Getting to Budapest
By Air
The Hilton Budapest is 18 kilometers (11 miles) east of Ferihegy Airport on the special Airport Highway. The drive time is approximately 40 minutes.
The Airport Shuttle is free to guests of Hilton Budapest, the conference hotel. Once you get your bags, go to the Airport Minibus Service Desk located in the arrival hall.
The typical charge for a taxi is EURO 45,00. The typical charge for a limousine is Euro 60,00.
The LRI Minibus transports passengers between the two Ferihegy terminals or between any address in Budapest and Ferihegy, fare is 2100 HUF (Euro 8,00)/person. Tickets can be purchased at the arrival customs area or at the LRI Airport Passenger Service desk in the waiting area and at the hotel when leaving.
Company "Tourist taxi" operates fixed price taxi service at the exit door of the terminal. Cost is about 5000 HUF (Euro 20)/car to addresses in Budapest. Company "Tele5 taxi" operates fixed price taxi service, called "airport transfer". Cost is about 3000 HUF (Euro 12,00)/car to/from any address in Budapest. Taxis drive to the airport terminal exit door area upon phone call (+36 1 355-5555) and pick you up within a couple of minutes.
You can also call for airport transfer when leaving the hotel for the airport.
It is advisable to choose one of the options mentioned above; private taxis (those not belonging to a registered company) charge unregulated prices.
By Train
The Hungarian State Railways
Budapest, VI., Andrássy út 73-75.
Monday - Thursday 8.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m.
Friday 8.00 a.m. - 12.00 a.m.
Phone: (1) 342-5155, (1) 432-4040 and (1) 322-0660 / 4040 I
Information on arrivals and departures can be obtained from:
http://www.mav.hu
By Car
For detailed information about driving in Budapest, please refer to the following route planners:
http://www.michelin.com
http://www.shellgeostar.com
By Bus
VOLÁNBUSZ Transport Company Ltd.
H-1134 Budapest, Szabolcs u. 17.
H-1395 Budapest, Pf. 407.
phone: +36-1-465-5600
Central information desk:
+36-1-219-8080
e-mail:
info@volanbusz.hu
class="t_col02"International information specifically can be obtained at: http://www.volanbusz.hu/english/search.php?page=timetable&menu=2&submenu=1
Visas & Letters of Invitation
No visa required for citizens of EU countries, USA, Canada, Israel, New-Zealand. No visa required for citizens of most European countries. Some exceptions are: Russian Federation, Albania, Turkey. In case of uncertainty, please consult the web site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at:
Please apply for your visa well in advance of your journey.
Conference participants requiring a letter of invitation in order to attend the conference should submit the Letter of Invitation Request Form. Please, note that Registration Desk cannot prepare visa documents without the receipt of this form, completed in full, and without confirmation of advance registration for the Conference (including confirmation of fee payment). Additionally, note that this procedure aims to assist participants who need to obtain a visa or permission to attend the conference and is not an official invitation covering fees or other expenses. A letter of invitation does not imply any financial support from the conference.
General information for your stay
Taxi
It is worth calling a taxi by phone because most of the taxi companies charge lower rates in this case than in the case of hailing a taxi on the street. The taxi called by phone, depending on the time of day and traffic will arrive within 5-15 minutes. Rates depend on the taxi companies and there are differences between day and night rates. If you call a taxi by phone, you can make a complaint to the company if there is a problem with the service. It is a good idea to avoid drivers who volunteer their services but do not have a registered taxi sticker on their car. This can prevent unpleasant surprises when the time to pay comes.
Public Transport
Tickets are generally not available on the vehicles. You have to purchase tickets in advance at metro stations. Punching machines are on the bus or tram or at the entrance of metro area. You have to punch one ticket for every single ride, even when changing metro lines.
More information at:
Budapest Transport Limited (BKV Rt.)
www.bkv.hu/english/home/index.html
Currency, Credit Cards and Exchange Rate
Hungary has just come to the European Community this last May 1st. Nevertheless, the Hungarian currency unit is still the Forint (HUF or Ft), not the Euro.
1 Euro = 255 HUF (4 Euro aprox. 1000 HUF)
There are some on-line currency converters available, please take a loot at:
http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic
http://www.xe.com/ucc
Cash withdrawal machines (ATM), banks and exchange offices are available city-wide. Well-known credit cards (American Express, Eurocard/Mastercard, Visa) are accepted in hotels, most of the restaurants and shops (but not in taxis).
Timezone
In June 2004 the local time in Budapest is GMT+2.
Weather
Hungary is situated in the temperate zone, on the borderline of, and affected by, three large climatic zones: oceanic, continental and Mediterranean. It is prone to rhapsodic weather changes and, due to the relative isolation of the Carpathian Basin, the climate has a tendency for droughts, especially on the Great Plain. The annual average mean temperature is 9.7 °C in the whole of the country and 11.2 °C in Budapest. The mean temperature in the hottest month, July, is 20.0 °C, in the coldest month, January, 2.1 °C. On a hot summer day temperatures may reach 33-38 °C, while in cold winters temperature may drop to 25.0-30.0 °C. Budapest weather in June is usually nice and quite warm.
See forecast for current information:
Hungarian Meteorological Service
http://www.met.hu
The Weather Channel
http://www.weather.com
http://www.weather.co.uk
Tour
Information General tourist information about Budapest and Hungary can be obtained from:
Hungarian National Tourist Office
http://hungarytourism.hu/?sid=e3ad483d0a&langid=En
Budapest Tourism Office
http://www.budapestinfo.hu/en/index.html
Information on Budapest
http://www.fsz.bme.hu/hungary/budapest/budapest.html
Hotel Search
http://www.hotels.hu/?lang=en
City Tour
http://www.budatours.hu/index.php?set=1&lang=EN&menu=2&item=1
Useful Hints
Especially downtown you might be approached by private persons offering money exchange. Do not do any business with these people! There is no "Tourist police" in Hungary. Hungarian police is generally in uniform and do not deal with tourist money changing issues.
The Hungarian Ministry of Economic Affairs has a special, 24-hour phone number (+36 1 438-8080) for tourists to use if one becomes a victim of personal crime while in Hungary. Police personnel with foreign language capability, including English, are on duty seven days a week. There is also a 24-hour Police Tourinform office that provides service in English and in German (located downtown: 5th district, Vigadó utca 6.).