Things you should know before travelling to Budapest

June 5, 2025

Things you should know before travelling to Budapest

udapest is waiting for you, and you're more than ready. You've got your plane tickets and hopefully you've booked somewhere as comfortable, central and cool as Chez Zeiza.

The first task is done. Do you have your lists handy? You know, the essential sights to see in Budapest and the best spas in Hungary’s capital.

The most important things are already covered, but the little doubts begin. Those doubts that will accompany you from now until you get off the plane; do you know the basic Hungarian vocabulary? What kind of plugs are there? What currency do they have? How to get from the airport to the city centre?

All these questions bombard us all before we travel, and you need to solve them if you want to avoid any setbacks or problems on your trip to Budapest. And that’s what we’re here for. We will answer the most important questions about your trip to Budapest.

Things to know before you arrive in Budapest

We're going to take a look at the most important things, from customs you should know to little details that could mean getting to an excursion on time, so stay tuned.

Phone

The days when you had to call to say you were changing countries are over. If you are travelling within Europe, your roaming will be automatically activated and you will continue to have the same conditions as your usual internet data plan in your home country.

Basic vocabulary in Hungarian

English - Hungarian

Yes - no

Igen - Nem

You´re welcome - Szívesen

Please - Kérem/kérlek

Thank you - Köszönöm

Hi - Helló

Bye - Viszlát

Sorry - Sajnálom

I (don´t) Understand - (Nem) értem

Currency in Budapest

In Budapest, as in the rest of Hungary, the Hungarian Forint is used. Although they are expected to start using the Euro soon, for the moment their official currency is the Forint.

To give you an idea of the exchange rate, 400 Forints are something like 1€ or 1₤ and 4000 Forints are about 10€ or 10₤. This way, the calculation will be much simpler.

From Budapest Airport to the city centre

On leaving the terminal, you will find a bus stop for the 100E bus. This bus makes the round trip between Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport and Kálvin tér and Deák tér squares in the city centre.

Once there, it is very easy to get around the city centre using the metro and bus. Budapest's public transport is very easy to use and punctual.

The 100E bus service costs 2500 Ft, which in euros is just over 6€ or 6₤. It is fast, simple and comfortable and runs every 15 minutes.

You can buy your ticket at the metro stations or even at the door of the bus from the driver or the staff who will be there to help you.

Areas of Budapest

The city of Budapest is actually made up of three towns; Óbuda, Buda and Pest. These three small towns were finally united in 1873 and have remained united ever since despite the turbulent social, economic and political problems their citizens have experienced ever since. Although the city areas still retain the three names respectively.

Dates

When you book an activity or a restaurant, keep in mind that the order in which they write the date is exactly the opposite of how most Europe actually do.

If you have a reservation for 14 June 2024, i.e. 14/06/2024, it will appear on the Hungarian website or app as 2024/06/14.

Electricity

The type of plug and socket used are the two-prong plugs, both the ungrounded type, known as type C, and the grounded type, known as type F. These are the most common throughout Europe.

Drinks in Budapest

Hungary is a wine-growing country, and you will find a wide variety of different types of wine. If you like wine, this is a real discovery.

In addition to wine, they have a wide variety of beers. The best known brands are Pécsi, Dreher, Soproni and Borsodi.

Special mention should be made of the national drinks; Unicum and Pálinka. The former is a herbal liqueur used for everything from curing a cold to celebrating a birthday.

The second, Pálinka, is a fruit distillate with 50% alcohol. Both are drinks you should try, no excuses. They are also commonly drunk after a meal as a digestive.

Wines in Hungary and Budapest

Egri bikavér: Known as Eger bull's blood, it is the most famous red wine in Hungary.

Irsai Olivér: Variety of white wine, with muscatel character but with a very particular taste.

Tokaji aszú: Sweet white wine belonging to the sweet wines known as Aszú.

Food and typical dishes in Budapest

Enjoying typical Hungarian food in Budapest is very easy, as there is a large number of restaurants dedicated to the local cuisine.

Therefore, we would like to give you a brief and simple introduction to what you should not miss on your menu.

The big highlights are: Gulyásleves, a beef soup very similar to stew, Csirkepaprikás, a chicken stew and Lángos, fried bread with cheese, sour cream and garlic as a base, although you can add whatever you want, it's great for a quick and typical dinner or lunch.

And when it comes to dessert, the undisputed number one is Kürtöskalács, a tube-shaped sweet bread with various toppings. It is also known by its English name, "Chimney Cake". Also not to be missed are the Zserbó apricot and walnut cake, Eszterházy butter and meringue cake and Flódni, a typical Christmas sweet made with apples and plums.

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