STREETSMART - Top 10 Budapest - page 101

Left Façade of a tourist information ofice Centre Hungarian newspapers Right An Internet café
Useful Information

! Tourinform % Visitors' Guide

of Fine Arts, St Stephen's
Basilica and the State
Opera House.
( Hungarian Dis-

The Tourism Ofice
of Budapest runs several
Tourinform centres in
Budapest. The main
ofice is on Deák tér,
and there are others at
Liszt Ferenc tér, Buda
Castle and the airport.
They organize tours as
well as offering maps
and general information.

Published by The
Budapest Sun every few
months, the Visitors'
Guide provides a good
overview of what's hap-
pening in the city. Given
away free with the Sun ,
you should be able to
ind a copy at your hotel.

abled Association
The Hungarian Disabled
Association provides
information on services
such as transport, coun-
selling and personal assis-
tance. In keeping with EU
regulations, all of Buda-
pest's better hotels are
equipped for disabled
guests. The Association
posts a list of disabled-
friendly hotels on its site.

^ Internet Search for Budapest

on the Internet and you'll
be inundated with sites -
a few of the best are list-
ed below. There are Inter-
net cafés and wireless
hotspots all over town.
& Public Transport

@ The Budapest

Times
Available at newsstands
all over the city, this
weekly is the best
source of local news in
English. It has an excel-
lent listings section with
details of opera, cinema
and sports. The Times
also has a sister publica-
tion in German - the
Budapester Zeitung .

) Gay and Lesbian

Travellers
The city has innumerable
gay clubs and bars, and
even has exclusively gay
and lesbian apartment ren-
tals. For details, browse
the excellent website
which provides listings.

for the Disabled
Most buses are now
accessible to the disabled,
as they have entrances
which can be lowered to
pavement level. A few
metro stations have also
been made wheelchair-
friendly, though trams
remain inaccessible to all
but the ittest, due to
their steep steps.
* Accessible Sights

£ Budapest In

Your Pocket
This bi-monthly English-
language visitor's guide
offers accurate and often
hilarious write-ups of res-
taurants, hotels and busi-
nesses. Almost every
place in the city is review-
ed and rated. Available at
newsstands for Ft750, or
ask at your hotel.
$ The Budapest Sun

Directory
Tourinform
• 24-hours: 438 80 80
• Main ofice: V, Sütő
utca 2, Deák tér; open
8am-8pm daily
Tourism Websites
• www.budapestinfo.hu
• www.hungary
tourism.hu
• www.inyourpocket.
com
Hungarian Disabled
Association
• III. San Marco utca
76; 250 90 13;
www.meosz.hu
Gay & Lesbian Guide
• www.budapest.
gayguide.net

for the Disabled
Since Hungary joined the
EU, authorities have been
working to ensure that
most of the country's
sights are accessible to
disabled visitors. How-
ever, many of the older
sights are far from being
wheelchair-friendly.
Places that are equipped
for travellers with disabili-
ties include Mátyás
Church, the Hungarian
National Museum, the
Parliament, the Museum

Not the essential
companion it was some
years ago, The Budapest
Sun is still a great guide,
with a restaurant section,
business news and some
cultural listings. It is usu-
ally given away for free
at hotels, or you can buy
a copy from newsstands.

The Hungarian State Tourist Office, Tourinform, also has a hotline
which visitors can call from abroad: [phone].

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