General information

• Budapest is the capital city of Hungary
• Population of Budapest is 1,6 million (17% of the whole population of Hungary)
• Religions – 45% Roman Catholic, 18% other Christian, 19% non believer, 0,5% Israelite
• Time zone – GMT+1 (CET)
• Airport - Liszt Ferenc International Airport 15km from the downtown
• Bridges – all together 11, but for road traffic 9

Geography

• Territory - 525 km2
• The deepest point – is the level of the Danube 90 m above sea level
• The highest level – is the János Hill 529m 
• Consist from 2 parts - Buda and Pest, divided by the River Danube
• Buda 1/3 part of Budapest is hilly, there are around 20 hills on that side
• Pest 2/3 part of Budapest is flat
• There are 3 islands along the Danube within Budapest: Óbudai Island, Margaret Island, Csepel Island
• Budapest is the only capital city in the World where you can find thermal springs under the territory.

Climate

Budapest's climate is humid subtropical. 

The winter (mid. November- mid. March) cold , cloudy and snowing is not unusual in January-February. Average temperature is around 0-5 Co / 40-42 Fo

The spring (March-beginning of May) is changeable, rapid increase and decrease in the temperature. Average temperature is 10-16 Co / 50-61 Fo

The summer (June-beginning of September) is hot and sunny, with sudden heavy showers. Average temperature is 24-26 Co/ 71-75 Fo

The autumn (mid. September –November) first part is sunny second part is cloudy and rainy. Average temperature 20-8 Co / 70-46 Fo

Currency

• Official currency is the Hungarian Forint (HUF)
• Many places accepts Euro (EUR)
• ATM-s accepts all major credit/debit cards just like (Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, Plus, Cirrus)
• Be careful with your American Express card, not every place can accept it
• Exchange rates approximately in 2019:

                1 EUR - 329 HUF

                1 USD - 294 HUF

                1 AUD – 203 HUF

                1 GBP – 394 HUF

                1 RUB – 4,7 HUF

                1 CHF – 299 HUF

•  Exchange rates approximately in 2020 :               

               1 EUR - 336 HUF

               1 USD - 305HUF

               1 AUD – 204 HUF

               1 GBP – 400 HUF

               1 RUB – 4,82 HUF

               1 CHF – 316 HUF 

Important numbers

Country code - +36

Fire – 105 

Police – 107  

Ambulance – 104  

Emergency services – +36 1 318 8212  

National Holidays

1st January             -   New Year’s Day

15th March             –   The anniversary of the revolution against the Austrian interests 1848-1849

1st May                  -    Labour Day

20th August           –   Celebration of St Stephen the state founder

23rd October          –   Commemoration of the revolution against the Soviets in 1956

1st November         -   All Saints Day

25-26th December  -   Christmas

Public Transportation

Budapest is a metropolitan and there are several transport options available for the passengers. We have extensive metro, tram and bus network, with which you can easily reach everything in maximum 30 minutes. There are ticket offices in the most frequently visited stops, but you can find ticket machines in many other stops, if not, you can buy ticket directly from the driver. The innovation of the recent years is the MOL bubi bike renting system, offering a new travel alternative for short trips. You need to register and after you can rent the bikes, first 30 minutes are free, so it is worth to change the bikes if you use it for a longer period. MOL Limo is another solution for transportation, you need to register also and after you can book a MOL Limo car (Volkswagen or Mercedes) via an application, you can find the closest car parking around the area, where you are located. You have 20 minutes to reach the car and take it, after you reserve it. There is also a sustainable way of transportation in the downtown the Lime electronic scooters, quick and environment friendly. It works in the same system like MOL limo, you find all the instruction of use on the scooters, you just need to download the application, find the closest vehicle, scan the QR code or enter the number in the app. and start to use the vehicle. 

How to get to Budapest

It’s possible to reach Budapest on the ground, through the water or in the sky. You can  fly from all over the world to Budapest, and thanks to the low cost airlines it is cheaper and easier than ever. It is also possible to reach all the big cities with train or bus from many other cities in Europe. Hungary is part of the Schengen Area, so if you are driving, it’s not necessary to show passport or ID cards unless specially requested. Document checks still occur at the Croatian and Romanian borders. Non-European Union citizens should check they have a valid visa for the Schengen Area when visiting Hungary. If you prefer to travel on the River Danube and stop in more capital cities in Europe, a very popular way of traveling is with big Cruising companies. There are a large selection of companies you can choose from. You will find the suitable length of tour, and number of cities visited, from the numerous options and Budapest takes an important place as a destination in almost every offer.

Source of pictures and illustrations: pixabay