News U Can Use

Living in Budapest you find yourself using the "Internets" to get around the Hungarian capital, stuff like maps, etc. So without further ado, here's Uncle Drew's Top 5 in no particular order.

#1 - There are numerous virtual maps of Budapest, but for me
Utcakereső seems to work the best.

#2 - The eccentric site of the Budapest Transportation Company, which even has audio files of their little jingle noise that you can hear at the end of the line, can be useful. It's good to be able to check the times and routes of the Hungarian capital's wonderful public transport system if you're going to be traveling at night or at the weekend. Be careful with their "Trip Planner" though because sometimes it offers some wildly circuitous trips around the city.

#3 - If you live in Hungary, you'll need to see how much money you've gained or lost if you get your pay in a foreign currency. I love the easy navigation of Oanda.com. Find the "FXConverter" link on the left-hand side navigation under Currency Tools.

#4 - It's easy to find simple words and expressions in Hungarian in a traditional dictionary, but sometimes you've got to pull out the big guns to nail it. I recommend "Hunglish", which spits out excerpts of translations so that you can see how someone translated a word or expression in a specific context (science, law, etc.). It's not always perfect, but it's saved my ass on more than one occasion when I've been searching for but not finding the right word.

#5 - Budapest.lap.hu is one hell of a roundup of links about Budapest, from news to events to the city's attractions (like caves, shopping centers, etc.) and Budapest history. Problem is, it's not in English. Scroll down to find an excellent round-up of English language sites in the middle column. They even list Budacast!

Honorable mention: English.Budapest.hu is an eclectic roundup of information on Budapest.