» Budapest Travel :: Europe Travel Guide

Events in Budapest - 2005

Filed under:

Budapest Travel

Budapest Event January 2005

Ice Skating (October 2004 – February 2005)
R.E.M Concert – Budapest Sport Arena (22nd January 2005)
Urban Portraits Exhibition (30th November 2004 – 3rd April 2005)

Budapest Event February 2005

Anastacia Concert – Budapest Sport Arena (17th February 2005)
Andrea Bocelli Concert – Budapest Sport Arena (26 February 2005)

Budapest Event March 2005

Budapest Spring Festival (18th March – 3rd April)
Revolution Day (15th March)
Titanic International Film Festival 2005 (31st March – 10th April)

Budapest Event May 2005
Labour Day/May Day (1st May)

Budapest Event June 2005
Danube Dance Carnival (Dates TBC*)
Danube Water Carnival (10th – 19th June)
Bridge Festival (18th – 19th June)
Budapest Farewell – Celebration of the Withdrawal of Soviet Troops in 1991 (25th – 26th June)
Budapesti Bucsu Festival (Dates TBC*)

Budapest Event July 2005

BudaFest Summer Opera and Ballet Festival (1st July – 19th August)
WTA Budapest Tennis Grand Prix (25th July – 31st July)
Hungarian Formula 1 Grand Prix (29th – 31st July)

Budapest Event August 2005

Celebration of Crafts/Festival of Folk Arts (18th – 21st August)
Pepsi Sziget (Island) Festival 2005 (10th – 17th August)
St.Stephen’s Day (20 August)
Budapest Parade (27th August)
Jewish Summer Festival (28th August – 4th September)
Budapest International Wine and Champagne Festival (2nd – 14th September)

Budapest Event October 2005

Budapest Autumn Festival (14th – 23rd October)

Budapest Event November 2005

Advent and Christmas Songs Festival (Dates TBC*)

Budapest Event December 2005

Budapest Christmas Market (1st – 24th December)
New Year’s Eve State Opera House Gala (31st December)

Budapest Event January 2006

Budapest International Circus Festival
(29th January – 2nd February)

Getting Around in Budapest

Filed under:

Budapest Travel

This is a city in which it is difficult to get lost in, despite being divided into 23 separate districts. Buda is dominated by the Castle and Gellert hills, while Pest’s identity revolves around two major ring roads that take you to any of their three connecting Danube bridges. The main bus station is located near to the metro stop at Arpad hid, just off Arpad Bridge, and forms part of an excellent local transport network, designed for convenience and ease. This is more than can be said for a lot of the taxi cabs that traverse the city, so a word of warning here: don’t get into a car that fails to show a yellow licence plate and an ID badge on the dashboard.

Budapests cheap and effective transport system is run by Budapesti Kozlekedsi Vllalat. The network includes the metro, trams, buses, trolley buses (a cross between a bus and a tram) and trains. In summer, there are also BKV Danube ferries. Public transport runs from 0430 to 2300. There is also a limited night bus service, all of which are marked with ɒ. There are three metro lines (M1 yellow, M2 red, and M3 blue) that intersect at Dek tr. The BKV Cog-wheel Railway (Fogaskerek vast) operates every 15 minutes from Vrosmajor utca to Szchenyi Hill daily

Taxis without a yellow number plate, which is required by law, as well as a reputable logo on the side doors and a table of fares posted on the dashboard should be avoided. Visitors should ask the driver for a taxi card, for a better fare on the next journey. The tariff is the sum of the basic fee, kilometre charge and waiting tariff. Maximum tariffs are fixed by law as day (0600-2200) basic Ft300, per kilometre Ft240, waiting Ft60 per minute and night (2200-0600) basic Ft420, per kilometre Ft336, waiting Ft84 per minute. Tips are customary but not compulsory Hungarians normally round the fare up, although a tip should not be more than 10%.

Visitors to Budapest are advised to arrange car hire prior to arrival, in order to save money and avoid the inevitable problem of the language barrier. It is also wise for hirers to ensure that the price quoted is inclusive of fa (VAT). The majority of hire cars in Budapest have manual transmission. A valid national drivers licence is required and a credit card is usually requested for the deposit. The minimum age for car hire is 21 years, although some hire companies require drivers to be over 25. Extra charges are made for additional drivers. Third-party liability insurance is compulsory in Hungary