Budapest essentials

Money and cards

Hungary’s currency is the forint (HUF). Some places quote prices in euros, but you usually get a better deal paying in forints.

Cards are accepted almost everywhere. If a card machine asks whether to pay in forints or in your home currency, choose forints. Use bank ATMs rather than the independent cash machines in tourist streets.

Tipping and service charges

Many restaurants add a service charge of around 10–15% to the bill, so check before you tip. If it is not included, about 10% for good service is normal. In cafés and bars, rounding up is enough.

Where to eat →

Getting around

Public transport, run by BKK, is excellent: four metro lines, trams, buses and trolleybuses. Tram 2 along the Pest embankment is one of the most beautiful rides in Europe, and trams 4 and 6 run around the Grand Boulevard. Buy tickets or passes from machines or in the BudapestGO app, and validate paper tickets before you travel.

The centre is very walkable, and the bridges make it easy to cross between Buda and Pest on foot.

From the airport

Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport is south-east of the city. The 100E airport express bus runs to the centre at Deák Ferenc tér and needs its own ticket. For a taxi, use the official taxi rank outside arrivals.

Language

Hungarian is unlike its neighbours’ languages, but English is widely spoken in hotels, restaurants and shops in the centre. A few words go a long way: köszönöm (thank you) and szia (hello, informally).

Plugs, water and emergencies

Hungary uses European two-pin plugs (types C and F) at 230 volts. Tap water is safe to drink. The emergency number is 112.

Entry and the Schengen area

Hungary is in the European Union and the Schengen area. Check the entry rules for your nationality before you travel; visitors from outside the EU are registered when they enter the Schengen area.

Safety

Budapest is a safe city. As in any capital, watch your bags and phones in crowded places and on public transport, and check prices before ordering in bars on the busiest tourist streets.

When to go

Spring and autumn are lovely for walking, and the baths are wonderful all year, especially in winter, when the outdoor pools steam in the cold. Summer brings festivals and evenings by the Danube, and from late November the Christmas markets fill Vörösmarty Square and the square in front of St Stephen’s Basilica.

Thermal baths →   What to see →