Budapest Practical information

Health & safety

Dangers & annoyances

No parts of Budapest are 'off-limits' to visitors, although some locals now avoid Margaret Island after dark off-season, and both residents and visitors give the dodgier parts of the 8th and 9th districts (areas of prostitution) a wide berth.

As elsewhere while travelling, you are most vulnerable to car thieves, pickpockets, taxi louts and scammers. To avoid having your car ripped off, follow the usual security procedures: don't park it in a darkened street, make sure the burglar alarm is armed, have a steering-wheel lock in place and leave nothing of value inside.

Pickpocketing is most common in markets, the Castle District, Váci utca and Hősök tere, near major hotels and on certain popular buses (eg 7) and trams (2, 2/a, 4, 6, 47 and 49).

Taking a taxi in Budapest can be an expensive and even unpleasant experience. Never hail a cab on the street; instead, call one from a phone - private, mobile or public - and give the number (almost always posted somewhere in the phone box) to the dispatcher.

Scams that involve attractive young women, gullible guys, expensive drinks in nightclubs and a frog-marching to the nearest ATM by gorillas-in-residence have been all the rage in Budapest for a decade now, and we get letters from male readers complaining they've been ripped off. Guys, please, do us ALL a favour. If it seems too good to be true, it is. Trust us and the mirror; such vanity has cost some would-be Lotharios hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

If you've left something on any form of public transport in Budapest contact the BKV lost & found office (267 5299; VII Akácfa utca 18; 8am-5pm Mon, Tue, Thu & Fri, 8am-6pm Wed; M2 Blaha Lujza tér).

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While you're there

Medical services

Medical care in Budapest is generally adequate and good for routine problems but not complicated conditions. Foreigners are entitled to first-aid and ambulance services only when they have suffered an accident and require immediate medical attention; follow-up treatment and medicine must be paid for.

Treatment at a public outpatient clinic (rendelő intézet) costs little, but doctors working privately will charge much more. Very roughly, a consultation in a Hungarian doctor's surgery (orvosi rendelő) costs from 5000Ft while a home visit is from 10, 000Ft.

If you do need health insurance while travelling, consider a policy that covers you for the worst possible scenario, such as an accident requiring an emergency flight home.

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Clinics

Consultations and treatment are much more expensive in Western-style clinics. Dental work is usually of a high standard and cheap by Western European standards.

FirstMed Centers (224 9090; www.firstmedcenters.com; I Hattyú utca 14, 5th fl; appointments 8am-7pm Mon-Thu, 8am-6pm Fri, 24hr emergency care; M2 Moszkva tér) This is a modern private medical clinic with round-the-clock emergency services, but it's hardly cheap: a basic consultation costs 12, 600/25, 200Ft for up to 10/20 minutes.

SOS Dental Services (06 1 269 6010, 06 30 383 3333; www.nonstopdentist.com; VI Király utca 14; 24hr; M1/2/3 Deák Ferenc tér) This dental surgery charges 3000Ft for a consultation (only for new patients), 8000Ft to 10,000Ft for extractions and 12,000Ft to 16,000Ft for fillings.

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