Top Budapest FAQ

Here are the most frequently asked questions of Budapest travelers as gathered by TopBudapest.org. If you feel that we left out essential questions and answers, please help us by sending the additional information in an email to us: TopBudapest [at] gmail [dot] com, or you can add your comment on Budapest Pebbles where you feel your comment would be relevant (check out the categories list).

What visa is required for Budapest Hungary?

Entry visas are not required for EU citizens, and travelers from the USA and Canada if you stay less than 3 months. Citizens of other countries can get a visa at the Hungarian Embassy or Consulate in their country: please allow ample time as in some cases the administrative procedure of obtaining a visa to Hungary might take 4-6 weeks. A valid passport is required. For more information about visas, please check the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Hungary has accepted the Shengen Visa since November 2007.

Where is Budapest Hungary?

Budapest, the capital city of Hungary is in Central-Eastern Europe, not far from Vienna in Austria or Prague in the Czech Republic. No wonder many fast travelers prefer to have a quick tour touching on these three beautiful cities. Moreover, Budapest is centrally located in Hungary, right on the river Danube, which cuts the city into two parts: Buda and Pest, adding up to 'Budapest'. Hungary is a landlocked country, no seas, lots of rivers and a big beautiful fresh water lake, Balaton. But the river Danube and the several spa baths still make Budapest a water-based city.

Where is the city center in Budapest, which districts, streets?

There are 23 districts in Budapest (numbered clockwise and indicated by a Roman number as well as the two middle digits of the four-digit zip code. The super central district is number five, or V with a Roman number (so if you see a postal code that reads 1051, it is in the 5th district). Further city center districts are number 6 or VI and 7 or VII. Some streets of District VIII (8th district), which are closer to the River Danube are also central. The definition of 'central' refers to both the geographical and the cultural aspects of Budapest Hungary.

Which side is better, Buda or Pest in Budapest?

Budapest is divided into two distinct sides by the river Danube, the hilly Buda side and the flat Pest side. More precisely, in the old days there were two towns (Buda and Pest) along the river, which grew into one big beautiful city, Budapest. Even more precisely, there was s third one called Old Buda (îbuda), which became also part of Budapest, but to make things more simple, it is a rarely mentioned fact (you know it's like having two YouTube founders featured, instead of the real three). Probably, most Hungarians as well as foreign travelers would suggest booking a hotel room on the Pest side and only going for short cultural & green visits to the Buda side.

What is Buda like? The Buda (say boodah) side is more peacefully residential & quieter than the Pest side. Buda is also hilly and green - especially the Janos hegy (Janos hill) with the Children's Railway. If you like to stay away from the crowds, be closer to mother nature, and find a quite recluse, your safest bet is Buda. Recommended locations for sleeping: hotels along the Danube close to Batthyany ter and the Chain Bridge, Moszkva ter or really further off on Normafa hill right next to the woods)

What is Pest like? Pest (say pesht) is flatter, more sizzling, throbbing with life day and night. If you like shopping, eating, dancing, pub crawling, and be very close to most of the attractions in Budapest, Pest is an obvious choice. Recommended locations for sleeping: hotels along the Danube close to Roosevelt ter and the Chain Bridge, super central Deak ter or Oktogon.

Is Budapest a safe city?

The answer is a definite YES with the footnote that Budapest with its two million people is a big city so make sure you have the precautions you would have in any big city: e.g. guard your wallet or purse, don't flash thick stacks of banknotes or expensive jewelry, don't leave your bag or bike unguarded, don't walk alone late at night in unlit deserted streets, and don't try to withdraw cash from ATMs in dark deserted places, don't accept friendly happy drugs or unsolicited sexual approach (or run a short risk calculation in your head if you do, and act accordingly), don't trust people that you instinctively feel fishy, unreliable, way too strange, etc. All in all, act sensibly - Hungary is not a far-away land full of exotic people acting in a strange way, which would explain very funny behavior.

What is the Currency in (Budapest) Hungary?

No, it is still not the euro, it is the HungarianForint (HUF or Ft) (say four-int). The Hungarian Forint has no change (it used to be filler but not any more). Euro is accepted at several places though, but your safe bet would be to find an Exchange Bureau (abundant in the city center, in plazas and in the shopping street Vaci utca) and change some of your currency into Hungarian Forints. Even better, you can safely rely on your credit card as most major credit cards are accepted anywhere (from stores to restaurants), like Visa, MasterCard, American Express etc. And, unlike in Japan, you cannot pay with your cell phone yet. :)

How much do things cost in Budapest Hungary?

Here are some quick approximate prices of drinks, meals, tickets in Budapest. Beer: 2-5 euros in pubs, 1-2 euro in stores. Wine: 2-8 euros per glass (2 dl) in restaurants and bars, or wines by the bottle in shops: 3-40 euros. Coffee: 1.5-4 euros in cafes. Non-touristy restaurant dinner (soup - main course - dessert) 6-15 euros. Take away menus (e.g. Burger King) 2-5 euros. Average subway sandwich: 3-4 euros. Touristy or upscale restaurant meals (3 courses) 15-40 euros. Baths tickets: 10-12 euros. Bus-metro-tram tickets: 1.1 euro. Museum fees: typically range between 3-6 euros. Wifi per hour: 1-4 euro, but several places has free wifi access. Hotel rooms: averaging around 65 euros. Hostel rooms: approx. 20-30 euros.

How much shall I Tip in (Budapest) Hungary?

The average official payment of waiters and waitresses is quite low, so they mainly live from tips. Nevertheless, the average tipping is only 10%, if you go over that, it means true appreciation for the staff. Giving tips in Hungary is customary in the following situations: to waiters and waitresses in cafes and restaurants (can be only 5% or none in fast food dining places though), restrooms, hotel staff (from receptionist through concierge to bellboys), petrol station attendants, taxi drivers, Gypsy musicians 'playing in your ear' in restaurants. Now, you may be very surprised, but due to old communist non-competition, it is still customary to tip doctors, dentists, hospital staff. There are initiatives to tackle this deep-rooted tradition, but tipping health care people in Hungary is still prevalent.

What are the Opening Hours of shops & stores in Budapest Hungary?

Most groceries, shops and stores are open from 10 am to 6 pm except for plaza shops, which tend to be open until 8 pm. Food stores are usually open from 6 or 7 am to cater for early birds on weekdays - most Hungarians start work at 8am or 9am and they may hop in for some food for breakfast or lunch. Typically, banks are open from 9am to 4-5pm (some banks are only open on Fridays until 2pm).

Car Rental in Budapest Hungary?

Renting a car in Budapest Hungary? While it would be really fun to have the need for speed in a revamped vintage Trabant-horse cart, you cannot get such post-communist vehicles, so you will have to make do with normal modern cars from economy cars through mini vans to limousines. But before you rent a car, here are some tips for Car Rental Budapest

Can you drink the tap water in Budapest Hungary?

Yes, tap water is safe to drink too, but it can taste chloride. Mineral or bottled waters are very easy to come buy at almost every corner of Budapest. Some of the popular Hungarian bottled waters or mineral waters (asvanyviz - aash-vaan-veez) are Szentkuti, Gellerthegyi, Teodora, Nestle (using Hungarian wells), and they are usually bottled in 0.5 (0.5-1 euro) or 1.5 l (0.7-1.3 euro). Other popular imported brands are Evian, Perrier, Vichy, San Pellegrino, etc.

Weather in Budapest?

The best time to come to Budapest is May-June or the end of August-September, so some time around late spring and early fall. Even though both spring and autumn are capricious, the weather is absolutely T-shirt time. Summer can be quite hot with occasional storms, while winter is typically cold, windy, unfriendly - except for the first two days of snowing, which is beautiful (and then quickly turns into a slush). But there is always a lot of things going on, indoor and outdoor, so there's no need to worry about lack of superb programs.

• Spring: the average day temperature is 20-25 degrees Celsius or 68-77 degrees Fahrenheit. The spring weather in Budapest is sunny or cloudy, warm or cool - capricious indeed. T-shirt or sweater time. Umbrella and rain coat is a must, even if it looks sunny in the morning. And, yes, love is in the air in Budapest in spring. :)
• Summer: although officially the average Hungarian summer day temperature is 28 degrees Celsius or 82 degrees Fahrenheit, you will most probably feel as if the average temperature was about 30-33 degrees Celsius or 86-91 degrees Fahrenheit. The summer weather in Budapest is hot, sunny, with long dry spells or sudden early afternoon storms with warm rain. Absolutely tank top and T-shirt time, dying for AC or cool water. Cool evenings ensure the best of of party time and night ramblings.
• Fall/ Autumn: the average temperature is very changing, September can be under the rule of Indian summer with 24 degrees Celsius or 75 degrees Fahrenheit, while November can show winter lows, like 4-6 degrees Celsius or 40-43 degrees Fahrenheit. The fall weather in Budapest is rainy, cloudy, grey, slushy. Sweater & rain coat time.
• Winter: the average temperature is ranging from -10-5 degrees Celsius or 14-41 Fahrenheit. The winter weather in Budapest is cold, windy, grey, rainy and snowy. Sometimes freezing cold. Winter coat time, but many English & Nordic travelers are very much OK in sweaters and flip-flops! (for Hungarians it can be a shocking sight.).

So as you can see the weather in Budapest Hungary is changing with the four seasons and primarily shows the characteristics of the temperate zone (influenced by both the Mediterranean and the Oceanic climatic zones). Moreover, the weather is tamed by the surrounding mountains, as Hungary lies right in the Carpathian Basin, which provides protection from extreme weather conditions.

What time zone is Budapest Hungary in?

Budapest Hungary time zones:

• Winter: GMT+1 (GMT plus one)
• Summer: GMT+2 (GMT plus two)

So if you fly to Budapest Hungary from London or New York, you will lose time when you come here, and gain time when you go back to the UK or USA.

What is the country and city code for Budapest Hungary to make phone calls?

The country code is 36, and the city code of Budapest is 1, so if you want to call a Hungarian taxi company, it would be the following: 00-36-1 followed by the 7 numbers of the Budapest cab company. For instance, Fotaxi phone number is quite easy to memorize as all the seven digits are 2 (00-36-1-222-2222).

• from a foreign phone account to Budapest: 00-36-1-(7 digits)
• from a Budapest phone to Budapest: (7 digits)
• from a Hungarian countryside phone to Budapest: 06-1-(7 digits)
• from foreign phone account to Hungarian countryside (not Budapest): 00-36-(2 digit country code)-(7 digits)
• from Budapest to Hungarian countryside (not Budapest): 06-(2 digit country code)-(7 digits)
• from Hungarian countryside to Hungarian countryside (not Budapest): 06-(2 digit country code)-(7 digits)
• Major Hungarian cell phone codes: T-Mobile is 30, Pannon GSM is 20, Vodafone is 70. So if you need to call a number that is 30-(7 digits) you will need to call a cell phone with T-Mobile services. From Hungary, you will call 06-30-(7 digits), from abroad you will call 00-36-30-(7 digits).

Emergency & Useful Phone numbers in Budapest Hungary?

The emergency numbers are as follows:

• Ambulance: 104 (in English: 00-36-1-311-1666)
• Police: 107
• Fire Department: 105
• TAXI numbers: see a list of trustworthy Budapest taxi services here.
• Departing Flights: 00-36-1-296-7000
• Arriving Flights: 00-36-1-296-8000
• local listings: 189 (from any phone)
• international listings: 199 (from any phone)
• Embassy numbers: see the list of major embassies in Budapest Hungary.
• American Citizen Services after-hours (5 p.m.-8 a.m.) emergency phone number: (36-1) 475-4703/4924.
• Pizza in Budapest: see a list of popular pizza services here. Pizza: (Don Pepe): 00-36-1-332-2954; 00-36-1-310-2986

What plug do you need in Budapest Hungary?

In Hungary, electricity is supplied at 230 V, 50 Hz. Hungarians use 2-pin plugs with rounded metal rods, which are different from the ones used in e.g. the USA, the UK or Japan. A good quality transformer for Hungarian plugs is about 20 euros or 30 USD and can be bought at bigger electric stores in Budapest (e.g. MediaMarkt or Saturn).

Budapest Taxi Numbers

Learn about why you should not flag down a taxi in Budapest and where you can call a reliable cab in Budapest Hungary.

Where are airports in Budapest Hungary?

While there are over 40 airports in Hungary, you will most probably use Ferihegy Airport Budapest. Ferihegy airport is 20km (15 miles) from downtown Budapest. There are two terminals, one for normal international flights, the other for cheap flights (the two terminals are about a 5-minute ride from each other by car). See its location compared to the city center on the Budapest Map indicated with a plane map icon.

What are the public holidays in Hungary?

You will find a comprehensive list of public holidays in Hungaryon Budapest Blog.

What is the best beer in Hungary?

Hungarians like drinking more affordable local beers, especially pilsner-style lagers. BEER is called SOR (shir) in Hungarian. Most beer-drinkers enjoy Dreher, Aszok, Kobanyai from the Hungarian beer palette. Dreher has been more or less the leading beer in Hungary - since 1862. Aszok is a fermentation method including storing the liquid in a barrel for secondary fermentation. Typical Aszok beers in Hungary include Aranyaszok (golden aszok), Soproni Aszok (named after Sopron town), Borsodi Aszok (named after Borsod river). Further beers: Kinizsi is also a well-known brand (named after Pal Kinizsi, a famous soldier fighting with King Matthias in the 15th century. Kinizsi did in many a Turkish guys during the Hungarian-Turkish battles). Kanizsa (sounds similar to Kinizsi, but Kanizsa is a Hungarian town)

Here is a poll for the Best Hungarian Beers with a few hundred answers. Nevertheless, you will find all the major beer brands in Hungary from Belgian beers through German beers to American beers: e.g. Holstein, Rolling Rock, Coronita, Edelweis, Pilsner Urquell, Guinness, Abbey, Leffe, Stella Artois, Heineken, Gosser, Amstel, Zlaty Bazant, Schlossgold, Buckler, Steffl, Gold Fassl, or even Delirium Tremens and other less well-known beers, if you go the right pub in Budapest.

What is the best wine in Hungary?

Of course, tastes differ, but probably most Hungarians would say that it is best to start your Hungarian wine tour with wines from Villany and Szekszard regions. Most probably, you have already heard from Tokaj wines, which have become the most successfully marketed Hungarian wines. Now if you want to try several Hungarian wines to decide for yourself, there is an excellent and comprehensive Budapest wine tour in the Hungarian House of Wines, on the Castle Hill, by the Royal Palace, the Fishermen's Bastion and the King Matthias Church, just a few steps from one of the most popular tourist attractions. It is an exquisite tour in a huge wine cellar with lots of wines from all the 22 wine regions in Hungary!

You can buy high quality Hungarian wines in the following professional wine specialty stores (maps, opening hours, photos for each wine shop):

• Hungarian House of Wines
• Budapest Wine Chapel
• Budapest Bock Bistro
• Budapest Wine Salon
• Budapest Borarium Wine Store
• Somogyi Wine Cellar
• Budapest Wine Society

How many People live in Budapest Hungary?

Approximately 10 million people live in Hungary out of which 2 million dwell in Budapest (yes, one-fifth of the country, which means that Budapest is the typical destination of urban migration in Hungary).

92% of the 10 million people are Hungarians, the remaining 8% is mostly Gypsy, German, Serbian, Slovakian, Croatian, Romanian ethnic groups.

Due to Hungary's troubled historical background, millions of Hungarians emigrated to western countries, and several Hungarian villages and towns became part of the neighboring countries after WW1 and WW2 (e.g. in northern Serbia there are about 300,000 Hungarians, in Romania, 1.4 million people say they are native Hungarians, etc.). More and more people in these Hungarian ethnic groups are assimilating or leaving their homes for more competitive cities. According to current estimates, there are 14-15 million people speaking Hungarian all over the world, despite the fact that a German thinker from the 19th century (Herder) predicted that the Hungarian language would disappear, and be soaked up by the surrounding Slavic, Germanic and Romanian languages.

What religion are people in (Budapest) Hungary?

66% of the Hungarian population is officially Catholic, 28% is Protestant, the remaining 6% is miscellaneous, e.g. there is a strong Jewish community in Budapest (approx. 100,000 Jews in Hungary). By officially I mean that these data are quite 'statistic' in a sense that many religious Hungarians only practice their religion on big annual events, like Xmas by having a Christmas tree, doing the Christmas shopping and giving gifts, but not necessarily going to church.

What's the official language in (Budapest) Hungary?

The official language of Hungary is Hungarian, which is not similar to the Slavic, Germanic or Neo-Latin languages. The Hungarian language is related to the Finno-Ugric languages, most notably the Finnish language (several smaller languages in the family are now out of use or on the way to become obsolete, replaced by Russian). Some popular words that the English language borrowed from Hungarian are coach (kocsi, i.e. car, or cart), biro (after the family name of the inventor Laszlo Biro, meaning 'judge'), goulash (gulyas, i.e. stew or vegetable-meat soup), paprika (paprika, the spice) hussar (huszar, i.e. a member of a European light cavalry unit) and of course several indigenous dog names like puli, vizsla, kuvasz and komondor, or pig names like mangalica, etc.

How many days is it worth spending in Budapest?

Plan at least 3 days for Budapest, but possibly more, say 5-7 days to make the most out of your stay in Budapest Hungary. It's a fantastic city with a lot to offer in a safe and friendly city environment with a fabulous architectural heritage, nice green spots (even caves), warm baths with healing qualities and parties, loads of pubs, bars and restaurants, and great markets and flea markets to hunt for little treasures. But Budapest still has a lot to improve, and we hope that you won't feel let down.

Budapest Pebbles

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