Visa Requirements
Visitors from the European Union with valid passports, as well as Australians and New Zealanders, do not need a visa to enter Hungary. If you require further information, click here.
Money
Hungary’s national currency is the forint (Ft), and you will get around 350 forints to a pound (1,000 Ft is roughly equivalent to three pounds). Check the current rate here. By far the most convenient, and by no means most expensive, way to change money is to draw it out at a cash machine using your debit card. ATMs can be found all over Hungary, and there is one at the airport. Most large restaurants and shops accept credit cards.
Tipping
Restaurant prices in Hungary generally do not include a service charge and it is therefore customary to give a tip, generally equivalent to 10-15% of the bill. For all other tipping, follow the guidelines used in the rest of Europe.
Public Holidays
Hungary is a predominantly Catholic country and Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Easter Monday (but not Good Friday), Whitsun (the Monday following the seventh Sunday after Easter) and All Saint's Day (November 1) are public holidays. Celebrations specific to Hungary fall on March 15 (commemorating the beginning of the 1848 revolution), August 20 (St. Stephen's Day), and October 23 (which marks the outbreak of the 1956 revolution). Mayday (May 1) is also a well-earned day off. These are always celebrated on the day on which they fall, even if that is a weekend. Museums, tourist shops and restaurants are open, except after 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day.
Telephone codes
Hungary country code: 36
Budapest area code: 1
International pre-dial: 00 + country code + local number
Domestic long distance pre-dial
06 + area code + local number
Mobile-phone numbers are 9-digit, after dialling 06, the first two numbers depend on the telephone company: 20, 30 or 70.
Get your EHIC before you travel!
The E111 form for travellers to Europe is changing to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
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Internet
There are Internet cafés all over Budapest and a growing number of hotels and cafés offer WiFi access for laptop users. For a comprehensive listing, with maps, visit http://hotspotter.hu/en Faxes can be sent from major post offices and hotels.
Hungarian survival guide
Hungarian has very little in common with neighbouring languages, save a smattering of words left behind by the Turks and Austrians, and a handful of Slavic phrases. You may not pick up much of the language during your stay, but learning the basics will certainly help you get around.
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