The incredible beauty of Budapest and its numerous and diverse attractions and sights guarantee a great time and unforgettable memories. Although, compared to many other European cities, the Hungarian capital does not belong to the category of the most dangerous locations in terms of public safety, we advise you to observe the practical suggestions and tips compiled by the Budapest Police and the Tourism Office of Budapest listed below, in order to be able to fully enjoy the bustle of the streets, the panorama second to none and the night-time activities.
ARRIVAL
Whether you take a first glimpse at its buildings from the windows of the plane or the train, this city of myriad highlights is likely to enchant you immediately. Enjoy the spell, but please always keep an eye on your luggage. Busy railway and bus stations, airports are frequented by opportunistic thieves everywhere, and Budapest is no exception. Never leave your belongings unattended (especially not at the airport due to security considerations). If you travel in a group, one person should always be in charge of watching the luggage. If you cannot yet check-in to your accommodation, but would like to do some sight-seeing, baggage lockers are available at the airport and the railway and bus stations. Do not hesitate to take advantage of these services, for a few hundred Forints you can be sure your luggage will be in safe.
TAXI CABS
If you are not familiar with the city, it is easiest to get around by a taxi cab. In Budapest these vehicles are equipped with yellow number plates and usually have a yellow “TAXI” sign on the roof. The make and color of the cars vary; there are no restrictions in this regard AM cabs must be equipped with a meter, It should be on and should provide you with a receipt showing the exact fare upon arrival to your destination. The fare to be paid is the sum of the Initial fare, a per kilometre charge and a fee charged for idle time, if applicable. Gratuity is not included, but should be more or less equal to 10% of the total fare, if you are satisfied with the service provided.
The list of fares is visibly displayed on the back door of the cabs, on the right hand side. It should also be shown on the dashboard. The fare to be paid is made up of three components:
• Initial fare: a fixed amount regardless the distance to be covered (not more than HUF 300 during the day and HUF 420 at night)
• Per unit charge for every kilometre of the trip (not more than HUF 240 km during the day and HUF 3367km at night)
• Idle time charge: The meter automatically switches to idle i toe cab is stopped or travels at 15 km/h or less. (HUF 60/min during the day and HUF 84/min at night).
Major cab companies offer their services much below the ceiling prices feted above. You should therefore take a note of their phone numbers. Also, pre-ordered cabs offer lower rates and are more trustworthy than those haled in the street. When ordering a taxi, ask for the assistance of your hotel reception.
We suggest you do not necessarily listen to the “advice” of the taxi driver when seeking a bar or club, as they sometimes earn commission to take you to expensive establishments. Instead we suggest that you make inquiries about bars and dubs at your hotel.
- Budataxi 2-333-333
- Budapest Taxi 4-333-333
- City Taxi 2-111-111
- Fotaxi 2-222-222
- Mobil Taxi 333-1757
- Radio Taxi 3-777-777
- Taxi 2000 2-000-000
- Taxi4 4-444 444
- Tele5Taxi 5-555-555
- Volan Taxi 4-33-33-22
- 6×6 Taxi 2-666 666
- ZonaTaxi 3-655-555
Passengers arriving to Ferihegy airport should avoid cabbies offering their services in the terminals at rates considerably higher than the maximum tariff.
If you decide to take a cab downtown use the official airport taxi company. Zona TAXI, which operates at a fixed price between the airport and the four various zones of the capital. The zone tariffs range from HUF 3000 to HUF 4300 (14-20 EUR). You can order a Zona taxi by telephone before you arrive (this can be done, naturally, from abroad) or they have a taxi stand by the airport exit.
BUDAPEST TRANSPORTATION
Budapest takes pride in its very well-developed public transportation network. Services are cheap, so you should consider riding a bus, a tram or the subway while getting around In the city. However, some precautions are warranted if you are travelling on a crowded vehicle, as these are often frequented by pickpockets. We suggest that you keep any articles of value and your purse in an inner pocket of your clothing. Never have a significant amount of cash on you. If it is absolutely necessary to cany large sums of cash, store ft in different pockets. Mate sure that your documents are kept in your pocket out of reach, and have your bags and purses zipped all the time. In the city it is not necessary to carry our passport with you, you can leave that inside your hotel safe; but you should carry some picture ID, your driving cense for example, It can also come in handy to have jotted down the name and address of your hotel so you can find it again after a tiring day!
Feel free to use your credit or ATM cards. These are accepted by all major stores, and ATMs can be found all over downtown Budapest. Another safe method of payment is Travellers Cheque, also accepted by most of the hotels.
TICKET CONTROL
You need a pre-purchased ticket or pass to travel on the vehicles of BKV (Budapest Transportation Services). When you get on the vehicle (or upon entering the subway station) you need to validate your ticket Machines either punch the ticket or validate it by cutting the coiner and stamping the date and time of travel on it.
To be able to get well acquainted with the city, we suggest that you opt for the Budapest Card, available at the major subway ticket offices, tourist information centres, hotels and travel agencies. It is valid for unlimited travel on public transportation vehicles for 48 or 72 hours, and also offers free or discounted entrance to museums and other valuable savings on tourist attractions.
BKV (Budapest Public Transportation Services) also has a wide variety of tickets and passes (including transfer tickets, subway section tickets, discount coupon books and one day tickets) to make travelling even more economical. These are sold at subways stations, ticket vendor machines, newsstands and tobacco stores. The widest array is available at the subway stations. The price list posted there offers abundant information to help you select the most appropriate ticket or pass. When selecting the applicable ticket, please note that a new ticket must be validated upon boarding each vehicle of public transportation (for example, when changing Metro lines)! The use of Budapest Kartya (Budapest Card) is recornmended! Tickets are often checked on the vehicles or at the subway exits by controllers wearing an arm-band and a photo-ID (Controllers usually work in pairs, but at subway exits groups of 4-5 controllers are also common). You should always keep your ticket till you exit the vehicle or leave the premises of the subway station. If you cannot show a validated ticket you are liable tow fined Besides those travelling without a ticket, a penalty must be paid by all those who present an invalid (expired, not validated or illegible) ticket or pass.
DRIVING AND PARKING
If you arrive in Budapest driving your own a car, we suggest that you leave it in the guarded parking lot or garage of the hotel. The most practical way of getting around the city, especially if you are not familiar with Budapest, is by public transportation. Should you decide to drive, always make sure that your car is locked before walking away. Do not leave anything of value in your car, not even an empty bag, objects or articles of clothing! In all cases, take your car stereo or the faceplate with you.
Budapest is divided into various parking zones, with different parking fees applicable in each (ranging from HUF 115 to HUF 430 per hour). According to the relevant regulations, parking tickets must be purchased Monday through Friday, 8am-6pm. You may park free of charge on Saturday, Sunday and national holidays. You may obtain your parking ticket from the vending machines. It must be displayed behind the windshield. It must be visible and legible from the outside. The minimum parking period is 15 minutes. Vending machines provide tickets according to the amount inserted. You may not stay longer than 2-3 hours. If you need to park your car longer, we suggest you seek the so-called ‘park-and-ride’ (P+R) parking lots. These lots arc located near major subway stations and bus terminals (head of Arpad Bridge in Pest, Nagyvarad ter, Ors vezer tere, Nepliget, etc). It is more convenient to continue your trip by public transportation from these car-parks.
Cars parked at unauthorized locations, without parking ticket or with an expired ticket art subject to penalty. Penalty tickets and/or wheel-clamps may be applied by the company operating the parking facility or by the Fdvarosi Kozteruletfelugyelet (Capital Public Area Directorate). A multi-lingual information sticker will be affixed on the car, informing the owner on the steps to be followed. There are many ways you can guard your car against theft. Always have your car alarm and Immo-bilizer on, park your car in a guarded lot and never MM any documents in the vehicle, Unfortunately despite all the possible precautions, incidents might still occur. If your car was stolen, please alert the police immediately at the nearest police station so they can try to recover your vehicle.
POLICE
We hope that observing the suggestions above will allow you to avoid any possible Incidents while In Budapest and any memories associated with your stay in the Hungarian capital will be pleasant ones.
If you have any problems, please contact police officers on duty. To make sure no one can abuse your trust, please keep in mind that the Hungarian police uniform consists of a light blue shirt, navy blue trousers and a baseball hat On the right vest pocket of the uniform a badge with the word “RENDORSEG” and a five digit service number can be seen while on the left side on a small metal nametag the name of the police officer can be read. On the sleeve of the shirt or jacket the insignia of the Budapest Police is sewn.
Plainclothes police are also identified by their badge and his or her credit-card sized, plastic identification card, displaying the words “RENDORSEG” and “POLICE”, with a circular hologram on the right comer. Our plainclothes colleagues regularly wear a reflective yellow vest with the word “POLICE”.
If you need the assistance of the police:
Call the internationally used 112 emergency number, or the number of the Hungarian Police, 107. The call centre will be able to direct you to the nearest location where you may file your claim in a foreign language. If you are the injured party, or otherwise become involved in a police procedure, you may ask for Consular assistance through the authorities involved. Your request will be honoured without immediately.
If you are the victim of a crime, you will be notified of your rights at the Igazsagugyi Hivatal Aldozatsegito Szolgalat (Office of Justice Victim Assistance Unit). If warranted, you may qualify for immediate financial assistance or as the victim of a violent crime be eligible for lump sum compensatory damages or a stipend. For additional information please turn to: 0680-244-444 (toll free in Hungary) or www.kih.gov.hu
At the following police stations a 24 hour tourism desk is available:
- 1st District Police Station, 1013 Budapest, Pauler ut 13
- 5th District Police Station, 1055 Budapest, Szalay utca 11-13
- 11th District Police Station, 1113 Budapest, Bocskay ut 90
- 14th District Police Station, 1144 Budapest, Stefania ut 83
- Budapest Police Department, 1139 Budapest, Teve utca 4-6