IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS

The country code for Hungary: 36
City code for Budapest: 1
Central emergency number: 112
Ambulance: 104 (in English: (+36 1) 311 1666)
Fire: 105
Police: 107
Directory Assistance: 198

Telephone Enquiries
International: 199
Within Hungary: 198
International Operator: 190

NON-STOP PHARMACIES

II district Frankel Leo utca 22. Telephone: (+36 1) 212-4406, (+36 1) 212-4311 - Margit hid (Margaret Bridge), Buda side
VI district Teréz krt 41. Telephone: (+36 1) 311-4439 - Oktogon
XII district Alkotas utca 1/b. Telephone: (+36 1) 355-4691
They are actually open until 8:00 PM, but they have an emergency service round-the-clock.

TRANSPORTATION

Taxi
The following taxi companies, with logos well-marked on the side of the car, are reliable
and reasonably priced. Ordering a taxi by phone is cheaper than hailing one on the street.
Taxi4 (+36 1) 444 4444
City Taxi (English-speaking) (+36 1) 211 1111
Fő Taxi (+36 1) 222 2222
Rádió Taxi (+36 1) 777 7777
Tele5 (+36 1) 555 5555
Buda taxi (+36 1) 233 3333

Public Transportation
Budapest’s network of public transportation services includes buses, trolleybuses, trams, underground trains (Metró) and over ground suburban trains (HÉV). Buses, trams and trolleybuses run daily from approximately 5.00 am until 11.00 pm /for timetable see the tables at the stops orwww.bkv.hu / All three Underground lines connect at Deák tér Station, and service frequencies range from 15 minutes late in the evening to every two minutes at peak times. The HÉV runs to and from Csepel Island and Ráckeve in the south, Szentendre in the north, and Gödöllő in the east. Tickets have to be bought before boarding; usually tickets cannot be bought from the driver and there are no conductors. They can be bought at Underground stations, tobacconists and news agents, and from vending machines at many bus- and tram stops in the city centre. They are valid for one single journey of any length (without changing) on all routes (including the Cogwheel Railway, but excluding those parts of the HÉV that lie outside the metropolitan boundary of Budapest). Special tickets that allow change of route and that cover the HÉV outside Budapest can be purchased. It is also possible to buy pre-paid booklets with tickets and value-for-money passes (e.g. 1-day and 3-day).
A new ticket has to be validated at the beginning of each journey, and this is done by inserting it into the slot in the small red box situated at waist height near the doors of buses, trolleybuses, trams and HÉV trains. Please note that on the underground system these boxes are in the stations by the escalator. There are many ticket inspectors: some are uniformed and others plain-clothed, but they always wear a red armband and carry an identification badge with their photo on it. They can ask to see tickets and passes on any vehicle and anywhere in the underground system, including after you have gotten off – so don't forget to validate your ticket and keep hold of it!
If you travel without a validated ticket, a valid pass or other travel card, you can be ordered to pay a fine on the spot. If you do not wish, or are unable to do so, you can ask for permission to postpone the payment. In this case you must present your personal identification documents to the BKV Ltd. controller and your personal data will be recorded
More information on: www.bkv.hu

Airport Buses
The Airport Minibus Service (+36 1 296-8555) picks you up at any address in Budapest and brings you to the airport.
This is possible from the airport to the city as well.
(With a Budapest card you get 15% discount)

Airport shuttle
HUF 2990/person/one way ticket
HUF 4990/person/2 ways ticket
HUF 4990/2 persons
HUF 8490/2 persons/2 ways ticket
- In case of more than 10 passangers: HUF 1250/person/one way transfer
- wheelchair: 1 person with wheelchair free of charge
- T1-T2 transfer price: HUF 700/person
One child under the age of 6 per group is free of charge

Airport taxi price for all our apartments: HUF 5100 (EUR 23)

Airport Ferihegy - general (flight information) number: (+36 1) 296-7155
Lost and found terminal 2A: (+36 1) 296-8108, (+36 1) 296-7217
Lost and found terminal 2B: (+36 1) 296-7690, (+36 1) 295-3480
Airport Ferihegy Terminal 2A - information about arrivals: (+36 1) 296-8000
Airport Ferihegy Terminal 2A - information about departures: (+36 1) 296-7000
Airport Ferihegy Terminal 2B - information about arrivals: (+36 1) 296-5052
Airport Ferihegy Terminal 2B - information about departures: (+36 1) 296-5883
In general Malev flights arrive at/depart from terminal 2A, while flights of other airlines do so
so at/from terminal 2B.

International Bus Info - to Western countries: (+36 1) 485-2162
International Bus Info - to Eastern countries: (+36 1) 252-1896f
International Bus Ticket Office: 252-1896 (Mon-Fri 6am to 6pm)
Railway Station (MÁV - Hungarian State Railways) info (24 hours) (+36 1) 461-5400
Railway Station (MÁV - Hungarian State Railways) international (+36 1) 461-5500
MAV ticket office (Budapest district 6, Andrassy út 73-75.): (+36 1) 322-8082

Car assistance nation wide: (+36 1) 355 0379
Hungarian Auto Club in Budapest: (+36 1) 345-1800
Help-line: 188

PUBLIC SECURITY

Lost and Found: (+36 1) 322 6613
English hot-line: (+36 1) 438 8080 (This 24-hour hot-line was set up specifically to help English-language speakers report crime.
The office is located at V. district Vigadó utca 4.)

The two downtown police stations are at V district Szalai utca 11-13 (telephone: (+36 1) 302-5935) metro 1, 2 or 3 at Deák tér and V district Kecskemeti utca 6 (telephone: (+36 1) 317-0711) with metro 3 at Kálvin tér.

Loss of passport can be reported day and night to Budapest and Pest County Office for Immigration and Citizenship (+36 1) 463.9165, (+36 1 463 9181).

HOLIDAYS

National holidays: 15th of March, 20th of August, 23rd of October
Religious holidays: 1st of January - New Year’s Day, Easter Monday, Whit Monday, 1st of November - All Saints’ Day, 25th of December - Christmas Day, 26th of December -  Boxing Day And 1st of May

Currency exchange
All visitors are advised only to exchange currency at licensed offices. Attempt of exchange on the street is both risky and illegal. Most banks have 24-hour ATMs some of which can also exchange foreign currency. Some banks and travel agencies are free to set their own rates (based on those advertised by the Hungarian National Bank), but they must be clearly displayed. We advice you to keep records of currency exchange transactions until leaving the country. Rates offered at bureaux de change in the city centre and near the main railway stations are generally better than those available in the banks, at the airport and in hotels. The Hungarian currency is the forint. There are coins to the value of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 forints, and notes for 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 forints.

SHOPPING

Budapest offers a wide range og articles of relatively good quality at a reasonable price. The most important shopping area in Budapest is Váci utca and the surrounding streets, Kígyó utca, Petőfi Sándor utca, Kossuth Lajos utca and Rákóczi út. The stores are usually open from 10 am to 6 pm. The best things to buy are embroideries, porcelain, records, books and of course, paprika. Hungarian salami, goose liver paté, Apricot brandy (Barackpálinka), Tokay wine, Herend porcelain, Unicum are other good buys. The most typical buy in Hungary is a handmade piece of embroidery: a lace blouse, a table cloth or a doll in Hungarian costume. The downtown stores, the Castle Hill shops and Szentendre sell beautiful lace embroideries. Múzeum körút is the centre of antiquarian booksellers (V. district Múzeum körút, from Astoria to Kálvin tér). More than a dozen antiquarian booksellers have piles of everything from second hand modern books to valuable rarities, manuscripts and postcards. Opening hours vary, but they are usually open from around 10 am to 6 pm on weekdays, and 10 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. We also recommend a walk down Falk Miksa utca. Like certain areas in Paris and Rome this Pest street has become a centre for antique shops.

Market halls

Central Market Hall (Nagyvásárcsarnok) (IX.District, Vámház Körút 1-3).
Hold Utca Market (V. District, Hold Utca 13).
Rákóczi Tér Market (VIII. District, Rákóczi Tér 7-9).
Hunyadi Tér Market (VI. District, Hunyadi Tér).
Klauzál Tér Market (VII. District, Klauzál Tér).
Batthyány Tér Market (I. District, Batthyány Tér 5).

Budagyöngye
Address: Budapest II. District, Szilágyi Erzsébet Fasor 121.
http://www.budagyongye.com/english
Campona
Address: Budapest XXII. District, Nagytétényi út 37-43.
http://www.campona.hu
Duna Plaza
Address: Budapest XIII. District, Váci út 178.
http://www.dunaplaza.hu
Eurocenter
Address: Budapest III. District, Bécsi út 154.
http://www.eurocenter-obuda.hu
Europark
Address: Budapest XIX. District, Üllői út 201.
http://www.europark.hu/english.html
Lurdy Ház
Address: Budapest XIII. District, Könyves Kálmán krt. 12-14.
http://www.lurdyhaz.hu
Mammut
Address: Budapest II. District, Lövőház Utca 3.
http://www.mammut.hu
MOM Park
Address: Budapest, XII. District, Alkotás u. 53.
http://www.mompark.hu
Pólus Center
Address: Budapest XV. District, Szentmihályi Út 131.
http://www.poluscenter.hu
Rózsakert
Address: Budapest II. District, Gábor Áron utca 74.
http://www.rozsakert.hu
Savoya Park
Address:1117 Budapest District, Hunyadi János út 19.
http://www.savoyapark.hu
Újbuda Center
Address: Budapest, XI. District, Hengermalom u. 19-21.
http://www.ujbudacenter.hu
Westend City Center
Address: Budapest VI., Váci út 1-3.
http://www.westendcitycenter.com