How to Call Hungary From the United States

The baroque architecture and lively atmosphere of the capital city, Budapest, as well as colorful villages along the Danube River are reason enough to visit Hungary. If you're planning a trip and need to place a call to Hungary, follow these steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Foreign Language Phrase Books
• Travel Guides
• Telephones
• Clocks
• Telephone Calling Cards

1. Determine what time it is in Hungary. Hungary is 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, which means it's 6 hours later in Hungary than it is on the East Coast of the United States, and 9 hours later than it is on the West Coast.

2. Keep a Hungarian phrase book handy if you dare. This notoriously difficult language is not even remotely related to any Slavic, Germanic or Romance languages, and if you didn't grow up with it, good luck learning. You'll find that many Hungarians, and most who work in the tourism industry, speak at least some English.

3. Dial 011, the international access code.

4. Dial 36, the Hungarian country code.

5. Drop the initial 0, if the city code starts with one. (Most city codes start with a 0, but some don't.)

6. Dial the remaining digits.

Tips & Warnings

• Some city codes for major cities in Hungary: 01 for Budapest, 26 for Szentendre, 022 for Székesfehérvar.
• If you're having problems getting through, dial 00 for the international operator and ask him or her to place the call.
• Calling between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. or on weekends will often cost up to 50 percent less than calling during business hours. Call your long-distance carrier to find out which hours are cheapest to call internationally with your long-distance plan.
• If you're calling from a pay phone, you'll need to have a calling card or charge the call to a credit card - you won't be able to feed the phone with coins fast enough to keep yourself connected. Follow the instructions printed on the phone for placing the call.