What is the currency of Hungary?

The Hungarian Forint (HUF), often written as Ft. Banknotes circulate in 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, and 20,000 denominations. Coins range from 5 Ft to 200 Ft. Hungary is an EU and Schengen member but has not adopted the Euro — the Forint is the only legal tender. No firm timeline for Euro adoption has been set.

Can I pay with Euros in Hungary?

Some hotels, restaurants, and shops in central Budapest accept Euro banknotes, but the exchange rate they apply is typically 5–15% worse than the interbank rate. You are always better off paying in Forints. At card terminals and ATMs, always choose to pay in HUF (decline dynamic currency conversion) to let your own bank handle the conversion at a better rate.

What is the best way to get Hungarian Forints?

Withdraw HUF from bank-branch ATMs (OTP, K&H, Erste, Raiffeisen, CIB) using your Visa or Mastercard debit card — this typically gives the best rate with the lowest fees. Avoid Euronet-branded ATMs and airport exchange counters. If you prefer to exchange cash, bring Euros or US Dollars and use reputable exchange offices in central Budapest (look for places displaying rates without commission and near Deák tér or Astoria). Avoid exchanging at hotels or the airport, where margins are widest.

Are credit and debit cards widely accepted?

Yes, in cities. Visa and Mastercard (including contactless) are accepted at the vast majority of restaurants, shops, hotels, petrol stations, and public transport kiosks in Budapest and other major Hungarian cities. American Express has limited acceptance. Cash is still needed at farmers' markets, some smaller rural guesthouses, and individual market stalls. Public transport single tickets can be bought by card at machines, but on-bus ticket purchases may be cash-only.

How much should I tip in Hungary?

At restaurants, 10% is the standard — tell the waiter the total you wish to pay rather than leaving money on the table. Service charges are occasionally included (look for 'szervízdíj' on the bill); if so, additional tipping is not expected. Round up taxi fares to the nearest 500 or 1,000 HUF. Thermal bath locker attendants and hotel porters appreciate 500–1,000 HUF. At ruin bars and casual drink spots, tipping is not expected but always welcome.

Is Hungary expensive?

Hungary is one of the most affordable destinations in the EU. A full restaurant meal with wine in Budapest costs roughly a third to half of what the equivalent would cost in London, Paris, or Vienna. Public transport, museum admissions, thermal bath entry (typically 2,000–7,000 HUF), and accommodation are all well below Western European averages. Lake Balaton in high summer and central Budapest at peak tourist season are the priciest settings, but even these are moderate by Western standards.

Are there currency export limits?

EU rules apply: if you are entering or leaving the EU (which includes Hungary) carrying more than EUR 10,000 or the equivalent in any currency, you must declare it to customs. Within the EU and Schengen zone there are no routine border currency checks, but customs authorities may request a declaration for amounts over EUR 10,000 on intra-EU journeys if asked.

Hungary

🇭🇺

Phone Code

+36

Capital

Budapest

Population

9.6 Million

Native Name

Magyarország

Region

Europe

Eastern Europe

Timezone

Central European Time

UTC+01:00

Hungary is a Central European country and EU/Schengen member, known for Budapest's stunning architecture, thermal baths, rich history, and unique Hungarian language. Budapest, the capital straddling the Danube River, features the Parliament Building, Buda Castle, thermal baths (Széchenyi, Gellért), and ruin bars. Visitors are drawn to Budapest's thermal baths and architecture, Danube River cruises, Lake Balaton (Central Europe's largest lake), Eger wine region and castle, Pécs historical center, Tokaj wine region (UNESCO), Hungarian cuisine (goulash, paprika), traditional folk culture, and affordable prices. Hungary offers Central European charm, spa culture, and wine tourism.

Visa Requirements for Hungary

As a Schengen Area member, Hungary follows standard Schengen visa policies. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens can enter with just a valid ID card or passport for unlimited stays and can work freely. Citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and many other countries can enter visa-free for tourism or business stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period across the entire Schengen Area. Those requiring Schengen visas should apply through Hungarian consulates or embassies, submitting completed application forms, passport photographs, travel itinerary, proof of accommodation, travel insurance (minimum €30,000 coverage), and proof of financial means. Budapest is a major European tourist destination with millions of visitors annually. Processing typically takes 15 calendar days.

Common Visa Types

Visa-Free Entry (Schengen)

Up to 90 days within any 180-day period; applies to entire Schengen Area including Hungary; passport must be valid 3 months beyond departure.

For tourism, business, conferences, visiting friends/family for US, UK, Australia, Canada, and other eligible nationalities.

EU/EEA/Swiss Entry

Unlimited stay; can enter with valid national ID card or passport; freedom of movement rights apply; can work without permit.

For EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens for tourism, work, residence, or any purpose without restrictions.

Schengen Visa (Type C)

Up to 90 days within 180-day period; valid for all Schengen countries; single, double, or multiple entry; processing 15 days.

For short-term stays including tourism, business, cultural events, conferences for nationalities requiring Schengen visa.

National Visa (Type D)

Beyond 90 days; requires specific purpose documentation; leads to residence permit; Hungary-specific, though allows Schengen transit.

For stays exceeding 90 days including work, study, family reunification, or residence in Hungary.

Important Travel Information

Passport validity: Must be valid for at least 3 months beyond intended departure from Schengen Area. Issued within last 10 years.

90/180 rule: Maximum 90 days in any 180-day period across entire Schengen Area, not just Hungary.

Currency: Hungarian Forint (HUF), not Euro. Hungary is EU member but not Eurozone. ATMs ubiquitous. Exchange Euros or use ATMs. Cards widely accepted.

Travel Guide

Budapest is the obvious headliner — a city that straddles the Danube with a skyline defined by the neo-Gothic Parliament on the Pest bank and the hilltop Buda Castle across the water, connected by the 19th-century Chain Bridge. The thermal bath culture is the single most distinctive experience the country offers: Budapest sits on more than 120 natural hot springs, and the bath tradition — rooted in Ottoman-era hammams, expanded under Habsburg rule, and still woven into daily life — has no real equivalent elsewhere in Europe. Széchenyi (the largest medicinal bath complex in Europe, outdoor pools steaming in winter), Gellért (Art Nouveau interiors, wave pool), Rudas (16th-century Ottoman dome, rooftop pool overlooking the Danube), and Király (original Ottoman vault) each offer a different register of the same deep tradition. Beyond the capital, Hungary opens into wine country, lake country, and steppe. Tokaj — a UNESCO-listed wine region in the north-east — produces the botrytised Tokaji Aszú that Louis XIV called 'the king of wines, the wine of kings.' Eger, an hour and a half from Budapest, pairs a hilltop castle with the Bull's Blood (Egri Bikavér) cellars of the Valley of the Beautiful Women. Lake Balaton, Central Europe's largest lake at 77 kilometres long, is Hungary's summer heart: sailing, cycling, and vineyard villages along the northern shore around Badacsony and the Tihany peninsula. The Hortobágy National Park on the Great Plain — another UNESCO site — preserves the puszta steppe, csikós horsemen, and vast migratory bird populations. Hungary is a Schengen and EU member but outside the Eurozone; the currency is the Hungarian Forint (HUF), and prices across the board are significantly lower than in Western Europe.

Ways to Experience This Destination

Budapest: thermal baths, architecture, and nightlife

Budapest is a city experienced in layers — the Danube dividing Buda's castle hill from Pest's boulevard grid, thermal baths that function as public living rooms, a ruin-bar scene in the old Jewish Quarter (Szimpla Kert is the original, but Instant-Fogas and Anker't run deep too), the Parliament building illuminated at night, and a café culture that traces back to the same Habsburg-era coffeehouse tradition as Vienna. The M1 metro line, opened in 1896, is the second oldest on the European continent. The Basilica of St Stephen, the Great Market Hall, and the Fisherman's Bastion round out a walkable, photographable, and affordable city-break destination.

Thermal bath culture

Hungary's thermal heritage is not a spa-hotel overlay — it is a living urban institution. Széchenyi in City Park (outdoor chess players in steaming pools), Gellért on the Buda side (Art Nouveau mosaics, wave pool), Rudas (Ottoman dome from 1566 with a rooftop infinity pool added in the 21st century), and Király (small, atmospheric, Ottoman-vaulted) each serve different moods. Outside Budapest, Hévíz near Lake Balaton claims the world's largest biologically active thermal lake, and Eger, Miskolctapolca (cave bath), and Hajdúszoboszló draw domestic and regional visitors year-round.

Wine regions: Tokaj, Eger, and Villány

Tokaj is the flagship — a UNESCO-listed region in the volcanic north-east producing the botrytised Tokaji Aszú, one of the world's great sweet wines. Cellars carved into tuff rock are open for tastings. Eger, set below a 16th-century castle, is known for the robust red blend Egri Bikavér (Bull's Blood) and the Valley of the Beautiful Women (Szépasszony-völgy), where dozens of cellar doors line a single hillside. Villány in the south produces internationally recognised reds. Hungarian wine is underpriced relative to quality — a serious tasting tour costs a fraction of equivalent experiences in France or Italy.

Lake Balaton and the Great Plain

Lake Balaton — 77 km long, Central Europe's largest — is Hungary's summer destination: beaches, sailing, cycling the northern shore, and vineyard villages around Badacsony and the Tihany peninsula with its Benedictine abbey. The southern shore is flatter and more family-oriented. East of the lake and the Danube, the Great Hungarian Plain (puszta) stretches into the Hortobágy National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage steppe landscape where csikós horsemen perform traditional riding displays and autumn crane migrations number in the tens of thousands.

Hungarian cuisine and markets

Goulash (gulyás) is a beef-and-paprika soup, not a stew — the distinction matters in Hungary. Beyond it: chicken paprikás with nokedli (Hungarian egg dumplings), lángos (deep-fried dough with garlic, sour cream, and cheese — the definitive street food), kürtőskalács (chimney cake), pörkölt (the actual stew), and rétes (strudel with sour cherry, poppy seed, or cottage cheese). The Great Market Hall in Budapest is three floors of produce, paprika, salami, and embroidery. Eating well in Hungary is remarkably affordable — a full restaurant meal with wine in Budapest costs what a starter does in London or Paris.

Money & Currency

Hungarian Forint (HUF)

Currency code: HUF

Practical Money Tips

Hungary uses the Forint, not the Euro

Despite being an EU member since 2004, Hungary has not adopted the Euro. The currency is the Hungarian Forint (HUF), issued in banknotes of 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, and 20,000 denominations and coins from 5 to 200 Ft. Some tourist-facing businesses in Budapest quote prices in Euros and accept Euro cash, but the exchange rate they apply is almost always unfavourable — you will get significantly more for your money by paying in Forints. ATMs, card terminals, and shops all operate in HUF. Always decline the 'pay in your home currency' option (dynamic currency conversion) at card terminals and ATMs — it lets the merchant's bank set the rate, which is consistently worse than your own bank's.

ATMs are everywhere — but choose wisely

ATMs (bankjegy-automata or bankautomata in Hungarian) are plentiful in Budapest and available in every town of any size. Visa and Mastercard are universally accepted at ATMs. OTP Bank, K&H, Erste, Raiffeisen, CIB, and UniCredit are the major domestic networks and all dispense HUF to foreign cards. Avoid standalone ATMs in tourist hotspots (Váci utca, airport arrivals hall, major train stations) operated by independent companies like Euronet — they charge high fixed fees and push dynamic currency conversion. Instead, use ATMs attached to bank branches. Withdrawal limits typically range from 100,000 to 300,000 HUF per transaction.

Cards widely accepted in cities, cash for markets and rural areas

Contactless card payment (Visa, Mastercard, and increasingly Apple Pay and Google Pay) is standard across Budapest — restaurants, cafés, shops, hotels, public transport ticket machines, and even most taxis accept cards. Outside Budapest, card acceptance is good in Debrecen, Szeged, Pécs, Győr, and other larger cities but thins out in villages, at rural guesthouses, and at market stalls. The Great Market Hall in Budapest, Lake Balaton beach vendors, and highway toll booths all handle cards, but individual stallholders at farmers' markets and flea markets are cash-only. Carrying 10,000–20,000 HUF in small notes as a cash reserve is sensible even in Budapest.

Tipping is expected at 10% — and is usually cash

A 10% tip is customary at sit-down restaurants, and the standard method is to tell the waiter the total you want to pay when settling the bill (e.g., if the bill is 8,400 HUF, say 'nine thousand' or 'tízezer' for a round-up). Tips are not usually added to card payments — carry small Forint notes. Rounding up taxi fares by 10% is standard. Hotel porters and spa attendants appreciate 500–1,000 HUF. At thermal baths, locker attendants in some facilities expect a small tip. Bartenders at ruin bars do not expect tips but won't refuse them.

Note: Always check current exchange rates before traveling. Currency exchange is available at airports, banks, and authorized money changers.

Common Money Questions