Mail

Airmail letters and postcards generally take seven days to travel between Hungary and the United States, sometimes more than twice as long, however, during the Christmas season. At this writing, postage for an airmail letter to the U.S. costs 220 HUF; an airmail letter to the U.K. and elsewhere in Western Europe costs 190 HUF; airmail postcards to the U.S. cost 160 HUF and to the U.K. and the rest of Western Europe, 130 HUF.

Most post offices in the capital are open on weekdays from 8 am until 6 pm, some as late as 8 pm; practically all are closed on weekends. In the countryside, where post offices are likewise closed on weekends for the most part, post offices tend to close earlier; in many villages they shut their doors by around 3:30 pm.

Budapest's main post office is downtown near both Deák tér and Váci utca. The post offices near Budapest's Nyugati (West) and Keleti (East) train stations stay open on weekdays until 8 pm and 9 pm, respectively; on Saturdays the former is open until 6 pm, the latter until 2 pm; and both are closed on Sunday.

Shipping Packages

DHL, FedEx, and UPS all operate in Budapest, but you'll have to contact them directly, as stores that offer shipping have yet to make their mark on Hungary's capital. Overnight service is possible to the U.K. but not always to the U.S., which might take two days. Express service to Australia and New Zealand can take three to four days. All services are expensive (starting at around $50 for an overnight document to the U.K.)

Express Services

DHL (06–40/454–545. .)

FedEx Hungary (06-29/551–900; 06-40/980–980 Customer service. .)

UPS (06–40/989-898 or 1/877–0000. .)