Euro 2012 is well underway in Budapest and according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office UK (FCO), more than 400,000 British national visit Hungary every year. Most of the visits are trouble free in Hungary but FCO has advised people to take sensible precautions while travelling during the athletic tournament.
Safety and Security:
* Though terrorism is a very low threat in Hungary, but one should always stay alert about the risk of terrorist attack in crowded places and frequently visited public places by foreigners.
* It is advised to all the travelers to take care while taking a taxi if visiting a bar or a restaurant. These taxi drivers often recommend certain bar, restaurants' and night clubs to passengers and they do get commission to bring customers to all these places. It is advised to call a taxi from well known car rental companies for which you can ask your hotel to arrange or suggest.
* Cases have been reported of overcharging up to 100,000 HUF (£300) for a meal and those who are not able to pay the bill are forced to withdraw money under threats of violence. Check before you order whether the prices in the menu are properly displayed or not.
* If one needs money changing then it is advised to go to a known place and not to use street money changers. Always carry small amounts of cash.
* It is advised to be very careful while receiving bank notes as validity of some notes might be no longer in circulation. There are cases of some taxi drivers passing these invalid notes to tourists. Similar frauds are seen especially in the case of 10000 or 20000 note.
Road Travel:
Headlights are compulsory on roads outside town even in the day time. Vehicles using the Hungarian motorways M1, M3, M5 and M7 need to be in possession of a motorway vignette, obtainable at petrol stations and post offices. Motorway toll can also be paid online, said FCO.
Public Transport:
It is very common for foreign tourist to get confused with the tickets in Hungary. It is recommended to follow passenger information notices which are printed in English. If you are travelling in the night, you will need special tickets issued.
The FCO also warns about the reports of attack on gay and lesbian travellers visiting Hungary have occurred in the past few years. It is recommended to read guide books which provide information especially for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender travellers.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
