spring
2019
survival guide
TABLE OF
contents 3
Message from the Mascot
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About ESN
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Contacts
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ESNcard
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Tandem Program
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Events
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Academic Calendar
10 Corvinus University of Budapest 10 Buildings 11 Library 11 Offices 12 Education Administration System 12 Neptun 12 Moodle 12 Grading 13 Visa and Resident permit 14 Money 15 Banking 16 Public Transport 19 Housing 20 Healthcare 21 Recommended Places Around Corvinus 22 Where to Shop 22 Weather Conditions 23 Telecommunication 24 Miscellaneous 25 Facts and Figures 26 Highlights of Budapest 27 Highlights of Hungary 28 Public Holidays 29 Useful Phrases 30 Fun Facts 31 Bucketlist
message from the mascot Benő
Welcome to Budapest and Corvinus University of Budapest! First, let me introduce myself: I’m Benő, a Hungarian raven and the official mascot of ESN Corvinus. Do not hesitate to greet me on the ESN events, as I'm present most of the time (I'm a real party animal, you see), and I also have a Facebook profile (facebook.com/benocorvin), so let's be friends! You have made the perfect choice by coming to Budapest, where every day can be interesting and entertaining, and it's just so easy to feel at home. Still, it's inevitable to be homesick sometimes, and that's when your Erasmus mates become your family. Because you might be away from home, but you never get lonely in Budapest. Our goal at ESN Corvinus is to create longlasting relationships and memorable experiences during your stay. We made this guide in hope to help you survive the first few days in the city, and to help you experience the ultimate Budapest student life. And if you have any more questions, do not worry; you automatically have local friends in the ESN Corvinus volunteers. So to sum up, you are in good hands, your only task is to enjoy every minute of your stay in Budapest! With great love, Benő and the members of ESN Corvinus 3
about ESN
Erasmus Student Network
Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is the biggest student association in Europe. The network is present in more than 900 higher education institutions from 40 countries. The volunteers of ESN work in the interest of international students, therefore we offer help during the academic, social and practical integration process of international students.
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ESN Corvinus is one of the 10 sections operating in Budapest. With around 50 volunteers from the student body of Corvinus University, we work to make this semester in Hungary unforgettable for you. Besides helping you guys any way we can, we offer several programmes throughout the semester. Alongside all the partying and drinking we also organise various cultural, social, and sports events.
contacts Our office is open for every international student who needs any information or help, or if you are interested in our events and our community. You can also buy the ESNcard and tickets to our programmes and trips here.
Address: 8 Fővám Square (main building), office E.7 Opening hours: Monday–Thursday 11:30–15:30
www.corvinus.esn.hu esncorvinus@esncorvinus.com /esncorvinus @esncorvinus ESN Corvinus /esncorvinus
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ESNcard ESNcard is a partnership program which provides benefits and discounts from local, national and international companies.
Just to mention a few examples:
More info and all of our partners can be found at esncard.org With the ESNcard you can also buy tickets for a reduced price for our trips and events! You can get the card in our office. 6
tandem program Aimed to help your integration into the new environment, you can apply for the Tandem Program and receive a local CUB student as your buddy, to whom you can turn for help whenever you face a problem regarding your life and integration in Hungary. A buddy is someone who can help you with finding accomodation give you a tour around Budapest help with academic stuff and official issues show you really cool, not so tourist oriented places be there for you if you feel totally lost in a totally new country! The program is also a great way to forge lasting international friendships, as many Tandem partners keep in touch for years after their exchange semesters. So buddy up and make friendships which last for a lifetime.
Sign up for the Tandem Program
esncorvinus.broaddy.com/login
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events
During the semester ESN Corvinus organizes several events to help incoming students to get to know each other, Budapest, Hungary and the Hungarian culture. Some great examples: Hostel Week (21–27 January) Orientation Day & Week (28 January – 3 February) Fresh Camp (16–17 February) AND ALSO More events in Budapest, like pubcrawls and karaoke nights Trips to abroad Daytrips in Hungary Cultural programmes, such as international dinner, movie and/or quiz night, museum and theatre visits Social events, like dog walking and food sharing Sport and outdoor activities (and not just beeryoga and beerpong) And of course lots of parties!!!
Stay tuned on our Facebook page to get information about our latest event offers!
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academic calendar 2019 spring
28 January – Orientation Day 28 January – 1 February – Enrolment week 29 January – First day to add and drop courses 4 February – First day of classes 10 February – Last day to add and drop courses 19–28 April – Spring break 10 May – Last day of classes 13 May – 14 June – Exam period
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Corvinus University of Budapest CUB operates with three faculties: Corvinus Business School, Corvinus School of Economics, and the Faculty of Social Sciences and International Relations. The name and structure of the university had changed many times over the years but economic studies have been around for almost 70 years. The mission of the university is to maintain an international standard of creating and transmitting values in the form of teaching, research and consulting activities, all in the context of academic freedom.
buildings The campus of Corvinus has three buildings, marked as E, S and C (there is logic here, but only in Hungarian). ’E’ is the old buiding right next to Fővám square and the metro station. Besides the classrooms you can find most of the teachers’ and student organisations’ offices (e.g. ESN office), the International Office, ISP Office, the main hall (which holds several programmes during the semester) and four big lecture halls here. In the basement you can also find a canteen and the 'Napközi', a chill place for you to relax in the afternoon. ‘S’ is the smallest building, just a few steps away from the Danube. In this building you can find mostly computer labs, so if you are in a desperate need of a computer, usually there are some open classrooms in the afternoon. ‘C’ is the newest building. Besides lots of classrooms, the library takes place in this building as well. If you go to the fourth floor you will also find a huge balcony to relax or study a bit. You will also find a canteen on the right side of the building. Cafeteria and cloakrooms can be found in the buildings E and C. In the latter you can use the lockers next to the cafeteria as well.
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library Good to know With your student card you can ask for a Borrowers Card with which you can use all of the library services. It’s prohibited to eat in the halls, except for the sandwich room (top floor of the library). It’s not allowed to wear big coats or bags inside, so you should use the lockers or the cloakroom to store them. There are also baskets which you can use to hold your things. You can book study rooms for solving projects with fellow students (3-6 people). Reservations are accepted up to one week in advance until 7AM on the day of the reservation. You can ask for a VPN in the ’S’ building to reach certain databases (online documents, essays or newspapers) from your own electronic devices, and also from outside of school. If you’d like to know more about the library, you can find information on their website: www.lib.uni-corvinus.hu/eng
offices International office
ESN office
E building room 25 Mon, Wed, Thu 09.00–12.00 intoffice@uni-corvinus.hu
E building room 7 Monday–Thursday 11.30–15.30 esncorvinus@esncorvinus.com
Coordinators Corvinus Business School Mr Tim Ponder tim.ponder@uni-corvinus.hu E building room 159
Corvinus School of Economics Ms Erika Szalontai erika.szalontai@uni-corvinus.hu E building room 185A
Faculty of Social Sciences and International Relations Ms Esztella Varga For information about office hours, esztella.varga@uni-corvinus.hu please check the website C building room 506
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education administration system Neptun The Neptun Education System is the electronic system at Corvinus which makes the administration of your studies easier and faster. You can take your lectures and exams, follow the results of your courses and financial matters, and communicate with your fellows and professors via Neptun. It is also very important to enrol on your classes and exams as fast as possible! Registration is happening on a first come first served basis, so you should enrol after the opening of the system right away to have your spot on the class/exam for sure! This might mean you have to get up early and refresh the page multiple times, while freaking out continuously, but at least your timetable won’t be messed up and you could complete the classes you originally chose.
Moodle
How to use Neptun
Moodle is the e-learning system of Corvinus. Not every professor uses it, but those who do usually upload the syllabus, the presentations, the readings, the tasks, the homeworks etc. Lecturers can send messages or ask questions via the platform, they are also able to create forums for example for class discussions. Also some papers you have to hand out via Moodle. It is a great place to gather all relevant info connected to a class.
Study and Exam Regulation Grading At the end of the semester, the assessment of knowledge is generally carried out according to a five-grade scale: excellent (5 – A), good (4 – B), satisfactory (3 – C), pass (2 – D/E), and fail (1 – F).
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useful informations To make life a little bit easier in the first few weeks, we collected some good-to-know info for being a resident of Budapest.
visa and resident permit If you are a citizen of the European Economic Area and your stay does not exceed 90 days you may enter the territory of the Republic of Hungary with a valid travel document or personal identification document and have the right of residence not exceeding three months from the date of entry. If your stay exceeds 90 days you will need a registration certificate. Third country nationals (Non-EU & EEA citizens) are required to have a visa for entering the territory of Hungary and also for a stay of up to 90 days within a 180 days period if they come from a country that is under visa obligation according to the Schengen acquis. The visa application has to be submitted to the Hungarian Consulate in the country where your permanent or temporary residence is located or in the country of your nationality (so you should apply for it before your arrival to Hungary). All non-EEA nationals must, at all times during their stay and studies here, have a valid residence permit allowing them to study in Hungary. Those international students who are staying at Corvinus for a longer period of time – for more than one semester – are obliged to have the residence permit renewed before it expires. Please note that renewal of the residence permit must be started at least 30 days before it expires.
Further information on visa and residence permit
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money Hungary is considered to be an affordable country from a perspective of Western Europe. Still, please be conscious about your expenditure, because living in Budapest is becoming more and more expensive. Especially on the main tourist sites, the city offers a huge variety of bars, restaurants and shops at a higher price. You just need to take a short walk from the centre and you will find places with friendlier price level. Hungary’s currency is the Hungarian Forint. This is either shortened to the code HUF or the symbol Ft. Valid coins: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 Valid banknotes: 500, 1.000, 2.000, 5.000, 10.000, 20.000
Exchange rates for HUF EUR: around 320 HUF/EUR USD: around 280 HUF/USD For official daily exchange rates please visit the Hungarian National Bank's website (www.mnb.hu/en/arfolyamok)
Good to know Do not exchange at: airport, hotels, main streets Do exchange at: official currency exchange offices If you have the chance to choose between HUF and any other currency, always choose Forint ;) Withdraw money from ATMs. Most ATMs accept foreign bankcards and ATMs are very easy to find throughout Budapest, with most open 24 hours a day. If you have the chance, use your own bank, if they are not present in Hungary, choose e.g. OTP, K&H, CIB, but we advise you to avoid Euronet ATMs because of extra costs. More touristy places might accept Euros with the store’s exchange rate displayed on the counter, but change is likely to be given in Forints. All major credit and debit cards (MasterCard, Visa, etc.) are accepted. If you want to use a card and you have doubts about whether it is accepted, please look for the usual window stickers. Keep in mind that card acceptance is not obligatory, so always carry some cash in Forints. Costs of living Cash payments that don’t end in 5 or 0 will be rounded to the closest 5 or 0, calculator e.g. for HUF 152 you pay HUF 150 and for HUF 158 you pay HUF 160. All prices in shops are gross prices including VAT. Tips are always appreciated but never mandatory, although in several circumstances tips are more commonly expected (like in restaurants or taxis). The standard tip is 10%, but many restaurants include service charge (“szervízdíj” in Hungarian) in the total.
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banking If you are staying in Hungary for a longer period, sooner or later you will find that it is more convenient and cheaper to use a local bank account than a foreign one. It is much cheaper to withdraw cash from an ATM than from the bank office and most banks in Hungary offer 2-3 free withdrawals/month, while with a foreign credit card this could cost 5-6 EUR/withdrawal. Also maintaining a Hungarian account is really cheap (approx. 2 euro/month), but using your foreign account your monthly fee could easily be 10-20 euro/month with all the withdrawals etc. Another thing to consider: using your card for shopping is free of charge in Hungary, Hungary provides a wide array of banks that expats can choose from depending on your individual needs. Some popular and reliable major banks to consider are: OTP Bank, K&H Bank, Erste, UniCredit Bank, Raiffeisen Bank and CIB Bank. All of these banks have secure ATMs in addition to walk-in branches all across Hungary. OTP and Erste have the most extensive network of branches and ATMs, and there are several OTP ATMs on campus.
OTP Forint Account Packages
EXTRA TIP: Gránit Bank and MagNet are sorta-kinda digital banks with the lowest fees on the Hungarian scene. While most banks offer deeply discounted student accounts, the fees not integral to that service will be the usual, so it's still worth to go with those two.
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public transport Airport – city centre Public transport Bus number: 100E Ticket price: 900 HUF (3 €) – no other types of tickets or passes are valid. Takes you straight to the city centre (Kálvin square, Astoria, Deák square) in 30-40 minutes. Taxi On arrival you can book a cab at the terminals' entrance. According to the Hungarian regulation the price of the taxis are at a fixed tariff of 280 HUF/km (0.95 EUR/km) in addition to the one-off basic fee of 450 HUF (1.50 EUR). A ride to the city center should typically cost around 6.500 HUF (22 EUR) depending on traffic conditions. Shuttle bus Recommended: MiniBud (www.minibud.hu/en) Takes you straight to the address.
Inside the city
PRO TIP: Download the "BKK Futár" application to have access to timetables and route maps all the time, and for planning your journey using BKK’s public transport services in real time. The app is available in the App Store, on Google Play and in the Windows Store too.
Single ticket price: 350 HUF Block of 10 tickets: 3.000 HUF Monthly student pass: 3.450 HUF Semester pass for students: 16.200 HUF Where to buy: ticket machines (can be found in metro stations, and some bus and tram stops) and BKK customer service points. It is also possible to purchase a ticket from the bus driver for 450 HUF (but they don't always have them, and sometimes they don't have change, so it's better to buy it beforehand).
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Metro lines
M1 (yellow line), the Millennium Underground was the first on the European mainland, so it has a nostalgic feeling attached to it. Notable stops: Deák Ferenc Square, Hungarian State Opera, Oktogon intersection, Heroes’ Square
M2 (red line) was the first metro line to cross the River Danube and reach Buda. Notable stops: Eastern Railway Station (Keleti Pályaudvar), Astoria (Corvinus is 2 tram stops away), Deák Ferenc Square, Kossuth Lajos Square (here’s the Parliament), Southern Railway Station (Déli Pályaudvar)
M3 (blue line) is the longest metro line, currently under construction, so replacement buses are common. Notable stops: Deák Ferenc Square, Kálvin Sqaure (3 minutes walking from Corvinus), Western Railway Station (Nyugati Pályaudvar)
M4 (green line) is the newest metro line in Budapest. Each station is architecturally unique. Oh, and the metro cars are running driverless. Notable stops: Fővám tér (right next to Corvinus), Eastern Railway Station (Keleti Pályaudvar)
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Tram lines
Budapest has more than 30 tram lines, you can recognize them by their yellow colour. Notable lines - Tram line 2 This tram runs a pretty picturesque route alongside the Danube. The scenic trip provides great views over the Buda Hills and many other close-up views of city life, making the journey feel like an inexpensive sightseeing trip. The tram has a stop at Fővám tér, right next to the university. - Tram line 4–6 Tram lines 4 and 6 follow almost exactly the same route along Budapest’s Grand Boulevard, only diverging for two stops in south Buda. Major stops include Margaret Island, Nyugati Railway Station, Oktogon, Király Street, Blaha Lujza Square and Corvin Quarter. Tram line 6 operates around the clock. - Tram lines 47 and 49 These trams start at Deák Ferenc Square, with the first stop at Astoria, followed by Kálvin Square and Fővám Square before crossing the Liberty Bridge to stop at Szent Gellért Square, and then roll along to Móricz Zsigmond Square, where the two lines split.
Bus service Budapest has a very extensive bus route system. There are some parts of the city which can be reached only by buses. BKK buses are recognizable after the blue colour of the vehicles. There are also 14 trolley bus lines in Budapest. Trolleys are red coloured. - Buses nearby the university: 9, 15, 115, 83 (trolley)
Metros and trams run until about midnight and restart at around 5am (except for tram 6 which is 24/7). A comprehensive system of night buses operates from stops marked with the owl symbol. Night bus numbers have three digits from 900-999. 18
housing Unfortunately Corvinus can't offer dormitory places for international students, so it's best to find acoommodation on your own. ESN Corvinus tries to give you every help you need to find a flat or a room in a shared flat, but you can always ask your tandem partner for help as well. Here you can find our recommendations:
Housing Companies INTERNATIONAL SITES - Spotahome (www.spotahome.com) - Housing Anywhere (www.housinganywhere.com) - Erasmusu (www.erasmusu.com) BUDAPEST RENTAL SERVICES - Student Rental Solutions (www.srs-budapest.hu) - Budapest Rent (www.budapestrent.com) FACEBOOK - Marketspace by ESN Corvinus was created to be a safe place for Erasmus and international students of Budapest to sell, rent, exchange and buy their things, like bikes, furniture, used or secondhand stuff etc. and look for/offer rooms and flats. Feel free to join! :)
Marketspace by ESN Corvinus
REASSURANCE: If you don't have accommodation when you first arrive to Budapest, we suggest you first stay in a hostel, and don't worry: according to our experiences, everyone finds a flat in their first weeks in Budapest.
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healthcare First aid and emergency medical care are free for foreigners, in other cases you have to pay for the treatment. EU citizens are insured on the basis of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC, or “Blue EU Card” as most of us know it – you should get it in your home country before arriving to Hungary) when they are in another member state and are, from the point of view of social security, entitled to the same rights and have the same obligations as citizens of that given member state. This “basic care” doesn’t cover non-emergencies or emergency repatriation. The EHIC doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions or “medical tourism” either, but chronic conditions are covered. If you are a nonEEA student, you should take care about your health insurance on your own in your home country before you start your travel, because in this case only emergency first-aid assistance is free – you must pay for all other types of medical care and medicines. Costs will vary greatly between doctors working at publicly run clinics and those working privately. There are a number of private clinics catering to expats and foreign tourists, with doctors that speak many languages. These can be more expensive, but if you have travel insurance your costs could be covered. Expat or tourist medical clinics may have direct billing relationships with some insurers.
Students with a scholarship offered by the Minister of Education in Hungary (including Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship) are eligible for healthcare services in Hungary, therefore you will receive a “TAJ card”, and with the „TAJ” health insurance ID, you are eligible to use the health services in Hungary.
Private medical institutions First Med Center (1015 Budapest, Hattyú utca 14.) Dr. Rose private hospital (1051 Budapest, Széchenyi István tér 7.) Szent Gellért private clinic (1061 Budapest, Andrássy út 43.) Medoc Health Center (1132 Budapest, Visegrádi u. 74.) Medicover Hospital (1134 Budapest, Váci út 29-31) International Medical Service (1138 Budapest, Váci út 184.) In all of these medical centers and practitioners you can speak English, but in case you run into any obstacle turn to ESN Corvinus or contact your tandem partner. In case you need urgent medical care, dial 191 or 199. You will need to present your insurance documentation (in emergency situations your blue EU insurance card) as well as your passport (for EU students your ID card) and your residence permit when requesting any sort of healthcare service.
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Pharmacies Pharmacies („gyógyszertár” in Hungarian) are easily recognisable by their illuminated green cross signs and distinctive snake around the bowl of Hygieia signs. Pharmacies in Budapest are usually well stocked, and pharmacists may be able to suggest medication for certain complaints. A notice on the door of pharmacies indicates the address of the closest 24-hour pharmacy. You can also find several pharmacies where no prescription is required – they sell products such as painkillers, bandages – at petrol stations or in selected department stores (e.g. Drogerie Markt, Rossmann or Müller). Pharmacy next to the university: Corvinus Gyógyszertár Address: 1093 Budapest, Közraktár u. 2/a
Emergency hotlines 104 – Ambulance 105 – Fire service 107 – Police 112 – General Emergency Hotline +36 1 438 8080 – 24-hour English language crime hotline
recommended places around Corvinus Lunch places Canteen in E building Opus Jazz Club 39 Studium Étterem Kicsi Mama Konyhája Andreas Bisztró
Cafés Coffeeshop Company Tamp and Pull Budapest Baristas OneCup Espresso Bar Fekete
Clubs Fogas Corvin Club Morrison’s 2 Ötkert Fröccsterasz
Pubs Trapéz Mézes Egyetem Presszó For Sale Pub Könyvtár Klub
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where to shop Supermarkets Fastest and most cost effective way to get your everyday goods e.g. ALDI, Lidl, Spar, CBA, Tesco Express Closest hypermarkets: Pest side: TESCO in Aréna Plaza (Kerepesi út 9-11.) Buda side: TESCO in Újbuda Center (Hengermalom utca 19-21.)
Markets Recommended: Market Hall at Fővám square (rigth next to the University): Traditional Hungarian goods straight from the producer Diners on the first level Beautiful building, popular tourist attraction Prices are on the higher end Farmers' Market: Every Sunday from 9-14 at Szimplakert Like a mini festival
Malls Close to the university: Corvin Plaza (Futó utca 37.) ALLEE (Október huszonharmadika utca 8-10.) Westend (Váci út 3.)
weather conditions The climate in Hungary is continental, which means that the weather is very changeable, but generally we have four seasons, with warm (and mostly dry) summers and cold (and sometimes snowy) winters. Average annual temperature is 9.7 °C (49.5 °F). Average high temperature in the summer is 23 to 28 °C (73 to 82 °F) and temperature can climb up above 35 °C on the hottest days in July-August. Average low temperature in the winter is −3 to −7 °C (27 to 19 °F) and temperature might drop below −10 °C on the coldest days (probably won't happen nowadays becuase of the global warming though). Distribution and frequency of rainfall are unpredictable due to the continental climate of the country.
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telecommunications There are three main service providers in Hungary: Telekom, Telenor and Vodafone, whose networks can be accessed all over the country. Using a local SIM card is much easier and cheaper than using your home provider. Hungary’s call, SMS and data charges are among the lowest in the world and credit seems to last forever! All three operators have been tried and tested by both locals and expats, so you won’t go wrong with any of them. You can purchase a prepaid SIM card, which allows users to take advantage of cheap offers and deals from the official outlets of the providers after you have shown your passport, registered, and did a lot of paperwork to sign. Credit can be added in official stores, corner stores, service stations, post offices or ABC supermarkets, where you will have to tell the cashiers your phone number so they can add credit onto your SIM card using an electronic card machine. Hungary is part of the EU so the new European Union data caps will apply on all prepaid SIM cards. The good news is that you will be able to use them in other European countries at no extra cost. Also in most cases you can just send a text to the provider to update your data credit, you don’t have to show up in the store in person to do so.
Telekom Telekom is the largest provider in Hungary. Prepaid SIM cards are called “Domino” and can be picked up for free. However, you must pay to add credit, or purchase a SIM package which comes with voice and data plans attached.
Telenor Telenor is the second largest provider in Hungary. You can get Telenor “Kártyás” basic tariff with a 2in1 recurring minutes and data package, with its fee being deducted from your balance. If you don’t need minutes, Telenor offers data only plans as well.
Vodafone Vodafone is the smallest telco provider in Hungary but they also offer good rates and coverage is extremely strong throughout the entire country. Prepaid SIM cards are free but plans will have to be added to use them. There is also a data-only SIM card available called “Netjegy”.
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More info about the plans offered by these providers
Wi-Fi We have free Wi-Fi all over the Corvinus campus, otherwise you are most likely to connect to Wi-Fi networks in hotels, cafés, pubs and restaurants (it’s usual, but sometimes password protected). There’s a free Wi-Fi service on Intercity trains and selected bus lines. Mobile network coverage is excellent in Hungary - LTE networks are even available in the countryside.
miscellaneous The voltage in Hungary is AC 230 V / 50 Hz. Electrical plugs are „Type F” (for European standard 2 pin continental sockets). If needed, travel adaptors are available in stores that sell electrical appliances or in any mall. Hungary uses the Metric system. Water is drinkable from the tap in Hungary. Hungary is in the Central European Time Zone (GMT+1). Daylight saving time: runs between the end of March and the end of October (CET+1/GMT+2). You can find the list of the European embassies located in Hungary here:
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facts and figures Official name
Hungary
State form
Republic
Area
93,030 km2
Population
9,877,365
Capital city
Budapest
Official language
Hungarian
Memberships
EU, NATO, UN, Schengen
Currency
Forint (HUF)
Time zone
CET (UTC+1)
Date format
yyyy.mm.dd
Country calling code
+36
Internet domain
.hu
Exchange rate
1 EUR = app. 320 HUF
Weather
continental climate
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highlights of Budapest Budapest is the capital and the most populous city of Hungary with approximately 1,760,000 inhabitants, over a land area of about 525 square kilometres (203 square miles). So it would be quite difficult to list every interesting sight in such a short guide, therefore we selected the totally must-see places, the rest is waiting for you to discover by yourself (or just come to our annual sightseeing tour).
Buda Castle Fisherman's Bastion Matthias Church Royal Garden Pavilion Gellért Hill Liberty Statue Gellért Bath Great Market Hall Margaret Island
Buda Castle
Parliament St Stephen's Basilica Dohány Street Synagogue Andrássy Avenue Opera Heroes' Square City Park Vajdahunyad Castle Széchenyi Bath
Parliament
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highlights of Hungary
Hungary is so much more than Budapest! There is life outside of ruin pubs and segway tours, so we advise you to explore as much of the country as you can. Here we suggest some places ought to be visited, but ask your tandem partner, maybe they know some hidden gems as well. Good news that the Hungarian train network is pretty developed (even if delays are often, oops) and all lines go through Budapest, so the capital is a good place to start.
Szentendre Hollókő Vác Visegrád Gödöllő Eger Pécs Sopron Szeged Kecskemét Győr Esztergom Tokaj
Hollókő
Veszprém Lake Balaton Tihany Hévíz Lillafüred Pannonhalma Bükk National Park Mátra Mountains Aggtelek National Park Mecsek Hortobágyi National Park Őrség Badacsony Hill
Balaton Uplands
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holidays
Public holidays in Hungary (2019)
1 January: New Year’s Day 15 March: 1848 Revolution Memorial Day 19 April: Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday) 21 April: Easter Sunday 22 April: Easter Monday 1 May: Labour day 9 June: Pentecost Sunday 10 June: Pentecost Monday 20 August: Saint Stephen’s Day/State Foundation Day 23 October: 1956 Revolution Memorial Day 1 November: All Saints Day 25 December: Christmas 26 December: Second Day of Christmas
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useful phrases Igen – Yes Nem – No Szia! – Hi/hello! Egészségedre! – Cheers!/Bless you! Jó étvágyat! – Bon appetit! Jó reggelt! – Good morning! Jó napot! – Good afternoon! (formal hello) Jó estét! – Good evening! Jó éjt! – Good night! Viszlát/Szia! – Goodbye! Puszi/csók – Kiss Köszönöm/köszi – Thank you/thanks Szívesen – You’re welcome Bocsi/Bocsánat – Sorry Hogy vagy? – How are you? Jól, köszönöm. – Fine, thanks. Mi a neved? – What’s your name? A nevem… – My name is... Nem beszélek magyarul. – I don’t speak Hungarian. Nem értem. – I don’t understand. Szeretnék egy… – I would like a ... Egy, kettő, három sört/bort/pálinkát kérek! – I’d like 1, 2, 3 beers/wine/pálinka. Hol van a Deák tér? – Where is the Deák square? Szeretnél táncolni velem? – Would you like to dance with me? Csinos/helyes vagy. – You’re pretty/handsome. Szeretlek – I love you
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fun facts
The name “Hungary” may very well come from the Medieval Latin Hungaria, which translates as “Land of the Huns.” Hungarians refer to themselves and their language as Magyar, which is the direct descendant of the language spoken by the Huns. The Hungarian language is part of the Finno-Ugrian language family and thought to be one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn. In Hungary we use our last name first. That is the official format. Hungary has produced 13 Nobel laureates to date – more per capita than the likes of Finland, Spain, Canada and Australia – bagging every category except peace. Only six countries (U.S., Russia, U.K., China, France and Italy) have won more Summer Olympic gold medals than Hungary. Hungarians won gold medals at every summer Olympics except Antwerp 1920 and Los Angeles 1984 when they did not compete. Soccer is Hungary’s most popular sport, and Hungarians still refer to the match of the century in 1953 when Hungary beat England 6-3 at Wembley Stadium in England, marking the first time the English had ever lost to a continental team on home soil. Paprika (red pepper powder) is Hungary’s most popular spice and a symbol of its cuisine. It is made out of ground dried peppers, which refuse to grow anywhere other than Hungary. Hungarians never clink their glasses or bottles of beer, because according to legend, when 13 Hungarian generals were executed after the Revolution of 1848–1849, Austrians clinked their beer glasses after each execution. Therefore we refuse to clink glasses as a way to honor the generals’ memory. Pálinka is the absolute solution! Have a headache? Pálinka. Menstrual pains? Pálinka. Feeling nervous? Pálinka. As the saying goes: “Palinka in small amounts is a medicine, in large amounts a remedy”.
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bucketlist Visit a thermal bath Eat lángos in the Great Market Hall Climb up to the top of St Stephen's Basilica Visit another Hungarian city besides Budapest Go to an ESN trip Make friends from at least 3 different continents Learn Hungarian (at least a few words) Drink at a ruin bar Try pálinka Party with Benő Dance all night Host a dinner party Watch a Hungarian movie Take a selfie with a professor Ace your exams Kiss a Hungarian
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ESN Corvinus 1093 Budapest, Fővám Square 8. Building E, room 7 www.corvinus.esn.hu
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