Car hire Fox Autorent (Tel: 382 9000, www.fox-autorent.hu) is a competitively priced, locally run car-hire firm with a fleet ranging from Smart cars through to large commercial vehicles. Fox also provides fleet management, second-hand car sales and a chauffeur-driven service. Budapest is also home to many international car-hire brands such as Hertz (Tel: 296 0997) and Budget (Tel: 214 0420).

Office rental Try Regus (Tel: 474 8200, www.regus.com).

Business services From providing an introduction to the city through to setting up mobile phone contracts, arranging work and residence permits, finding commercial and residential property, as well as ensuring your family are settled in their new home, Inter Relocation (Tel: 278 5680, Email: info@interrelo.com) provides a one-stop business shop for busy executives. By cutting through the red tape and language barrier, it aims to ensure you are free to get down to business. Property services A1 Real Estate (Tel: 219 5505, www.a1realestate.hu) is one of the premier real-estate agencies in Hungary, offering a selection of residential, commercial, retail or warehouse real estate and property management services.

LOCAL PRESS

Budapest has a thriving international publishing scene, with several English-language publications vying for attention. The Budapest Sun (www.budapestsun. com) is the city’s largest circulation foreign title. Published every Thursday, it features a healthy mix of local news, business, entertainment and sports-related stories. The newspaper’s English-language cinema guide is much valued by the expatriate community, as is its comprehensive events calendar.

The Budapest Sun also produces a series of special publications aimed at tourists and expats. The Visitors’ Guide (www. visitorsguide.hu), published monthly, features detailed listings of concerts, exhibitions and theatrical performances, as well as offering useful sightseeing tips and general advice on navigating the city. The @Home (www.budapestsun.com/ athomeinbudapest) series of magazines focuses on topics of interest to the city’s expat population, including education, health, employment and entertainment. The Budapest Times (www. budapesttimes.hu), published each Monday, has earned a great deal of respect in its two-year history. It’s a quality English-language publication focusing mainly on politics and business, as well as offering a glimpse into the more entertaining side of life in Budapest. A sister publication to the German-language title Budapester Zeitung (www.budapester. hu), both publications recently underwent a much needed online face lift.

Also out on Mondays, The Budapest Business Journal (www.bbj.hu) keeps its readers informed with the latest Hungarian business news. The BBJ is considered by many local business people as essential but rather dry reading. It’s also well known for its excellent business mixer events, which are hosted throughout the city. Budapest is also home to a booming online news and information community. Www.xpatloop.com is where Budapest’s expat community can log on and arrange a squash match or clandestine lunch, www.pestiside.hu offers an often hilarious insight into all aspects of life in Budapest, and the excellent English-language service from www.portfolio.hu keeps its foreign readership informed of the latest breaking news from Hungary as and when it happens.

INTERNET

Although initially slow on the uptake, Budapest now has a large number of wi-fi hotspots, allowing visitors to log on wirelessly (providing they’ve packed their own laptop). The largest network is operated by Wiera (www.wiera. hu), which provides wireless access to many of the city’s hotels and numerous McDonald’s restaurants. The city is also home to a number of free hotspots. The most comfortable free zone is probably the lounge of the five-star Kempinski hotel—just be sure to order a coffee while you surf. A comprehensive list of pay-for and free hotspots across Hungary can be found at www.wi-fizone.org.

The city now also has a respectable number of internet cafés. The following are open daily until midnight.

Ami Café, V, Vaci utca 40 (Tel: 267 1644, www.amicoffee.hu). Centrally located, this is your best bet in the downtown area. With over 50 terminals, there’s little chance of having to wait for your turn to log on. Net-Klub Internet Café, II, Frankel Leo ut 11 (Tel: 212 3999, www.net-klub.hu). Offers surfers a comfortable environment where you might just want to stay for a cup of coffee after checking your emails.

MONEY

The local currency is the Hungarian Forint (HUF or Ft) and it’s available as 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 HUF coins or 100, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 HUF notes. Some smaller shops, taxis and restaurants may refuse to change a 20,000 HUF note, so it’s a good idea to carry lots of smaller denominations. Despite an ever growing number of shops eagerly accepting all major credit cards, cash is still king. Banking hours are Monday-Friday 8am-4pm with some branches open at weekends. The city has a vast number of cash machines and 24-hour bureau de change facilities in the main tourist areas—shop around for the best rates. Haggling is not generally accepted in Hungary—the price you see is the price you pay. You might get away with a spot of bargaining in the tourist markets.

TIPPING ETIQUETTE

For good service, a tip of between 10% and 15% is generally expected in most bars, cafés, restaurants and taxis. Check your menu to see if service is included and don’t be afraid to withhold the gratuity for poor service. Hotel staff will appreciate a few hundred forints or a couple of euros/ dollars for their assistance. Remember, a good tip can make a huge difference to workers in Hungary’s service industry who are often on very low wages—and it will guarantee favourable service should you return to the establishment.

VISA/VACCINATION

Visitors from the European Union, USA and Australia with a valid passport or EU national ID card do not require a visa for holidays or short business trips (up to 90 days). Full details of visa requirements can be found on the website of the Hungarian Embassy in London (www.huemblon.org. uk) or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (www. kulugyminiszterium.hu/kum/en/bal). Visitors do not require any vaccinations.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

1st January—New Year’s Day
15th March—Anniversary of 1848 uprising and War of Independence
17th April—Easter Monday
1st May—May Day
5th June—Whit Monday
20th August—National Day (Feast of St Stephen)
23rd October—Republic Day, Anniversary of 1956 uprising
1st November—All Saints’ Day
25th and 26th December—Christmas
31st December—New Year’s Eve

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

The seasons in Budapest are clearly defined and can easily be identified, if not by the weather then by examining the number of layers of clothes worn by the locals. Winter can be perishing, with temperatures dropping well below zero, and the locals will favour thick furs, woolly scarves, jumpers and the obligatory Cossack-style hat. From November through to March it’s not uncommon for the streets of Budapest to be coated in a thick layer of ice and snow. In contrast, the summer months can be scorching, forcing many locals to abandon all but the most rudimentary items of clothing, or to quit the city altogether and head for the cool waters of Lake Balaton. During spring and autumn Hungarians hedge their bets and keep wrapped up, staring pityingly at the foolish tourists risking a dose of near fatal flu in their shorts and T-shirts.

SUGGESTED READING

Fateless, by Imre Kertesz Every child should be made to read this book at school. Written by a Nobel Prizewinning author, Fateless documents the life of a Jewish teenager from Budapest during the Second World War. Kertesz is considered to be a national treasure and responsible for many Hungarians coming to terms with the nation’s (at times shameful) past.

Budapest Through My Lens: A Solitary Perspective, by Stephen Spinder, Not so much essential reading as essential viewing. This coffee-table book of photographs offers a beautiful and at times unique perspective on Budapest. The Hungarians: A Thousand Years of Victory in Defeat, by Paul Lendvai Giving a fascinating insight into the Hungarian psyche, this book explains how, despite a string of catastrophes and its linguistic and cultural isolation, the Hungarian nation has survived for more than 1,000 years.

To Ur with Love, by Gary Lukatch, If you want a book that offers a spot of light reading, this is the one to go for but nonetheless it is a well crafted book with some excellent inside jokes. The story follows the adventures of a middle-aged banker who throws his briefcase in the river and heads out to Budapest to teach English. A wonderful insight into expat life from someone who clearly loves Budapest.

GETTING INTO TOWN

Airport Budapest’s Ferihegy Airport is situated some 18kms from the city centre. Most full-service airlines arrive and depart from terminals 2A and 2B. The original terminal 1 building, which reopened in the summer of 2005 after a massive refurbishment, mainly serves the needs of the growing number of budget airlines flying into the city. Be sure to check which terminal you are flying from as there is a 4kms journey between terminals 1 and 2. Taxi There is a special licensed taxi rank situated directly in front of the terminal buildings. These taxis charge a set fee depending on your final destination in the city. The 30 to 40-minute journey to the city centre should cost between HUF 4,000 and HUF 6,000.

Car If you’re doing the driving, leave the airport and turn on to the E60. Follow the signs to the city centre. The road is in desperate need of improvement and is considered a bit of an accident black spot. Drive carefully.

Minibus The airport authority runs a shared minibus service to and from the city. Tickets are available in the Arrivals hall and cost HUF 2,300 one way or HUF 3,900 return. Once you’ve purchased your ticket you can expect to wait about 20 minutes for your shared departure to be arranged. Your journey time will vary, depending on your final destination and the number of other passengers on board. You must book your return journey to the airport by phone (Tel: 296 8555) at least 24 hours before your flight departure. The Airport Minibus reservation office is open 6am-10pm. Bus/metro It is possible to make your way into the city centre by bus and metro very cheaply. However, this can be very time consuming and, unless you travel light, quite a struggle as you hump cases up and down escalators and onto crowded buses and carriages.

The Reptér-Busz service runs between terminals 1 and 2 and Kobanya-Kispest metro station, where you can catch an underground train to Deak Ter in the city centre. Tickets for each leg of the journey cost HUF 170 and can be purchased from the vending machine near the taxi rank. You should allow well over an hour for the journey, to compensate for missed connections and busy traffic.