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The venues on ICTG
Tourism in Hungary
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Hungary lies in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe.
The greatest distance from north to south is 268 km, and from east to west, 528 km.
Area: 93,030 km2
Population: 10,197,119 persons
Population density: 108 persons/km2. Sixty-three percent of the population live in towns.
Capital: Budapest (territory: 525 km2; population: 1,775,203 persons)
Time zone: Central European (GMT+1)
Summer season: From the last weekend in March to the last weekend in October + 1 hour
Official language: Hungarian
Type of Government: republic
Public administration: 19 Counties and Budapest
GEOGRAPHICAL REGIONS
Fifty percent of Hungary's territory consists of flatlands: the ALFÖLD (The Great Plain) comprises the entire eastern half of Hungary, while the KISALFÖLD (The Little Plain), extends along the northwestern border. The country's two most prominent rivers - the Danube, of which the Hungarian section is 417 km long, and the Tisza at 598 km - traverse Hungary from north to south. The Central Danube-Tisza region is also flatland, while the Transdanubian countryside lying west of the Danube has hilly terrain. Lake Balaton, Central Europe's warmest lake, is situated in the centre of this region. The highlands stretch diagonally across Hungary: west of the Danube lies the Central Transdanubian mountain range with its hills reaching 400-700 metres (e.g. The Keszthely, Bakony, Vértes, Gerecse, Pilis, and Visegrád mountain ranges). East of the Danube lies the Central Northern mountain range with hills of 500-1000 metres (e.g. the Börzsöny, Cserhát, Mátra, Bükk, Cserehát, Zemplén mountain ranges). The highest point in Hungary is 1014 metres, which can be found at Kékes in the Mátra mountain range. The Hungarian "puszta" (meaning "wasteland" or "barren land") is a popular tourist destination. Its one-time characteristic animals and ethnographic traditions can be seen at the horse-riding shows in the Hortobágy National Park (e.g. Bugac, Apajpuszta, Lajosmizse).
CLIMATE
Hungary has a temperate climate, similar to the rest of the continental zone. January is the coldest month (-1 C average) and August the warmest (21,3 C average).
Coldest month: January
Hottest month: July
Information A-Z
Customs
Import Regulations
Goods permitted to enter the country duty-free: Personal belongings, clothing and other items required for travelling purposes including:
Personal jewellery
1 portable video cassette player
1 portable television set
1 portable personal computer
2 cameras, 10 rolls or 24 sheets of film/camera
1 video camera, 10 blank video cassettes
1 portable synthesiser
1 record player with 10 disks
1 portable radio or stereo
1 portable telefax machine
1 baby carriage
1 tent and assorted camping equipment sports equipment and other accessories (i.e. fishing gear, 1 mechanical bicycle, 1 kayak or canoe less than 5.5 m in length, 2 pairs of skis, 2 tennis rackets, 2 sail boards, 2 surf boards, 1 vertical sail, 1 hot-air balloon, 1 parachute, etc.) In addition to personal belongings, goods to a total value of Euro 175 may be brought into the country from non-EU member states duty free. A customs duty is charged on all other goods valued over the said amount. Upon first entry on any given day, a person aged over17 is permitted to bring to the country duty free the following:
250 ml eau de cologne and 50 g perfume
200 pieces of cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 250 grams tobacco, or a combination of these, up to 250 gr. from non EU countries, 800 pieces of cigarettes from EU countries
1 litre of distilled alcohol and 2 litres of wine from non EU countries, 90 litre of wine and 110 litre of Beer from EU countries
pharmaceuticals in the amount recommended by your doctor (in the case of narcotic substances only with special permission!)
Export Customs Regulations
The following items can be taken out of the country without a permit:
Personal belongings and valuables in possession of the traveller when entering the country,
Live animals with the necessary animal-health certificate, Pharmaceuticals prescribed by a physician, in the amount required for the duration of the stay and, for persons over 17 years of age:
200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 250 grams tobacco to non EU countries, 800 pieces of cigarettes to EU countries
1 litre of distilled alcohol, 2 litres of wine to non EU countries, 90 litre of wine and 110 litre of beer to EU countries
250 ml eau de cologne, and 50 g perfume
It is not recommended to carry raw meat, home-made meat products and milk products with you when travelling since the import of them is restricted in almost all countries.
Currency Regulations
Customs officials have the right to inspect if the person wishing to enter the country has a valid ticket and sufficient financial resources to cover expenses during the stay in Hungary. Travellers may carry and take HUF and convertible currencies as well out of the country without any restriction of denomination or value. If the value of the currency brought in or taken out of the external border of the European Union exceeds the limit of Euro 15,000 it must be declared at the customs office.
Health Issues
Immunisation: not a requirement for entering Hungary. Persons diagnosed with an infectious disease are not permitted to enter the country.
Medication: Tourists are permitted to bring medication for personal use. Products containing narcotic substances can only
enter with the special permission of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Medication prescribed abroad can be purchased in pharmacies at full market price. Only a limited selection of over-the-counter drugs are available in Hungary. Emergency and ambulance services are free of charge in cases requiring immediate medical attention. All other medical treatment is regulated by international treaties.
Health insurance policies taken out abroad cover the cost of the first, and only the first treatment in Hungary. In all other cases, the cost of medical treatment must be settled at the rate set by the medical institution. The institution determines which credit cards are accepted for this purpose.
Currency Exchange, Banks
Currency
The official means of payment in Hungary is the Forint (Ft, HUF).
Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 HUF
Bank notes: 200, 500, 1.000, 2.000, 5.000, 10.000, 20.000 HUF
Exchange
In Hungary banks, Savings banks and 599 businesses involved in exchange.
There is no mandatory minimum amount for currency exchange.
Banks
In Hungary banks are usually open between 8.00 - 16.00 on weekdays. Some banks are open on Saturday, but all are closed on Sunday. ATM machines and currency exchange machines are available throughout the country. The credit cards used most often - AMEX, Diners Club, EnRoute, Euro/Mastercard, JCB, VISA - can be used to withdraw cash from banks and ATM machines and to pay bills in hotels, restaurants and shops. Emblems at the entrance mark the shops where credit cards are accepted. Most banks have their own automated networks. You can use your bank or credit card to get cash at post offices throughout Hungary. More than 3200 post offices nation-wide provide this service.
Traveller's Cheques
Traveller's cheques can usually be purchased in major banks.
Electric current
230V 50Hz
Holidays
January 1: New Year
Mach 15: National holiday
Religious holidays: Easter Monday, Pentecost Monday
May 1: Labour Day
August 20: Constitution Day, St. Stephen's day
October 23: Proclamation of the Republic
November 1: All saints day
December 25-26: Christmas
Information on Visa and Frontier Crossing
Between the EU countries, Norway and Iceland the citizens of the member states, Norway and Iceland are not required to have a passport. During their travel within the European Union they have the choice to prove their identity with ID card or passport. Hungary shall implement the common visa policy in its everyday practic. According to the European visa policy:
National identity card is needed for entry into Hungary for citizens of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finnland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Passport is required for entering Hungary for citizens from Denmark, United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, Latvia, Norway and Sweden. Citizens of the following European countries are required to have visa to enter Hungary: Albania, Belorussia, Macedonia, Moldavia, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, Turkey, Ukraine.
Border crossing controll within the EU remains as it was before (Schengen rules) in case of Sweden and the new EU member states (Hungary and Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia) until they become members of Schengen area. For the travel of children they need either their own passport or their own ID card or in the lack of them they need to be registered in one of their parents' passport. Foreigners who wish to visit Hungary for more than 90 days and who intend to work or engage in other income-producing activity need to apply for a visa. A visa can be purchased at a Hungarian consulate or foreign representation in the country of residence. If there is no such mission there, foreigners can turn to any other Hungarian diplomatic mission or consular post. The Hungarian honorary consular offices are not entitled to issue visas, however they have all the necessary forms, and may also accept visa applications that they forward to the nearest diplomatic mission or consular post.
Shopping
In general, shops are open Monday through Friday, from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m., on Saturday from 9.00 a. m. to 1.00 p. m. Stores do not close for lunch. Food stores and shopping malls are open Monday through Friday from 7.00 a. m. to 7.00 p.m., on Saturdays from 7.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. Large shopping centres, entertainment complexes, and some private stores (many of these are open for 24 hours) are open on Sundays as well. Ecseri, the flea market of Budapest, is highly popular with tourists. It is located at Bp., XIX. Nagykőrösi út 156. Open: Monday through Friday, 8.00 a.m.- 4.00 p.m.; Saturday, 6.00 a.m.- 3.00 p.m., Sunday, 8.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m.
Tax-Free Shopping
Look for the Tax - Free Shopping emblem when you buy. The total sum of the bill (VAT included) must be at least 50,000 HUF. Ask the shop assistant for a detailed VAT invoice, VAT-refund form and a "Tax - Free" envelope. Attach the official receipt or the credit card receipt to the documents. Have all documents stamped by Hungarian Customs before leaving Hungary.
You can choose from the following options to get your refund:
You can take it in cash at the frontier station or at the offices of our partner, IBUSZ Travel
You can have it transferred to your bank or credit card account, or
You can have a cheque sent to your address.
If you don't want to take the refund in cash at the border, please mail all original documents (VAT invoice, VAT refund form, exchange or credit card receipt) in the -Tax - Free- envelope.
No more than 90 days is allowed to pass between the purchase date and the date of the customs stamp.
No more than 183 days is allowed to pass between the date of the customs stamp and the date of reimbursement.
Travelling by air: After receiving your boarding pass (but before going on board), see the customs office.
VAT reimbursement is not possible without a Hungarian customs stamp!
For further information: Global Refund
Time Zone
Central European time (GMT+1)
Seasonal adjustment (to daylight savings time): between the end of March and the end of October: Central European time +1 (GMT+2)
Telephone
Country Code for Hungary: 36
City Code for Budapest: 1
Domestic long-distance call prefix: 06
International calling prefix: 00 (wait for the dial tone, dial the country code and city code (they are listed in the
phonebook), and then dial the required number)
Useful Phone Numbers:
Telephone wakening service: 193
Domestic telegram service: 192
Directory inquiries: 198
International directory inquiries: 199
T-Com Inquiry Plus: 197
Special inquiry: 267-6767
Inquiry about issues (yellow line): 397-9797
Domestic announcement: 191 (when phoning parties that can't be called directly, it allows users to call them through a telephone exchange)
International announcement: 190 (to make an international call through a post office)
Telephone numbers in Budapest consist of 7 numbers; phone numbers elsewhere in Hungary consist of 8 numbers, one-digit area code first. Additional services: Hungary Direct, Country Direct, Green number and Blue number.
Public Phones
The public phones work with 10, 20, 50 and 100 HUF coins or with phone-cards available at hotels, post offices, petrol stations, newsagents, kiosks and street vendors.
The minimum charge for a call is 20 HUF.
Public safety
Just as anywhere around the world, tourists travelling in Hungary should follow certain basic rules: carry travel documents and valuables in a secure bag around your neck or belt pouch worn under your clothing and never leave any valuables in a parked car. Do not wear expensive jewellery in public and avoid the poorly lit, deserted parts of the city! Carry only the minimum necessary amount of today most commercial units accept credit cards. When short of cash, use card operated ATM machines. (If you lose your credit card, immediately notify the issuing bank!) Exchange your currency only at official exchange bureaus, travel agencies, official exchange offices or ATM machines - never change with street hawkers! When travelling in a taxi, use officially registered taxi companies and, before starting out, make sure that the taxi is equipped with the driver's photo ID, and that the rate chart is displayed and the meter is on. At the end of the trip you must receive a receipt; if the driver fails to provide it, always ask for one! Only uniformed police and immigration officers with proper identification are entitled to check your identity or to ask for your ID. In places of entertainment always ask for a menu with a price list before making an order! In Hungary, a service charge is not customarily part of the bill. It can only be added to the bill if it is explicitly stated on the menu. The business is required to issue a receipt for all costs and services printed by a cash register; the waiter's hand-written bill is not accepted as proof of purchase. Especially male visitors should beware of women with often excellent language skills, who have themselves invited to entertainment spots and run up bills at visitor's expense.
Gastronomy
Gastronomy and wine
We Hungarians are famed for our hospitality. Our culinary culture and customs, the development of our cuisine, our professional knowledge and enhanced enjoyment of foods and drinks and our culinary art betrays much about our nation. Hungarian viticulture has a centuries-old past and Hungarian gastronomy has a special character, in which distinctive elements brought from the east blend with the delicate elegance of French and Italian cuisine. Paprika powder, onions from Makó, the world’s most flavoursome green paprikas, goose liver, pálinka and the more than one thousand types of wine from 22 wine regions are truly Hungarian. Hungarian wines and cuisine are marked by international and prize-winning chefs at the culinary Oscars. Come and convince yourself in person; taste what it means to be Hungarian.
Wine
The thousand-year past of Hungarian vine-growing and wine-making is founded upon ancient eastern traditions brought by the Magyars themselves, surviving Roman viticultural know-how in Pannonia, the Benedictine and other monastic orders and settlers from Italy and Burgundy, later to be perfectly adopted by Hungarian viticulturists. The great variety of Hungarian wines, which were already rivalling those of Italy in Roman times, is thanks to a unique climate and extremely varied soils. It is no wonder that among all the languages spoken in Europe, only the Greeks and the Hungarians have a word of their own for wine. While the sons of other nations drink fermented cereal, that is, ale, we Hungarians prefer to imbibe the nectar of grapes. Hungary is among the world’s top 25 wine-making countries, so it is no accident that it is a wine-drinking nation. Our 22 wine regions differ widely in size, location and the character of their wines, but in each one can find those types and traditions which over long centuries have determined production. Otherwise wine is enjoying a renaissance in Hungary: 27 wine trail societies operate in the 22 regions. The wine trail produces a formal, organised itinerary within the wine region,
bringing together production, culture, architecture and tourist services built upon tradition, with the local quality wines at the hub, complemented of course by the specialities of the local cuisine, for food and drink together - that is, the harmony of flavours – is indispensable for the connoisseur. It is thanks to generations of wine-makers that such unique wines have been created as the Bull’s Blood of Eger and Szekszárd, and Tokay’s aszú, hailed by connoisseurs and professionals alike as the king of wines and wine of kings. Come to Hungary and discover what it’s like to be king and drink a wine fit for a king!
Pálinka
Pálinka is a traditional part of Hungarian hospitality, so no visitor of Hungary should even dream of escaping a tot! Mind you, whoever has heard of the Hungarians’ “firewater,” or whose friends have already visited Hungary and spoken about it, will not be trying to avoid but rather to seek out the experience; to try out this most Hungarian of drinks, pálinka. The name pálinka can only be used for those products distilled from 100% fruit – that is, without added alcohol or artificial aromas – and with an alcohol content of at least 37.5%. Different distilled drinks are consumed all over the world, and their constituents vary greatly according to region, country, climate and natural conditions. Until the 16th century spirits were used as medications, as is borne out by the European term aqua vitae (water of life) and its variants in different languages.Pálinka should never be chilled, for its bouquet can only be fully appreciated at hand temperature. It’s worth carrying out the “dry test”: After downing the first glass, put it aside for five to ten minutes, and then inhale into the second. If you are drinking real pálinka you will only be able to detect the aroma of pure fruit. The “bite” exercised in wine-tasting is also important, for the taste and bouquet of pálinka truly appears in the corners of the mouth, under the tongue and around the taste buds. Pálinka is one of our national treasures. It should be respected and never over-indulged. After all, the twice-two-centilitres which is the recommended adult daily dose works just as well as an appetiser as to stave of the cold in winter or the heat of summer…
Culture
Cultural tourism
Culture is the nation itself: all the knowledge, belief, art, ethics, laws, customs and abilities that an individual acquires and creates as a member of society. For 1,100 years we have been safekeeping in the heart of Europe Hungarian culture, and with it a Hungarian identity, which with the disappearance of borders has become our foremost community-forming strength. History has adapted us and our culture just as we have played our part in forming European history and enriching its culture. Our artists and scientists, Nobel and Oscar prize-winners and world-famous inventors have all provided the world with a taste of Hungarian culture. So come and get to know us; look at the world from a new aspect. Discover what it’s like to become part of this vibrant, multifaceted, ancient and yet modern culture; find out what it’s like to be Magyar!
Folk art
Hungarian folk tradition has inspired musicians, writers and architects and its influence continues to the present day. But what is this tradition? How has all that knowledge amassed by previous generations been passed on to us? In the pre-literate age, each person told their peers what they knew of the world in the course of communal work, and showed them how to do things, in the process of which implements became more efficient and suitable. The world surrounding us today stands upon foundations of long patience and hard work. This invisible organising strength, which from the earliest times has been one of the most important conditions for our survival, which forced our forebears to listen to each other and observe one another's handiwork to learn each movement, we call tradition.In the course of history the village world, with its stronger ties with tradition compared with the more swiftly changing urban life, preserved the way of life being devoured by an accelerating world in the form of folk tunes, tales, poetry and of course customs. We can name many forms: the motifs characteristic of Hungarian folk art, the floral and bird patterns, colours and shapes, from folk costumes to functional objects. The wealth of ornamentation appears in different shades from region to region, and are often called upon by contemporary artists. On the basis of the motifs and the colours applied we can differentiate three large areas: Transdanubia, Northern Hungary and the Great Plain. Most folk art traditions are associated with festivals such as Easter, Whitsuntide and Christmas, but the end of winter, the approach of spring, the summer harvest and autumn vintage also provided occasion for celebration. Apart from the permanent exhibitions of the Ethnographic Museum, we can discover the way of life of our forebears, their traditions and material world, by visiting one of the many reconstructed museum villages dotted all around the country. The peasantry did not draw lines between what was or was not folk art, for every object also had an aesthetic function. Today we generally list those objects as folk art the aesthetic function of which has outgrown their function. With the help of master craftsmen and applied artists in an 'in situ' environment, you too can learn how knowledge was passed down from father to son.
World Heritage
The preservation and transmission to a new generation of one’s own culture, history and traditions is an important task for every nation. Recognition of this heritage is necessary for an understanding of the present and planning for the future. Some cultural and natural values have local significance, while others are important for the whole of mankind, because they are unique and special. It was to preserve and protect the most outstanding of these values that the UNO created the World Heritage Committee and accepted the Agreement regarding the protection of the world’s cultural and natural heritage, to which 175 countries have attached themselves. In 2005, 812 World Heritage sites in the territories of 137 states were added to the list. The original two categories have been joined by a third, that of cultural region. Here can be found treasures where the natural and man-made environments are tightly interdependent and mutually worthy of preservation.
Hungary now has eight listed World Heritage sites:
• The old village and environs of Hollókő (1987)
• The Aggtelek karst and Slovakian karst caves (1995)
• The 1,000 year-old Benedictine Abbey at Pannonhalma and its natural surroundings (1996)
• Hortobágy National Park - the Puszta (1999)
• Pécs Early Christian burial vaults (2000)
• Fertő/Neusiedlersee cultural region (2001)
• The historic wine-making cultural region of Tokaj (2002)
• The Budapest Danube panorama, the Buda Castle District (1987), Andrássy Road and its historic surroundings (2002)
The man-made and natural World Heritage sites of Hungary are a good example of what splendours this small nation has provided Europe with, increasing the world’s cultural treasures while preserving their special Hungarian character.
Health & Wellness
Hippocrates, father of medicine, was the first to proclaim: Nature is the physician of our diseases. In fact, Mother Nature has been especially bountiful towards Hungary: the country sits on one of the richest geothermal and medicinal water resources anywhere in the world. The local culture of bathing goes back two thousand years; excavated remains of bath houses, frescoes and mosaics demonstrate that the Romans discovered and exploited these thermal water resources. Of the approximately 1300 thermal springs currently registered, nearly 300 are used for bathing purposes and no fewer than one in every ten, which means about 130 mineral and medicinal water springs, are located in the capital, Budapest! What is the difference between mineral and medicinal water? Medicinal water is a kind of mineral water with medically proven therapeutic, healing effects. Most medicinal waters in Hungary are effective in the treatment of locomotor disorders, but there are some which are particularly efficacious in the treatment of gynaecological and dermatological disorders, and - as part of a drinking cure- renal and metabolic conditions as well as stomach complaints. Due to the powerful effects of medicinal (thermo-mineral) waters, there are some so-called general contradictions, in the presence of which medicinal water treatment is not advised. These contradictions are general, applying alike to all medicinal baths. So medicinal bath treatments are not recommended if you suffer from any of the following conditions: pyretic conditions (fever), tuberculosis, hyperthyroidism, high blood pressure not responsive to medication, chronic high blood pressure, acute phlebitis, anaemia, post-myocardial infarction condition (for 6 months following the heart attack), infectious diseases, heart and circulatory disorders, epilepsy, mental illness, incapacity, incontinence and malignant tumours. Medicinal water is also contra-indicated during pregnancy. Experienced doctors and fully trained assistants oversee the treatment of guests attending medicinal baths and staying in sanatoriums, spa and wellness hotels. Before prescribing personalised courses of treatment and special cure packages, doctors carry out a general health check. Cave cures are recommended for those with respiratory problems. The therapeutic effect derives from the crystal-clear air and relatively high humidity to be found in many caves. Jósvafő Cave is located in Aggtelek National Park and is listed as a World Heritage site. The mofette (a vent in the earths crust) in northern Hungary is a truly unusual feature in the field of medical science. This so-called dry bath employs naturally occurring carbon dioxide of volcanic origin and is recommended for the treatment of heart conditions and circulatory disorders, blood pressure irregularities, dermatological complaints, after-care and recreation.Around the world, ever more people are coming to realise that a healthy lifestyle has an enormous role to play in disease prevention and the creation of general sense of well- being. There is an equal understanding of the fact that natural methods of treatment are able to promote healing without side effects. All these factors make Hungary -thanks to its natural conditions, developed infrastructure and hospitable people- the ideal location for you! Choose from our varied and broad selection, revitalise your body and enjoy yourself! Choose Hungary for health!
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