Monday, April 27, 2009

Buying highway vignette's in Hungary

Hopefuly this post will get indexed properly and prevent many readers from getting frustrated or feeling robbed when travelling through Hungary.
One day you will thank me for that.

Here are the facts:

1. If you get to Hungary by car, the road vignette is mandatory. However, make sure you have some 1.200 Forint (about 4€), to be able to pay for the minimum 4 days vignette.
Failing to pay in Forint or by card will put the price up to as much as 7-7.5 €, if you pay with Euro, Lei or any other currency, that are generally accepted in border areas.

2. You are in Hungary, you drive towards Austria and you stop at a gas station for refilling your tank. You get to the counter and the seller asks you if you don't need an Austrian vignette. You say "Yes, why not, why should I stop again in Austria...?".
Well, this good idea will cost you more than 4€, as the Austrian vignette (normal price - 7.9€ for 10 days) is sold 3.500 Forint (~= 12€) in Hungary, regardless of whether you pay by card or cash, in Forint.

Hope this helps. Also hope this helps authorities uderstand that too much is too much and some kind of control of the phenomenon is needed.
.

3 comments:

  1. Hi, I few weeks ago I was travelling through hungary by car and I didn't even notice the price difference. Not knowing the exchange course I just followed everywhere written prices in euro's. No I am trying to sort out the expences of the trip and I remember we payed something around 7.5 euros while on the ticket it says 1530 forint, which is something around 5.70 euros.
    What a robbery! I mean, ok, I can pay more if it's needed but I do want a proof of how much I payed.
    Thanks for this post, I will know next time, and I hope other people will read it too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Polona,

    Obviously, nobody minds about being charged an extra 10%-15% as a penalty because he doesn't have forint, on small amounts, but 30-40% as it happens right now, is outrageous.
    However, to make it clear, this is an individual initiative of each gas station or vignette seller, authorities can only be blamed because they don't try to get rid of this kind of practices and tolerate them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. hungarian robbers at the gas stations!!
    I had to pay 2550 forints for a weekly vignette, which gives us not more than 10 euros. and guess what - I paid 13 euros!! I can't understand it.
    now I think that paying with my card would have been better idea... well, next time I'll be smarter...
    Marek, Poland

    ReplyDelete