The short answer is yes. If you come from a nation member of the European Union and have a European Identity card that is enough. In most situations you will not even need to show your passport/ID card as you enter into Hungary arriving with card, bus, train or arriving with flight to Budapest Airport. But in case you need to show it, that is enough.
Author: Budapest Guide
Can I buy Budapest public transportation tickets online?
Can we buy a ticket of transport for week on Internet?
Thank you for the question. At the moment you can not buy Budapest public transportation tickets online. The online option of purchasing tickets online is if you decide to buy a Budapest Card for 24, 48 or 72 hours. You can find more information about the card and buy it online at the following page. It is worth knowing though that in most situations we do not recommend the usage of this card, as most people will use less money buying a simple transportation card and then enter the different museums, activities and sights paying full entrance fee!
Budapest Metro 4 to be finished in March 2014
According to the latest news the new metro line in Budapest, Metro 4, is supposed to be finished by March 2014. The deal most be accepted by supervisory authorities, but if they smile and say yes, we can hope to see Metro 4 opened in Budapest by the end of March 2014. Of course, no one really believes that it will be finished by then, but at least we can hope. It would be great to remove all those construction locations around in Budapest to make space for car traffic again and of course to be able to use the metro connecting Bosnyak tér on the Buda side with Kelenföld railway station on the Buda side!
Go for it and wish you good luck in the process of finishing the metro!
Depeche Mode Budapest 2013
Depeche Mode has been to Budapest several times since the band was formed in England in 1980, and their last concert was in January 2010. They also visited Budapest in the summer of 2009, but where is that? It is far behind in history, and we know that lots of people are very pleased to hear that the band known to be the most popular Electronic music band on the planet will return to Budapest again in 2013. The concert date for this Budapest event is May 21st and it will start at 20.00.
The Depeche Mode tour in 2013 starts in Tel Avis in Israel in the start of May, but we know that in lots of cities the Depeche Mode concerts will be arranged indoor. But, in Budapest it will be 30,000-40,000 people at the concert as the venue is the largest football arena in Hungary, the Puskas Ferenc Stadium. It will be crowded and a wonderful atmosphere. I dare say that this will probably be the most popular concert in Budapest and Hungary in all of 2013. Quite some years ago we wrote an article about the most popular concerts in Budapest throughout history (based on ticket sales from the biggest ticket sales company in Hungary), and they placed Depeche Mode on the top of their list, so expect it to be crowded.
If you want to buy tickets for the Depeche Mode concert in Budapest, so that you can be there and listen to the music made by Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher, you can order your tickets for the concert using the links on this page. If you want to buy Depeche Mode music on CD, MP3 or so on, visit Amazon.com.
Depeche Mode BUdapest 2013
May 21, 20.00
Puskas Ferenc Stadium
Tickets: Seatwave.com – Viagogo – WorldTicketShop
If you like Depeche Mode, why not check out on of their two concerts in London as well?
Revolution day in Hungary – October 23rd
Today is the national day of Hungary and October 23rd is the day of the uprising against the communists in 1956. The revolution did not last for too long, but the spirit of the Hungarians still live and their courage to stand up against the communists gave courage to other nations around the world, even though it did not succeed the way the Hungarians hoped for.
October 23rd is now one of three national days in Hungary, and on October 23rd people have the chance to relax at home and maybe go out into the city to buy an ice cream, eat some chimney cake and of course take part in one of many demonstrations in town.
There will be lots of political demonstrations in Budapest today, the biggest one probably arranged by the Elisabeth Bridge on the Pest side from 15.00. Quite some of the demonstrations are arranged by the left side in Hungary trying to protest and stand together against the right side which is currently leading the nation, but the right side will also have their gatherings today. If you want to understand more about Hungarian politics, why not read this interesting article on the subject of Hungarian politics.
All shops are closed in Budapest today, but restaurants, confectioneries, cinemas and museums are mostly open!
Abba The Show Budapest 2013
Almost every year it is a sweet tradition that Abba the Show comes to Budapest. The show visited our city in 2009, then in 2010, and then again in 2011. In 2012 they will do a little break, but in 2013 Abba the Show will yet again visit Budapest and you are of course all invited to come and join the party!
The venue for this upcoming Budapest event is Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena, located by the Stadionok metro station (red line), so it is easy to get there using the public transportation. In case you come with car there are lots of parking lots in the area, the cheapest one is to park in Arena Plaza (free parking) and then enjoy the 5-10 minute walk to the venue from there.
Abba the Show will be in Budapest on March 7th, and the event will start at 20.00. If you would like to be there on this event, then you can buy tickets using the links further down on this page. If you would be interested in any other Abba the Show event around in Europe in 2013 as well, then we recommend that you use the Viagogo link.
While in Budapest, do not miss out on all the other cool activities, programs, attractions and things to do. It is a beautiful city, so it is a waste to only come for a concert!
Abba the Show Budapest 2013
March 7th, 20.00
Budapest Sportarena
Tickets: Viagogo – WorldTicketShop
Where do Hungarians go to do winter sports?
I am going to move to Hungary, but I am wondering where I can continue doing winter sports, as I am a big winter sport lover. Thanks for all your help!
This is a good question, and we thank you for asking it. First of all it is not a coincidence that Hungarians now very little about Winter Olympics, and you will never see a winter Olympics broadcast at the normal national television in Hungary. The reason is that they are not really even there, and the results are not at all good. The main reason is that there are very few places in Hungary ideal for practicing and for winter sports in general. Still, if the Hungarians want to do some ski sports, the poor and easy version is to visit Normafa in Budapest. Here you can do some sliding and normal skiing is also possible.
For those interested in luxury ski deals we normally recommend to leave Hungary and travel to Austria. There you can find large areas and skiing opportunities. One such option is for example to visit Semmeringen. Here you can find 14 kilometres of ski runs during the day, 13 kilometres of ski runs at night, 3 kilometres Zaug adventure toboggan run, Split Park for Snowboarders and Free-style skiers, Kinderareal, Fast, comfortable lifts, FIS world cup arena and of course bars, hotels, restaurants and lots of other cool activity possibilities.
Another option only 350km from Budapest is Annaberg. There you can find different length of ski tracks (4-20km) and the alpine runs have a height difference of 600metres. It is also family friendly making it ideal for families coming with smaller children. The alpine area has a total of 9 elevators. The price for a day ticket is about 30 Euro per person, but if you come with children under 6 years they go free in company with an adult. Annaberg also has a small childrens land, making it even more attractive for the little ones.
These are just some suggestions, but for some good deals on such programs, you better go abroad, and the most luxurious and popular versions can be found in Austria.
New hand luggage policy from Wizz Air
It has only been a matter of time before this would come, and here it is. New rules concerning hand luggage, making the airlines able to make you pay more for the luggage you bring with you. The question is only when RyanAir, EasyJet and the rest of the low cost airlines follow Wizz Air’s example. But what are the new luggage, or let us say hand luggage policy from Wizz Air about? As of know when you do booking you can get one hand luggage for free, but the max size is 42x32x25cm, which is small enough to fit under the seat in front of you. Until now the size has been 55cmx40cmx20cm.
For larger hand luggage, with size up to 56x45x25cm you will now have to pay, and the price is 9 GBP or 10 Euro. This is of course if you book it as your order your flight online.
Here comes the official information from the Wizz Air homepage: (source)
Beginning October 04th, passengers booking Wizz Air seats* for travel from October 24th onwards can travel with a free small cabin bag (up to 42x32x25cm) or pay a ₤9 online fee to bring a large cabin bag (up to 56x45x25cm) on board. Goods purchased at the airport after security (an important source of revenue for Wizz Air’s 81 airport partners) will continue to be allowed in the cabin for free. This new policy does not apply to bookings made before October 04th or for flights departing before October 24th, except on the trial route London-Katowice where this policy already applies. Wizz Air believes this new ₤9 large cabin bag online fee will incentivize passengers to bring smaller bags on board the aircraft while only those choosing to bring large bags will pay for it. For new bookings on flights departing from 24th October, all Wizz Air fares will be discounted by ₤4.5 ** to share the expected cost savings with our passengers.
New cabin baggage policy from 04 October
| Cabin Baggage Type | Size (volume) | Examples | Fee |
| Small cabin bag | Up to 42x32x25cm; (30 L) | handbag, small backpack, laptop bag, (must fit under the seat) | FREE |
| Large cabin bag | Larger than small cabin bag and up to 56x45x25cm; (60 L) | trolley bags
|
₤9 (online) |
|
Cabin baggage policy: 1 small cabin bag OR 1 large cabin bag per pax. Goods purchased at the airport after security will also be allowed in the cabin for free! |
|||
Michael Powell, CFO of Wizz Air, said:“When it comes to low fares Wizz Air knows no half measures! Wizz Air is announcing its new and innovative cabin baggage policy after a successful trial confirmed that more onboard space and cost savings are achieved when passengers bring less large bags into the cabin. With the vast majority of passengers willing to bring smaller bags on board we are now the first European carrier to eliminate a chronic problem in the airline industry faced by all airlines, but, even more important for consumers, Wizz Air is again pioneering in delivering lower fares by passing on the cost savings in the form of discounted fares for all passengers. We leave it for high fare airlines to tackle their costs by raising fares and levying unavoidable fuel surcharges while Wizz Air passengers will continue to pay only for the services they use. Today we encourage our passengers to travel smart and bring only a small bag on board. To pass on the expected cost savings we are immediately discounting by ₤4.5 all fares available for booking under the new cabin bag policy at wizzair.com.”
Budapest in October 2012
If you are coming to Budapest in October there are quite a lot of nice programs waiting for you. In this month you can join in as the Hungarian celebrate their national day on October 23rd, you can check out the Palinka and Sausage festival (October 4-7), run in the biggest marathon of the year in Budapest (October 7), visit the CAFE festival (October 5-14) and do quite a lot of programs.
The average temperature is about 13 Celsius, but it can get much warmer, so bring both a t-shirt and a jacket.
If you wonder where you should stay while in Budapest, we can warmly recommend one of the following hotels:
– Mercure City Center
– Erzsebet City
– Kempinski
This is a short article about Budapest in October, but if you want a much more informative and detailed information you should read the following article: Budapest in October by Budapest blog
Chocolate festival in Budapest, September 20-23 – 2012
From September 20th – 23rd in 2012 there will be a Chocolate and Sweets Festival in the Castle of Budapest. During the festival you can get to know more about how to make and prepare cakes and chocolate, but first of all you can taste lots of sweets from different manufacturers in Hungary. If you are hungry you will also find good food and drinks inside the festival area.
If you would like to get more information about the chocolate and sweets festival, visit this page.
