Host City

The FCT 2007 Conference will be held in the lovely capital of Hungary, Budapest.

Budapest, one of the most beautiful historical capitals in Europe, is situated on the banks of the Danube. The city actually consists of three parts: Óbuda, the oldest section, with Celtic and Roman ruins, Buda in hills on the western bank, famous for its historic Castle Hill and beautiful residential area, and bustling Pest with its shopping, governmental and commercial districts on the flat plain of the east bank. United in 1873, Budapest is renowned as the location of one of the most beautiful World Heritage sites.

Only Budapest can say of itself that it has Europe's largest Parliament, largest functioning synagogue and the continent's first underground railway.

The architectural beauty with its monuments from Neo-Classic through Baroque to eclectic Art Nouveau is prevalent in the city. Budapest is also world famous for its artistic abundance of concerts, operas, recitals, galas, exhibitions and spa baths.

The city has one of Europe`s largest bath complexes, in fact there is no other capital city in the world with almost 100 thermal springs and 12 medicinal baths within its boundaries, where 19 million gallons of thermal water rise to the surface each day. The atmosphere of Roman bathing culture may be felt in its light, spacious pool halls, while Greek bathing culture is reflected in the tub baths, but traces of Nordic traditions may also be found in the heat chambers, saunas and dipping pools.

Detailed street map of Budapest: http://www.fsz.bme.hu/hungary/budapest/cgi-bin/search_tkp

More about Budapest:
The most interesting places (The Castle District, The Royal Palace, The Inner City, The Parliament Building, The Gellért Hill, The Danube Bank of Buda, The Margaret Island, Hősök Tere - Hero's sqare, The City Park, Famous Avenues and Boulevards) , are presented with pictures and short descriptions, at: http://www.fsz.bme.hu/hungary/budapest/bptour/bptour.htm

Further information can be found at: http://www.budapestinfo.hu/en/

Bank, Currency, Credit Cards
The unit of currency is the Hungarian Forint (HUF), denoted as “Ft” by the Hungarians. International credit cards (AmEx, EC/MC, Visa) are accepted at hotels, restaurants and shops. ATMs are available at the Airport and all over the city. (1 EUR is approx. 250 HUF).

Public Transport

Public transportation is extensive, and reliable. Tickets are valid for one ride only. A new ticket must be used every time you change lines. Tickets can be cancelled in meters (red punch slots) on board (tram, bus) or at (metro) station entrances (orange boxes). Tickets can be purchased at metro stations, hotels, newsstands and tobacco shops. Fares cannot be paid on board and there are fines for traveling without a validated ticket. Instead of single tickets you may consider buying a carnet of 10 tickets or a pass (for 1/7/14 days or for a month), or a Budapest Card. These are available at the metro stations or at end stations of public transport.

The intersection of all three metro lines is Deák tér/square and trains run from 4:30am to 11:20pm. Most bus and tramlines operate until 11pm.

For actual fares please visit: http://www.bkv.hu/english/jegyek/index.html

Calling taxi in Budapest: