Our Hotel

ATLAS HOTEL
(H-1081 Népszínház utca 39-41
Tel: + 36 1 299 0256
Fax: +36 1 299 0255)
www.atlashotelbudapest.com

Internet

Hotpsots near the hotel and at the cinema:
SuperNet InterNet Kávézó (1081 Népszínház utca 37) - next to our hotel!
Mcdonald's (1084, József körút)
Fehér Holló Teaház (1085, Horánszky utca)
Private Link (1082, József krt. 52.)
Stex Ház (1085, József Krt. 55-57)
Billy Rotten (1074, Rottenbiller utca 32.)
Uránia India Kávézó, Uránia Virtual Net Café (1088, Rákóczi Ferenc út )
Darjeeling teaház (1074, Wesselényi utca 47)
Page Seven Club Internet Pince (Szentkirályi u. 38.)
More info: www.hotspotter.hu

Tourist Advisory for Hungary

Basics
The international car sign of Hungary is: H
Hungary is located in Central Europe, in the Carpathian Basin and shares borders with seven countries: Slovakia to the North, Ukraine to the North-East, Romania to the East, Serbia and Croatia to the South and Slovenia and Austria to the West.
Hungary is a member of the European Union (EU) since 2004.
Area: 93 030 km2
Capital: Budapest (population of 2,1 million). Budapest is divided into Buda and Pest by the Danube River.
Form of government: republic, parliamentary democracy
Time zone: Central European Time (CET), GMT + 1 hour
Population: 10 175 000 people (2002)

Weather
Budapest has a temperate continental climate. Seasons are usually well defined, with July and August the hottest months (28-30° C, 82-86° F) and December and January the coldest, when temperatures may fall to -15° C or just +5° F. Average sunshine from April to September is in excess of eight hours a day.

Getting to Budapest

Airport
Airplanes arrive to the Ferihegy Airport 1 and 2, located 15 kilometre from the city centre. Ferihegy 1 was opened solely to low cost airlines in the September of 2005. Currently, terminal A of Ferihegy 2 is exclusively for the arrival and departure of Malev aircrafts, while terminal B is for all other foreign airlines.

After a long period of instability, the precarious taxi situation at the airport has finally been settled. The winner of the new tender was Zóna taxi, a reliable company with quality cars and low prices - the era of overcharging and rude taxi drivers is over. If you are looking for an even cheaper way, you can opt for Airport Minibus. If you want a customised service, you can order your transfer here.

Info: www.bud.hu

Station
Budapest is connected by railway directly to 25 capital cities and the numbers of daily international trains exceed 50. Trains leave to Vienna for example, every three hours. The most popular trains connecting Budapest and the other major domestic cities are the Intercity trains. Three international railway stations can be found in the capital, all right next to the major metro (subway) lines. At the Keleti and Déli Railway Stations (pályaudvar, pu) you find metro line number 2 (red line), while at the Nyugati Railway Station is metro line number 3 (blue line).

Keleti Railway Station (Keleti pályaudvar): VIII., Baross Square. Tel: (+36-1) 413 - 4610.
Nyugati Railway Station (Nyugati pályaudvar): VI., Nyugati Square Tel: (+36-1) 349-8503
Déli Railway Station (Déli pályaudvar): I. Krisztina krt. 37. Tel: (+36-1) 375-6593

Info: www.elvira.hu

Budapest public transport
Budapest's network of public transport services includes buses, trolleybuses, trams, underground trains (Metró) and over ground suburban trains (HÉV). Buses, trams and trolleybuses run daily from 4.30 a.m. until 11.0 p.m. All three Underground lines connect at Deák tér Station, and service frequencies range from 15 minutes late in the...

Tickets are valid on the entire length of bus, tram, trolley bus lines, metro lines, the Millennium Underground, the cogwheel railway but are only valid on suburban railway (HÉV) lines within the administrative boundary of Budapest.
On the Millennium Underground and metro lines:
Passes are valid on the entire length of tram, trolley bus and metro lines, the Millenium Underground, the cogwheel railway but are only valid to the administrative boundary of Budapest on suburban railway (HÉV) lines as well as bus lines.
Prices of Budapest combined passes on tram and trolley bus lines, the Millennium Underground, metro lines, the cogwheel railway and on buses as well as on suburban railway (HÉV) lines for sections within the administrative boundary of Budapest are as follows:

a.) Single TicketHUF 230
b.) Single ticket purchased from driversHUF 300
c.) Transfer ticketHUF 380
d.) One-day travel cardHUF 1, 350
e.) Three-day travel-cardHUF 3, 100
f.) Seven-day travel cardHUF 3 ,600
g.) Discount coupon book (10 pcs. of single tickets)HUF 2 ,050
h.) Discount coupon book (20 pcs. of single tickets)HUF 3 ,900
i.) Weekend tickets for familiesHUF 2 ,220
Metro section ticket (up to three stops on metro lines)HUF 180


Info: www.bkv.hu

Taxi
The tariffs of the taxi companies may differ to some extent, but there is one thing in common ceiling to the tariffs. If you take a taxi, you can find the tariff chart on both dashboard and on the right rear window.
If you take a taxi in Budapest, but your destination is outside the city, the driver may request the return price to the city border. If you arrive by plane or train, you can take the Airport Minibus or the MÁV Rail Bus service to get to town.
You get price reduction if you order your taxi by phone. Some hints: City Taxi 211-1111, Radio Taxi 377-7777, Fötaxi 222-2222, Taxi 2000: 200-0000
At train stations and main bus terminals, the taxi situation is not regulated - here, you have to be careful not only when choosing a driver, but even a place to eat at. Stations - like everywhere - attract criminals, keep this in mind, and be cautious. For transfer you can choose Rail Bus, but you can get around easily also by public transport. If you want a taxi, we recommend reading our guide to taxis. You can order your station transfer here also.

Strangely, Budapest taxis are cheaper if pre-ordered by phone, and not flagged down the street. Unfortunately, there are still some private taxis left, who charge you much more for less quality than the bigger companies. Avoid these private taxis, and stick only to these companies if possible:

City Taxi (2-111-111)
6x6 Taxi (3-666-666)
Tele 5 Taxi (3-555-555)
Rádió Taxi (3-777-777)
Taxi 4 (4-444-444)
Főtaxi (2-222-222)
Zóna Taxi (airport transfer) (3-655-555)

Currency exchange, post offices
All visitors are advised to exchange currency only at accredited places. It is both risky and illegal to attempt to do so in the street. The majority of banks have 24-hour ATM's some of which can also exchange foreign currency. Individual banks and travel agencies are free to set their own rates (based on those advertised by the Hungarian...
You may easily bump into illegal money changers who seem to offer very favourable rates at frequently visited tourist spots. This activity is not only illegal, but is dangerous and usually turns out to produce considerable losses.
Coins: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 Ft
Bank notes: 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10 000, 20 000 Ft

The most popular credit cards, such as:
AMEX, Diners Club, Cirrus, EnRoute, Euro/Mastercard, JCB, VISA
can be used at banks, to draw money from the ATMs, at hotels, restaurants or for paying business bills. At the entrance of such places, emblems (logos) indicate which types of credit cards are accepted.
In Hungary, banks are generally open during the weekdays from 8:00 - 16:00. On Saturdays, some banks may be open, but all are closed on Sunday.
We recommend that you exchange money at the banks, hotels, travel bureaux, exchange offices or the more than 100 ATM machines of the city. The majority of the exchange offices work non-stop.

Restaurants, entertainment
You can easily find a restaurant or a bar in Budapest to match both your purse and your taste. At some places frequently visited by tourists average quality food and drink may be overpriced. Quite often attractive women who speak foreign languages may recommend restaurants and bars to undecided guests. Accept these invitations only if the bill does not make any difference to you. Before ordering make sure you know the prices, a five-digit price for one dish in unrealistically high.
Never accept menus, which do not contain prices or are coded, these are illegal.
Tourists are strongly urged to avoid these clubs and restaurants due to multiple reports of victimization:

Budapest survival dictionary for travellers

General
Jó napot kívánok! - Good afternoon! (used from about 10am to 18pm)
Viszontlátásra! - Good bye!
Jó reggelt! - Good morning! (used before 10am)
Jó estét! - Good evening!
Szia! - Hi!
Köszönöm! - Thanks!
Köszönöm szépen! - Thank you very much!
Szívesen! - You're welcome!
Elnézést! - Excuse me!
Ki beszél itt angolul? - Who speaks English here?
Beszél itt valaki angolul? - Does anyone here speak English?
Hol találom... a postát? - Where can I find ... the post office?
... a wc-t? - ... the toilet?
... a gyógyszertárat? - ... the pharmacy?
... az információt? - ... the information office?
SEGÍTSÉG! - HELP!
Kérem segítsen! - Please, help!

Getting around
Elnézést, hogy jutok be a városközpontba? - Excuse me, how can I get to the city centre?
Elnézést, hogy jutok el a Meridien szállodába? - Excuse me, how can I get to the nearest hotel Meridien?
Elnézést, hol van a legközelebbi metróállomás? - - Excuse me, where is the nearest underground stop?
Busz - bus
Villamos - tram
Taxi - taxi

In a restaurant
Vegetáriánus - vegetarian
Jó étvágyat! - Enjoy your meal!
Finom! - It's tasty.
Egészségedre! - Cheers! (“To your health!” - used to say to someone)
Egészségünkre! - Cheers! (“To our health!” - used in a group)
Pincér - waiter
Fizetek - I'd like to pay.
Hívna egy taxit nekem? - Could you call a taxi for me?
Panaszkönyv - Claims book

In a taxi
Kérem, menjen erre a címre. - Please, go to this address.
Számlát kérek - I'd like a receipt.

Shopping
Egy darabot kérek. - I'd like one piece.
Egy kilót kérek. - I'd like one kilo.
Mennyibe kerül? - How much does it cost?
Felpróbálhatom? - Can I try it on?
Ez kicsi. - It's too small.
Ez nagy. - It's too large.
Túl drága.- Too expensive. (only use at a flea market!)

Personal
Szép vagy. - You look nice.
Mi a telefonszámod? - What's your phone number?
Szeretlek. - I love you.
Nem érdekelsz. - I don't care about you.
Menjen innen! - Get out of here!
Kuss! - Shut up!

Numbers
1 egy
2 kettő
3 három
4 négy
5 öt
6 hat
7 hét
8 nyolc
9 kilenc
10 tíz
100 száz
1.000 ezer
10.000 tízezer
1 million - egy millió