Budapest - Βουδαπέστη

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H Budapest is its capital Of Hungary .

At a glance

A unique, youthful atmosphere, world-class classical music scene, as well as a vibrant nightlife appreciated by European youth, and exceptional natural thermal baths, Budapest is one of its most enjoyable and enjoyable cities. Of Europe. Due to its extremely picturesque environment, and its architecture is known as "the Paris of the East". Modern Budapest has emerged from the merging of two historic cities located directly opposite each other with the Danube dividing. Buda is the west (left) bank, with a high hill at the top of which is the castle of Buda. Pest is the relatively flat east (right) bank, with the Parliament and many other impressive buildings, as well as busy streets preserving the entire architectural heritage of the 19th century. In 1987 Budapest was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites for the cultural and architectural significance of the banks of the Danube, the Castle of Buda district and Andrassy Avenue.

Ideal period of visit

Weather	Jan.	Feb	Mar.	Apr	May	Jun	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov.	Dec
Daily highs (° C)	2.9	5.5	10.6	16.4	21.9	24.6	26.6	26.6	21.6	15.4	7.7	4.0
Night low (° C)	0.4	2.3	6.1	12.0	16.6	19.7	21.5	21.2	16.9	11.8	5.4	1.8
Rainfall (mm)	39	37	38	47	65	70	50	50	43	47	60	50

How to get there

By air

Budapest Franz Liszt International Airport (IATA: BUD) (Budapest Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér stands for "list-ferents"), formerly (and still commonly referred to as) Ferihegy, is the largest airport in the country, located about 10 km miles) southeast of the city center.

Budapest Airport is obviously difficult to get in and out. While a rail link between the city and the terminal has been built, only Terminal 1 will be served, which is now defunct, and the currently used Terminal 2 is at least a 10 minute drive to the other side of the airport itself. Public transport between the city and the airport requires a change from bus to rail or metro and takes from 40 minutes to an hour. There is a single, long two-lane road that connects the city and Ferihegy, and as expected it gets congested at rush hour, especially on the way to the airport, so keep that in mind and leave for the airport early (at least one time before boarding time to make sure you have clear safety). Airport central telephone number for information is: 36 1 296-9696 or 36 1 296 - 7000. Baggage services can be contacted at 36 1 296-5449 for flights to and from Terminal 1 and 36 1 296-5965 for Terminal 2.

By train

Trains connect Budapest with almost all the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. All trains arrive at Budapest Keleti Station, unless otherwise specified.

• Berlin : 11¾h, two direct EC trains daily, one connection with the change to Břeclav and one Metropol night train.
• Munich : 7½h, four day Railjet trains and one night the Wiener Walzer train. These trains stop in Salzburg and Linz too. Tickets from Germany It is much cheaper if purchased online at least 3 days in advance.
• Vienna : 3 hours, every two hours, departing from Wien-Hauptbahnhof station. For tickets from Vienna, as well as from other cities Austria, note: the earlier you book, the cheaper it is. One-way ticket prices from Vienna start at € 19. It is cheaper to book tickets with Hungarian Railways (MAV-Start), but only train stations can be picked up from Hungary.
• Zurich : 11 hours, two direct, one day and one night train. One-way tickets start at € 39.
• Prague : 7 hours, three direct EC trains, two with change to Břeclav and night Metropol train. There is a car bed departing from Prague one hour before Metropol and later attached to it so that you have more time to sleep. Online tickets are much cheaper than regular tickets (price starts at € 19), but you should buy them at least 3 days in advance. If e-tickets are sold out or you need to buy a ticket just before departure, buy a (domestic) ticket Prague-Kúty Gr. (the CZ / SK border point) and the international tickets Kúty Gr.-Štúrovo and Štúrovo-Budapest. This combination costs about 65% of the immediate

ticket. For both international tickets you can get RailPlus discount and return with discounted tickets.

• Bratislava : 2¾h, six EC trains a day. Thanks to the bilateral agreement between Slovakia and Hungary Railways there are reasonable ticket prices from many important Slovak cities, sold at the station box office.
• Warsaw: 10½, four trains per day, one direct overnight with middle seat, bunk bed and sleepers (11½h) and three EC trains during the day with one transfer to Břeclav or Ostrava Svinov (10-11½h). There is a limited amount of SparDay and SparNight discount tickets, sold at Polish stations, from € 29 per car seat and € 39 per bunk.
• Bucharest : 16h, two night trains Dacia and Ister and a connection of the day with the change in Timisoara. For Ister train you can buy a discount Fortuna ticket for € 29 for the seat or € 39 for the bunk, but you must do it at least 7 days in advance. Cannot book online. Normal one-way ticket costs around € 50, € 77 return (a RailPlus discount is possible) and a bunk booking fee is € 15.
• Venice : 16h, connection via Βιέννης. The Venezia-Vienna Express Euronight departs at 20:57 and arrives in Vienna at 08:10. The first railjet leaves at 09.48, allowing a nice Viennese coffee, try an Einspänner.
• Ljubljana : 10h, daytime direct IC Lisinski / Agram via Zagreb leaving Ljubljana at 6:35, arrive at Déli station at 16:29. There is also an IC from Maribor departing at 12:05, Budapest-Déli is 6 hours. Maribor is accessible from Ljubljana by the ICS premium train, departing from LJ at 8:05 and arriving in Maribor at 9:53. Discount Budapest-Special tickets cost € 39 one way and € 49 return (ICS requires a surcharge).
• Zagreb: 6-7h, three day trains a day. The Maestral train, arriving at 16:45, ends at Déli Station. One-way tickets start at € 29.
• There is a seasonal roller coaster train from Split, departing every Wednesday and Saturday from June 11 - August 27
• Belgrade : 8h, two day trains Avala and Ivo Andric and one night the train Belgrade. It is often delayed. There is a special offer Budapest Special / Beograd Special, € 15 for one way and € 26 for return ticket. Tickets are sold only at Budapest and Belgrade stations. For the same trains, but leaving from, and ending in Novi Sad, the so-called Special Bačka tickets can be purchased in Novi Sad and Budapest for a € 12 one-way and a € 20 return ticket. Booking bunk is € 16.40 for a 6-berth bunk, but there are booking without seats even on the night train. Notice that the night train arrives in Budapest very early at 05:00, and the border crossing is around 02:00.

The Avala train has a seasonal roller coaster from Podgorica and a bar, departing every Monday, Thursday and Sunday from 19 June to 19 September

• Sarajevo : the direct IC has to be suspended. Travel is possible via Belgrade.
• Sophia : 18¼h, Balkan Express with a bunk car via Belgrade. Direct ticket is expensive, the best solution is to buy a Sofia-Belgrade ticket (see Belgrade # By train) and then the Belgrade-Budapest ticket at Belgrade station. The by car waits 2.5h in Belgrade, even if Balkan Express is delayed (a fairly common situation), you have a year until the by car is transferred to the train in Budapest. Balkan Express leaves Sophia at noon and arrives at Belgrade at night so that they can travel to Belgrade at a car meeting, and buy a cheaper bunk booking just by Belgrade in Budapest.
• Kiev and Moscow : 25h / 39h, fast train Tisa, a typical Russian long-distance train is more than 2 nights. International ticket is much more expensive than domestic Russian and especially Ukrainian domestic ticket. If you are on a tight budget, use another train from Kiev (departure at 18:52 or 20:06) to cut off (arriving at 10:04 or 10:52) near the Ukraine / Hungary border. In Chop buy a local train ticket to Záhony (HU) and Záhony buy a ticket to IC in Budapest (arriving at 18:37). You have more than 3 hours in Chop and 1 hour in Záhony to buy your tickets - and there are later trains from Záhony to Budapest too. The total route is even shorter or the direct train and you will pay less than half of the official international fare. It should be noted that Ukraine uses Eastern European Time, which is one hour later than the European Time Central Europe.

By road

Apartments

Transport

By road

Bus

Subway

The city has 4 Metro lines. Budapest Metro is 1 underground network is a great way to get around, connects the suburbs to the train and bus stations, many central hotels, museums and attractions. The system consists of four lines. Lines 1, 2 and 3 cross at Deák tér station (Deák square, in the center of Pest), while lines 2 and 4 cross at Keleti Pályaudvar (Eastern Railway Station) and lines 3 and 4 cross at Kálvin tér (Kálvin square) . Subway lines are well represented on maps scattered across platforms. Usually ticket inspectors guard the entrances of the down escalator movement and let only passengers move further who show them their validated tickets or. Passengers pass through the ticket validation machines before the guards arrive and the escalators move down. It is better to buy a brochure discount of 10 tickets. Do not split tickets and punch a ticket before each boarding a subway train. Fines for non-compliance are in the 20 to USD30 range.

• 'Metro 1' (yellow line) connects Mexikói út (Mexikói road, a transport hub in central-northeastern Budapest) with Vörösmarty tér (Vörösmarty square in Pest, the commercial and tourist center), and also crosses the Opera House and the Hérault. It was built to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Hungarian nation in 1896 (often called the Millennium Metro). It was the first basement built in mainland Europe and second in the world after London. Although the vehicles are not original, the beautifully rebuilt, tiled covered stations are a beautiful historical memory of the richest period of Budapest (1880-1910).

• '2 of the Metro' (red line) connects Déli pályaudvar (Southern Railway Station, in Central Buddha) with Örs Vezér Liga (Örs Vezér square, the largest transport hub in the Eastern Pest), and also takes you to Széll Kálmán tér (formerly Buddha's transport hub), Kossuth tér (Kossuth Square, around Parliament in central Pest) and pályaudvar (Keleti Keleti Railway Station, Pest). Although construction began in the 1950s, the line only opened between 1970 and 1972. Having been completely rebuilt since 2004, its stations look brand new, and the old Soviet trains have been replaced by modern Alstom Metropolis.

• '3 of the metro' (blue line) goes from Újpest-Központ (residential area in the northern suburbs of Pest) to Kőbánya-Kispest (transport junction in the central and eastern Pest, end of the 200E airport bus), passing Nyugati pályaudvar (West) stations in the center of Pest. It opened between 1976 and 1990.

• 'Metro 4' (green line) connects vasútállomás (Kelenföldi Railway Station, transport hub in Central-South Buda) Kelenföld with Keleti pályaudvar (East Railway Station, hub in the center of Pest transport). It has stations in Újbuda-Központ (Újbuda Center), Szent Gellért Tér (St. Gellért square, Gellért Hill site, Gellért Spa and Danubius Gellért hotel) and Fovam Tér (Fovam square, the site of Vásárcsarnok market). and the southern end of Vaci Street). The line was built between 2006 and 2014, the result is state of the art and train stations, as well as the use of automatic train operation.

Tram

By foot

Bike

The city has strong bike lanes

What to see

• THE

This is unique to Budapest, the river cityscape. This feature can be admired in several ways: from the panoramic spots, such as the Fishermen's Bastion or the Gellért Citadella hill in Újbuda and Tétény, walks along the river, or on the river side, from a boat. For a romantic view of the city, go in the evening. There are a number of bridges (see Orientation above) that arch over the river and define Budapest. Most famous is the Chain Bridge (Széchenyi Lánchíd), which owes its name to the suspension structure: the bridge is made of chains whose links are huge in the shape of metal dog bone rods connected by pins at their ends. There is also the magnificent Elisabeth Bridge (Erzsébet híd) and the Freedom Bridge (Szabadság híd). To escape all the noise of the city, visit the island of Margarita (Margitsziget), accessible from the Margarita bridge. Its large parks (see Buddha) are a very pleasant place to relax and wander, ideal for a sunny afternoon.

• Basilica of Agios Stefanos

It was named after its first king Of Hungary, and is one of the tallest buildings in the city. In Belbuda the main focus is the Royal Palace (Kiralyi Palota), which is the most popular attraction on the hill. It is home to the National Gallery and Budapest Historical Museum, with exhibits on medieval Budapest and the history of the Palaces. To the north you will find the cable car for a large square Southeast corner, while in the east there are some medieval excavations and the ruins of the castle from 14-17 century. To the north, from the corner of Dísz tér, is the Golden Eagle Museum of Pharmacy (Arany Sas Patikamúzeum), with a collection of medicinal items from the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Nearby is Café Ruszwurm, or "the sky for coffein and sweets for drug addicts". One hundred meters east is a local pride, the Matthias Church (Mátyás Templom), which is a neo-Gothic church crowning Budapest's urban landscape, and the "Fisherman's Bastion" (Halaszbastya), a gazebo overlooking the impressive the Danube in Pest. In the next building you can find the Marzipan Museum, which is not just a favorite of children. At the corner of the castle northwest is the Military Museum, if you are interested in uniforms, weapons, maps and other Hungary related to military items from the 11th century until today. If not here's a new product just for you!

• The city center (Belváros) of Pest is the administrative and commercial center of Budapest and the whole of Hungary. Visiting the Parliament building (Országház) for the first time is a good choice. A neo-Gothic jewel, beautifully located overlooking the Danube. It's too worth going in for. Opposite the Parliament is the Museum of Ethnography, and just a few hundred meters away is St. St. Stephen's Basilica, the central church of Budapest and an important example of neoclassical architecture. Take 2 M3 stops to Astoria Station and visit the Jewish Quarter (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the main Hungarian Jewish Sacred Synagogue and the Jewish Museum (Dohány utcai Zsinagóga) most beautiful in Europe. Take the underground passage to the National Museum, on the way to admire the Eötvös Loránd University for Múzeum körút. Worth to drop by for a short visit. Guests can relax in the green Trefort Garden or have a refreshment in the popular Bölcsész Terasz, an open-air cultural garden with music and food. If you take the subway to Kálvin tér, you can visit another important museum which is the Museum of Applied Arts From Downtown to the south take tram 2 to visit the famous Zwack Unicum, - a kind of liquor- museum of the company, as well as The new cultural hub near the Lagymanyosi Bridge includes the Ludwig Museum of Modern Art.
• Budapest Opera House

East of the city center (Belváros boulevard) of the "Andrássy út" in Central Pest lies in the city park (Városliget). It is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List and has some important sights along it. First is the State Opera, one of the most beautiful operas in the world. The main staircase was an important element of the 19th century building, for the ladies to show off their new dresses. Second is the Oktogon (eight corner) square House of Terror, the former secret police headquarters that is now a museum that objectively records the terror of the Nazi and communist eras. Next are some oriental culture museums at the Horror Museum of East Asian Art a large collection from China, Japan, India, Nepal, Tibet and Mongolia. Nearby is another similar collection, the Rath György Museum. Also here in Southeast Asia Goldmuseum which has the top collection in Southeast Asia Europe gold items from the 1st millennium BC. Along the boulevard after Oktogon Square, you will find many embassies in the beautiful, over 100 year old villas. At the end of the street is the Heroes' Square - with the Millennium Monument, the Ernst Museum, where you can see many pieces related to contemporary Hungarian art. Opposite is the Museum of Fine Arts with an incredible range of European art from Greek and Roman times to the present day. Particularly valuable is the collection of Spanish Baroque paintings. Behind it there is the zoo and the Gundel restaurant, one of the best in the capital. Woodpark area starts here, with the city park ('Városliget') at the other end, perhaps the most enjoyable of Pest districts and has several interesting, if not low-key attractions that are often overlooked. A castle on a small island in a lake, - Vajdahunyad Vara, - built for the 1898 World's Fair. In winter, the lake turns into the city's largest ice rink. Today it houses an agricultural museum. Also in the park is the Transport Museum.

On your Buda side north of the castle, you will find the Gül Baba Türbéje, a sanctuary where Gül Baba (literally Rose Father, from whom Rózsadomb was named (Rose Hill)) is located. Take H5 to Szentlélek square, which is the heart of Óbuda (old Buddha) area. Close to the square, the Victor Vasarely Museum displays many works by the famous Hungarian post-modern painter Vásárhelyi Győző (1908-1997), and the Kassák Museum in Zichy Castle features works by contemporary Hungarian artists as well as contemporary Hungarian art. Also close to the square is the Kiscelli Museum, Budapest Art Gallery. More a stop for H5 is the city larger archeological site: Aquincum, a city in Roman times, where there are some ruins of thermal baths, built of stone and decorated with mosaics and murals.

Far to the west (Újbuda and Tétény) is the Memorial Park, an open-air museum in Budapest dedicated to monumental statues from the communist period of Hungary (1949-1989).

South of the Castle is the Budai Vigadó (Hungarian Heritage House). Between 1898 and 1900 the winners of the architectural competition faced a difficult task: building a theater and library to meet the needs of the Buddha's inhabitants in the former arsenal. Aladár Árkay and Mór Kallina worked to change the pre-existing building into a cultural center. The exterior of the Vigado is built in a relatively simple, eclectic style, but the interior boasts an impressive Art Nouveau hall with a marble staircase and columns and a spacious, ornate theater. Today it is also known as the Hungarian Heritage House and is the home theater of the Hungarian Folklore Ensemble.

Music-related museums are also found in the city: the Kodály Museum, the Liszt Museum, the former home of Ferenc Liszt, the most famous Hungarian composer, where one can visit a collection of his personal objects and instruments. The Bartok House and Music Museum includes a collection of musical instruments and the Bartok archive.

Buy

Coin

The Hungarian Guilder (HUF) is the legal tender. Until 2013 it had relatively high levels of inflation, but at the moment it has an extremely low inflation rate.

Currently used coins: HUF5, 10, 20, 50, 100 (two-tone, similar to € 2) and 200 (two-color, similar to € 1), plus bills: HUF500 (orange and brown), 1,000 ( blue), 2,000 (brown), 5,000 (purple and green), 10,000 (red and blue), 20,000 (gray and red).

Be sure when taking change that all HUF1,000 notes contain a vertical silver stripe. Older notes without the movie are no longer valid. HUF200 banknotes are also no longer valid, look out for these too!

Also, when receiving a change from a taxi ride, make sure the money is actually Hungarian. Some taxi drivers were known to give unsuspecting passengers obsolete Romanian banknotes (lei).

Paprika and more, Large Market Hall Many reliable exchanges can be found in the city center near Deak Ferenc Metro Station. For example, there are two stores next two years o tourist information. These shops as well as other shops in the area offer a better price than other banks in tourist spots such as the international bus stations and the castle hill. The rate can be even better than getting cash from ATMs. For example, in May 2012, you can get HUF295 / EUR from these stores, while you will get HUF275 / EUR at international bus stations and HUF285 / EUR from ATMs. There is also no extra charge. If you are looking to exchange money at Keleti Station, be sure to check out the exchange rates at all three money exchange platforms along with their platforms; offering differential prices.

A chocolate shop in Budapest Most of the guests from afar end up shopping in Pest in the city center: Váci utca and within walking distance. It is historically the most expensive part of the city. You will find Hungarian linen and lace, ceramics, and other items in souvenir shops.

You definitely want to visit the Great Market (Nagy Vásárcsarnok) hall in Fovam tér recently renovated market hall with an ethereal atmosphere (it is at the southern end of Vaci). Prices for the same items vary greatly between sellers and are not set in stone, so be sure to compare and negotiate.

Non-specialty in shopping

Also, the chain stores can be found along Váci utca (C&A, H&M, Clinique, Estee Lauder, New Yorker, etc).

Shopping malls locally known as "squares" are usually good for buying clothes, but prices can vary outrageously even in stores next to each other. For electronics, cheap supermarkets like Electro World and Media Markt are good targets, but the quality is on par with the prices. Due to the low cost of labor, a tradition in repairing cell phones and other devices exists, and buying second-hand electronics is normal. This service is usually offered in smaller private stores.

Absinthe is available for purchase in the common wine cellars, a must-have market for the European traveler. Many brands available in the Hall and Cellars market are of poor quality (or not yet "real" Absinthe).

Studies

Job opportunities in Budapest

Stay safe

Health and precautions