Travel Insurance Hungary

Business Practices

Business people are expected to dress professionally. Business customs are similar to those in the North America and Western Europe. Typically, Hungarian business people prefer to develop a relationship on which to base a business connection. Luncheons, receptions and dinners are a familiar mode of doing business. For historical reasons, Hungarians customarily do not clink beer glasses when toasting. Women business visitors should be advised that chivalry is alive and well in Hungary -- the Hungarian greeting by a man to a woman is "I kiss your hand," sometimes accompanied by the act itself. Men and women who are well acquainted kiss each other on both cheeks, right-hand first. Hungarians address each other by their family names first, followed by their given names (e.g., Smith John). Business cards follow this convention unless printed in English. Business cards are widely distributed and visitors are well advised to have a supply available. It is always advantageous to learn basic greetings in Hungarian. Hungarian business partners will appreciate even the most minimal efforts. Interpreter and translation services may be booked through travel agents. Normal business hours are 0900 to 1700 though it is not uncommon for businesses to close in the early afternoon on Fridays.

Crime

Hungary has a low rate of violent crime. However, street crime occasionally involving violence has been reported, especially near major hotels and restaurants and on public transportation. Theft of passports, currency, and credit cards is a frequent problem, especially in train stations and on public transportation. There are also a number of scams targeting travelers, described below. Drivers should be cautions when stopping at gas stations and highway parking lots, or fixing flat tires or other mechanical problems, especially at night. There have been reports of scams perpetrated on unwitting victims while traveling the highways. One reported scam involves someone who attracts the driver's attention by saying that there is something wrong with his/her car (e.g. a smoking hood or flat tire) in order to encourage the driver to pull over to the side of the road. Once pulled over, the people participating in the scam will remove purses, passports, etc., from the car and drive away. Luggage and valuables should not be left unattended inside any vehicle. A common scam involves young women asking foreign men to buy them drinks. When the bill arrives the drinks costs hundreds of dollars each. Americans should avoid bars and restaurants promoted by cab drivers or people on the street. Every bar and restaurant should provide a menu with prices before ordering. The vast majority of clubs and restaurants in Budapest are legitimate businesses that offer good value and service. However, there are clubs and restaurants in Budapest about which travelers have made numerous complaints regarding unethical business practices: excessive billing of customers, physical intimidation to force customers to pay exorbitant bills (including holding a member of a party while others in the group pay the bill at ATMs, 24-hour cash facilities), and assault by club/restaurant employees for non-payment of excessive bills. There have been some rare incidents in which foreign travelers have been surreptitiously drugged. Do not let seemingly helpful taxi drivers or local women lure you to an establishment they recommend, as they may receive a commission for bringing victims to the club/restaurant. Avoid restaurants that do not list prices or provide a menu with prices; always verify the cost prior to purchase. Be aware that if there is a billing dispute, restaurant staff may switch menus, showing you one that lists higher prices and other hidden charges. Establishments where there have been multiple reports of victimization include: V?rosk?zpont (accessible by outside elevator) Budapest V district, V?ci utca 16. La Dolce Vita Budapest V district, Okt?ber 6. utca 8. Nirvana Night Club Budapest V district, Szent Istv?n krt.13. Ti'Amo Bar Budapest IX district, Ferenc k?r?t 19-21. Diamond Club Budapest II district, Bimb? ?t 3. Pigalle Night Club Budapest VIII district, Kiss J?zsef utca 1-3. Most of these places are located in Budapest's fifth district, on or near the main tourist street, the V?ci utca. There have been multiple reports of attacks in the Chain Bridge area on both sides of the Danube, and on the bridge itself. One common scam usually occurs in tourist areas and involves a "money-changer" and two "undercover policemen." In this scam, a tourist is approached by a man who asks if s/he would like to change money. If the tourist says, "No, thank you," the man will leave. A minute or so later, two men (sometimes of intimidating size and demeanor) in plainclothes will approach the tourist. The two men will openly display their false police badges or "police identification cards," and request to see all of the tourist's money - the money the tourist might have changed with the first man. At this point, the money will be handled by the two men and then replaced in the tourist's wallet ? but not all the money is replaced ? only the small bills. By the time the loss is discovered, the team of three men will have escaped. There are variations of this scam and one of them involves questioning by these "undercover policemen" of the tourist about drugs and eventually leads to seeing the tourist's wallet. Hungarian police are generally in uniform and do not deal with tourist money changing issues. Tips on avoiding the above scam are: turn away and head in another direction after being approached by the first man; tell them you'd like to consult with another police officer patrolling the area; or tell them you'd like to call your embassy. Some travelers note that the police appear to be ineffective and unmotivated to deal with tourist scams and similar crimes. The Hungarian Ministry of Economic Affairs has a special, 24-hour telephone number for tourists to use if one becomes a victim of personal crime while in Hungary. This telephone number is: 438-8080. Police personnel with foreign-language capability, including English, are on duty seven days a week. There is also a Tourinform office that provides service in English and in German and is located in one of Budapest's busiest tourist areas: S?t? u. 2., 1052 Budapest, open daily 8-20. Tourist police service is also available during the opening hours. Prime theft areas involve crowds of people, where it is easier to distract the unsuspecting tourist. Train stations, trains, trams and metros are full of people and present many opportunities for the thief. Do not leave purses and luggage unattended at any time. Thieves target cash and passports. There have been numerous theft reports from these areas: on trains to/from Hungary; all train stations - in particular, Keleti Station; metro lines #1 and #3; tram lines #2 and #4; bus line #7; and US fast food places such as McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and Burger King. The most prevalent criminal activity is still property crime, which makes up over 80 percent of all criminal activity in Hungary. Prevalent property crimes include theft, car theft and pickpocketing. Car thefts are on the rise; favored cars are VWs and Audis. It is best not to leave any items in the car and not to let others see you put things in the trunk (do this before you arrive at your next destination). There is a substantial organized crime presence in the country which is involved in almost every aspect of legitimate business, as well as, the traditional areas of illegal activities such as gambling, drugs, car theft, loansharking, prostitution and night clubs. Internal conflicts within the various organized crime elements have resulted in violence (e.g., shootings, low-level bombings), however, these incidents do not usually involve the general public. Police and public official corruption are a handicap in combating this problem.

Hotels

Budapest has five 5-star (Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, Kempinski, Inter-Continental) and several 4-star hotels located in or near the center of town. Hotel facilities vary in quality outside of Budapest.

Communications

Telephone IDD service is available. The country code is 36 and the outgoing international code is 00. Telephone service is very reliable in Hungary, including long-distance. Budapest is serviced by three cellular phone systems as well as by several paging services. Calling card services such as AT&T, MCI and Sprint, can be accessed from Hungary. Post office hours: 0800-1800 Monday to Friday, 0700-1400 Saturday.

Electricity

is at 230 volts AC, 50Hz. Electricity 220 volts AC, 50Hz. European-style two-pin plugs are used.

Plug Types

C,F

Food And Dining

A good range of restaurants are available. Table service is common, although there are many inexpensive self-service restaurants. A typical menu offers two or three courses at inexpensive rates. Fine dairy and pastry shops (cukr?szda) offer light meals. Eszpressz? coffee bars and Drink bars offer refreshments. Gerbeaud's is probably Budapest's most famous coffee-house. Things to know: There are no licensing hours, but the legal age for drinking in a bar is 18 years. Minors are allowed to go into bars but will not be served alcohol.

National specialties:
? Hal?szl? (fish soups).
? Goulash guly?s soup (Western goulash is called p?rk?lt or tok?ny).
? Stuffed vegetables.
? Sweet cakes.
? Gundel palacsinta (pancake).
? Goose liver.
? Paprik?s csirke (paprika chicken).
? Kolbasz (spicy sausage).
? Saml?i galuska (a sponge, chocolate, rum and cream dessert). National drinks:
? Tokaji (strong dessert wine).
? Bull's Blood (strong red wine).
? P?linka or barack (apricot brandy).

Tipping:
10 to 15 per cent is expected for nearly all services in restaurants, bars, clubs, taxis and so on.

Nightlife
Budapest has many nightclubs, bars, discos and casinos. Cinemas in major towns show many English-language films. During the summer months the popular Lake Balaton resort has a lively nightlife. Western Hungary in particular has a lot of very good wine cellars. Visitors would do well to search out traditional folk music and dancing, as the gypsy music which is so common in restaurants is not considered the 'true' folk tradition of the country. The magnificent Budapest Opera House stages regular performances, and seats are (by Western standards) exceedingly cheap.