Everyday practical information for Hungary

Language

• Hungarian is unrelated to the languages around it. It is not Slavic and not Germanic, and you will not guess a single word.
• "Szia" (see-ya) for hello and goodbye informally, "jó napot" formally, "köszönöm" for thank you.
• English is widely spoken in Budapest and by younger people. Much less so in villages, where German is often the second language.
• Surnames come first in Hungarian. Bartók Béla, not Béla Bartók.

Eating and drinking

• Check the bill for szervizdíj before tipping. Most Budapest restaurants add 10 to 15 percent already.
• Lunch is the main meal and the daily menu (napi menü) is very cheap, often HUF 2,500 for two or three courses.
• Portions are large and paprika is in everything. "Not spicy" still means paprika.
• Pálinka is fruit brandy at 40 to 50 percent and is offered as hospitality. It is not a shot to be raced.
• Do not clink beer glasses. The custom traces to 1849 and, while few under 40 care, older Hungarians still notice.
• Ruin bars are in District VII, built into derelict courtyards. Szimpla Kert is the original and still worth it.

The baths

• Bring or hire a towel, flip flops and a swimming cap if you plan to use the lap pool.
• Lockers and cabins are separate ticket options. A cabin costs a little more and is worth it.
• Széchenyi is the huge yellow one in the City Park, open all year, and the outdoor pools in the snow are the classic image.
• Rudas has an Ottoman octagonal pool and a rooftop tub, with some single-sex days. Check before you go.
• Wednesdays and early mornings are far quieter than weekend afternoons.

Practicalities

• Plugs are type C and F, 230 V.
• Shops open roughly 09:00 to 18:00 on weekdays, shorter on Saturdays. Sunday trading is allowed but many small shops close.
• Public holidays: 1 January, 15 March, Easter Monday, 1 May, Whit Monday, 20 August, 23 October, 1 November, 25 and 26 December. 20 August, Saint Stephen's Day, brings fireworks over the Danube and a closed city.
• Smoking is banned indoors in bars and restaurants and at covered public transport stops.
• Tap water is safe, and asking for it in a restaurant is normal, though a bottle may be brought if you are not clear.
• Public toilets charge HUF 200 to HUF 400.
• The Danube separates hilly Buda from flat Pest. Almost everything a visitor wants is in Pest, except the castle and the views, which are in Buda.