OECD MULTILATERAL TAX CENTRE IN BUDAPEST

Location

The Centre is situated fifteen minutes from the centre of Budapest in a recently reconstructed building and serves as a training centre of the Hungarian Customs and Finance Guard. It is a two-storey building that includes the classroom, the seminar rooms, accommodation and other facilities. The address of the Centre is:

Vám- és Pénzügyőrség Vezetőképző Központja
1121 Béla király út 42/a.
Budapest, Hungary
Tel.: (+36 1) 395 8025
Fax: (+36 1) 395 7727

Getting There

Please ensure that you are aware of the visa requirements before departing for Hungary. Upon arrival in Budapest it is easiest to take the airport minibus directly to the Centre from the airport. However, as the minibus collects more passengers, the journey to and from the airport might take longer. Tickets can be bought at the minibus desk at the airport, show the lady the address set out above. The minibus return ticket will cost approximately Hungarian Forint 3900 (as in April 2007), if you buy a one-way ticket it costs 2300 HUF. The rate of exchange is about 1 USD to 182 Forint and 1 EUR to 245 Forint (as in April 2007).
If you wish to order the airport minibus for your return journey, you need to order it at least 24 hours in advance on Tel.: (+36 1) 296 8555.

You can also take a taxi, there are now four companies offering “fixed airport transfer rates”:

-   Zóna taxi: Tel.: (+36 1) 365 5555,  4,300 HUF (this price is guaranteed only when travelling from the airport to Budapest);
- Budataxi:  Tel.: (+36 1) 2 333 333,  4,800 HUF (price to and from the airport);
- Citytaxi:  Tel.: (+36 1) 2 111 111,  5,900 HUF (price to and from the airport);
- Főtaxi:  Tel.: (+36 1) 2 222 222,  4,800 HUF (price to and from the airport).

The Zóna taxi has a stand-up at the exit of the airport. As for the other companies, to get this fixed rate, you need to order your taxi on telephone (also from the airport) and ask for the ”fixed airport transfer rate” in advance. You should also tell the driver that you are asking for that rate when you get into the taxi. It is not compulsory to tip, although it is normal to tip approximately ten per cent. Inflation in Hungary is of the order of around 9 % per year so fares might increase during the year.

The airport has a foreign exchange office and it is advisable to change some of your money there because no banking facilities are located in the vicinity of the Centre. In the centre of Budapest there are many opportunities to change at better rates than at the airport exchange facility. Credit and bank cards are widely accepted, so if you plan to do your shopping in Budapest you can pay with them. In some restaurants though it is advisable to pay with cash.

Note that there are two main terminals at the airport in Budapest which are situated at some distance from each other. Ferihegy 1 for low-cost airlines and Ferihegy 2 for other airlines. There are also two parts at Ferihegy 2: 2/A mainly for MALEV flights and 2/B for all others. It is helpful when you arrive to check which terminal your outward flight leaves from and to write this on your ticket to make sure that you do not end up in the wrong terminal.

Accommodation and Meals

All experts and event participants will be accommodated free of charge at the Centre. This provides the maximum opportunity for interaction and dialogue between experts and participants and flexibility in relation to the development of the event. Although the Centre is not a hotel it provides towels, soap, etc. The Centre is quite comfortable and most people who stay there find it quite attractive. A swimming pool and a sauna is also available at previously agreed times.

The Centre has a restaurant where you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner free of charge. This restaurant is open each day from 07:00 to 09:00, 12:00 to 14:00 and 18:00 to 19:00 (subject to flexibility according to the agenda of the event), it is not usually open at weekends. If you have any special dietary requests (e.g. you are a vegetarian), please contact Ms. Krisztina Liwa-Horváth in due time.

Office Facilities and Support Staff

Our contact point in the Centre is Ms. Krisztina Liwa-Horváth, who speaks English and Hungarian. She will normally be on hand to welcome you and show you to your room. If she is not present when you arrive, the local staff will have your name and details and can help you.

Ms. Liwa-Horváth can usually be found in the OECD office in the basement of the building where you will find telephone, fax and Internet for your use, as well as the OECD library. The classroom is equipped with an overhead projector and whiteboard as well as interpretation equipment for three languages. A technician is available on site for any problems that may arise with the interpretation equipment, he speaks some English and is very helpful.

Social Events

Participants are invited to a welcome drink on the first evening and on Thursday to a dinner in town together with a short sightseeing around Budapest by Night. All experts and participants are invited to these events as we find that this provides a good opportunity to get to know the participants on a social level and considerably enhances the discussions in the classroom in subsequent days. Details of social events will be provided by Ms. Liwa-Horváth.

 
Touring Budapest

Experts and Participants usually spend some evenings and any weekend days available visiting Budapest. Public buses are available. You should purchase a ticket which costs 230 HUF (1 Euro) from Ms. Horvath as you cannot purchase tickets on the bus.  If you would like to purchase a 7 day weekly ticket which costs 3600 HUF (15 Euro), please indicate this on your travel reply card so that the Centre can have these available. Tickets can also be purchased at DELI PU and MOSZKVA TER metro stations. The bus that serves the Centre stops at these stations.        

You can also take the metro which takes about fifteen minutes to get to the nearest metro station in the centre of Budapest.  Other information on fares, routes and timetables can be found on www.bkv.hu. In the evenings it is usually easiest to take a taxi but make sure that you get a reasonably priced firm. Ms. Liwa-Horváth or the doorman will be very happy to order a taxi for you. Taxis in the ranks outside hotels are usually very expensive.

If you are staying in Budapest for the weekend and wish to be located downtown, there are the usual four and five star international chains in the city as well as cheaper hotels. For information on tourism, accommodation and tourist cards visit www.budapest.hu.

Further Information

Please do not hesitate to contact the following person if you have any queries about the administration of the event or workshop:

Ms. Leonora Lynch-Stein
OECD, Paris
Fax: (+33 1) 45 24 18 84
e-mail: leonora.lynch-stein@oecd.org

Ms. Krisztina Liwa-Horváth
Budapest
Fax: (+36 1) 395 7727
e-mail: oecd_budapest@vipmail.hu

Please send your travel reply card with your flight details to this e-mail address: oecd_budapest@vipmail.hu