Hungary

SAFETY: excellent
The whole country is generally considered safe. No particular risks are reported other than petty crime (suburbs, large cities).

TRANSPORT: good
The transport system, fairly modern and extending across the whole country (air, rail, bus, tram, taxi, river ferries on the Danube), makes it possible to reach any destination. Well connected to Italy and to all neighbouring countries by air, rail and bus.

Main airports: Budapest.
Main ports: Budapest (Danube).

HOSPITALITY: good
Hungary has a good choice of accommodation of every kind, category and price. The international hotel classification (one to five stars) applies, and there are also farm stays, B&Bs, guesthouses, hostels, campsites and wellness or spa centres. The restaurant scene is fairly varied.

COUNTRY FACTS: Full name: Republic of Hungary– Location: Central Europe. Borders: the Slovak Republic and Ukraine to the north, Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia and Austria to the west – Time zone: UTC +1, the same as Italy; daylight saving time applies – Area: 93,000 km² – Capital: Budapest – Population: 9,950,000– Religion: 60% Catholic, 20% Calvinist, 6% Lutheran – Language: Hungarian (official language)– Measures: metric system.

CURRENCY: Hungarian forint (HUF). There are no currency formalities – Credit cards: the major credit cards are accepted in the main cities and in large hotels and businesses; elsewhere, local currency –Exchange: bring euros; exchange is easy.

ELECTRICITY: 220 V and 50 Hz (as in Italy) – Sockets: two-pin and Schuko types; bring an adapter.

DOCUMENTS: identity card valid for foreign travel. There are no customs restrictions on personal luggage (Schengen) – Driving: Italian driving licence – Car: for Italian vehicles, Italian third-party motor insurance is sufficient.

COMMUNICATIONS AND TELEPHONES: International dialling code: 0036 – GSM: extensive network covering the whole country. Standards: GSM 900/1800 and 3G 2100 (as in Italy). Local operators: Vodafone Hungary, Magyar Telekom, Pannon GSM – Internet: the service is fairly widespread – Web domain: .hu – Emergency numbers: 112; police 112/107; fire brigade 105; ambulance 104; roadside assistance 188/013451755. 

RULES, LAWS AND CONDUCT: very severe criminal penalties apply to offences involving the use or trafficking of narcotics and crimes against minors. The age of consent is 14 for everyone; it is hard to speak of a gay scene as such, but Budapest is a very lively, fast-growing city with a number of gay-friendly venues.

HEALTH: hygiene and health conditions are good and no preventive vaccinations are required. The standard of public healthcare facilities is acceptable. There are also private facilities of European standard. Italian citizens on a temporary trip who hold a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) receive the treatment provided by the local public health service. Pharmacies are widespread and well stocked.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS: 1 January, New Year's Day; 15 March, anniversary of the War of Independence; Easter Monday; 1 May, Labour Day; 20 August, Feast of St Stephen of Hungary; 23 October, Republic Day and anniversary of the 1956 Revolution; 1 November, All Saints' Day; 25 December, Christmas Day; 26 December, St Stephen's Day.

OPENING HOURS: Post offices: Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00 – Banks: Mon-Fri 08:00-17:00 – Shops: Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00 (variable) – Closing day: Sunday.

CLIMATE: continental, with wide temperature swings both between the seasons and between day and night. Minimum temperatures are moderated by the Carpathian mountain range, which shields the country from cold polar and Siberian air currents. Rainfall is not very high and is heavily concentrated in the intermediate seasons, while in summer precipitation is almost non-existent.

Monthly max/min temperatures (in °C)

Rainy days (at least 1 mm of rain)/monthly mm

USEFUL ADDRESSES IN ITALY

Embassy of Hungary
Via Dei Villini 12/16
00161 Rome
Tel. 06 44230598/4402032
Fax 06 4403270
www.kulugyminiszterium.hu
mission.rom@kum.hu

Consular Section
Via Messina 15
00198 Rome
Tel. 06 44249939/44249938
mission.roc@mfa.gov.hu

Consulate General
Via Fieno 3
20123 Milan
Tel. 02 726009
Fax 02 72095705
www.consungmil.it
mission.mil@mfa.gov.hu / consulate.mil@mfa.gov.hu

Hungarian Tourist Office
Via Giotto 3
20145 Milan
Tel. 02 48195434
Fax 02 48010268
www.turismoungherese.it
info@turismoungherese.it

USEFUL ADDRESSES IN HUNGARY

Italian Embassy
Stefania Ut. 95
1143 Budapest
Tel. 0036 1 4606200
Tel. 0036 1 4606201
Fax 0036 1 4606270
www.ambbudapest.esteri.it
ambasciata.budapest@esteri.it

Honorary Consulates
Széchenyi u. 2. II em.
4400 Nyiregyhaza
Tel. 0036 42311130
Fax 0036 999008
consolato@consolatoit.hu

Dugonics tér 2
6720 Szeged
Tel. 0036 62 423255
Fax 0036 62 544375

Honorary Vice-Consulate
Megye utca 21
7621 Pécs
Tel. 0036 30 2531302
Fax 0036 72 786732
consolato.italiano@gmail.com

Budapest Tourist Office
Tourinform Central Office
Deák Ferenc tér (Süto u. 2)
1052 Budapest
Tel. 0036 1 438 8080
Fax 0036 1 2667477
Tourist information non-stop hotline: 0036 1 4388080
www.budapestinfo.hu