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| Travel Guide » Hungary Tourist Information |
Hungary Travel Guide
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 Hungary Visa & Embassy Info »
Full country name: Republic of Hungary
Population: 10.1 million
Capital City: Budapest
Language: Hungarian, German
Religion: 68% Roman Catholic, 21% Reformed (Calvinist) Protestant, 6% Evangelical (Lutheran), 5% other
Government: Parliamentary Democracy, EU Member
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1 (Central European Time)
Dialling Code: 36
Electricity: 230V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
Money & Costs:
Currency: Forint |
Meals
Budget: Ft500-1200
Mid-range: Ft1200-1500
High: Ft1500-2500
Top: Ft2500+ |
Accommodation:
Budget: Ft1200-3000
Mid-range: Ft3000-8000
High: Ft8000-10000
Top: Ft10000+ |
Hungary remains a bargain destination for travellers. If you stay in private rooms, eat at medium-priced restaurants and travel 2nd-class on trains, you should get away on about US$25 a day. Staying in hostels, dormitories or camping grounds and eating at self-service restaurants or food stalls will cut costs substantially. You can exchange cash and travellers cheques up to 30,000 Forint at banks and travel agents, usually for a commission of 1% to 2%. Post offices almost always change cash, but rarely cheques. ATMs accepting credit and debit cards can be found throughout the country, but it's always useful to carry a little foreign cash, preferably US dollars or Euros in case your plastic doesn't work. Hungary is a very tip-conscious society and virtually everyone routinely tips waiters, hairdressers, taxi drivers and even doctors, dentists and petrol-station attendants about 10%. Not leaving a tip, or leaving a very small tip, is a strong signal that you were less than impressed with the service. Never leave money on the table in a restaurant: tell the waiter how much money you want to leave as a tip as you are paying the bill. Bargaining is not the done thing in Hungary, but you can try a little gentle haggling in flea markets or with individuals selling folk crafts.
Geography: Hungary is situated in Central Europe, sharing borders with the Slovak Republic, Ukraine, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Austria and Slovenia. There are several ranges of hills, chiefly in the north and west. The capital city of Budapest, situated on one of the most beautiful areas of the Danube, is made up of two parts – Buda and Pest. The former is the older, more graceful, part with cobbled streets and medieval buildings; the latter is the commercial centre. The capital is a lively city that has long been a haven for writers, artists and musicians.
Climate: There are four seasons, with a very warm summer from June to August. Spring and autumn are mild, while winters are very cold. Rainfall is distributed throughout the year with snowfalls in winter.
Public Holidays: Jan 1 New Year’s Day. Mar 15 Anniversary of 1848 uprising against Austrian rule. Mar 28 Easter Monday. May 1 Labour Day. May 16 Whit Monday. Aug 15 Assumption. Aug 20 National Day (Feast of St Stephen). Oct 23 Republic Day (Anniversary of 1956). Nov 1 All Saints’ Day. Dec 25-26 Christmas. Dec 31 New Year’s Eve. |
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