Weather
It can get very hot in the summer and very cold in winter. January is generally the coldest month (average 0°C) and July/August generally the hottest (average 27°C). However be aware that in December, January and February the temperatures can occasionally severely dip and temperatures of -10°C are not unheard of. Please bring appropriate clothing with you, i.e. shorts in summer, and jumpers and outerwear (including hat, gloves, scarf) in winter. Check out the temperatures just before you travel.
Language Spoken in Budapest
The local language is Hungarian however English is widely spoken in the city centre. Younger people tend to be fluent, older people less so. People involved in the tourist industry e.g. hotels, restaurants, are more used to speaking English than others.
So you can manage perfectly well in Budapest with just English but if you are feeling brave why not try a few words of Hungarian on some of the people you meet. A dozen or so common words will go a long way > more
Tourist Information Office
Close to Deák Ferenc metro station (all metro lines cross here). http://www.budapestinfo.hu - select English
Currency in Budapest
The local currency in Budapest is the Hungarian Forint. The best exchange rates are found in the city centre in Budapest. Please do not change money at the airport as they offer poor exchange rates. You will also find some Euros useful.
Time Change
Budapest is one hour ahead of UK/Irish time.
Seasons
Accommodation in Budapest will often be more expensive in high season than in low season. Generally the seasons are:
Low Season: Beginning Nov – mid/end March; High Season: March/April - end Oct
Public Transport System
The public transport system is extremely efficient. There are buses, trams, trolley buses and three metro lines (red, blue and yellow); a 4th line is under construction at the moment. You will also find local trains called HEV (tickets are inexpensive).
You can purchase single tickets (or books of 10 or 20 single tickets at a small discount) for your journey, which must be validated in machines before travel. On the buses and trams these machines are inside the buses and trams. On the metro you will find validating machines scattered around, often close to the escalators. On the metro, a new ticket is required each time you change lines unless you purchase a special transfer ticket.
You can purchase 3-day or 7-day Travel Cards, which are great value and are valid for all tram, bus and metro travel within the City. Travel Cards do not need validating in the machines on every journey. Most major metro stations sell these cards.
Alternatively another type of travel card is the Budapest Card, which is significantly more expensive (more than double) but gives you a discount on some limited museums, sightseeing tours and some restaurants. I doubt the value of the Budapest Card.
Over 65? Travel on public transport within the City Centre is free if you are over 65, however you must carry your passport (or identity card) with you at all times to take advantage of this. If you travel beyond the City Centre you must purchase a valid ticket.
To find out which way to go when entering a metro station look for signs to the end station name on the line/direction you are travelling on. Obviously choose the appropriate way.
Restaurants
If you want to pay by credit card in a restaurant please check that they take credit cards before you order your meal, as some restaurants do not take credit cards. There are different types of bills given out in restaurants and bars. Tourists will often be given a handwritten bill which already has a tip added to it. Please do not then add a further tip to the bill (unless of course you want to).
Electricity
Voltage is the same as in the UK/Ireland. Electrical adaptors are needed – the type you would normally take on holiday in the rest of Europe.
Driving
If you hire a car or drive in Hungary please note the blood alcohol limit is zero percent and this is enforced rigorously. You must use headlights on all roads outside towns even in daytime.
Vehicles using the Hungarian motorways M1, M3, M5 and M7 (and the Austrian motorways) must have a motorway "vignette". These are obtainable at petrol stations and post offices.
In winter you must equip your car for severe conditions.
Visas
If you have a valid UK or Irish passport you don't need a visa to travel to Hungary.
Shopping
Vaci utca - a pedestrian walkway.
Glamorous and expensive clothes shops, lots of cafes.
Central Market - an impressive market hall, opened in 1897, closed Sunday
3 storeys: basement (fish, game), ground floor (fruit, vegetables), upper level (lace, food stalls).
Shopping Malls - generally open Mon-Sat 10.00-21.00 and Sun 10.00-18.00
Mammut I and Mammut II Shopping Mall
A bridge across a road connects the two.
Tram 4 or 6, Széna Tér (the stop next to Moszkva Tér)
Metro: red line, Moszkva Tér, 100 yards walk from metro station
Shops, cinema (some films in English), bowling alley
West End Shopping Mall
Behind Nyugati Pályaudvar train station
Metro: blue line, Nyugati Pályaudvar
Tram 4 or 6, Nyugati Pályaudvar
Hundreds of shops, cinema, bowling alley, casino
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