Having joined the European Union in 2004, the tourism infrastructure has developed at a furious pace in Hungary. There are many high-quality hotels and restaurants for all budgets, yet new hotels and dining opportunities continue to appear on the scene. Major improvements in the service sector have been noticeable over the past few years, but there is always room for improvement.

You will find tourism-related information offices called Tourinform (tel. 1/438-8080 or tel. 06/80-630-800; www.tourinform.hu), a branch of the Hungarian National Tourist Office, at V. Süto u. 2, Budapest; open daily from 8am to 8pm. You'll also find a branch office in the heart of Budapest's Broadway, at Liszt Ferenc tér 11 (tel. 1/322-4098; fax 1/342-2541), open daily from noon to 8pm. These offices distribute pamphlets on events and attractions within the city in which they are located. They can assist you with finding appropriate accommodations and restaurants, but once outside of large cities, the amount of English decreases. The tourism authority, Magyar Turizmus Rt (tel. 1/488-8701; www.hungarytourism.hu), also has offices throughout the world, and it is their mandate to promote Hungary as a destination for tourism.

For general country information and a variety of pamphlets and maps before you leave home, contact the government-sponsored Hungarian National Tourist Office, 350 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10118 (tel. 212/695-1212; www.gotohungary.com). In London, the Hungarian National Tourist Office is at 46 Eaton Place, London SW1X 8AL (tel. 020/7823-1032). The Hungarian National Tourist Office's main website, a great source of information, is www.gotohungary.co.uk.

Other sites with lots of helpful current information including news, shopping, entertainment, and current venues for music, dance, and theatrical events for visitors and English-speaking locals are Funzine (www.funzine.hu), published every 2 weeks, and Where, published monthly, both free at Tourinform or at many restaurants and hotels. Time Out, found in many major cities, started publishing in Budapest in 2009. It is free from the Tourinform or 450 Ft at newsstands. The Budapest Times (www.budapesttimes.hu) both in print at newsstands or online, has news articles with an entertainment section. The Tourinform office puts out a monthly brochure called Budapest Panorama listing all of the scheduled events during the month. For news articles about Hungary, check out the Hungarian News Agency at www.english.mti.hu. It's updated daily.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.