Getting in and visas for Hungary

Hungary has joined the Schengen agreement, which means that you can enter on a European Union Schengen visa and there are no longer any ID/passport controls on the EU borders. Citizens of Croatia can enter the country by showing their identity card. Citizens of the US, Canada, Australia, Venezuela and New Zealand, are free to enter without a visa. The usual length of stay is 90 days without any additional permit.

By plane

Hungary's international airports are Budapest Ferihegy Airport in Budapest, Airport Debrecen in Debrecen and FlyBalaton Airport in Sármellék. The Hungarian national carrier is Malév (Hungarian Airlines). There are also several low cost carriers operating to Budapest: for example SkyEurope, Ryanair, Wizzair, Easyjet, Germanwings. Air Europa operates a daily fly from Madrid and is a good choice from Latin America with stop in Madrid.

By train

See also: Get Around:By train There are direct connections to Hungary from:

• all the immediate neighbors: Austria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the Ukraine.
• countries slightly further afield: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Russia, Switzerland and even Turkey.

You can search for international train connections at official schedule site [2] of MÁV, national train company.

By car

See also: Get Around:By car When driving into Hungary, ensure that the border crossing on the route you choose allows the passage of foreigners. Also some smaller crossings close in the afternoon for the night. It is also required to buy a vignette for driving on highways.

By bus

Several international bus lines go in or through Hungary. You can find timetables and book tickets on the homepage of Volánbusz, which is the national bus company and also the local Eurolines representation. On the southern border with Serbia you shouldn't be surprised when there in the bus a collection is being held for a donation to the border-guards, to let the bus pass faster.

By ship

It is possible to enter Hungary by international shipping lines on Danube (Duna) or Tisza rivers. There is a scheduled hydrofoil service on the Danube to and from Vienna and Bratislava daily between early April and early November operated by Mahart. [3]