (except for the funicular, the chair-lift and boat trips). In Budapest, public transport tickets must be validated right after getting on the vehicles (buses, trams, trolley-buses), or before entering the area of the subways. The price of one single ticket is 290 HUF and is valid for one trip, for 60 minutes from validation time. The tourist ticket is 3700 HUF and valid for 72 hours, for every public vehicle within the city. Pay-by-card possibility is in Nyugati square near Western railway station.
 
The taxis
It is worth calling a taxi by phone (fees are more friendly this way) than flagging one down in the street.
The fee consists of 3 components: the basic charge, the kilometre charge and the waiting charge.

Prices of taxi companies ordered by phone
Taxi Company Basic Charge Kilometre charge Waiting charge Phone Number
Fo taxi 300 Ft 225 Ft/km 56 Ft/min 00361/2222222
Radio Taxi 300 Ft 218 Ft/km 54 Ft/min 00361/7777777
City Taxi 300 Ft 240 Ft/km 60 Ft/min 00361/2111111
Tele5 Taxi 300 Ft 230 Ft/km 57 Ft/min 00361/5555555
Taxi4 300 Ft 184 Ft/km 46 Ft/min 00361/4444444
 
The public phones and calling in/from Hungary
If you wish to call abroad from Hungary, first dial 00, wait for the tone, then dial the country code, town code, phone number. HungaryÕs code is 36, BudapestÕs code is 1 and Budapest phone numbers comprises 7 digits. Public phones are operated with 20, 50, 100 coins and phone cards that can be bought at petrol stations, newsagents and post offices. Mobile phone numbers comprises 9 digits. First you have to dial 06, afterwards 20 or 30 or 70, depending on the phone company.
 
Checking in your hotel
In Budapest, most hotels and hostels have the same checking-in and checking-out times:
The official check-in time usually is 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. and the check-out time is 10:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. at the latest.
 
The Currency (Forint)
In Hungary, we pay by Hungarian Forint (HUF, in Hungary written ÒFt Ò). (1 EUR=approx. 300 HUF). Some of the big supermarkets and restaurants accept EUR, but only bank notes, so you will need to change money.
Exchanging money is only permitted in licensed places, which are easy to find downtown, near public transport interchanges, on major and shopping streets. Do not take the risk of changing money on the street where you are likely to buy counterfeit money besides the fact that such transactions are illegal.
 
Left luggage counters
Left luggage counters and non-stop left luggage lockers can be found at the Eastern and Western Railway Stations. The counters are open from 5 a.m.-12 p.m.
 
Budapest Card
Each card is valid for one adult and one child up to 14 years of age. It is valid for 48 hours (6300 Ft.) or 72 hours (7500 Ft.) and provides the following services: free travel on Budapest public transport, free admission to 60 museums and other important sites such as the Zoo, the caves in Buda, Matthias Church, discounted city sightseeing tours by bus and boat, discounted tickets for folklore and other cultural programmes, discounts offered in spa baths, restaurants, shops, car rental and a number of other places.
 
Budapest for YOU
Budapest, the capital of Hungary, lies on both sides of the river Danube. It is a meeting point of North and South, East and West. The inter-crossing cultures are blended into a unique synthesis, while remaining characteristically Hungarian.
 
And what does Hungarian mean? In Budapest you can experience it!
 
Tradition
Walking on the streets of the Buda Castle District, along Andr‡ssy avenue to the HeroesÕ Square (all are the parts of UNESCO World Heritage), travelling on the Millenium Underground, looking down to the Chain Bridge and the Parliament from the Hal‡szb‡stya, or standing in the shadow of the Saint Stephen Basilica, you will understand why Hungarians are so proud of their history and traditions.

Innovation
In In the past 20 years after the transition to democracy, Hungary and Budapest have developed into one of the most important financial and business centres of Central-East Europe. Budapest became a popular scene for scientific and business conferences, due to its central location in Europe and the hospitable and professionally minded people.
Culture and entertainment
Similarly to other Central European capitals, Budapest offers wonderful cultural experiences to visitors and locals alike. With an abundance of concert halls, churches, museums, cinemas and a bustling nightlife, the city is a popular destination all year round.
Quite a few annual Budapest festivals have gained international fame attracting hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors. Budapest Spring Festival is one of EuropeÕs largest cultural festivals featuring symphony orchestra concerts, opera and ballet performances, an operetta festival. Other popular events: open-air events with about 200 events a year, with a combined attendance of about 200,000, and the Sziget Festival that has emerged from being a comparatively low-standard student event to a real international rock and cultural festival.
Most pubs and bars in Budapest are located in the Pest downtown area, in the 5th district, where you can also find some of the famous "ruin-pubs" in uninhabited old buildings decorated by young artists.
 
Musts to see
  Heroes’' Square
  Andrassy Avenue
  St. Stephen's Basilica
  Parliament
  Chain Bridge
  Castle District and the Matthias Church
  The Citadel
  National Theatre
  Palace of Arts
  Margaret Island
  The Danube Promenade