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Welcome
to Budapest!
Visitors' Guide
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A
Arrival |
B
Bags and Baskets, Bath,
Bookstores, Bridges,
Buttons |
C
Cost of Living, Currency |
D
Districts, Dogs,
Driving, Drinks,
Duna |
E
Exercise, Emergency
Care |
F
Fresh Fruits |
G
Gifts |
H
Holidays, History |
I
Islands |
J
Jazz, Journeys |
K
Kid's Stuff |
L
Language |
M
Meat, Menu |
N
NATO, Non-Stops |
O
Opera, Orchestra
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P
Private Trainers |
Q
Questions |
R
Recreation |
S
Safety, Schools |
T
Taxis, Transportation |
U
Union, European |
V
Veterinarian |
W
Water, Wines |
X
Xenophobia |
Y
Yoga |
Z
Zoo |
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Arrival |
If you've stopped in to visit our website, you
are doing pretty well for a newcomer to Budapest. American Clinics
International can take away a handful of worries regarding healthcare
services for you and your family. Now see below our A to Z list
of things that will help you feel more like a local!
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Bags and Baskets |
Most people bring their own plastic, or cloth
shopping bags to the grocery stores; of course, bags are for
sale at checkout as well. The other unknown that we want to
share is that sometimes storeowners are very strict about the
"pick up a shopping basket or cart" rule. Even for a few items
or less, like one or none. While we are here in the grocery
store, please note that vegetables must be weighed before reaching
the checkout line. There are picture-coded scales for this purpose
in the produce section.
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Baths |
We know you have a tourbook so we will not try
to go into great details about how wonderful Budapest baths
are. Here are just a few hints. At Gellert Spa the hottest baths
are separate sex and bathing suit-free. At Szechenyi Baths,
to be reimbursed 400-600 forints for your entrance ticket (1000
forints) requires both the little plastic tag AND the small
white receipt. Rac and Rudas baths are only a few hundred yards
apart; they allow only men one day and women the next, but alternate
by days. If you are excluded from one, just try the other.
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Bookstores |
There are several good English language bookstores.
Bestsellers will get you just that, the latest titles fresh
from the press, either Monica or Bridget Jones' Diary. Atlantisz,
which services the reading list of a nearby university's English
language programs, is a great choice for the Classics, in paperback
and very inexpensive. Pyramid has the latest titles with a more
international flair. Here you'll find trendy Indian writers
or Japanese titles in translation.
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Bridges |
Budapest is a city of bridges, and if you are
new, most people are going to be pointing you around according
to these landmarks. The Lanc hid or Chain Bridge, the big one
with all the lights and the lions, is the most central connector
of Buda and Pest. Heading south, the Erzsabet hid or Elizabeth
Bridge is next to the Chain Bridge; it is the white bridge.
Still going south, you'll reach the green bridge, known as Szabadsag
hid, or Freedom Bridge. This bridge is at the foot of Gellert
Hill. North from the Chain Bridge, we cross first the Margit
hid, or Margaret Bridge and then the Arpad hid, or Arpad Bridge.
These two bridges brace each side of Margit Island, the most
accessible Budapest Island on the Danube.
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Buttons |
Here we are not speaking of the few quaint button
shops that still remain in the city. Rather a fast lesson learned
is about the gate release button found at the exit of numerous
old buildings. Once inside and trying to exit, the door will
not open until - we call it the panic button - is pressed. Usually
located on the right or left sides one meter back from the door.
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Cost of Living |
Inflation has been tamed in recent years to an
EU-friendly one digit level, but for Americans the dollar has
been on a bit of a roller coaster in the last eight months.
Still, for most foreigners Budapest offers a very good standard
of living. A month's rent in Pest can range from $280-500 for
an apartment, while in Buda prices are generally higher. A spacious
family home in Buda begins at about $1000 a month.
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Currency |
Hungary's currency is the Forint, and it comes
in 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10 000, and 20 000 paper notes,
and 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Forint coins. 20 forints will
get you a cart in the grocery store, 50 a cart at the airport,
the average fifteen minute taxi trip across town is roughly
1000. A cheap lunch for two costs 2000 forints, and a quality
dinner for two with wine will be about 20 000.
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Districts |
Budapest is divided into twenty-three districts
labeled on a map with Roman numerals or with a zip-code code
or "1" followed by the district, i.e. "07" or "13" and then
some sub code number 1-9 that means nothing to mere mortals.
Therefore the zip 1054 gives the clues for a fifth district
address while 1117 means you should be searching the eleventh
district. You can tell the older parts of the city because the
district will also have a name. For our purposes, district V
and VI. are for the bulk of Pest business and tourist traffic,
district II. is a great residential area in Buda, district XIII.
has the police headquarters.
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Dogs |
Hungarians love dogs; in fact at tax time charitable
donations to animal shelters consistently ranks among the top
three. For everyone else, watch your step in the city center!
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Driving |
As in any big city driving is a drag. Budapest's
situation is exacerbated by the bridge factor, multiplied by
seven, bridges that is. Rush hour begins at 8.30 and clears
up by 9.45. In the evening, the roads are clogged from 4.00
until 6.30. Fridays, all day, are fair game for chaos theory
research. Seat belts are mandatory in the front and back as
is the use of headlights within the city limits at all times.
There is a zero-tolerance law for blood alcohol levels, so one
drink is not okay.
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Drinks |
While on the subject of drinking, all newcomers
are usually subjected at some point to a taste of palinka, a
clear, sheer spirit distilled from pears, plums or peaches where
somewhere beneath the taste of pure alcohol lingers the hints
of these fruits. It's not bad for nail polish remover. The other
is Unicum, a secret recipe for an herbal "digestive", medicinal
liquor. Many think it tastes like poison; still others like
it. Tokaji wines are a much more civil drink that is also a
national trademark. If given the choice this is the most pleasant.
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Duna |
Duna is the Hungarian name for the Danube River.
If you blink in confusion the first time a Hungarian says "Duna"
you lose countless credibility points. If you nod knowingly,
you gain countless credibility points.
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Exercise |
In the sports arena, Hungary is best known for
its world-class swimming, fencing, and water polo. Recently
the nation has been turning out stellar pentathletes. For your
purposes, it's good to know that almost neighborhood will have
a great swimming pool, and that there are numerous high-standard
fitness clubs. The bike paths through the city are safe, and
plentiful. Jogging is best on Margit Island, City Park, or up
through NormaFa and Janos Hegy.
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Emergency Care |
Well, you are already here, American Clinics
International has a 24-hour emergency phone line.
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Fresh Fruits |
One of the great thing about the European lifestyle
could be the tendency to keep things closer to the natural cycle.
You find the fruits when they are in season; you don't find
them when they are not. Stay on your toes through the berry
season, and watch the cycle from strawberries to blackberries
to raspberries. It's wonderful. You can witness this all at
the shopping centers, but for the authentic experience a visit
to the markets is essential. The best one is at Fovam ter, and
is just known at the Nagy Csarnok or Big Market.
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Gifts |
Eventually, you have to head home for a visit.
This is what we've learned: of course, Herend Porcelain needs
no introduction. Meanwhile the Herendi Village Pottery is just
catching on in the States; what the porcelain does for the dining
room, the pottery does for the kitchen. Waterford is now marketing
Ajka crystal? the usually strongly colored lead crystal glasses
et. al.?in the United States; we have seen two wineglasses at
Macys with a $150 price tag; subtract a zero for the Hungarian
price. Hungarian down comforters are great gifts too, and they
surely won't break in the carry-on. For kids there are very
cool wooden toys and puzzles, or sophisticated wooden chess
sets.
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Holidays |
There are three main holidays in Hungary that
are specific to the nation's history and culture. The first
is March 15, a celebration of the beginning of the revolution
against Austrian rule. This occurred in 1848, The poet Sandor
Petofi made his fame on this day, with one inspiring poem. October
6 is the partner holiday, when in 1849 the revolution failed
and thirteen generals were executed. August 20 is a festive
occasion as it marks the Name Day of Saint Istvan, or Saint
Stephen, the first Christian king of Hungary; the day is celebrated
with fireworks along the river. A new addition is the June 6
holiday marking the departure of the Soviet troops from Hungarian
soil in 1991, something of a partner holiday to October 23,
when in 1956, the Hungarians rebelled against the communists,
and Russian troops were sent in to restoire order. Other special
Hungarian days are the celebration of Name Days, which carry
all the significance of a birthday. To keep track you should
buy a Hungarian-made calendar as they are all listed, usually
about two a week. You have up to one week to wish someone a
Happy Name Day. If you a have good friend send flowers, a plant,
or make a coffee or lunch date.
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History |
Hungarians are very proud of their 1100-year-long
national history. The Habsburgs, a.k.a the Austro-Hungarian
monarchy was a recent high point. The Trianon Treaty after WWI
a recent low point. "Recent" being used relative to the course
of history. Very recent are NATO membership, and the exit of
soviet troops. Otherwise the Turkish occupation that lasted
two centuries has made its mark on the history and culture of
the nation.
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Islands |
| The geography of Budapest has its primary feature,
the Danube, or Duna. There are three key islands to keep track
of within that river. The primary is Margit Island, flanked
by two bridges and very downtown. Margit Island is great for
picnics, walks, some biking and swimming. There are two high
standard swimming facilities on the island. To the north is
Hajogyari Sziget (Ship Factory Island) today famed for a ten-day
music festival every August. At other times in the year the
island is key for horseback riding, a golf driving range, and
good biking access. To the south is Csepel Island, once a renowned
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Jazz |
The Hungarian jazz music scene, while not as
well-known as the classical scene, has its international headliners,
do not miss a chance to see drummer Elemer Balazs or youngster
Zsolt Karltennecker (in jazz years) on piano.
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Journeys |
Just as soon as you are settled, the question
comes up, what to see next? Day trips up the Danube River will
take you to Szentendre, a quaint artists' village, or Visegrad
with a medieval castle perched on a hilltop, or Esztergom, once
the capital, with two big, let's say huge buildings remaining
in evidence. Along the southern border is a lovely little city
called Pecs, with some of the best museums all within one city
block of each other. Pecs is very user-friendly. In the north
is a town called Eger, famous for holding off the entire Sultan's
army before losing the next battle two years later. Wine tasting
is a great weekend escape too.
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Kid's Stuff |
I'd stick close to City Park to keep the kids
entertained, where there is a Amusement Park, with a roller
coaster and go-cart track among other things, a beautiful zoo,
complete with lions, tigers and bears, and a circus, with daily
matinee performances. Another winner for kids, the Transportation
Museum is located in City Park too. There are three separate
locations to visit caves within Budapest city limits, and the
Geology Museum is cool too. The English language video carries
kid stuff-like The Simpsons or South Park-and Play Stations,
video games, and Internet access are easily available too.
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Language |
Hungarian language gets a bad reputation for
being completely dissimilar to any other language you may have
ever studied save Finnish. A few words will ring bells for Slavic
speakers and Turkish speakers too. But not much. All that said,
you could conquer menus, numbers, polite greetings and simple
shopping after just one month of lessons, so go for it! The
Berlitz school chain is designed just for these sorts of conversation
skills, but there are countless others to choose from. English
language is very common, and chances are very good that if you
ask a simple question in English, you will get an answer. German
was once the dominant second language, but that has been replaced;
in restaurants, there is still a little German spoken. The Russian
consumer base has increased dramatically over the last few years,
and only in the last few months, storekeepers are listing their
services in Russian language too. Otherwise as the most recent
occupiers, Russian is not a popular language choice.
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Meat |
They say that Hungarian Gray Cattle are immune
to Mad Cow's Disease; they also say that there is no instance
of the disease in the country with regard to imports. Anyway,
westerners are sometimes a little squeamish about the no-frills
ordering of meat cuts from the butcher shop, or at the meat
stalls in the market. Fear not, proper cuts in Styrofoam and
plastic wrap can be purchased at the large hypermarket chains
like Tesco.
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Menus |
Most restaurants will have the menu printed in
three languages, Hungarian, German and English, and there is
an increasing tendency to include vegetarian and healthy choices.
When it comes to the bill time, check over the bill carefully,
as there can be a few problems with the math skills of the wait
staff. A ten to fifteen percent tip is customary, and occasionally
it is added to the bill. There is also a food tax and an alcohol
tax which are calculated in so don't be confused. It is better
to give over the bill amount and the tip directly to the wait
staff rather than just leave it on the table.
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NATO |
Hungary joined NATO in 1998 just weeks before
the NATO bombing campaign began on its southern neighbor nation
Serbia. It was a very interesting time, and across the world,
in the aftermath, Hungarian diplomatic skills were given the
two thumbs up. Poland and the Czech Republic also joined at
this time.
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Non-Stops |
Non-stop mom-and-pop style grocery shops dot
the city by district; find the one closest to you. More importantly
to note are the 24-hour pharmacy windows also one per district;
you have to ring the bell for service. Also important is the
24-hour flower stand at the Jaszai Mari tram stop in Pest. It's
just good to know...
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Opera |
The Hungarian State Opera House is a true gem.
It has to be seen. By contrast, Hungarian opera is at its best
when boosted by a special event. average. Keep an eye on the
calendar for international talents to come through town, because
it supplies the necessary icing for the Hungarian opera cake.
(How to say this properly ... recently, renowned conductor Will
Humburg whipped Carmen into world-class shape, while set improvements
on La Boheme in time for international guests during the 2000
Spring Festival made all the difference...)
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Orchestra |
Classical music is a strong tradition here in
a nation boasting names like Liszt, and Bartok and even Handel
was an artist commissioned under the Eszterhazy house in Vienna.
All of the orchestras reflect this long tradition.
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Private Trainers |
| Most gyms now offer private trainers to its members.
Try the World Class fitness Center at the Marriott Hotel, or
the Arena Fitness Center in the Duna Plaza Shopping Mall for
quality equipment in a good location. |
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Questions |
Want to know more about the city? email us pocokmedia@pronet.hu,
and we will try our best to help you out. The United States
Embassy is very useful as an information source too.
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Recreation |
There is no shortage of fun things to do. Budapest
has sports: fitness, squash, fencing, tennis, Brazilian martial
arts, ballet, aerobics or yoga. There are golf driving ranges
within the city limits and golf course within an hour, there
are horseback riding farms, and there are close to forty swimming
pools and seven spa baths. There is Formula One, sailing, water
skiing, paragliding, kayaking, there is miniature remote control
car racing. There are dance clubs, tango nights, lounge singers,
go-go dancers. There is folk dancing. It's impossible to list
it all here.
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Safety |
When exercising the basics of common sense, Budapest
is a very safe city. You could walk alone at night and be 99
percent certain of a safe arrival, but that is ignoring one
of the basics of common sense. More likely are crimes targeting
material goods: cars should have alarm systems, and homes should
have security systems. If your realtor or neighbors say anything
to the contrary, please don't believe them. Theft and break-ins
are very, very common. Pickpocketers abound in tourist areas,
and there are some very interesting scams involving hoodlums
and men dressed as police officers. Also the digital credit
card scanning devices are here. If your cards leave your possession
for even a second, cancel them.
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Schools |
There are several choice private international
schools in Budapest, and it is a very competitive business.
That's good news for parents. If your children have reached
the secondary school level the primary question will be which
nation the child wishes to attend university. The International
Baccalaureate is a high school diploma that carries its credentials
across borders. Otherwise the smoothest transition will come
from the national programs.
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Taxis |
When possible taxis should always be telephoned
in advance rather than flagged on the street. This saves money
and keeps people out of over-priced, under-branded taxis (which
tend to lurk at the city's taxi stands). Stick to the well-known
brands. When you call, you will be asked to give the telephone
number of the phone you are calling from as they have it linked
in their database to a computer.
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Transportation |
| Budapest has an excellent network of metros,
buses, trams, trolley buses and suburban trains. Tickets are
sold by the day, week, month or per use. One pale lavender ticket
is needed for each unit of transportation; this includes the
different metro lines. There is a single use white ticket for
three stops or less on the metro system. |
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Union, European |
Hungary is slotted to join the European Union
in 2004, 5, 6 or 8. Many of its economic reforms over the past
ten years have been in effort to meet EU standards, and many
are saying that the delays are unfounded.
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Veterinarian |
Call the White Cross at 06-20-958-2545 if your
pet needs help. Hungary has English-speaking vets that make
house calls!
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Water |
The tap water is safe to drink. The spring water
is a natural resource that can be bought bottled, with or without
effervescence.
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Wine |
The wine is also safe to drink. Typically the
north and south grow red wine while the Balaton regions and
the east grow white. Hungarian red wines are making their mark
across the globe. The sweet white wines from the Tokaj region
have already made their mark. Any fine restaurant will have
a well-appointed wine list where you can begin to make mental
notes, a great place to start is with Villanyi reds.
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Xenophobia |
A few years back Hungarians may have given foreigners
a puzzled or curious look. This has changed very much. Even
ten years ago, what some might interpret as rudeness to foreigners
was actually the void in the "customer service" model prevalent
under the soviet system. This too has changed. Unless you attend
a far right wing political rally, chances are you will be treated
with respect.
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Yoga |
Yoga is the trend these days, if you can work
through a course in Hungarian language your choices are abundant;
otherwise call World Class Fitness to find out when their English
courses are scheduled.
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Zoo |
The Budapest Zoo is an achievement as far as
zoos go. Nestled into one of the busiest intersection of the
city are a jungle, a Savannah, and all the animals that go with
it. The Elephant House is as grand as it gets, and its decor
features another special Hungarian Z, Zsolnay porcelain with
its characteristic iridescent green glow.
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