BASICS - The Rough Guide to Budapest - page 58

Maps
The maps in this guide, together with the small freebies supplied by tourist offices and hotels,
should be sufficient to help you find your way around. Larger folding maps are sold all over
the place, but their size makes them cumbersome. For total coverage you can't beat the wire-
bound Budapest Atlasz , available in bookshops in a range of sizes (from 2500Ft), which
shows every street, bus and tram route, and the location of restaurants, museums and such
like. It also contains enlarged maps of the Vár, central Pest, Margit-sziget and the Városliget,
plus a comprehensive index.
Money
Hungary's unit of currency is the forint (Ft or HUF), with notes issued in denominations of
200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000 and 20,000 forints, and coins in denominations of 5, 10,
20, 50 and 100 forints. At the time of writing, the exchange rate was around 370Ft to the
pound sterling, 310Ft to the euro and around 220Ft to the US dollar. You might be able to buy
forints at some banks or exchange offices, or in the UK at post offices, but you will probably
have to order them in advance.
By far the easiest way to get money is to use your bank debit card (or credit card) to with-
draw cash from an ATM, found all over the city. All major credit cards are accepted in hotels,
restaurants and shops, though not necessarily in some of the smaller ones.
As a rule, you're best off changing money in banks , which are normally open Monday to
Thursday from 8am to 4 or 5pm, and on Friday from 8am to 3pm, although the ubiquitous
private exchange offices offer similar rates. Banks charge no commission, but you will need
to show your passport; exchange offices do levy a commission, but no passport is required.
Large hotels will change most hard currencies.
If taking cash, and you are not able to obtain forints in advance, a modest amount of low-
denomination euros is advisable, although pound sterling and dollars are widely accepted.
Avoid anyone who approaches you on the street or at stations offering to exchange money -
you will almost certainly be fleeced.
Opening hours and public holidays
Shops are generally open Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm, and on Saturdays from 10am
to 2pm; grocery stores and supermarkets open slightly longer hours at both ends of the day.
The shopping malls are open Monday to Saturday 10am to 8pm or 9pm, and Sunday 10am
to 6pm. There are also a growing number of 24-hour shops (signed “non-stop”, “0-24” or
“ éjjel-nappali ”).