Budapest Overview
Old world charm and cosmopolitan living on the banks of the Danube.
With its multifarious and often embittered history, incredible architecture and rich cultural heritage, Hungary's capital deserves its reputation as the 'Paris of Central Europe'. It has a complex identity, somewhere between Western luxury and simple traditions.
The city straddles a gentle curve in the Danube. It has broad avenues, leafy parks and elaborate bathhouses. It also has a turn-of-the-century feel to it, for it was then - during the industrial boom and the capital's heyday - that most of the city was built.
Budapest Photo Gallery
Photographs of Budapest
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Patrons enjoying the restorative properties of the Gellert thermal baths. |
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Castle Hill as it was, as it is: domes, spires, medieval buildings |
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Cherry blossom in bloom on Margaret Island (margitsziget) in Budapest |
Budapest Fast Facts
Facts about Budapest
| Population |
1,750,000 |
| Area |
525 km2 |
| Currency Name |
Forint |
| Currency Code |
HUF |
| Currency Symbol |
Ft |
| Time Zone |
GMT/UTC+1 |
| Area Codes |
1 |
| Weights & Measures |
Metric |
| Mobile Network |
GSM
|
Using a Telephone in Budapest
As throughout Eastern Europe, telephony has come a long way in a short amount of time. Mobile phones in particular have spread like a kind of gleefully contagious disease. You can make both domestic and international calls from all public telephones in Budapest, which are usually in good working order. They work with phonecards which are available from post offices, newsagents, hotels and petrol stations. If you're lucky, they'll sometimes take coins.
Using a Mobile Phone in Budapest
Luddites beware: the mobile phone contagion has infected the denizens of Budapest almost to a man, woman and child. It's worth considering bringing your own to Budapest and purchasing a SIM card to keep you in touch during your visit - check with your mobile phone provider before you leave to check that your phone is not blocked.
Doing Business in Budapest
The main source of information in English
for business people in Budapest is the
Budapest Business Journal (BBJ; www.bbj.hu), which is an almost archival
publication of financial news and business
stories that has been around for nearly 15
years. Another useful publication for business people is the feature-oriented Business Hungary, compiled monthly by the American Chamber of Commerce. Most major hotels include business services in their list of facilities.
Central Pest is the centre of the city's commercial activity, and where many of its business hotels and services are located.
Media in Budapest
Budapest's English-language print media landscape is healthy enough: two local newspapers as well as an events magazine and day-old publications from across Europe and the globe. On television, the two main stations are Magyar Televísió and Duna TV, while the radio bands feature a wide variety of choices, from cheesy rock-pop to classical to MOR classic hits.
Periodicals in Budapest
| Title |
Type |
Description |
| Budapest Sun |
newspaper |
The accessible daily Budapest Sun is one of the city's two English-language newspapers. |
| Budapest Business Journal |
newspaper |
The second of Budapest's two English-language newspapers is a weekly geared towards the city's burgeoning business community. |
| Budapest Week |
magazine |
Budapest Week dishes up a good weekly mix of current affairs and arts and entertainment content. |
Radio Stations in Budapest
| Name |
Frequency |
Description |
| Rádió Bartók |
105.3 FM |
The public Magyar Rádió MR; Hungarian Radio) has three stations. They are named after Lajos Kossuth (jazz and news; 98.6AM), the most popular station in the country; Sándor Petőfi (1960s to 1980s music, news and sport; 94.8FM); and Béla Bartók (classical music and news; 105.3FM). |
| Danubius Rádió |
103.3 FM |
The Danubius Rádió Network is an easily recognisable mix of bright contemporary pop, breezy entertainment news and commercial breaks. |
| BBC World Service |
15565, 12095, 9410, 6195, 1296 kHz |
The BBC's World Service switches frequency constantly, depending on the time of day. Try any of the listed frequencies. |
Books in Budapest
| Title |
Author |
Subject |
Description |
| A History of Hungary |
Peter F Sugar |
history/politics |
Arguably the best single-volume history of Hungary in English. Also, for a more specific insight to Budapest, check out Budapest 1900, an illustrated social history of the city's glory years by John Lukacs. |
| Between the Woods and the Water |
Patrick Leigh Fermor |
travel |
Describing the author's 1933 walk through Central Europe, including Hungary, this is the classic travel account of the country. |
| Hungary & the Hungarians: The Keywords |
István Bart |
culture |
A quirky book that will guide you from ABC (a kind of greengrocers under the old regime) to Zsolnay porcelain. |
| Stealing from a Deep Place |
Brian Hall |
|
This is an account of biking across Southeastern Europe, and focusing on life in communist Budapest in the 1980s. |
Factoids
Budapest 1982
Ernő Rubik, inventor of the Rubik's Cube, was born in Budapest, and in 1982 the city was proud host of the first ever Rubik's Cube World Championships. The winner was Minh Thai (USA), who sorted his cube in 22.95 seconds.
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