Hungary Travel Answers

The euro is not a pan-European currency. It has to be formally adopted to replace the country's own currency. It is always best to use the legal currency in any country, imo. The euro may be accepted in some places, but you will almost certainly get a poor exchange rate. Take (or get) and use Hungarian forints and Czech koruna. ATMs will give them to you, or you can exchange euro at exchange booths (check the rate and the commission charge).

Thanks for your answer. We will be on a tour; we will need to purchase lunch each day. Will a credit card do for a bakery or sandwich shop?

Probably not. Even if they accept cards they may not accept them for small amounts (they have to pay charges). Just get some local currency from an ATM or exchange booth or bank. You should have no problems exchanging euros or USD or whatever. Try to avoid exchanging at hotels though. Their rates are ususally pretty poor.

Maybe we should get some extra Euros and just use that as our "exchange" currency, since we will use it in Germany and Austria. If we get the Euros in the U.S. before we leave, we can bring them home with us to use the next time. What do you think? Thanks.

If you are sure you are going to use the euros again then that makes perfect sense to me. I just keep my euros from trip to trip (and buy extra currency from my bank if I'm going to a non-euro country). Exchanging currency twice is daft, of course, so best avoided.

Personally, we never bother getting Euros before we go, as most airports will have ATMs or at least a currency exchange booth, which will be much better rate than in the US. As for Eastern Europe, when we were there in 2007 most places did not want to take Euros, but depending upon the place and the strength of the Euro at the time, sometimes you can use them, BUT you will need to be familiar with the rate of exchange in the country you are in, because otherwise, you will probably lose out there! The smaller the establishment, usually the less likely to be able to spend some other country's currency.

Ok - Thanks so much for your help - we have a while to get this together. Would you figure 7 Euro for a sandwich? We don't plan on sitting down for lunch. When was the last time you were in these countries?

As mentioned, we were there summer 2007, but didn't really do sandwiches. We like to have a decent breakfast and then just one other nice meal per day, usually. But I would think that you could find sandwiches for about that price; certainly in Czech Rep., being the less expensive of the two countries. We found that in Prague, on the riverbank there are several floating restaurants, and they can be a great place for some wonderful food, in a special setting for a late lunch and not break the bank.

Floating restaurants sound interesting - thanks for your help.

Hi Barbara ~ Thanks for your note. It's a little difficult to figure the Czech and Hungarian currency, but using a Euro helps to get an idea of what we will be spending. We will probably also have lunch included in a few excursions on the tour, so we will not need much money. Being informed always helps!

If you allow 10 euros each for lunch you will have plenty of leeway (although Idoubt you will get a 2-course meal + drinks for that, especially in the type of places an organised tour will take you to). I certainly would not expect to spend 7 euros for a sandwich anywhere in Europe (not even the expensive UK). For a salad in a restaurant, perhaps, but not for a take-away filled roll/baguette/whatever.

Hi, I just thought I add some to already good replies: As per currency, in shops, bakeries, etc (small and big) you have to use Forint (In Hungary) and koruna (In Czech rep.). As per Budapest: In some hotels or panzions they take Euros but it is good to know the current exchange rate. However, exchanging (or withdrawing) currency is not a problem - there are plenty of banks and ATMs. You can exchange in small money kiosks around the touristic areas of Budapest and shopping centres too (their rates are usually better than in banks)! As per food: 7 Euros is good for a nice proper (2 course) meal in a non-touristic restaurant or smaller local kocsma (pub). Prices however vary, around touristic places are usually higher than in the city where locals prefer to go. I would say, follow the locals... LOL. Shopping centres have plenty of fast food restaurants, but if you want to taste real hungarian food, go for restaurants located around both Buda and Pest (menus are usually in German and English too). Budapest is made up of 2 different parts divided by the mighty Duna (Danube river), Buda - the hillier, greener and more relaxed (Buda Castle, Gellert Hill with great views and The Fishers Bastions is located here), while Pest is busier with shops, fashion streets (Vaci utca), restaurants and nightlife (Parliament building, Heroes Square and the oldest European rollercoaster is to be found here). Enjoy this lovely Pearl on Danube!

Thanks so much for your reply and the good information. I went out to the bank today to check on ordering Euros, how much I'm charged for ATM use, etc. I guess I'd better get going on this pretty soon - will I be able to use a debit card when I purchase a lunch?

Hi, in some (larger) shops and especially in shopping centres you can use debit card (if it is the kind accepted there - like Visa debit card). American Express cards are not that widely accepted (although their acceptance is improving), the best is Visa or Master Card (some shops in Hungary only accept cards issued in Hungarian banks). But the best of the best is cash (or having a card and cash too). As I said, exchanging currencies like USD, CAD, Euro, British Pounds is not a problem at all! To safe money, try not to eat in restaurants close or directly at the famous touristic spots. Good luck and enjoy these beautiful and culturally rich countries of central Europe.

Thanks for your information and help. I am ready for a change of scenery.