Convert CHF to HUF Swiss franc ↔ Hungarian forint Free Online Secure
Type an amount in Swiss franc and read it in Hungarian forint at once. The page uses the European Central Bank's reference rate, and tells you which day that rate is from.
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Common amounts — Convert CHF to HUF (Swiss franc ↔ Hungarian forint)
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The last thirty days
Where these codes and rates come from
The three letters in EUR, USD or JPY are not an abbreviation someone invented for a website: they are ISO 4217, a standard in which the first two letters are the country's own code and the third is usually the initial of the currency. The figures on this page come from the European Central Bank, which publishes one set of reference rates each working day, around 16:00 Central European time, agreed between the central banks of the Eurosystem. They are a daily snapshot meant for statistics and accounting, not a live trading feed — which is exactly why they are the same number for everyone, rather than whatever one bank happened to quote at one moment.
Where you meet an exchange rate
You meet an exchange rate four or five times a year without thinking about it: booking a trip, paying an invoice issued abroad, buying from a foreign shop, reading a salary offer in another currency, or checking what a card charge really cost. In all of these the reference rate is the honest middle, and the price you actually pay sits a little to one side of it. Knowing the middle is what lets you see how wide that margin is.
Questions people ask
Is this the rate my bank will give me?
No, and no page can promise one. This is the European Central Bank's reference rate: the midpoint published once a day for statistics. A bank, a card scheme or an exchange office adds its own margin on top — usually between half a percent and three percent, sometimes more at an airport counter. Use this figure to judge the offer you are given, not to predict it.
How often does the figure change, and what happens at weekends?
The European Central Bank publishes once each working day, in the afternoon, Central European time. There is no publication on Saturdays, Sundays or TARGET holidays, so on those days the page shows the last working day's rate and says which day it belongs to. The chart alongside is one year of the same daily series.
Is the answer exact?
Where both units are defined in terms of one another by whole numbers, yes — the page says so above the figure, and the only rounding is in how many digits are shown. Where the ratio has no finite decimal, the page shows twelve significant digits and says the relation is approximate rather than pretending otherwise.
Does anything I type leave my device?
No. The arithmetic runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded and there is no server to upload it to. Load the page once and it keeps working with the network switched off.
Hot water in two countries: the thermal baths of Switzerland and Hungary, priced in francs and forint
Beneath the Alps and beneath the Carpathian Basin, the earth is warm. Switzerland has springs that come out of the rock at fifty degrees, filling pools in Leukerbad, Bad Ragaz and Baden. Hungary sits on a thinner crust and has hundreds of springs, from the grand bathhouses of Budapest to the lake at Hévíz, where bathers float among water lilies in a pool fed by a hot spring. For a visitor from Switzerland, the comparison is irresistible, and it begins with a simple question: what does a day in the water cost in forint, and what is that in francs? This page makes the conversion. It takes the European Central Bank's reference rates, in which the franc and the forint are each quoted against the euro, combines them into a franc-to-forint rate, shows the result with the date and keeps your amount in your browser. The text below visits six baths, three in each country, and each is a reason to Convert CHF to HUF and to understand what the figure means.
Using the converter
Francs in, forint out
However you plan the trip, the arithmetic starts in one place: Convert CHF to HUF, read the date and write both down.
Type an amount in Swiss francs and the page returns the value in Hungarian forint, with the date of the rate beneath. At weekends the page shows Friday's figure and says so. A table of round amounts and a thirty-day line complete it. For forint into francs, use Convert HUF to CHF.
The benchmark for every price
The reference rate is the middle of the market, published once on each working day, with no margin for any bank. What you pay at the ticket desk or on your card will be somewhat different, and the gap is the cost of the service. This page works as a benchmark: under one per cent is excellent, two or three per cent is normal for banks, and above four is a reason to look around. Every time you Convert CHF to HUF here, you obtain the number for that comparison.
Bath one: Leukerbad, the Alps' largest spa
Water from the mountain
Leukerbad, in the canton of Valais, has some of the hottest springs in the Alps, delivering millions of litres a day at around fifty degrees. The Burgerbad and the Lindner Alpentherme offer indoor and outdoor pools, saunas and views of the cliffs above the village. Entry costs 25 to 35 francs for a day, a bathrobe 10 more, a massage 90 to 150. A mountain hotel with half board costs 180 to 350 francs a night. For a family of four, a day in the pools runs to 100 to 140 francs with lunch.
The Gemmi walk
Mountain excursions have their own tickets, so Convert CHF to HUF for the Swiss day and compare it with a Hungarian one.
From Leukerbad, a cable car and trails climb to the Gemmi Pass, with views of the Bernese Alps. A cable car ticket is about 30 francs return. A winter visit combines skiing and thermal bathing, a popular combination. Convert CHF to HUF for the day's budget to see how it compares with a similar day in Hungary.
Bathing etiquette in Switzerland
Swiss spas ask guests to shower before entering, wear swimwear in the pools and, in the sauna areas, usually go without clothes, with a towel to sit on. Mobile phones are discouraged. Children may be restricted to certain areas. Follow the signs and the staff's instructions.
Bath two: Bad Ragaz and the Tamina valley
A spa with a long tradition
Bad Ragaz in eastern Switzerland has used its warm spring since the thirteenth century. The Tamina Therme, fed by water at 36 degrees, offers pools, steam rooms and treatments. Entry costs about 25 to 40 francs for three hours. Luxury hotels in town cost 400 francs a night and up. The setting, with vineyards and mountains, draws guests from across Europe.
What to expect
For a half-day at the spa, Convert CHF to HUF for the entry and a light lunch and keep the sum as a reference.
A visit lasts a half-day, and the best time is a weekday morning, when the pools are quiet. Cafés and restaurants in the spa serve light meals at Swiss prices, 20 to 35 francs. Many guests combine a visit with a walk in the Tamina gorge. The spa is reached by train from Zurich in about an hour.
Bath three: Baden, the Roman bathing town
Two thousand years of baths
Baden, in the canton of Aargau, was a Roman bathing town known as Aquae Helveticae. Its springs, at 47 degrees, supply a modern spa complex with outdoor pools and a pedestrian old town. A visit costs 25 to 40 francs for entry, and the town is a pleasant day trip from Zurich, 15 minutes by train. Its restaurants range from simple to refined.
Bathing in the city
Baden shows that a thermal bath can be an urban pleasure, not only a mountain retreat. In the evening, the water is warm, the air is cool and the lights of the town reflect on the surface. Prices are the same as in mountain resorts, but the access by train makes the trip cheaper.
Bath four: Széchenyi in Budapest
The giant of City Park
The Széchenyi Baths, opened in 1913 in a neo-Baroque palace in Budapest's City Park, are the largest medicinal bath in Europe. Its outdoor pools, steaming in winter, are where Hungarians play chess in the water. Entry costs 12,000 to 14,000 forint at weekends, with a locker or cabin on top. A massage costs 12,000 to 20,000. Convert CHF to HUF for the day pass, and you will see a figure close to what a Swiss spa asks, perhaps a little less. The difference is the atmosphere, which is grand and lively.
Planning a visit
Before you queue at the ticket desk in Budapest, Convert CHF to HUF for the day pass, the locker and a towel together.
Go on a weekday or in the evening to avoid crowds. Bring swimwear, flip-flops and a towel, or rent them. A locker needs a wristband. Do not stay in the hot pools too long, and drink water. Evening party nights, called sparties, are held on some Saturdays and cost more.
Gellért and Rudas
Other Budapest baths offer different moods. The Gellért, in an Art Nouveau hotel, has a lovely hall with mosaics and a pool with columns. The Rudas, dating from the Ottoman era, has a domed pool and, on top, a panoramic rooftop pool with a view of the Danube. Prices are similar to Széchenyi, and each has its own character.
Bath five: Hévíz, the thermal lake
The largest thermal lake in the world for bathing
Near Lake Balaton in western Hungary, Lake Hévíz is a warm lake of about 4.4 hectares, fed by a spring that renews its water every few days. Bathers float among water lilies at 33 to 36 degrees in summer, and the water stays warm in winter. Entry costs 4,000 to 7,000 forint for a few hours. A nearby hotel costs 25,000 to 50,000 forint a night. Doctors prescribe treatments there for rheumatism and joints.
A cure town
For a week of treatments, Convert CHF to HUF for the whole package and ask the clinic what the price includes.
Hévíz is a spa town with many guesthouses, cafés and clinics. Swiss and German visitors come for medical treatments, which are cheap compared with their home countries. A week of treatment, accommodation and meals costs around 200,000 to 400,000 forint per person. Convert CHF to HUF for the package and compare with a cure in Switzerland.
Bath six: Hajdúszoboszló and the plains
A family water park
With children, the entry fees multiply, so Convert CHF to HUF for the family ticket and compare it with the single prices.
In eastern Hungary, near Debrecen, the spa town of Hajdúszoboszló has one of the largest thermal and water-park complexes in Europe, with slides, wave pools and an adventure area. A day ticket costs 8,000 to 12,000 forint for adults. Family tickets reduce the price. Many Hungarian families spend their summer holidays there. Visitors from abroad come mostly for the medicinal pools.
Getting there
From Budapest, the town is about two and a half hours by train or car. Hotels are modest, 20,000 to 40,000 forint a night. Meals in local restaurants cost 3,000 to 6,000. The plains are flat, and cycling is a pleasant way to spend the rest of the day.
Switzerland and Hungary: a friendship that began with refugees
1956 and the Swiss welcome
After Soviet tanks crushed the Hungarian uprising in November 1956, some 200,000 Hungarians fled west. Switzerland, a small country of five million people at the time, took in about 14,000 of them within weeks and eventually granted asylum to many more, often with help from private families and charities. The refugees were housed in schools and barracks, taught German or French and found jobs in factories and hospitals. Their descendants form one of the older Hungarian communities in the Swiss cantons, with clubs, churches and a lasting sense of gratitude. Whenever a Swiss person and a Hungarian talk about money today, that shared history is somewhere in the background.
The two economies now
A Hungarian worker in Zurich can Convert CHF to HUF each month to see how much of the pay reaches the family.
Switzerland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and Hungary a middle-income member of the European Union. Hungarian workers in Switzerland, including doctors, nurses, engineers and chefs, earn many times what they would at home. Swiss companies such as food, pharmaceutical and engineering groups have plants in Hungary. When the franc is strong against the forint, a Hungarian salary from Zurich buys a great deal in Budapest, and Swiss holidays in Hungary are bargains. Convert CHF to HUF for a monthly salary and you can see why.
Sending money home
Hungarians in Switzerland often send part of their earnings to families at home. The best route depends on the amount: a bank transfer for large sums, a specialist service for medium ones, a multi-currency card for small ones. Compare the final forint figure against the reference rate on this page. One per cent on 1,000 francs a month is 120 francs a year, the price of a thermal bath for a family.
A Swiss weekend in Budapest, beyond the baths
Coffee houses, ruin bars and markets
For an evening in the ruin bars, Convert CHF to HUF for a round of drinks and decide how many rounds the budget allows.
Budapest rewards walkers. The Jewish Quarter has ruin bars, set in crumbling courtyards, with mismatched furniture and cheap drinks. A beer costs 1,000 to 1,600 forint, a cocktail 2,500 to 3,500. The Great Market Hall sells paprika, salami and langos, fried dough with cheese and sour cream, for 2,000 to 3,000. The grand cafés, such as the New York and the Gerbeaud, serve cake and coffee for 3,000 to 6,000. A Swiss visitor accustomed to paying 8 francs for a coffee will be delighted.
Parliament, castle and river
The Hungarian Parliament Building, one of the largest in Europe, can be visited with a guided tour for about 10,000 forint for EU citizens and more for others. Tickets sell out, so book online. The Buda Castle district and the Fisherman's Bastion are free to walk around. A river cruise at night costs 6,000 to 12,000 forint. Everything is within a short tram ride.
Eating well
Dinner prices look large in forint, so Convert CHF to HUF for the bill before you judge whether it is cheap or dear.
A three-course dinner with wine at a good restaurant costs 12,000 to 25,000 forint a head, which is a fraction of a Zurich bill. Local dishes include goulash soup, chicken paprikash with dumplings, stuffed cabbage and dobos cake. A set lunch menu at a bistro costs 3,000 to 5,000. Hungarian wines from Tokaj, Eger and Villány are excellent and cheap.
Cash, cards and the exchange offices of Budapest
The notorious counters
Before any exchange, Convert CHF to HUF here and ask the counter for the exact amount you will receive; if it is far lower, walk away.
Exchange offices in central Budapest are famous for advertising attractive rates and then adding commissions or giving back fewer notes than promised. A rule of thumb: the better the headline rate looks, the more likely there is a trap. Never exchange at a counter that does not show both buy and sell rates and the commission in plain view. Check the total in forint before handing over your money. A bank machine is a better option.
Paying by card
Cards are accepted almost everywhere in Hungary, including taxis, small cafés and market stalls. Use a card without a foreign-transaction fee, and always choose forint when the terminal asks. Contactless limits apply to small amounts, and a PIN is needed above them. Keep your card in sight during payments.
Taxis and tips
Use licensed taxis ordered by phone or app. The fare for a ride across the centre is 3,000 to 5,000 forint, and from the airport to the centre about 10,000 to 12,000 at a fixed rate. In restaurants, a tip of ten per cent is customary unless a service charge is already included. Check the bill. Say the total including the tip as you pay.
Travelling between the two countries
By air, rail or road
Direct flights link Zurich, Geneva and Basel with Budapest in about an hour and forty minutes, with fares of 100 to 300 francs return. By train, a day-long journey via Vienna costs 100 to 200 francs, with a night train as a comfortable option. By car, the route runs through Austria, taking nine to eleven hours from Zurich, with motorway vignettes in Austria and Hungary. Fuel is sold by the litre, and prices differ in each country.
Costs of the road
The Austrian vignette for a short stay costs around 10 euros and the Hungarian one about 20 euros for ten days. The Swiss vignette is needed only inside Switzerland. Add fuel, meals and a night's stay. A one-way drive costs 150 to 250 francs for a small car. Convert CHF to HUF for the Hungarian part, and use euros for Austria.
Currencies on the way
A Swiss traveller encounters the franc, the euro and the forint on a single journey. For the pound and the dollar, there are Convert CHF to GBP and Convert CHF to USD. For the north, Convert CHF to SEK shows the Swedish krona. Keep small amounts of euros for tolls and cafés.
Money matters at the baths
Wristbands, deposits and tips
At the exit, Convert CHF to HUF for the total on the wristband and check it against what you remember spending.
Most spas use a wristband that works as a key, locker lock and payment tool. At the end, you settle what you spent at the exit. Check the total on the receipt. Tips are optional, and a small amount for massage staff is appreciated. Keep your receipt until you have left the premises.
Cards, cash and exchange
Cards are accepted in Swiss and Hungarian spas. In Hungary, choose forint when the terminal asks. Exchange offices at the border and in tourist areas often charge high margins. Withdraw from a bank cash machine instead. Convert CHF to HUF before you go, so you know how much to take.
Health and common sense
Hot water can cause dizziness, especially for people with heart conditions or high blood pressure. Check with a doctor before a long soak. Pregnant women, children and older people should take care. Drink water, and leave the pool if you feel unwell.
Related conversions
Other currencies for a spa tour
For the euro, Convert CHF to EUR. For the neighbours, Convert CHF to CZK, Convert CHF to PLN and Convert CHF to RON. Hungary is in the same time zone as Switzerland. Distances are in kilometres, and Convert km to mi turns them into miles. Pool temperatures in Fahrenheit are given by Convert °C to °F.
Mistakes to avoid
Counting the zeros
Forint prices have many digits. Mistaking 12,000 for 1,200 is common. Check the number twice at the desk.
The terminal's offer
If a card machine offers to charge you in francs, say no. Pay in forint and let your bank convert.
Outdated rates
A rate from last month may be a percentage point or more away from today's. The date beside the result protects you.
Dry towel, clear mind
The page downloads only the table of daily reference rates. The amount you type never leaves your device, and no account is needed. From the mountain pool to the city bath, the habit is the same: Convert CHF to HUF, read the date, compare any offer against the figure and keep a note.