Hungary

(in Hungarian, Magyarország), republic, in central Europe, bordered on the north by Slovakia; on the north-east by Ukraine; on the east by Romania; on the south by Serbia (part of the federation of Serbia and Montenegro), Croatia, and Slovenia; and on the west by Austria. The total area of Hungary is 93,030 sq km (35,919 sq mi). Hungary is somewhat oval in shape, with an extreme length from east to west of about 528 km (328 mi) and a maximum width from north to south of about 267 km (166 mi). The capital and largest city is Budapest.

Official Name - Republic of Hungary
Capital - Budapest 1,995,696 (1994)
Population - 10,225,000 (1995)
Life Expectancy - 64.8 years for men 74.2 years for women
Area - 93,030 sq km (35,919 sq mi)
Largest Cities - Debrecen 217,706 Miskolc 189,655 Szeged 178,878
Languages - Maygar; German
Religions - Roman Catholicism; Protestantism
Currency - Forint
Government - Unitary democratic republic

Geography

Hungary lies in Central Europe in the Carpathian Basin. The greatest distance from north to south is 268 km, from east to west 528 km.
50% of the country's territory is flatland: the ALFÖLD (Great Plain) that occupies the entire eastern half of the country and the KISALFÖLD (Small Plain) along the north-western border.
The two most important rivers, the Danube (Hungarian stretch: 417 km) and the Tisza (598 km) flow across the country from north to south. The region between the Danube and Tisza is flat, while the region lying to the west of the Danube, TRANSDANUBIA is rolling hilly country with Central Europe's warmest lake, the BALATON at its centre.
A range of mountains stretches diagonally right across the country. To the west of the Danube, the TRANSDANUBIAN RANGE is 400-700 metres high, divided into the Keszthely Hills, the Bakony, Vértes, Gerecse, Pilis and Visegrád mountains.
To the east of the Danube, the NORTHERN RANGE rises to heights of 500-1000 metres, divided into the Börzsöny, Cserhát, Mátra, Bükk, Cserehát and Zemplén mountains. The highest point is the Kékes (1,014 m) in the Mátra.
The Hungarian "puszta" is a favourite tourist destination where the once characteristic animals and ethnographic traditions can be seen in the Hortobágy National Park (HORTOBÁGY) and in the Kiskunság National Park (BUGAC, APAJPUSZTA, LAJOSMIZSE) on the occasion of horse shows.

Climate

The climate is temperate continental. Coldest month: January ( – 1 C); warmest month: August (21.3 C); annual hours of sunshine: 1,785 (in 1996).

You can check current weather conditions here!

Useful information
Entry, visas
Customs
Medical care, requirements
Airport
Rail travel Coach travel
Boat travel Road and other land travel (including highway code and some special means of transport)

Entry, visas

Please visit www.huembmow.macomnet.ru for more updated visa information.

Customs

Duty must be paid on goods above the levels fixed by the Hungarian customs authorities. (We plan to add this information to our homepage soon.) The customs duty – together with relevant taxes, fees and charges – must be paid at the border in cash! It is important to know that the tax concession applying to duty-free goods cannot be added up for family members travelling together, or be deducted from the value of an article of a higher value. Travellers may request customs clearance orally or in writing.

Customs information at Ferihegy 2 Airport: (36) (1) 2968306

Medical care, requirements

No vaccination is required to enter Hungary.

Medicines can be obtained with prescriptions written abroad, and a limited range of over-the-counter drugs are available in the pharmacies. Insurance policies taken out abroad specify how medical care received in Hungary is paid for. Health care institutions may prescribe the types of credits cards they accept as payment for their services.

Foreign citizens are entitled to first-aid and emergency ambulance treatment free of charge, but only when failure to provide immediate medical treatment would presumably endanger the patient's life or cause a lasting injury, or when the symptoms (loss of consciousness, bleeding, etc.) resulting from an accident or any damage to the health from some other cause require immediate medical attention. Throughout the country the ambulance may be called on 104.

In all other cases, visitors have to pay a fee for medical care, the amount of which is set by the institutions themselves. For the lists of surgeries and pharmacies on night duty see the local telephone directories.

Airport

Hungary's international airport is Ferihegy Airport, with three terminals.

Highway code (main points)
The Hungarian traffic rules are based on the Vienna and the Geneva Convention, consequently in general the international traffic rules apply.

Some points to be highlighted:

It is forbidden to drive a vehicle with any alcohol in the blood deriving from drinking. The blood alcohol level allowed is 0.00 percent! (Not even a glass of beer is allowed!) The police withdraw the licence of persons who are found to have driven under the influence of alcohol.
Hand-held mobile phones may not be used by car drivers, and mobile phones are completely banned on vehicles with 2 or 3 wheels.
It is compulsory to use dimmed headlights even during daylight outside built-up areas. Motorcycles and mopeds must use dimmed lights in built-up areas as well. Flashing the headlights means giving up the right of way.
The use of safety belts is compulsory at all times on the front seats, and outside built-up areas for passengers in the back seats. No child under 12 may travel in the front seat, and the use of a safety seat is recommended for small children.
In built-up areas the horn can be used in case of immediate danger only.
It is compulsory for drivers and passengers on motorbikes and mopeds to wear crash helmets.
It is strictly forbidden to overtake in bends, at cross-roads, level crossings and in the immediate vicinity of pedestrian crossings.
In the countryside, special attention should be paid to horse-drawn carts, lorries and cycles, often without lights.
Level crossings are indicated 150 metres ahead. Here, the speed limit is 40 km/h outside built-up areas and 30 km/h in built-up areas. Proceed through the level crossing continuously at a speed of t least 5 km/h. You are also advised to slow down even if you are given the green light.
Cycling paths are marked with special danger signs.
Headlights may be used for a short period in built-up areas and to inspect possible obstacles on darker roads.
The speed limit sign put up before built-up areas refers to the whole of the area.
Vehicles parking in a non-parking area shall be removed (a separate sign shows this under the No Waiting and No Parking signs).
Motor boats powered by petrol or diesel engines are forbidden on Lake Balaton, only those with electric motors are allowed.
Vehicles with a damaged body may only leave the country with an official certificate.
Traffic fines: on-the-spot fines amount to HUF 2,000, for which the police officer must give a receipt. Fines for other offences may go up to HUF 30,000. All fines are payable in forints.

Speed limits for various vehicle categories (km/h) Type motorway dual carriageway other road built-up area
Passenger cars 120 100 80 50
with a trailer 80 70 70 50
Motorcycles 120 100 80 50
Coaches 80 70 70 50
Lorries 80 70 70 50

In certain resort and residential areas where there are a lot of pedestrians and children, there are zones with a 30 km/h speed limit.

The total length of roads in Hungary is over 30,000 kilometres and all settlements can be reached on sealed roads. Motorways are marked by M and international roads by E. Hungary has 8 main routes (the numbering goes clockwise from the west towards the south), 7 of which start from Budapest (No. 8 starts at Székesfehérvar). Minor roads are designated by two or more digit numbers.