Hungary
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General Information for Couchsurfers in Hungary
Find a couch
Hungarians can be very warmharted. the easyest way is to send them a personal letter. They like it if you tell them that they are the only people in the world you want to meet. Avoid standard letters and requests in the groups as long as it isn't the porpose of the group to find a couch (e.g. LMCB)
Hungary and the Hungarian in general
Money
We still pay in Hungarian Forint and the exchange rate changes every day. Compare the exchange rates and don't forget to ask for possible extra fees. Changing on trainstations is never a good idea. You can go to official places, but some shops do change money as well. Most restaurantes do except €uro but do not expact a fair excange rate. Just for informations. A breakfast is about 1000.- HUF, a lunch - menu from 1000.- - 1500.- HUF al la Cart you should count for 2500.- to 3000.- inkl. a drink. If it is more expencive you are in a expensive place. Tickets in Budapest pulic transport (BKV) are 1500.- HUF / day. Traintickets are about 18.- HUF / km. A beer is 350.- HUF
Hours of Operation
Be aware that in Hungary the still play the most funny game: "Witch day is today". This is a heritage from the communist times when they just swipped days of the week. So for example a state holiday would be on a thursday, so it might happen that the fryday afterwards will be actually a saturday officialy. Next week therefore ther will be a fryday followed by another fryday. This is to have eaven all oficial places closed down. The problem is just that also the trains will go as the saturday schedule says, banks, museums, everything will do as on a saturday. You might ask your host if it is realy monday and not sunday. Just because the rest of the world does have a monday, that meens nothing to hungarians. Please, it sound like fun, but actually can bring you in big troubles...
How to be a good guest
Places
Most visited regions
- Budapest is our capital. Most of our CS activities is found there, but of course there is much more to explore. So come and explore all of our country (CS- Map of Budapest)
- Lake Balaton is the second biggest turistic area of Hungary. The north shore belongs to "Vesprém" - region, the south to "Somogy" - region and a small strip at the west to "Zala" - region. Mainly in the summertime, when the lake often reaches temperatures higher then 25°C it is full of people of Budapest and all over the world. But have you seen the lake in winter, when all these small towns are like gosttowns? Have you been iceskating or tried one of the spas next to the lake? Come and chek out the largest lake of Europe. You can do it eaven in one day. (One day travels by train and CS-Map Area of Lake Balaton )
Regions
Counties west of the Danube
- Baranya (Pécs, Natural Reservart of "Mecsek")
- Fejér (Székesfehérvár, lake Velence, Natural Reservart of "Vértes")
- Győr-Moson-Sopron (Sopron, Györ, National Park of "Fertö- Hangság")
- Komárom-Esztergom (Komárom, Esztergom, Pannonhalma)
- Pest (Budapest, Pilis, Szentendre, Gödöllö, Danube knee, Visegrád National Park of "Duna - Ipoy")
- Somogy (Kaposvár, Síofok, Lake Balaton)
- Tolna (Szekszárd, River Danube)
- Vas (Szombathely, Sárvár, National Park of "Örség")
- Veszprém (Veszprém, Balatonfüred, Tihany, Lake Balaton, Bay of Kali, Natural Reservart of "Bakony", Natural Reservart of "Somló")
- Zala (Keszthely, Zalaegerszeg, Nagykanizsa, Héviz, Lake Balaton, National Park of "Kis Balaton")
Counties between Danube and Tisza
- Bács-Kiskun
- Csongrád (Szeged, Ópusztaszer)
- Heves
- Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok
- Nógrád
Counties east of the Tisza
- Békés
- Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén
- Hajdú-Bihar
- Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg
National Parks and Natural Reservarts
Information on all parks in english
- Aggteleki Nemzeti Park
- Balaton - Felvidéki Nemzeti Park
- Bükki Nemzeti Park
- Duna – Dráva Nemzeti Park
- Duna – Ipoly Nemzeti Park
- Fertő – Hanság Nemzeti Park
- Hortobágyi Nemzeti Park
- Kiskunsági Nemzeti Park
- Körös – Maros Nemzeti Park
- Őrségi Nemzeti Park
World Heritage
Date of acceptance of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage: Monday, July 15, 1985
Properties on the World Heritage List
Cultural
- Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube and the Buda Castle Quarter
- Andrássy Avenue (1987)
- Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs (Sopianae) (2000)
- Fertö / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape (2001)
- Hortobágy National Park - the Puszta (1999)
- Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment (1996)
- Old Village of Hollókő and its Surroundings (1987)
- Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape (2002)
Natural
The following places are on the candidate list and porbably they become Hungarian World Heritage Sites soon.
- Le Château-fort médiéval d'Esztergom (1993)
- The Tihany Peninsula (1993)
- Caves of the Buda Thermal Karst System (1993)
- Mediaeval Royal Seat and Parkland at Visegrád (2000)
- System of Fortifications at the Confluence of the Rivers Danube and Váh in Komárno - Komárom (2007)
- The Network of Rural Heritage Buildings in Hungary (2000)
- State Stud-Farm Estate of Mezöhegyes (2000)
- The Wooden Churches of the Northern Part of the Carpathian Basin (2000)
- The Ipolytarnóc Fossils (2000)
- Ödön Lechner’s independent pre-modern architecture (2008)
- Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Ripa Pannonica in Hungary (2009)
Fun / Adventure parks
How to get around
Recommended trips
We thought it might be fun for you to give you a selection of trips you can do to experiance more of our country, so you do not have to wait for your host to show you arround!
by train
Please go to MAV to find check if the timetables are still up to date. We also recommend this map to find the right trainstation for your trip. The trains are not always safe, please take care of your luggage and do not leave it alone. Get your ticket at the railwaystation. To by a ticket can take up to 30 minutes, so be at the station on time or you can by the ticket in advance. You can buy your ticket on the train, but it is more expensive. The cashdesk for international and national tickets are not the same in the trainstations.
- Budapest – Vác – Szob – Párkány/Esztergom
- Budapest – Lake Velence - Székesfehérvár
- Budapest - Eger
- Budapest – Veszprém - Herend
- Budapest – Debrecen - Hajdúszoboszló - Hortobágy
- Budapest - Ópusztaszer – Szeged
- Budapest – Miskolctapolca
- Budapest - Balaton
by bike
- Budapest – Gödöllő - Fót
- Budapest – Etyek
- Balatonmáriafürdő - National Park "Kis Balaton" - Balatonmáriafürdő
- around the Fertő-tó/Neusiedler See (most of it is in Austria)
by car
- Budapest - Pannonhalma
- Budapest - Tihany
by boat
- Budapest – Danube bend: Szentendre – Visegrád – Esztergom
- Budapest – Komárom
- This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it.
