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- <text id=93CT1722>
- <title>
- Hungary--Travel
- </title>
- <history>
- Compact ALMANAC--CIA Factbook
- Europe
- Hungary
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>CIA World Factbook</source>
- <hdr>
- Travel
- </hdr>
- <body>
- <p> Customs: Although Hungarian authorities state that tourist
- visas may be obtained at certain road bordercrossings, at
- Danube River ship piers, and at Budapest's Ferihegy Airport,
- U.S. tourists occasionally have encountered difficulties. The
- U.S. Embassy strongly recommends that all visitors obtain
- visas, currently $10 for a one-entry tourist visa, from the
- Hungarian Embassy in Washington, D.C. or from the Hungarian
- Consulate General in New York before departure. Visas are
- unavailable at the border to tourists entering by train.
- Visitors are encouraged to register at the U.S. Embassy.
- </p>
- <p> Only 100 forints in coins (currently about $2) may be
- imported or exported. There is no limit on the amount of hard
- currency that may be brought into Hungary. However, travelers
- are required to declare upon entry any foreign funds in their
- possession to facilitate re-export of the funds upon departure.
- Immunization requirements are generally those of Western Europe.
- </p>
- <p> Climate and clothing: Budapest's climate is temperate, with
- seasons of almost equal length. Summers are pleasant, and the
- past several winters have been relatively mild.
- </p>
- <p> Health: Health services and medications are widely available
- and generally adequate, although of a different standard from
- that in the United States. Tapwater is potable. Raw fruits and
- vegetables are safe to eat. Avoid unpasteurized milk and food
- products that lack preservatives.
- </p>
- <p> Telecommunications: Telephone and telegraph services are
- readily available at standard international rates. Budapest is 6
- hrs. ahead of eastern standard time.
- </p>
- <p> Transportation: Several international airlines, including Pan
- American, provide service between European cities and Budapest's
- Ferihegy Airport. Train service is available via Vienna. Subway,
- bus, and taxi services within the capital and its environs are
- good. Taxis are available at stands or may be ordered by phone.
- Rental cars are available.
- </p>
- <p> Tourist attractions: Budapest is the country's leading
- tourist attraction, especially the museums and historic houses
- and buildings of the "Var"(Royal Castle) area overlooking the
- Danube River. Roman ruins are located at Aquincum in suburban
- Budapest and other parts of Transdanubia(Pannonia). The remains
- of the Renaissance palace of the Hungarian kings at Visegrad on
- the Danube bend are of great historic and cultural interest.
- Many Europeans visit Lake Balaton, central Europe's largest
- lake, for swimming and sunbathing. Many thermal baths are
- located throughout the country. The Hungarian Puszta or "Great
- Plain" in the east is interesting for its wildlife.
- </p>
- <p>National holidays: Businesses and the U.S. Embassy may be closed
- on the following Hungarian holidays:
- </p>
- <p>New Year's Day, January 1; National Day, March 15; National
- (Liberation) Day, April 4; Easter Monday; Labor Day, May l;
- Constitution (St. Stephen) Day, August 20; Christmas Day, December 25;
- Boxing Day, December 26.
- </p>
- <p>Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, May
- 1989.
- </p>
-
- </body>
- </article>
- </text>
-
-