Location

Conference Venue

Astroparticle Physics: Current Issues, 2007 (APCI07) will take place at the Congress Centre of Eötvös University, Faculty of Science (Address: 1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A). The new university campus is situated on the Buda side of the Danube river. The congress venue can be reached from the airport within 30 minutes by taxi or by bus.

Budapest

The capital of Hungary is situated along the Danube, in the heart of the Carpathian Basin. Hilly Buda, which comprises one-third of the city's area of 525 km2, lies along the right bank of the Danube and is surrounded by low mountains. Across the river extends flat Pest. The capital in its 23 districts has 1,886,000 inhabitants.

The geology of Budapest has played a determining role in the city's life over the course of history. Hot springs breaking through limestone mountains supplying water of 35-76 degrees centigrade gave rise to a flourishing culture of spas in the Roman Age, and made Budapest one of the most popular spa cities of Europe.

The substantial role of Budapest can be felt not only throughout Hungary but also in the neighbouring countries.

The city boasts world-famous sites, monuments and spas. Its numerous cultural events attract a wide international audience year by year. In recent years UNESCO put several parts of the city on the list of World Heritage.

A large number of the Budapest tourist sites are concentrated along the banks of the Danube. In the southern downtown area that was once surrounded by walls, the oldest historical monuments of Pest can be found as well as the capital's financial and cultural centre. The north downtown hosts the governmental or administrative quarters with the Parliament Building, the Offices of MPs as well as a lot of the ministries. The majority of the buildings are turn-of-the-last-century. The most beautiful of the avenues starting from the Danube is Andrássy Avenue bordered by mansions known as palaces carefully designed and erected in the 1870's, similar to the famous avenues of Paris or to the Ring in Vienna.

Two centres emerged on the Buda side. One is the medieval Castle District, once the home of the rulers of Hungary, then supplied government functions until the end of the Second World War. The Buda Castle currently houses cultural institutions including museums, libraries and theatres.

More information about the sights of our beautiful capital are to be found on the website: www.budapestinfo.hu You will also find useful information about public transport, weather, prices and so on.

How to get to Budapest

Hungary 's international airport is easy to reach from any point on the globe. Budapest Ferihegy Airport has three terminals roughly 28 kilometres from the city - Hungarian Airlines MALÉV flights use Ferihegy Terminal 2A, whereas all other airlines take off and depart from Terminal 2B, cheap flights use Ferihegy Terminal 1.. Airport Minibuses, run by LRI, are a kind of collective taxi at a reasonable price, which travel between any requested destination in town and the terminals.

By car

In terms of documents, you only need a valid driving licence, registration document and a country sticker to enter Hungary.

Just before reaching Budapest, at Budaörs on the joint section of M1 and M7 motorways, you will find the information bureau of the Tourism Office of Budapest. International traffic rules generally apply in Hungary. Drink-driving is strictly prohibited i.e. the alcohol level in your blood may not exceed 0.0 per thousand.

By train

Budapest has three large international railway stations: Eastern (Keleti), Western (Nyugati) and Southern (Déli).

The following international rail passes are valid in Hungary: INTER RAIL, BIJ, EURO DOMINO, RES, CITY-STAR. Passengers from non-European countries may use EURAILPASS, EURAIL FLEXI PASS and EURAIL TICKET.

Weather in Budapest

Hungary is in the temperate zone, the climate is continental. Differences in the temperature of the four seasons are quite large. January is the coldest, June, July and August are the hottest months. Hungary enjoys a continental climate; hot in summer, cold in winter. The temperature is highest in July/August and lowest in winter when it often falls below freezing. From April to September, about ten hours of sunshine can be expected daily.

Public Transport in Budapest

Bus, tram, metro

Public transport in Budapest is excellent by international standards. By blue buses, yellow trams, three lines of underground one can reach all parts of the city. The tickets should be bought beforehand at main stations, newspaper kiosks or metro stations. The same sort of ticket can be used for all the transport possibilities within the borders of Budapest. To get to the Eötvös University conference building, tram 4 and 6 are easy to take at many points of town, alternatively bus 12 also stops next to the venue.

Taxi

Budapest taxis have yellow numberplates. You can also call a taxi by phone: the car will usually get there in 5-10 minutes. Switchboard operators generally speak English. Check the fare beforehand and see to it that the driver turns the clock on when starting off. Transit from Ferihegy Airport to the city is usually very expensive, so we recommend the Airport Shuttle (Minibus) to reach town. The best idea is to call a taxi by phone (+ 36-1-2111-111 City Taxi), as major cab operators charge lower fees up-front than taxi cars hailed off the street.

Taxi companies use different tariffs, but there is one thing which they have in common: a price ceiling is applied.

Visa Information

For more information please visit the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www.kulugyminiszterium.hu/kum/en/bal/