Useful Information for Budapest

Emergency Numbers
Currency Exchange
Post Offices
Pharmacies

Emergencies

24-hour medical assistance: Falck SOS Hungary. Tel: 200-0100
24-hour dental assistance: Tel: 267-9602
Ambulance: 104
Police: 107
Fire service: 105
Inland enquiries: 198
Universal enquiries: 197
International enquiries: 199
Autó club-help number: 188
Speaking clock: 180
Emergency service: 112
Tourinform telephone enquiries: 438-8080

You should report the loss of your passport to the following authority:

Budapest and Pest County Directorate of the Office for Immigration and Citizenship
Address: 1117 Budapest, Budafoki út 60.
Telephone: 463-9165, 463-9181
Open: 24 hours

If your passport is stolen, you must report the loss to the local district police headquarters.

The Budapest Police Command has a round-the-clock service in the centre of town:

Tourist Police V. Vigadó u. 6
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Currency Exchange

All visitors are advised to exchange currency only at accredited places. It is both risky and illegal to attempt to do so in the street. The majority of banks have 24-hour ATM’s some of which can also exchange foreign currency. Individual banks and travel agencies are free to set their own rates (based on those advertised by the Hungarian National Bank) but they must be clearly displayed. It is advisable to keep records of currency exchange transactions until leaving the country. Rates offered at bureaux de change in the city centre and near the main railway stations are generally better than those available in the banks, at the airport and in hotels. The Hungarian currency is the forint. There are coins to the value of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 forints, and notes for 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 forints.

All the most popular credit, debit and charge cards

AMEX,
Diners Club,
Cirrus,
EnRoute,
Euro/Mastercard,
JCB and
VISA

can be used in banks and in ATM’s to withdraw forints, and in hotels, restaurants and shops for purchases. Signs are displayed at the entrance showing which cards are acceptable.

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Post offices Post offices are open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.

The two Head Post Offices near Budapest’s main railway stations are open longer as follows:

VI. Teréz krt. 51 (near the Western (Nyugati) Railway Station): Monday to Saturday 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.

VIII. Baross tér 11. (Eastern (Keleti) Railway Station): Mo-Sa: 7 am - 9 pm, Su: 8-8pm.

All post offices offer encashment facilities for VISA, VISA Electron, Eurocard/Mastercard, and Maestro cards, as well as for Eurocheques and American Express traveller’s cheques and postal orders.

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Pharmacies

Budapest’s pharmacies (gyógyszertár in Hungarian) are well stocked and can provide medicaments for most common ailments. The location of the nearest all-night chemist is displayed on the door of every pharmacy.

All-night pharmacies

Aranyhorgony Gyógyszertár IV. kerület, Pozsonyi út 19.
Déli Gyógyszertár XII. kerület, Alkotás út 1/b
Elefánt Gyógyszertár X. kerület, Pongrác út 19.
Fehérvár Gyógyszertár XI. kerület, Fehérvári út 12.
Hétkorona Gyógyszertár XIX. kerület, Ady Endre út 122.
Mária Gyógyszertár XIII. kerület, Béke tér 11.
Óbuda Gyógyszertár III. kerület, Vörösvári út 86.
Örs Vezér Gyógyszertár XIV. kerület, Örs vezér tere – Rendelőintézet
Reflex Gyógyszertár XVII. kerület, Ferihegyi út 93.
Szentkereszt Gyógyszertár XVII. kerület, Pesti út 170/a
Szent Margit Gyógyszertár II. kerület, Frankel Leó út 22.
Teréz Gyógyszertár VI. kerület, Teréz krt. 41.
Tilia Gyógyszertár XXI. kerület, Áruház tér 8.

In Budapest call +36 1 266 78 68