Survival Guide LSS 2012

contentsAbout HungaryAbout BudapestGetting to BudapestAccomodationPrice rangeUseful Hungarian phrasesScheduleWhat to bringContacts

2

Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. Hungary is divided in two by its main river, the Danube (Duna); other large rivers include the Tisza and Dráva, while Transdanubia contains Lake Balaton, the largest lake in Central Europe.

Brief historyThe foundation of Hungary was laid in the late 9th century by the Hungar-ian ruler Árpád, whose great-grandson Saint Stephen I. was crowned with a crown sent from Rome by the pope in 1001 AD. The Kingdom of Hungary lasted for 946 years, and at various points was regarded as one of the cultural centers of the Western world. After about 150 years of partial Ottoman occu-pation (1541–1699), Hungary was integrated into the Habsburg Monarchy, and later constituted half of the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy (1867–1918). A great power until the end of World War I, Hungary lost over 70% of its territory, along with one third of its population of Hungarian ethnici-ty, and all sea ports under the Treaty of Versailles, the terms of which have been considered excessively harsh by many in Hungary. The kingdom was succeeded by a Communist era (1947–1989) during which Hungary gained widespread international attention regarding the Revolution of 1956 and the seminal move of opening its border with Austria in 1989, thus acceler-

ating the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. The present form of government is a parliamentary republic, which was established in 1989.

about hungary

3

Budapest, Budapest, you beautifulBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country’s principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transpor-tation centre. In 2010, Budapest had 1,721,556 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 because of the mass suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter Area is home to 3,271,110 people. The city covers an area of 525 square kilometers within the city limits. Budapest became a single city occu-pying both banks of the river Danube with an unification on 17 November 1873 of west-bank Buda and Óbuda with east-bank Pest.

Cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, its extensive World Her-itage Site includes the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, An-drássy Avenue, Heroes’ Square and the Millennium Underground Railway, the second oldest in the world. Other highlights include a total of 80 geo-thermal springs, the world’s largest thermal water cave system, second larg-est synagogue, and third largest Parliament building.

is budapest a safe city?The answer is a definite YES with the footnote that Budapest with its two million people is a big city so make sure you have the precautions you would have in any big city: e.g. guard your wallet or purse, don’t flash thick stacks of banknotes or expensive jewelry and of course don’t leave your bag unguard-ed. General precaution does not harm: avoid suspicious groups and people,

and walk in the light.

About budapest

4

By planeBudapest is easily accessible by plane, as it has its own airport. You can get cheap flights just as to any other capital if you book early (Ryanair, Wizzair).

By trainIt’s a comfortable and fast way to access Hungary but it may turn out as the most expensive way to get here, especially without a student ID. Most inter-national trains arrive to “Keleti pályaudvar”, a train station located in the city, easily accessible by underground and many other ways of travel.

by carAs Budapest is located in the middle (-North) part of the country and all the highways run from there, it is a fast and easy to get there by car if you own one. In other words we could say “all roads lead to Budapest”. As the address of the dorm is already given, you should be able to find your way without problems. You can find any information here regarding the road network, traffic situation and payable fees if you choose this way of transportation: http://motorway.hu. An overview of the roads and the traffic situation can be seen here: http://intermap.aak.hu/Sitecontent/Map/MapDefault.aspx-?lang=en

hitchhikingBudapest is located in a central position in Europe. However, in Hungary the local customs do not encourage taking hitchhikers, so we do not recom-mend this mean of travelling. If you still choose hitchhiking, we suggest you to prepare with backup plans and leave some buffer time.

Public transport in budapestBudapest has a developed public transport system. You can get almost an-ywhere, any time, and mostly quite fast. There are three underground lines, meeting at “Deák tér” underground station, you can use them until 11:30 pm. After that, you can take night buses, and there is also a tram that you can travel with all night.

Tickets can be purchased at any busy stops. All the ticket options can be found here: http://bkv.hu/en Consider how much/how long you will use the transportation and based on that you can find the one which fits you most.

getting to budapest

5

“ELTE Nagytétényi úti Kollégium”Address: Nagytétényi út 162-164. Budapest 1225 Hungary

How to get there(At every bus stop you can read the timetable and the list of bus stops.)

From the train station:Most trains arrive to Keleti Pályaudvar (Keleti pu.)• take the bus 7E (or bus 907 after 11 pm) to the 5th stop “Szent Imre

Kórház”• switch to bus 213 and get off at Lépcsős utca

After 11 p.m.• take bus 973 and get off at Lépcsős utca

From the airport:• take the bus 200E from the Airport to Kőbánya-Kispest (final sta-

tion) • take the M3 line of the underground from Kőbánya-Kispest to Népliget

station• switch to bus 103 and get off at the 8th stop “Kelenföldi Erőmű”

• lastly take bus 33 and get off at Lépcsős utca(After 10:50 pm there is no public transport directly from the airport.)

From the city center:If you’d like to go back to the accommodation from the inner city, find “Móricz Zsigmond körtér”. It can be reached with almost any bus that has 7 among its numbers, or the tram 6, which is working non-stop. From here take the bus 33 (or 33E).

Or go to “Kosztolányi Dezső tér” and from there take any of the following buses: 114, 213, 214.

accomodation LSS 2012

6

General info about the accommodationThe dorm is located in an outer district of Budapest, far from the noise of the city. In this way, at night you may even sleep with your windows open. It consists of two buildings where dormitory students live. The maximum number of residents is near one thousand.

The rooms are for 4 people, furnished averagely. There is a table, a chair, a shelf and a lamp for each resident. Furthermore, there is a washbasin in every room with a mirror above it. It is possible to use the internet via cable or wireless connection. There are a couple of PCs that will be free to use.

On every floor there is also a kitchen, two common rooms, showers and toi-lets for both genders.

In the building you can also find a canteen, serving food, coffe and drinks, and four halls we will use for the trainings. Also, there is a mall just in front of the dormitory, there you can buy anything at TESCO, exchange money, or even watch a movie. I would also recommend visiting the Tropicarium in the mall as a leisure activity. If you’ve got some free time, there is also an oppor-tunity to play table tennis, football, or kicker.

The dormitory has nonstop reception in case you are arriving late. It also has a garden, a football field and a parking lot. The sheets will be provided but please bring your own towels.

accomodation LSS 2012

7

Price rangeThe currency in Hungary is Hungarian Forint (HUF or Ft). The Hungarian Forint has no change, Euro is accepted at several places though (e.g. Spar supermarket), but your safe bet would be to find an Exchange Bureau and change some of your currency into Hungarian Forints. Even better, you can safely rely on your credit card as most major credit cards are accepted any-where (from stores to restaurants), like Visa, MasterCard, American Express etc. However, you usually have to pay in cash if you go to a pub or club.

One Euro is about 290(-300) Forints.

Approximate prices:

Small bottle of mineral water (in super-market)

90 – 150 Ft 0,30-0,50 Eur

Half liter of Coke 250 Ft 1 EurCup of coffee 200 – 400 Ft 1-1,50 EurLarge beer (in a bar) 300 - 500 Ft 1-2 EurPizza 1000 - 1400 Ft 4-6 EurLoaf of bread 200 – 300 Ft 1 EurMetro ticket 320 Ft 1,20 EurCinema 1000 – 1500 Ft 4-6 Eur

useful hungarian phrasesThe knowledge of English is not the most significant characteristic of Hun-garians, but young people are generally able to communicate in English. Nevertheless, a little knowledge of Hungarian phrases might by useful.

Hungarian magyar ('MA-dyar)

Hello Szia ('SEE-ya)

Goodbye Viszontlátásra ('VE-sont-LAAH-taash-ro)

Thank you. Köszönöm ('KEHR-ser-nerm)

Yes Igen ('EE-ghen)

No Nem (NEM)

How much? Mennyi? ('MEh-nyi)

Sorry Bocsánat ('BOH-chaa-not)

Cheers! Egészségedre! ('EH-gay-shay-ged-re)

I don’t understand. Nem értem (NEM ayr-tem)

I don’t remember. Nem emlékszem (NEM EM-lake-sem)

Where is the bath-room?

Hol van a mosdó? ('HOLE von o MOSH-doh)

Do you speak English? Beszél angolul? ('BEH-sayl 'ON-goh-lool)

Price range, useful phrases

8

SUN MON - 1 TUE - 2 WED - 3 THU - 4 FRI - 5 SAT - 6 SUN - 7 MON - 8 TUE

7.8.2012 9.7.2012 10.7.2012 7.11.2012 7.12.2012 7.13.2012 7.14.2012 7.15.2012 7.16.2012 7.17.20128:00

ARRIVALS

Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast

DEPARTURES

9:00

Training Training Training

DAY OFF

Training Training Training Case Study

10:00

11:00

12:00

13:00

Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch14:00

15:00

Training

Training

Training Training Training Training

Case Study

16:00

Last session

17:00

Free time18:00

Opening cermony LSSx19:00 Reflection

GroupsReflection

GroupsReflection

GroupsReflection

GroupsReflection

GroupsReflection

Groups20:00

Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner

21:00

Social programme

Unreasonable time

Unreasonable time

Unreasonable time

Unreasonable time

Unreasonable time LSS 5th

anniversary

Unreasonable time Closing

ceremony & Award giving

22:00 Social programme

Social programme

Social programme

Social programme

Social programme

Social programme

schedule of lss

9

what to bring: checklist Formal clothes for the opening and closing ceremony

(business casual / cocktail dress)

Foods, drinks, typical dress etc. for international night

Towel

NGO promotional materials

Second half of the participation fee

ContactsMáté Budai 0036-20-411-42-11

Ádam Kovács-Veres 0036-20-523-55-77

Márk Tirják 0036-30-603-59-62

what to bring, contacts

Before your arrival, you’ll receive an updated survival guide with the exact schedule and any additional, relevant information that you might need.

Looking forward to meeting you in person!

The LSS Team