Hungary's unit of currency is the forint (Ft. or HUF). Notes come in denominations of 10,000, 5,000, 2,000, 1,000, 500, 200, 100 and 50 HUF and coins of 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1 HUF. The official exchange rate against the British pound, US dollar, Canadian dollar and Deutsch mark can be found on the Internet at: http://www.fornax.hu/compage/curren.html
Banks give better rates than change kiosks, but shop around as rates vary. You can exchange Travellers' Cheques at banks and change kiosks. However, the rate offered is usually worse than cash exchange rate. Forints can be changed back into hard currency at any bank and at the bureaux de change. Some places may still ask for your passport, particularly if you change large amounts.
The usual opening times for banks are 8.15am-6pm Mon; 8.15am-4pm Tue-Thur; 8.15am-1pm Fri. Apart from cash and travellers' cheques, most banks advance money on a credit card, but Postabank and Ibusz accept only Visa.
Absolutely do not get seduced by shady characters offering to exchange the money at a very beneficial rate on the street. Many people have walked away with discontinued crown notes or worthless Polish, Bulgarian or Yugoslav notes.
ATM Machines
There are cash machines for Cirrus, Maestro, MasterCard, Eurocard and VISA in Budapest.
Credit Cards:
Most business establishments accept the standard credit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Discover, etc. The credit card company will usually provide you with very favorable exchange rate. Using credit cards is always a safe bet!
