WEATHER
Budapest has a temperate continental climate. Seasons are usually well defined, with July and August the hottest months (28-30° C, 82-86° F) and December and January the coldest, when temperatures may fall to - 15° C or just +5° F. Average sunshine from April to September is in excess of eight hours a day.

TIME
Budapest is in the Central European Time Zone. In the winter months this means clocks are set at GMT + 1 hour, and in the summer (March to the end of October) GMT + 2 hours.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Public holidays are observed on the three national holidays (15th March, 20th August and 23rd October), on 1st May, and on the main religious festivals and holidays (New Year's Day, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, Whitsunday and Whit Monday, All Saints' Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day).

ELECTRICITY
Voltage in Hungary is 230 volts, and plugs are of the two-pin continental type.

TELEPHONE
The international code for Hungary is 36, the area code for Budapest is 1. To call a number within Hungary, first dial 06. Budapest telephone numbers comprise seven digits, all other areas' have six digits (excluding the area code in both cases). To make an international call from Hungary, first dial 00, then the country code followed by the area code and the subscriber's telephone number. Public telephones accept either coins (20, 50, and 100 forints) or telephone cards (available from tobacconists, newsagents, post offices, and petrol stations). Cheap rate runs at night and on public holidays. To call a (Hungarian) mobile telephone, first dial 06, followed by the subscriber's seven-digit number starting with either 20-, 30- or 70-.

CURRENCY, EXCHANGE, POST OFFICES, CREDIT CARDS
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 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.

Post offices are open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.
The two Head Post Offices near the main railway stations are open longer as follows:
VI. Teréz krt. 51 (near the Western (Nyugati) Station): MON-SAT 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.
VIII. Baross tér 11. (Eastern (Keleti) Station): MON-SAT 7 am - 9 pm, SUN 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.