Witness the Wonder, World Outdoor Athletics Championships Budapest 2023, Day 27, What you need to know about Budapest!

This is Witness the Wonder, the Preview to the 2023 World Champs in Budapest for Day 26, May 14, 2023.  

Updated May 14, 2023, with a quote from Sha’Carri Richardson in Nairobi, Kenya. 

For the next 18 days, RunBlogRun will be posting a story a day on the buildup to the World Athletics Outdoor Championships, to be held in Budapest, Hungary, from August 19-August 27, 2023.

Tonight we will talk about Budapest! (courtesy of Visit Hungary and World Athletics)

Budapest

The Hungarian capital was established in 1873 when Buda and Pest merged with Óbuda.

• 525 km2
• 1.7 million people, 23 administrative districts
• Buda: hilly, Pest: flat; the two parts are separated by the Danube
• 9 bridges, 3 islands

GENERAL INFORMATION

Official language: Hungarian, the most commonly used spoken languages ​​are English and German. Hungary has been a member of the European Union since 2004 and of the Schengen area since 2007.

Official currency: Hungarian Forint (HUF). Information on the current central bank rate: www.mnb.hu.

Currency exchange: It is possible to pay by credit card (Visa / Mastercard) everywhere; exchanging money at a bank or an official currency exchange point is advisable. You may need cash at the market or street parking machines.

Phone: +36 (Hungary), 1 (Budapest), 7-digit phone numbers, e.g., urban: +36 (1) 111 1111, mobile: +36 20/30/70 111 1111, countryside +36 (34) 111 111

Weather: 4 seasons, warmest months: July – Aug. + 25 / + 40 ° C, coldest: Dec – Jan. -4 / -15 ° C

Time zone: UTC + 1 hour in summer (March-Oct) UTC + 2 hours

Holidays: Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays (Jan. 1, Mar. 15, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May 1, Pentecost, Aug. 20, Oct. 23, Nov. 1, Dec. 24-25– 26.)

Business hours: Most stores are open from 9 or 10 am to 6 or 8 pm, Monday to Friday, and from 10 am to 1 or 2 pm on Saturdays. Grocery stores open early, at 6 or 7 am. Fuel stations along freeways are also open 24/7. Banks are open Monday to Friday. Museums are usually closed on Mondays, just like a few restaurants. All banks, offices, and stores are closed on National Public Holidays.

Electricity: In Hungary, power plug types C and F are used. The electric current is of 230 V and 50 Hz. If you need an adapter for your electric devices, getting one at home or at an international airport is recommended.

SAFETY
Hungary is known to be safe, peaceful, and easy to travel around. Tourists can feel safe here: on the list of the Global Peace Index, Hungary is the 13th safest among 163 countries.

ENTERING HUNGARY

You need a valid passport, but the ID card is sufficient for EU citizens, and visas are not required either. Neither are visas required for citizens of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, the United States or New Zealand. Passports of air passengers arriving from or heading to any of the Schengen countries are not controlled either, only for security reasons.

You can find further information on the most up-to-date list under HTTP://KONZULISZOLGALAT.KORMANY.HU/EN.

ARRIVAL, ACCESS TO THE DOWNTOWN

BUDAPEST LISZT FERENC INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

By public transport:

All 4 metro lines can be reached by bus 100E; the terminal station is in the city center, in Deák Ferenc tér. It can be used with a separate ticket, which can be purchased from the BKK vending machine, the driver, or the Budapest GO application.

Or take bus 200E to Kőbánya-Kispest metro station, and from there, take the M3 metro to Deák Ferenc tér. It can be used with a BKK ticket, which can be purchased from the BKK vending machine, in the Budapest GO application, or from the driver.

Főtaxi, the official transport partner and taxi service provider of Budapest Airport; can be booked at the FőTaxi stands at the Terminals 2A and 2B entrance.

Airport shuttle minibus service: the service can be ordered from the miniBUD website www.minibud.hu or at the airport miniBUD customer service desks.

RAILWAY STATIONS

Nyugati railway station

Keleti railway station

Déli railway station

www.mav.hu

BUS STATIONS

Népliget

Stadiums

Árpád Bridge

www.volanbusz.hu

PUBLIC TRANSPORT (Budapest Transport Center – BKK)

Budapest is a real pioneer in terms of public transport: the first electric underground in Europe operates here, the tram line on the Grand Boulevard is one of the busiest in the world, and Budapest also has the longest tram in the world. The Budapest Transport Center (BKK) manages public transport in the Hungarian capital. Like other European capitals, Budapest has an extensive public transport network, with about 285 buses, 35 trams, 15 trolleys, and 4 metro lines, but we can also travel by cogwheel, HÉV, cable car or chairlift. BKK lines run between 4:30 and 23:30 during the day, and from late in the evening until dawn, you can get almost anywhere in the capital by night buses and tram 6, which runs around the clock. Tickets can be purchased in the BudapestGO mobile phone application or from BKK vending machines and sales points available in many parts of the city.

Additional information: +36 (1) 325 5255; www.bkk.hu

TAXI

Several taxi companies are in the capital, with yellow cars with the inscription “Licensed Budapest Taxi” on the left front door. Larger taxi companies can be reached through apps.

IMPORTANT TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Emergency call: 112

Police: 107

Ambulances: 104

Firefighters: 105

Road emergency call: 188

ON-CALL HEALTH SERVICES

Medical service: Semmelweis University 1085 Budapest, Üllői út 26. T: +36 1 459 1445

Pharmacy: Pest: 1067 Budapest, Teréz krt. 41. T: +36 1 311 4439 Buda: 1123 Budapest, Alkotás utca 1 / B T: +36 1 355 46 91

Dentist: Semmelweis University 1088 Budapest, Szentkirályi utca 40. T: +36 1 317 6600; Extension 60719

Animal Hospital: Budapest Animal Hospital 1135 Budapest, Lehel út 43. T: +36 1 350 0361; www.allatorvos-budapesti.hu

RULES FOR SMOKING AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION:

Tobacco products can only be purchased at designated National Tobacco Shops. Smoking is prohibited in public areas at traffic stops, within five meters of the entrance to institutions, and in enclosed spaces.

Drinking alcohol in public places is prohibited. It is forbidden to serve alcohol and tobacco to children under the age of 18, and minors are not allowed to enter the tobacco shop. For drivers, the permissible blood alcohol level is 0.0 g / l.

TIP

It is not obligatory to give a tip. It is advisable to check the restaurants and bars before ordering to see if there is a service charge. For those who want to give, the tip is usually ten percent of the total.

MOTORWAY

The motorway e-vignette is obligatory on the Hungarian motorways, on the M1, M2, M3, M5, M6, M7 motorways, as well as on certain road sections, broken down by counties. The e-vignette can be obtained online (www.autopalyamatrica.hu) or at larger petrol stations. In Hungary, the rules of the road based on the Vienna and Geneva Conventions is valid, similarly to other European cities. Additional information: +36 36 587 500; www.nemzetutdij.hu

PARKING

There are parking zones in Budapest with different tariffs. You can pay in cash at the vending machine closest to the car and then place the certificate in the window. Parking by mobile phone is also an option, but only from a Hungarian phone number. Although the parking obligation varies from district to district, it is usually paid everywhere between 8.00 am and 8.00 pm on weekdays, while it is free on weekends (except in special districts such as Buda Castle).

To read all of our earlier stories in Witness the Wonder, numbers 1-26: