BUDAPEST
Once called the “Queen of the Danube,” Budapest has long been the focal point of the nation and a lively cultural centre. The city straddles the Danube (Hungarian: Duna) River in the magnificent natural setting where the hills of western Hungary meet the plains stretching to the east and south. It consists of two parts, Buda and Pest, which are situated on opposite sides of the river and connected by a series of bridges. ...
USEFUL INFORMATION
Hungary is located in East-Central Europe and it occupies an area of 93 030 km2. The country’s population is less than 10 million including several minorities. The capital city is Budapest with almost two million inhabitants. Hungary borders Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU and the Schengen Zone. The official language is Hungarian and the currency is the Hungarian Forint (HUF). Hungary is one of the 15 most popular tourist destinations of the world. The country is also a home to numerous World Heritage Sites, UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, the largest water cave system and the second largest thermal lake in the world (Lake Hévíz), the largest lake in Central Europe (Lake Balaton) and the largest natural grasslands in Europe (Hortobágy).
Language:
Hungarian
Location:
East-Central Europe
Official name:
Hungarian Republic
Capital:
Budapest
Form of government: Republic
Population:
9 817 958 (2016)
Religion:
Roman Catholic (majority), Protestant, Jewish
Administration:
19 counties, 23 towns with county rights
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +1 hour
Area:
93 030 square km
Number of visitors in Hungary :
31 141 000
(2018)
Highest point:
Kékes, 1015 m
WEATHER
Hungary has a mild continental climate with four distinct seasons. Summers are hot with low overall humidity levels but frequent rain showers, while the winter is cold and snowy. Average high temperature in the summer is 23 to 28°C and average low temperature in the winter is −3 to −7 °C.
TIME ZONE
Hungary is in the Central European Time Zone (GMT+1). Daylight saving time: runs between the end of March and the end of October (CET+1/GMT+2).
CURRANCY AND MONEY
The Hungarian currency is the forint (Ft and HUF). If you want to exchange your currency to forint, always do so at an official exchange office. Never exchange money on the streets with random strangers, since this is prohibited by law. There are ATMs on almost every corner in Budapest, and you can find at least one ATM in every city countrywide. Money withdrawal from ATMs is in forint.
All major credit and debit cards (MasterCard, Visa, etc.) are accepted. If you want to use a card and you have doubts about whether it is accepted, please look for the usual window stickers. Note: card acceptance is not obligatory, so always carry some cash in forints.
Cash payments that don’t end in 5 or 0 will be rounded to the closest 5 or 0, e.g. for HUF 152 you pay HUF 150 and for HUF 158 you pay HUF 160. All prices in shops are gross prices including VAT.
