IMTC^®/2001 

May 21-23, 2001 (Monday-Wednesday)
Budapest, Hungary
Budapest Convention Centre

Budapest , the capital of Hungary, is an economic, financial and cultural center with two million inhabitants. The city, which is beautifully situated on both sides of the river Danube, has 2000 years of history. There are relics from the time of the Roman Empire as well as from the Middle Ages. However, the city mainly reflects the atmosphere of the end of the 19th century when the millennium of Hungary as an established state was celebrated. There are many of museums, theatres, concert halls, plenty of restaurants and other places of entertainment. Several public baths offer the pleasure of thermal waters of various medicinal springs. As Budapest is a traffic junction in Eastern Central Europe, it can easily be reached by air, by train, by car or by hydrofoil.
Some interesting cultural links can be found here and here.
Online hotel reservation is possible.

All foreign visitors must have a valid passport. The visa policy of Hungary is liberal. For visits shorter than a month, no visa is required for citizens of most European countries, the United States, Canada, Japan and Israel. People coming from Austria, Germany and Italy can visit Hungary with their domestic identity card. Nevertheless, participants are advised to inquire about visa regulations at their travel agency or at the Hungarian Embassy or Consulate in their home country AGREEMENTS OF THE REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY ON ABOLITION OF VISA REQUIREMENTS is available on the internet. Visa is required for visitors from most Asian countries, and most states of NIS. Those who experience any trouble in getting visa to Hungary should not hesitate to contact the Conference Organizers immediately (Attila Varga, diamond@diamond-congress.hu). Please state clearly in your letter that you need an official invitation letter for for visa purposes. The list of Hungarian missions can be found here.

Participants arriving at either terminals of Budapest International Airport are advised to use the Airport Minibus shuttle service, which takes one to any addresses in Budapest for a fee of 1800 HUF/person (cca. USD 5.5), round trip ticket is 3300 HUF (cca. USD 11). As an alternative one can use public bus service (line 93 red, travel time takes>30 minutes!) which connects both terminals with the underground (metro) line 3 (blue line). Taxis to or from the city cost approximately 4000-4500 HUF (cca. USD 15-18) for a one way trip. Car rentals, are available at the airport. Budapest possesses a reliable and frequent public transportation network, composed of three metro lines (yellow, red and blue), as well as several tram, bus and trolley bus lines. Participants are advised to use public transportation. For participants arriving by car a guarded parking lot is available at Novotel Budapest Congress.
How to get to the hotels?

You are advised to finalize your travel as soon as it is feasible. In case of any change, you can find the list of Airlines here.

A searchable map of Budapest is available here.

The Hungarian currency is the Hungarian Forint (HUF). Currency exchange booths are available at the airport terminals, railway stations, travel agencies, banks and various places in the city. Traveller's cheques, and convertible currency may be exchanged at these facilities. Major credit cards are usually accepted in most hotels, restaurants and certain shops in the city. Obtaining cash against ATM cards (or credit cards, but this is more expensive) is very easy in Budapest from the "Bankomats" that can be found at almost each bank office, hotel or on the street. For current exchange rates of major currencies, please click here.

The climate of Budapest is continental. In May, usually nice weather is expected with a max. temperature of 20-25 degrees centigrade (68-77 F), while the lowest temperature during the night ranging between 10-15 degrees (50-58 F). Sunny days as well as rains are not unusual in this season, so an umbrella and an overcoat for outdoor programs are recommended. For current weather forecast please click here.

The electric line is 230V/50Hz in Hungary. The line connector is Euro standard.

Not grounded plug	Grounded plug	Grounded/standard socket

Most laptops accept both 230 V / 50 Hz and 110 V / 60 Hz. However, this is not always true. Please check your laptop before taking it with you. If it accepts 230 V / 50 Hz, and the plug is different from the Euro standard, prepare for using an adaptor (the best is if you take one with you). If it does not accept it, you would need a transformer - it is probably better not to experiment with it ...

All hotels except the small Bara have hairdryer in the room, and iron somewhere in the house.

Before starting for Budapest, please study the enclosed safety guide for visitors.

Some additional information (e.g. on Internet access) is available on a separate page.