Practical guide to Budapest Practical guide to the Aster Apartment

Practical guide to Budapest
Practical guide to the Aster Apartment
and house rules
Public transport ....................................................................................................................................................... 2
Arrival ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Taxi facts ................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Cycling / scooters .................................................................................................................................................... 4
Parking .................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Money facts............................................................................................................................................................. 6
Internet, phone calls, post offices ........................................................................................................................... 6
Markets, supermarkets, groceries and buying alcohol and cigarettes ................................................................... 7
Dangers, rip-offs etc. ............................................................................................................................................... 8
Orientation in Bp. and interpreting addresses ........................................................................................................ 9
The building and the apartment ........................................................................................................................... 10
Smoking ................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Neighbors .............................................................................................................................................................. 15
Amenities .............................................................................................................................................................. 15
House rules summary ........................................................................................................................................... 17
Emergency phone numbers .................................................................................................................................. 18
Our mobile phone numbers .................................................................................................................................. 18
1
Public transport
No other capital in the world operates so many different forms of public transport, from the metro
through trolley buses to a cogwheel railway.
The public transport in Budapest is very well organized. You do not have to be afraid of language
difficulties, as the signs are very clear and logical and you will find a stop about every 200m.
For details see the this link: http://www.bkk.hu/en/maps/ or use Google maps to search
destinations. Google has integrated the whole network, timetables included.
BKK has launched its online journey planner application, the so-called FUTÁR app, available also for
smartphones and tablets. The application gives detailed information on schedules of each stop and
also is able to show the real-time position of the public transportation vehicles in operation. This app
offers both the “door to door” trip planner service and also the accessible route options.
The application is available here http://futar.bkk.hu or you can download it for free to your
smartphone or tablet from any online store.
Tickets:
You can find the latest ticket prices here: http://www.bkk.hu/en/prices/
We advise you to buy a 72-hour or 7-day pass, as you can use it without limitations. For shorter
periods you can purchase a block of 10 tickets. You can purchase the passes in every metro station
and in the arrival hall of the airport, see http://www.bkk.hu/en/2013/09/bkk%E2%80%99scustomer-service-points-help-arriving-visitors-with-information-on-how-to-get-around-by-publictransport/. Newspaper and other kiosks also sell single tickets.
Vocabulary:
metró = metro
földalatti = underground
busz = bus
villamos = tram
troli = trolley
vonat = train
gyermekvasút = children’s railway
HÉV = suburban rail
fogaskerekű = cogwheel tram/railway
sikló = Castle Hill Funicular
libegő = chairlift
hajó = boat
megálló = stop
jegy = ticket
bérlet = pass
2
Arrival
By plane:
You will arrive at Ferihegy (now Liszt Ferenc) Airport Terminal 2.
Grab your free citymap at the luggage carousels! You can exchange money here at a bad rate, but we
advise you use the ATM in the arrival hall. (Don’t chose the suggested fixed rate at ATMs)
There are 4 possibilities to get to the city centre:
-
-
-
You have booked an airport transfer with your plane ticket. Just follow the instructions
provided by your airline.
Take a taxi: it will cost you about €30/7.500 Ft + the ‘usual’ +/- 10% tip. It takes 40 minutes to
get to our place. Please do not follow ‘cabdriver looking’ people, just go directly to the
official taxi station.
Book a Shuttle minibus. You have to buy your ticket in the arrival hall and wait for the next
departure. They collect passengers and drop them at your desired address
https://www.minibud.hu/en .
Use public transport: you’ll need 2 tickets (1 ticket costs €1 if you buy a block of 10) or buy a
pass for 72 hours or for 7 days in the departure or arrival hall. This journey will take about 55
minutes to the apartment.
Arriving before 22h50:
1. Bus N° 200E leaves 20m to the right from the exit. You have to get out at Kobanya-Kispest
P+R (19 minutes, max. 9 stops). Timetable
2. Take metro (line 3) to Kalvin ter (14 minutes, 9 stops)
OR:
The last metro will depart at 23h26, so if you cannot catch it on time:
1. Take bus N°200E to Hatar ut (23 minutes, max. 10 stops). Timetable
2. Take bus N°950 (direction to Rakospalota, 14 minutes, max. 8 stops) or bus N°914 (direction
to Kaposztasmegyer, 14 minutes, max. 8 stops) to Kalvin ter
From Kalvin ter you can easily walk to our address (see further, chapter The building)
Reading tip:
http://welovebudapest.com/budapest.and.hungary/how.to.get.to.downtown.budapest.from.the.air
port
(Travelling to the airport:
Metro line 3 to Kobanya-Kispest and bus N° 200E to the airport
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–> you will need +/- 1 hour)
By train:
taking a taxi or using public transport:
-
-
Arriving in Keleti (East) Railway Station:
Take metro line 4 (direction Kelenfold, 3 stops)
Arriving in Deli (South) Railway Station:
Take metro line 2 to Deak ter (direction to Ors vezer, 4 stops) and change there to metro line
3 to Kalvin ter (direction to Kobanya-Kispest, 2 stops)
Arriving in Nyugati (West) Railway Station:
Take metro line 3 to Kalvin ter (direction to Kobanya-Kispest, 4 stops)
Taxi facts
All the official taxis are painted lemon yellow now, however you will still find them in other colors as
the new law is not yet widely implemented.
The local government also recently introduced uniform fees. Which can be interpreted as good news
for tourists, but, on the other hand, giving reductions is also not allowed anymore…
You can order a taxi (we prefer FŐTAXI, the dispatchers speak English, 06-1-2 222 222) or just look
for a free taxi on the street. You can recognize a free taxi very easily: if their ‘taxi’ sign is on top of the
car lights, they are free.
Do not risk going with unofficial drivers because they can overcharge you.
Cycling / scooters
Cycling is getting more and more popular in the city. You can hire bikes and scooters in the
neighborhood.
Look at these addresses:
http://www.retro-robogo.hu/scooter-rental-budapest/
https://plus.google.com/112922111006281156078/about?hl=nl
http://dynamobike.com/
The MOL BUBI public bike-sharing scheme is a new mode of public transport in Budapest, which
consists of 76 docking stations and 1100 (light green) bicycles.
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You can use BUBI in possession of an annual or a semi-annual pass, using a 24-hour, 72- hour or 7day ticket every day around the clock. The startup is planned for April 2014. All the information is
available on their website: http://www.bubi.hu/
Reading tip:
http://welovebudapest.com/budapest.and.hungary/grab.and.go.ride.the.new.mol.bubi.bikes.all.aro
und.budapest
Parking
Will you be arriving by car?
-
Place your car in one of the guarded parking lots for +/- € 13 a day
Or dump the car in one of the free parking areas in district 8, and take the metro line 3 to the
apartment
Or use the Park and Ride car park in district 8, 9 or 10 (price is +/- 350Ft/day) and take the
metro line 3 to the apartment.
For guarded parking’s in the streets around us look here:
http://www.holparkoljak.hu/parkolo/Kinizsi%2014
http://starpark.hu/parkolok/ulloi-ut-27/
In the zone with the smiley, you can park, unguarded, in the street for free:
You can find the Park and Ride car park addresses here:
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http://fovinform.hu/szabalyozasok/ppluszr.php?lang=en
We do not advise you to use your own car in the city. Because, like in any other big city, it is almost
impossible to find a parking place and even if you are lucky, it will cost you too much. It is better to
travel with public transport.
You can find some information on parking fees in the street here:
http://parkall.hu/en/zone.html?city=budapest
Money facts
Hungary uses Forints (shorted to Ft.) The exchange rate fluctuates very often. We usually calculate
with a rate of 300 HUF=1 euro, but check the rate frequently as it can change every day!
www.xe.com
You’ll find ATMs everywhere. The nearest to our apt. is just at the opposite corner of the Raday and
Erkel street.
Most of the shops, ticket offices and restaurants accept credit cards and sometimes you can also pay
with valuta other than Ft.
You can change money in the banks or in exchange offices. The rates depend on a few facts, so ask
them before using their services.
Never change money on the street! This is the tourist rip-off N°2. (See further at chapter Dangers.)
Hungarian people mostly give a 10% tip in restaurants and bars where they are served by a waiter or
in the ruin pubs where you mostly order at the bar.
It’s also normal to give a tip to the cab driver, hairdresser, barber, masseur, guide …
You can round the sum up or down, as you prefer.
For example, if you get a bill of 3700 Ft, you can give the waitress a banknote of 5000 and ask her to
give back from 4000. She will give then you back 1000. That 300 Ft tip is less than 10%, but she will
accept it with a smile instead of looking for small change.
Check your bill well and look for ‘service charge included’ on it before tipping!!!
Internet, phone calls, post offices
Most of the bars and restaurants provide you free wi-fi. If the wi-fi key is not mentioned on a board
or in the menu card, just ask for it!
For local phone calls you have to dial 06 followed by zone number and phone number. Zone for Bp. is
always 1, mobile numbers generally start with 2, but it depends… So if you want to call Fotaxi, just
dial 06-1-2 222 222.
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For international phone calls dial the normal 00 - country code – zone and phone number.
Post offices: the nearest post office is at Gonczy Pal utca 2 and you will also find one just opposite the
National Museum.
We have an IP phone installed in the flat for your questions or in case of ‘emergencies’. Just dial 11
to reach us. It’s free of charge for you!  (You’ll find this telephone in the electric cabinet near the
main door.)
Markets, supermarkets, groceries and buying alcohol and
cigarettes
Supermarkets:
There are a lot of shops in the neighborhood. You will find a small supermarket in the building (open
till 10 in the evening), a Spar and a Manna ABC in the Raday street, a Tesco at the corner of the Kalvin
square and the Lonyay street (open till 10pm).
There are also two 24 hour supermarkets: one just at the opposite corner of the Tesco (Manna ABC)
and one in the begin part of the Baross street at the entrance of the metro on the Kalvin (also a
Manna).
For fresh vegetables, fruit, cheese and meat the best address is the Great Market Hall. It closes at 5
or 6 in the evening, but the best time to visit it is in the morning, as you have the biggest choice. It’s
only 200m from us, walk through the Erkel street in the direction of the Danube. This place is one of
the touristic highlights of Budapest! On Sunday morning you can visit the Farmer’s Market in the
Szimpla Kert (see Restaurant guide).
Shops and supermarkets in most of the districts are not allowed to sell alcohol at night.
Since July 2013 you can only buy cigarettes in the National Tabaco stores.
You have to look for these signs:
They are mostly designed very poorly, ugly and small, but you do not have any other choice. Children
under the age of 18 may not enter these stores. You will find one just at the Tesco and one near the
Manna in the Baross street (open non-stop).
All the tobacco shops are allowed to sell alcohol even at night.
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Shops:
Since 2014 shops are not allowed to be open on Sundays anymore. Never the less there are e few exceptions
such as small food shops.
Dangers, rip-offs etc.
As in any other big city you have to pay attention to a few things, especially if you are a tourist, and
especially in the 5th district:
-
-
Pickpockets (in busy shops, full trams, metro stations…everywhere where you are
surrounded by many people)
Beggars are mostly members of organized criminal gangs. Their handicap is mostly fake.
Beggars ask only for money, real homeless people also accept food. You can recognize the
real homeless people by their ‘mobile’ clobber, they generally sleep on the street (for
example, they spend every evening in the metro station of the Kalvin square). You can help
these very poor people by offering them food leftovers, non-alcoholic beverages, a cigarette
or clothes.
Double tipping (see money facts) and always check the prices before ordering.
Avoid nice, young, good looking girls and boys who invite you to have a drink in a good
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place/bar. You will end up with an extremely high bill or, in case you don’t pay, with a black
eye. So do not believe that they want to celebrate a birthday with you, you look exactly like
her dead brother, etc. 
Changing money on the street. (You cannot pay with useless prewar Yugoslavian banknotes.)
Orientation in Bp. and interpreting addresses
Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube (Duna) with the unification
on 17 November 1873 of west-bank Buda and Obuda with east-bank Pest. Buda is famous for the
hillside, nature and the castle. Pest is the busy economical center, here there are no hills at all. So, if
you do not know in which part of the city you are, just look around .
Budapest has 1.74 million inhabitants (so every 5th person in Hungary lives in the city) and covers an
area of 525 km².
There are 23 districts: 6 in Buda, 16 in Pest and 1 on Csepel Island between them. Each district can be
associated with one or more city parts named after former towns within Budapest. The city center
itself comprises, in a broader sense, the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 13th districts on the Pest side.
For you as a tourist these areas are interesting on the Pest side:
latin district number – the widely used roman numerals – historical area name (recognize the given
names, followed by the word város which means city)
5th – V. – Lipotvaros
6th – VI. – Terezvaros
7th – VII. – Erzsebetvaros
8th – VIII. – Jozsefvaros and the Palace district
9th - IX. – Ferencvaros
13th – XIII. – Ujlipotvaros
14th – XIV. - Zuglo
In Buda:
1st – I. – Buda Castle Quarter
The 2nd (II.), 11th (XI.) and 12th (XII.) are interesting for nature trips.
The Zip codes in Budapest start with 1 followed by the district number + 1 digit.
So our address is 1092 Raday utca 18., this means that the house is situated in the 9th district.
The most important words for locating addresses are:
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utca = street
út = road
körút = ring
tér = square
híd = bridge
pályaudvar = railway station
állomás = station
megálló = stop
park, liget = park
kert = garden
hegy = hill
sziget = island
Duna = Danube
város = city
kerület = district
negyed = quarter
ó, öreg, régi = old
új = new
hol? = where? (Hol van … ? = Where is …?)
itt = here
ott = there
The building and the apartment
From the Kalvin square you will see this corner:
10
Google maps link:
https://www.google.be/maps/@47.489521,19.061939,3a,75y,39.72h,103.92t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!
1sCGlDSoDZO7EAAAGuqtKwxg!2e0!3e11
And this is our building:
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Google map link:
https://www.google.be/maps/@47.487157,19.063242,3a,90y,100.82h,102.11t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2
!1sF4XrnkARCrFBbJoyDyWNhQ!2e0!6m1!1e1
The building was designed by Miklos Ybl in 1875.
He was the most important architect in Hungary during the second half of
the 19th century. His most famous works are the Opera House, the Saint
Stephen's Basilica and the Racz Bath. The church on the Bakats square
(further in the Raday street) was also designed by him.
For extra information on him, look on the Ybl 2014 website:
http://www.ybl2014.hu/
In the building you will find a small supermarket, a second hand book store, a Chinese restaurant, the
historical museum of the district ( which sometimes has nice expositions) and the only document film
center and cinema of Budapest.
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2
1
3
Google maps link: https://www.google.be/maps/@47.4870982,19.0636637,20z
There are 2 gates to get inside of the building (marked with red):
1. Raday utca 18.
2. Erkel utca 15. Usually open in the daytime.
There is a new touch key system to open the outdoor doors.
The lights will automatically flash on: the whole building is provided with motion sensors.
As you can see on the plan there are 3 courts inside of the building (1,2,3)
The stairways that you can use are also marked with stripes and the lift (marked green) is at the
Raday entrance. It doesn’t matter which one you prefer, but you have to get to the 1st floor anyway.
If the doors in the corridors are closed, you have to use the yellow keys (see yellow spots).
Now, if you arrive on the 1st floor at the purple spot, you will see this big door with glass (left
picture).
Here you must use your purple key. (The other door on the same photo is the entrance of my
mother’s flat.)
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Our apartment (marked with blue on the plan) is to the right (see right photo).
There are 2 locks on the door: the dark blue key is for the upper lock and the light blue key is for the
other lock.
Attention
As it is a very old building, with very old doors and very old locks it can happen that you experience
some difficulties to get the keys to work. Our good advice is: try to pull the door slightly in your
direction or just turn the key slowly in the opposite direction. Do not panic if these tricks don’t help,
just go back and try another route with other doors.  You can call us or my mother (her name is
Eva) on the Raday-gate by typing 26 on the parlophone/intercom. Just tell her this magical word:
AJTO, stay at the Raday entrance and she will come and help you. Calling 26 will also ring in our flat,
so if somebody is home they can open the door for you.
Please keep all the doors locked if they were locked, especially the lock with the purple key. If you
are not at home, close all the windows and use at least 1 of the 2 blue keys. We advise you to also
use at least 1 ‘blue’ lock in the night time.
Smoking
Smoking is not allowed in the apartment. You can smoke, however, in the open-air hallway in front of
the door of our flat (see the 2nd photo above ). Please use ashtrays and do no throw cigarette butts
or any garbage downstairs.
Good to know: Be careful with smoking in the public areas of the city: it is prohibited in closed places,
5m from entrances, at the bus/tram stops and so on.
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Neighbors
Yes, we have neighbors!  They are very friendly and can sometimes be very curious.
It’s normal and common that they will greet you, and they will also expect it from you. It is more than
enough to give them back a smile. A ‘hello’ can be useful for young people, but it sounds very
impolite to elders.
If you want you can learn some Hungarian words. ‘Jo napot’ means Have a nice day. Listen to the
pronunciation here: http://glosbe.com/en/hu/good%20afternoon.
Please respect the rest of our neighbors. Most of them go to sleep early, so do not speak loudly after
8 o’clock in the evening in the communal areas.
Amenities
The living room has a big sofa and a dining table that can seat up to eight people.
The inside kitchen corner is fully equipped with the usual kitchenware: a fridge with a freezer
compartment, an induction cooking plate, an oven, a microwave, a dishwasher and a kitchen robot.
Furthermore, you will find a coffee machine, a toaster, a juice maker and a kettle available for your
breakfast comfort and dishware for up to ten people.
One room has a double bed (160cm) upstairs (red bedroom) and 1 sofabed downstairs (office), in
case of necessity .
The second sleeping area is situated just above the living room on a gallery. There you can find two
beds of 100cm which can easily be rolled together (white bedroom).
If you come with more than four or five people, an extra bedroom with a double bed of 160cm will
be waiting for you (black bedroom).
The bathroom is equipped with a bath, a rainshower and a toilet. There is a second toilet and an
extra washbasin upstairs.
In the laundry room you will find a washing machine and the usual cleaning tools.
There is a 22” android touch PC to check your e-mail, surf the internet or look at films.
There is a good, fast wi-fi connection and cable internet in all of the rooms. You can use the IP
telephone to make free calls to Belgium (other destinations on request).
Our slogan is save money and luggage space by leaving as much stuff as possible at home: we offer
you whatever you may need during your holiday.
So, you don’t have to carry with you:
- bed stuff (pillows, blankets, sheets etc.)
- bath stuff (shower gel, soap, shampoo, towels, hairdryer, manicure set, plaster, aspirin, hamam
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towels and swimming caps for visiting the thermal baths etc.)
- kitchen stuff (coffee, tea, sugar or sweetener tablets, quality herbs, cooking oil, cleaning products,
dish clothes, etc.)
- an iron, washing powder, an umbrella, polish
- a smartphone charger for micro and mini USB, travel speakers, a torch…
- toys, maps of Budapest (a selection of books and travel guides – mostly in Dutch – is also available)
Environmental issues:
We are committed to the use of green methods in maintaining the apartment.
We prefer LED lighting, therefore when purchasing new bulbs we exclusively buy warm white LED
lights.
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Selective waste collection is preferred in the apartment. Selective containers are also placed in the
building for sorting plastic, paper and residual waste.
If you care about the environment as well, please use the heating and other appliances at an optimal
level.
Please keep the parquet floor dry, especially in the kitchen area!
Service:
Breakfast is possible if you make a reservation beforehand (€6 pp). Ask us about the possibilities!
You will find the flat fully cleaned upon your arrival, but you can order extra cleaning for €35.
The check-in and check-out times are very flexible, but we ask you kindly to let us know what you
expect. Please deposit the keys in our mailbox (near the elevator, marked Devai-Puskas-Mechiels)
before departure or just give them to my mother. We’ll charge €25 for every lost bunch of keys.
House rules summary
1. We have no reception desk, the key is given at a pre-arranged time. The apartment can be
occupied on the day of the arrival from 2PM (14h) and should be left before 11AM (11h) on the day
of departure. When possible we are flexible with these times so please advise us of your
requirements in advance.
2. Please return all the keys received as agreed previously at the handover.
3. We kindly ask all our guest to fill in our registration book upon arrival. (Registration is required by
law.)
4. The apartment can be used only by our checked-in guests.
5. Please always lock the doors to your apartment, the doors of the corridors and the gate. In case
any apartment key would be lost you should inform us immediately; the necessary lock and key
changes will be charged to you.
6. This point is particularly important and no concessions will be made: Please pay respect to other
residents of the house. Please close the doors carefully and silently, stay away from any behavior
that can disturb any residents particularly after 9PM (21h). We reserve the right to cancel the service
immediately with keeping the whole fee of the rental if we receive any valid complaints from other
residents of the house.
7. We accept no responsibility for your valuables left in the apartment.
8. Please leave the apartment in the same general condition as you found it on arrival. Any damage
caused during your stay must be compensated by you. Please respect the cleanliness.
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9. Should you face any problem with the apartment while your stay, please inform us immediately.
10. Smoking in the apartment is strictly forbidden.
11. Pets are not allowed in the apartment.
Emergency phone numbers
The emergency contact numbers, and some of the most useful phone numbers in Budapest, Hungary
are as follows:
Ambulance: 104 (in English: +36-1-311-1666)
Police: 107
International emergency: 112
Fire Department: 105
Tourist Help hot line:
+36-1-438-8080
Reading tip:
http://welovebudapest.com/budapest.and.hungary/how.to.get.medical.care.in.budapest.emergenci
es.doctors.hospitals.and.more
Our mobile phone numbers
Anna: +32 494 377 666
Diederik: +32 498 88 15 11
Eva: +36 20 486 30 97 (only in Hungarian)
We wish you a wonderful stay in our apartment! Enjoy this fantastic city!
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