Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, this year more than half a million travellers have chosen it as the best destination of Europe. According to the organisers, European Best Destination (EBD) the Hungarian capital leads the ranking for various reasons such as the rich culture, world heritage sights, value for money, gastronomy and above all, it is one of the safest cities in the world. However, just like in any other busy capital, it’s worth to keep your wallet safe and check the prices before you go to a restaurant as tourists may be overcharged. For those who are planning to visit Budapest, please welcome the fourth part of our little series of ‘Hints and tips’ – with some useful infos to stay safe and have an unforgettable experience in this magnificent city. In case you need information, there are official tourist information offices known as Budapest Info Point. You can find one info point at the airport and 3 others in the city centre at Deák Ferenc Square, Heroes Square and the Buda Castle. Pharmacy and medication You may get ill or you may need some medicine while travelling and it is always useful to know where to find pharmacies and emergency services. In this post, you can find useful information related to medical services for tourists. Regulations on medication differ from country to country. It may be a common practice to call your doctor for a prescription but doctors cannot call in, fax, or email an order in Hungary; a physical prescription is necessary. If you need to buy some medicine there are some over the counter emergency and after-hour pharmacies, called gyógyszertár or patika open in every district. 24 hours pharmacies: In the VI district there is Teréz Patika located in Teréz krt. 41. In the VI district, there is UniPatika located inside to WestEnd shopping mall centre and it is open every day from 9am to 9am. In the district X is Elefant Patika located in 1101 Pongrác út 19. In case the pharmacy is closed, it will provide the address of the nearest open pharmacy. Finding a doctor or a hospital If case you need to see a doctor you can find the nearest via searching the words háziorvos – general practitioner or háziorvosi rendelő – general practice in Google. GP’s work certain days a week, either in the mornings or in the afternoons, you should find this information on their websites. It’s worth to go early in the doctor’s shift to avoid long waiting. If you need to go the hospital, keep in mind that not all hospitals offer doctors – on call and accept walk-in patients. In general hospital staff does not speak English so try to find a Hungarian friend or someone who can help you with the language. There are some expat and tourist hospitals as well, where doctors speak foreign languages, however they will be more expensive than the national hospitals. Here are some places you can go in case of emergency: National Hospitals: Péterfy Hospital is located in the downtown at Péterfy Sándor utca 8-20. Honvéd Hospital located at the XIII district at Róbert Karoly Krt. 44. János Hospital located at Diós Árok 1-3 in the district XII. Imre Hospital located in the Buda side at Tétenyi út 12 in the XI district. Expat Hospitals: Robert Hospital is located at Lehel utca 59/C in the XIII district Medicover is located at Váci út 29-31 in the XIII district. Rózsakert Medical Center located at Gábor Áron Street 74-78 in the II district. Rose located in the V district at István Tér 7-8. Police and ambulance There is a tourist help hotline: +36-1-438-8080, which provides English speaking support and can guide you in case of emergency to find the nearest police station. If you lose your passport, you should report it immediately at the following authority: Budapest and Pest Country Directorate of the Office for Immigration and Citizenship located in Budafoki Street 60 or contact by phone +36-1-463-9100 In case you need to call the ambulance, free-call 104 or +36 1 350 0388. They will take patients to the nearest available hospital – kórház in Hungarian. There are also some private paid ambulances like VIP Ambulances +36 1 395 5565 in case you need them. Important phone numbers: Ambulance: 104 Police: 107 Fire service: 105 Central help number: 112 International enquiries: 11 811 Auto club help number: 188 Speaking clock: 180 Tourist Police (0-24): 06-1-438-8080 Budapest Airport Zrt. (flight information) : +36 (90) 181 818 Lost and found: +36 (1) 296-8797 Call Center: +36 (1) 296-7000 Information about local and international trains: MÁVDIREKT +36 (1) 3 49 49 49 If you are interested in more Budapest hints and tips, please check our previous articles: HINTS AND TIPS – Part 1. Get to the city centre HINTS AND TIPS – Part 2. Getting around the city HINTS AND TIPS – Part 3. Useful information Photo: Pexels