Countrywise
Flag of Hungary

Hungary

Magyarország

Thermal baths, Lake Balaton, Tokaji wine and Budapest's lively nights

01Free

The 30-second card

CurrencyHungarian Forint · Ft · HUFSource: Unicode CLDR · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
TimeUTC+1UTC+2 the rest of the yearSource: IANA Time Zone Database · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
DrivingOn the rightSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Visa · United States passport
No visa needed · up to 90 daysSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Visa · United Kingdom passport
No visa needed · up to 90 daysSource: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
TippingA tip of 10 to 15 percent is customary.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
SIM and eSIM
4G mobile data covers most of the country, and 5G is being rolled out.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Apps locals use
Bolt: ride-hailing in Budapest, Debrecen and Pécs.MÁV app: buy train, long-distance bus and HÉV tickets and passes, plus some international tickets.BudapestGO: Budapest's public transport app, also selling the Hungary and County passes.Emma: journey planner for all domestic operators, with live vehicle positions and delays.
Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Cards or cash
Mostly cashMostly cards
Step 3 of 5: Cash and cards are both widely used.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Money in Hungary
Hungarian Forint · Ft · HUF
Skip Euronet cash machines: they usually charge 2000–2500 HUF on top of your own bank's fees.
Pay in forints rather than euros whenever you can.
Count taxi change: some drivers slip in old Romanian notes that look like forints but are worthless.
Check the bill for a 10% service fee (szervizdíj); if it is there, no tip is expected.
Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ Collect Hungarian Forint in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen
Public holidays in the next 12 months
Fri, 25 Dec 2026 · Christmas Day Karácsony
Sat, 26 Dec 2026 · St. Stephen's Day Karácsony másnapja
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day Újév
Mon, 15 Mar 2027 · 1848 Revolution Memorial Day Nemzeti ünnep
Fri, 26 Mar 2027 · Good Friday Nagypéntek
Sun, 28 Mar 2027 · Easter Sunday Húsvétvasárnap
Mon, 29 Mar 2027 · Easter Monday Húsvéthétfő
Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour day A munka ünnepe
Sun, 16 May 2027 · Pentecost Pünkösdvasárnap
Mon, 17 May 2027 · Whit Monday Pünkösdhétfő
Fri, 20 Aug 2027 · State Foundation Day Az államalapítás ünnepe
Sat, 23 Oct 2027 · 1956 Revolution Memorial Day Nemzeti ünnep
Mon, 1 Nov 2027 · All Saints Day Mindenszentek
Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Hungary say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says
No travel warning
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Exercise normal precautions
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go

Level 1 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 14 Apr 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page
UK Foreign Office says
No advice against travel
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 23 Sept 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page

Scams to know

Inflated bar and restaurant bills

Read menu prices before ordering, check the bill, and avoid places that hide prices.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Taxi drivers steering you to bars

Turn down bars or clubs pushed by drivers or touts; book cabs from a known local firm.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Street money changers

Change money only at banks or official exchange offices, and use official cash machines.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Card skimming

Use ATMs inside banks, check street ATMs for tampering, keep your card in sight to pay.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Drink spiking

Order your own drinks and never let them out of your sight.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Make sure routine vaccinations are up to date before travelling.
Vaccinations

Make sure your routine vaccinations are current before you go.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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Must-see · 1Budapest

The capital, with green parks, good museums and nightlife.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Strange & surprising · #1

Hungarians say the family name before the given name, the only country in Europe that does this.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
National anthem: Himnusz. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
8 World Heritage sites in Hungary, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List
05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP≈ $246.5 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person≈ $25,907Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exportscars, vehicle parts/accessories, electric batteries, packaged medicine, computers (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Population
Population9.5 millionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age45.1 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy76 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
ReligionsCatholic 30.1% (Roman Catholic 27.5%, Greek Catholic 1.7%, other Catholic 0.9%), Calvinist 9.8%, Lutheran 1.8%, other Christian (includes Orthodox) 1.6%, other 0.4%, none 16.1%, no answer 40.1% (2022 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2022 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Geography
Area93,028 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climatetemperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summersSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrainmostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian borderSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).

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