Budapest, Hungary
By foot in Budapest
Car drivers generally respect pedestrians and give advantage on a cross-walk even if there’s no traffic light.
Don’t wear high-heeled shoes in the downtown as there’s lots of stone pavements, especially in the Castle Hill.
By metro
Budapest’s metro, consisting of three main lines M1 (southwest-northeast) from Mexikói road, to Vörösmarty square; M2 (east-west) from Southern railway station, to Örs vezér square and M3 (north-south) from Újpest-city center, to Kobánya-Kispest. It’s in good condition, not overcrowded and an excellent way to get around the city.
The yellow M1 line runs shorter trains and sometimes still uses old wooden metro cars–a fun change from the ordinary, Soviet-style steel metro cars seen on the red M2 line and the blue M3 line, as well as elsewhere in Central Europe. M1 stations are also surprising, like as you find a tram in a normal pedestrian underpass.
Sometimes called the Millenium Metro, because it was built to celebrate the thousandth year of Hungarian nationhood in 1896 along with the Millenary Monument, the yellow line was recently renovated for its hundredth anniversary. The line is a historical memory of Budapest’s richest period (around 1880-1910). It is the first underground in the Continental Europe (and the second in the world, after London; Paris was only the 3rd — and Hungarians are really proud of having the oldest continental subway). The stations covered in white and dark brown-red ceramic tile signs are the originals.
Be careful of ticket inspectors who prowl the platforms and stations of Budapest’s metro really frequently and seem particularly keen to target tourists. You must have a ticket for each trip or interchange on the metro; pleas of ignorance will go unheard. If you’re issued with a fine by one of these blue-green arm banded officers, it is cheaper to pay on the spot (HUF 2,500, or about $12) than later by mail (HUF 7,000, or about USD 35, if paid within 30 days). The transit authorities have no power to arrest.
The ticket inspectors usually speak enough English, German or Russian to get their point across.
The city council started to build the M4 from the Kelenföldi railway station to Bosnyák Square. The Kelenföldi railway station-Eastern railway station fare stage should be done by 31 December, 2009 and the Eastern railway station-Bosnyák square fare stage in one more year. The path will connect south Buda, and northeast Pest (southwest-northeast line).
All the metro lines are well represented on maps scattered on platforms. A midlet for Java enabled mobile phones is also available here.
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