Good to know before your trip — Hungary

You found a free space, located a pay-and-display machine, and sorted out your change. The machines are gone now, but the fine for an unpaid space arrives just the same as it always did. The Budapest City Assembly amended its parking regulations to remove the legal basis for collecting fees via parking meters, and that provision came into force on 1 July 2026. It applies across the entire city, not just in certain districts. Payment is made via app, SMS, or phone call, and your parking session does not begin until the confirmation response arrives. In practice, this means that parking in Budapest requires either a Hungarian phone number or an app set up with a foreign card — and you need to sort that out before you need a space, not while standing next to your car. The city sets the tariffs and zones, but individual districts handle enforcement and collection, so the details vary from one neighbourhood to the next.

Hungarian motorways have no toll booths or barriers. Nothing physically stops you from driving on without a vignette, but cameras record your plate the moment you enter. Tolling is entirely electronic and tied to your number plate. You purchase a vignette in advance through the official operator, at a petrol station, or via an app — there is no sticker on your windscreen; proof of purchase is simply a record in the system. Enforcement is automated, using fixed and mobile cameras, so any violation is detected on the same day rather than at the border crossing. One thing that catches many travellers off guard: the product listed in the price table as a 'weekly' vignette is actually valid for ten days, counted from the start date you select yourself. If you are passing through Hungary in transit, buy the vignette before you join the motorway, not after your first stretch on it.

Hungary is a member of the European Union but is not part of the eurozone. When you pay by card, the terminal or ATM will often offer to display the amount in your home currency. This looks like a helpful service, but it is typically more expensive. This is called dynamic currency conversion. In that case, the exchange rate is set by the merchant or ATM operator, not your bank, and a margin is already built into it. The Hungarian Competition Authority explicitly states that the cardholder decides whether to accept or decline the offered rate, and recommends paying in the local currency. In practice: when two amounts appear on the screen, choose the one in forints. The same applies at ATMs, where the conversion option is often pre-selected as the recommended choice. Declining the conversion carries no risk — the transaction goes through normally, it is simply converted at your card's own exchange rate.

You step out of the terminal, buy a public transport ticket as you would anywhere else, and board the bus heading to the city centre. Then the inspector treats you as if you have no ticket at all. The direct line connecting the airport to the centre operates on its own, considerably more expensive fare. Standard single tickets, time-based tickets, day tickets, and travel passes are all invalid on this route. A ticket for this line does not permit transfers or travel on other lines, and the journey must be completed within a set time limit. A cheaper alternative does exist: take an ordinary bus to the end-of-the-line metro station, then the metro into the centre, using a single ticket valid for transfers between metro lines. The trade-off is that it takes longer and is not particularly comfortable with large luggage. Buy your ticket before boarding, as purchasing from the driver is more expensive than using a machine or the app.

The 24th of December is not a public holiday in Hungary, so travellers tend to assume it is a normal working day with perhaps slightly reduced hours. By the afternoon, however, the city is shut. Trade law stipulates that shops may remain open no later than 14:00 on that day. This is not a recommendation or a decision made by individual retail chains, but a rule that applies every year, regardless of which day of the week Christmas Eve falls on. Exempted are restaurants and cafés, accommodation establishments, florists, confectionery shops, petrol stations, and outlets located in railway stations, bus stations, and airports. In practical terms: buy everything you need by the 23rd at the latest, or first thing that morning. Restaurants are open, but many in central Budapest close in the evening, as Christmas Eve is a family occasion — so make sure you book a table in advance.