Hungary Travel Facts & Tips

ATM Availability	Widespread

Captial City	Budapest

Dialing Code	(00) 36

Emergency Numbers	Ambulance 104, police 107, fire 105

Weather	The best time to visit Hungary is the summer period when the weather is much nicer and the attractions are all open. Summer days are generally warm and sunny (with up to ten hours of sunshine a day) and the air is relatively humid. The weather in spring and autumn can also be very pleasant, but temperatures are generally only around 9°C. In winter, temperatures often drop to 0 degrees celsius or below. Thankfully winters are normally fairly short, with very cold weather often limited to mid-December. At that time it is usually also cloudy and damp with frequent snow, but you do still get the odd bright sunny day.

Tourist Board website	http://www.gotohungary.co.uk

Most Famous For	Paprika, czardas music, goulash & shaschlik

Useful Phrases	Jo napot kivanok (hello), koeszoenoem (thank you), szia (hi/bye)

Accommodation	Hungarian hotel are rated from 1 to 5 stars with even 1 star hotels expected to be pleasant and clean if more simple than the higher starred hotels. There are special Tourist Hostels which provide basic accommodation, but normally only offer rooms with four or more beds. Bed and Breakfast/Guest Houses are available almost everywhere in Hungary. Rooms often have their own bathrooms but note that rates sometimes do not include breakfast, so make sure you check first. Rooms in B&Bs as well as in guesthouses should generally be booked in advance. In some parts of the country you can rent fully-equipped bungalows. Check the local tourist board for details of these. Most of Hungary’s campsites are open from May to September and caravans are normally permitted in all sites that have power points. The Hungarian Camping and Caravanning Club can provide you with further information and help you with your bookings. Youth Hostels are available in Budapest and other bigger towns; most of them have 24 hour reception cover, internet access, and other typical facilities that you would expect. With the Hungarian Tourist Card you can get discounts on a lot of types of accommodation including hotels, guesthouses and youth hostels.

Business Hours	You will find that most banks open Monday - Thursday 08.00-15.00 and close earlier on a Friday at 13.00. Larger stores open Monday- Friday 07.00-19.00, whilst smaller ones will be from 10.00-18.00 and Saturdays 09.00-13.00. In bigger towns shops are open longer.

Visas	Nationals of the following states do not require a visa (for stays not exceeding 90 days): Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland. United States of America, Canada, Australia; Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Cuba, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Mongolia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, countries of the former Soviet Union, United Kingdom, Uruguay and countries of the former Serbia & Montenegro. Others will need a visa before entering.

Tipping	Tipping is very common in Hungary. A service charge is not always included in the bill, but even if it is, a lot of people would still leave an additional tip of 5-10% of the price if they were happy with the service they received.

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