General Information

Foreign Exchange, Banking Facilities

The Hungarian currency is the Hungarian Forint (HUF). Currency exchange booths are available at the airport terminals, railway stations, travel agencies, banks and various places in the city. Traveller's cheques and convertible currency may be exchanged at these facilities. Major credit cards are usually accepted in most hotels, restaurants and certain shops in the city. Obtaining cash against ATM or credit cards is very easy from the ATM cash machines that can be found at almost each bank office, hotel or on the street. For the actual exchange rates please visit www.mnb.hu

Climate and Weather

The weather in Hungary in June is usually sunny. Temperatures are usually in the range between 23C and 28C during the day. You can check the weather forecast at e.g. weather.yahoo.com

Electricity

The electricity is 230 V, 50 Hz. Japanese, UK, USA and other visitors: please note that Hungary has European/continental-type electric plugs. Ask for converters at the airports, hotels and in limited numbers at the congress' registration desk.

Liability and Insurance

The organisers cannot accept liability for any personal accidents, loss of belongings or damage to private property of participants and accompanying persons that may occur during the Congress. Participants are advised to make their own arrangements to obtain health, travel and property insurance before their departure.

Official Language

The official language of the meeting will be English. Hungarian and presumably Spanish simultaneous translation will be available to ensure a great number of Hungarian and Spanish participants.

Travel

Budapest is located in the heart of Europe, with easy access from all directions. To travel to Budapest by air, the international airport of Budapest (Ferihegy, terminals 1, 2A, 2B) connects the city to all important European and overseas destinations, with daily direct flights from most European and some North American cities. Ferihegy Airport is located 20 km from the city centre.
The three main railway stations (Déli, Keleti and Nyugati) connect Budapest with many intercity routes from all directions. Coach services to Budapest are 2-3 hours from Vienna.
Hungary is part of the Schengen area of 25 European countries. For non-Schengen EU, USA and Canadian citizens, a valid passport is required to enter Hungary. Citizens from other countries should check before travelling whether they require a visa to enter Hungary.

Transportation

Participants arriving at either terminals (Ferihegy 1, 2A or 2B) of Budapest International Airport are advised to use the Airport Minibus shuttle service (www.airportshuttle.hu), which takes one to any address in Budapest for a fee of 2700 HUF/person (cca 9 EUR). Return ticket costs 4500 HUF (cca 15 EUR). It takes approximately 30--45 minutes from the airport to the city.
As an alternative, one can use public bus service (line 200E) which connects both terminals with the underground (metro) line 3 (blue line). The blue line of the metro has a stop at "Deák Square", from there you can take metro line 2 (red line), which takes you to the venue (Déli pályauvar - Southern railway station). (Duration of the travel: approximately 80 minutes.) Price approximately: 800 HUF/person (cca 3 EUR).
Taxis to or from the city cost approximately 5100--5300 HUF (cca 18--20 EUR) for a one way trip. Offered taxi company: Zona taxi (they have their own desk at the terminals). For more information on the tariffs, please visit www.zonataxi.eu.
Car rentals are available at the airport. Please be informed that the low cost airlines arrive at Terminal 1.

Public transportation map

TRAMS 4; 6: Stop few hundreds of meters north from the University Congress Centre and both make a circle around the city centre mainly on Pest side.

Tube M3 (blue): South-North line from the Congress Centre the nearest metro station is: "Ferenc Körút" Ferenc Boulevard.

Tube M2 (red): West - East line, to take the West-East line into both directions you need to travel three stops by the M3 (blue) line from Ferenciek Tere and change lines at Deak tér (Deák Square).

Passport, Visa, Invitation Letters

Usually all foreign visitors must have a valid passport. The visa policy of Hungary is liberal. For visits shorter than a month, no visa is required for citizens of most European countries, the United States, Japan and Israel. Most EU citizens can visit Hungary with their domestic identity card. Agreements of the Republic of Hungary on abolition of visa requirements are available on the internet. Visa is required for visitors from most Asian countries, and most states of NIS.
Those who experience any trouble in getting visa to Hungary should not hesitate to contact the congress secretariat immediately. Please note that Hungary is a member state of the EU and Schengen agreement, but make sure to check any changes in your visa regulation at the consulate. The list of Hungarian missions can be found on the Internet on the web site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs http://www.kulugyminiszterium.hu.
If you need an invitation letter to obtain visa, please contact the congress secretariat. This, however, cannot be considered as a commitment on behalf of the organisers to provide any financial support.