Hungary - Eastern Europe - page 279

www.hugarytourism.hu), also has offices throughout the world, and it is their man-
date to promote Hungary as a destination for tourism.
For general country information and a variety of pamphlets and maps before you
leave, contact the government-sponsored Hungarian National Tourist Office, 150
E. 58th St., New York, NY 10155 ( & 212/355-0240; www.gotohungary.com). In
London the Hungarian National Tourist Office is at 46 Eaton Place, London SW1X
8AL ( & 020/7823-1032 ). The Hungarian National Tourist Office's main website, a
great source of information, is www.gotohungary.com .
Another site with lots of helpful information for visitors is www.vista.hu . Find gen-
eral city information at www.budapest.com . Current local news, entertainment
listings, and the like can be found at either www.budapestsun.com , www.
budapesttimes.hu , or www.ontheglobe.com .
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Embassies The embassy of Australia is at XII. Királyhágó tér 8-9 ( & 1/457-9777 );
the embassy of Canada is at II. Ganz u. 12-14 ( & 1/392-3360 ); the embassy of the
Republic of Ireland is at V. Szabadság tér 7 ( & 1/302-9600 ); the embassy of
the United Kingdom is at V. Harmincad u. 6 ( & 1/266-2888 ); and the embassy
of the United States is at V. Szabadság tér 12 ( & 1/475-4400 ). New Zealand does
not have an embassy in Budapest, but the U.K. embassy can handle passport matters
for New Zealand citizens.
MONEY
The basic unit of currency in Hungary is the forint (Ft). Coins come in denomina-
tions of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 Ft. Banknotes come in denominations of 200,
500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, and 20,000 Ft.
The U.S. dollar has weakened over the past several years, but Hungary continues to
be considerably less expensive for travelers than most Western countries. Labor-inten-
sive services, such as picture framing, tailoring, shoe and watch repair, and the like, are
particularly inexpensive.
As of this writing, the rate of exchange is $1 = 200 Ft (50p) (or 100 Ft = 50¢/25p),
and this is the rate used to calculate all the U.S. dollar prices in this topic. Of course,
exchange rates fluctuate over time.
The best official rates for both cash and traveler's checks are obtained at banks.
Exchange booths are also located throughout the city center, in train stations, and in
most luxury hotels, but exchange booths almost uniformly offer less favorable rates
than banks. ATMs are found in front of banks throughout the city or in major shop-
ping malls. You may withdraw forints at the daily exchange rate from your home
account through the Cirrus and PLUS networks. At some banks and at all exchange
booths, you will get a better rate when exchanging cash.
You should regard with extreme suspicion anyone who accosts you on the street
wanting to change money, especially someone offering you a rate more than 2% to
3% better than the official one. Such a person is certainly out to cheat you. It is not
recommended to exchange money in anything but a bank or a registered exchange
booth.
The Hungarian forint, fully convertible, leaves no restrictions regarding re-
exchange of forints back into your currency. Consequently, unlike in the past, you
need not retain your currency exchange receipts as proof of exchange.