Convert HUF to CHF Hungarian forint ↔ Swiss franc Free Online Secure
Type an amount in Hungarian forint and read it in Swiss franc 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 HUF to CHF (Hungarian forint ↔ Swiss franc)
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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.
Two slow trains across the Alps: the Glacier Express, the Bernina Express and what each costs a Hungarian traveller in francs
The Glacier Express calls itself the slowest express train in the world, and it earns the title: it takes about eight hours to cover the 291 kilometres between Zermatt, at the foot of the Matterhorn, and St Moritz, rolling over 291 bridges, through 91 tunnels and across the 2,033-metre Oberalp Pass, with panoramic windows that let the passengers photograph the Rhine gorge from above. The Bernina Express runs the other way, from Chur through the valley of the Albula to the Italian town of Tirano, climbing to 2,253 metres at the Bernina Pass and crossing the stone spiral viaduct at Brusio on a line that is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Both lines are narrow-gauge, both are expensive, and both are on the wish list of many Hungarians who dream of the Alps. For a traveller from Budapest, planning them starts with money: how many Swiss francs does a forint buy? This page answers it. Use it to Convert HUF to CHF with the daily reference rates published by the European Central Bank, in which the forint and the franc are quoted against the euro; the page combines them into a forint-franc figure and prints its date under the result. The amount you type never leaves your browser.
Using the converter
A sum in, a sum out
Before booking a train, Convert HUF to CHF for the full itinerary and keep the figure beside the plan.
The page has one input: type the amount in forints, and the answer appears in Swiss francs, rounded to rappen, with the date on which the rate was set. Since a franc is worth hundreds of forints, the answer is far smaller than the number you typed. On weekends and public holidays no new rate is published, so the page shows the last working day and says so. Underneath you will find a table of round sums and a line tracing the previous thirty days. To go the other way round, from francs into forints, use Convert CHF to HUF.
The reference and the real offer
The number you see is the middle of the market on a given working day, with no bank's cut included. A bank, a booth or a card will quote a bit less, and the difference in per cent is the price of the service. Under one per cent is very good, two or three per cent is the norm, and above four is worth shopping around. Every time you Convert HUF to CHF on this page, use the result as the yardstick. The arithmetic below uses a made-up, tidy rate of three hundred and fifty forints to the franc, which is neither a forecast nor today's price; swap in the real figure from the calculator.
From Budapest to the Alps
By rail across Austria
Night trains have seat, couchette and bed prices, so Convert HUF to CHF for the franc part of the trip and convert the euro fares separately.
A direct train runs from Budapest through Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck and the Arlberg tunnel to Zürich in about twelve hours, often as an overnight service. A seat in second class booked early costs 50 to 100 euros each way, with sleeping cars at a higher price. The line passes through the Danube valley, the Alpine foreland and the Arlberg mountains, and the views from the window are beautiful. Travel by air is faster, but the train is a calmer start to a holiday. If you plan to stay more than a few days, a regional transport pass may pay for itself.
By car
Driving from Budapest to Zürich is about 1,000 kilometres, ten to eleven hours, through Austria. Motorway vignettes are needed in Austria and Switzerland, the latter costing about 40 francs for a full year, valid on all motorways, with no shorter option. Alpine tunnels have extra tolls. Fuel is sold by the litre, and Convert L to gal relates the litre to the gallon. Distances are shown in kilometres, and Convert km to mi turns them into miles.
Entry rules
Switzerland is in the Schengen area but not in the European Union, so there are no routine passport checks on the roads, though customs officers may check goods. Hungarian citizens can enter with an identity card or a passport and stay up to ninety days. Carry your documents, vehicle papers and insurance.
The Glacier Express
The route in detail
The train leaves Zermatt in the morning, descends the Matter valley to Visp, climbs to Brig and then follows the Rhône valley up to Oberwald and across the Oberalp Pass to Andermatt, Disentis and the Rhine gorge, the Ruinaulta, nicknamed the Swiss Grand Canyon. After Chur, it ascends the Albula valley to Samedan and ends in St Moritz. Most of the trip is on rack-and-pinion sections, bridges and spirals. The restaurant car serves meals at the seat in the panoramic carriage: a three-course lunch costs 70 to 100 francs, a coffee 5 to 6.
Tickets and seat reservations
A reservation fee is easy to forget, so Convert HUF to CHF for the ticket and the reservation together before you click pay.
A one-way second-class ticket for the whole route costs about 150 to 200 francs, plus a compulsory seat reservation of 40 to 50 in the summer season. First-class and excellence-class seats cost more. Tickets are sold online, and a Swiss Travel Pass covers the fare but not the reservation. For a group of four, Convert HUF to CHF for the tickets and reservations separately, and add meals.
Is it worth it?
The scenic train costs more than the bus, but if you Convert HUF to CHF for both you can decide if the extra view is worth the extra price.
Many travellers say the scenery is worth the price, but it is slow, and the same mountains can be seen by regular trains and local buses at a much lower cost. A compromise is to do part of the route, for instance from Chur to Andermatt, and to stop in villages. Check whether the journey time fits your plans.
The Bernina Express
Over the Bernina Pass to Italy
The Bernina Express starts in Chur or Davos, passes through the Albula valley with loops, spirals and viaducts, reaches the Bernina Pass station at 2,253 metres, the highest point of an adhesion railway in Europe, and descends towards Poschiavo and the lakes before ending in the Italian town of Tirano. The famous circular viaduct at Brusio loops through the village. The total travel time from Chur is about four hours. A single ticket costs 60 to 90 francs, and a seat reservation 24 to 28.
A day in Tirano
Tirano is a small Italian town with a pilgrimage church and a pleasant old centre. Many passengers lunch there, paying in euros. Convert HUF to CHF for the train, and use a euro page for the meal: Convert HUF to EUR. From Tirano, you can return the same way or take a bus across the border back to Switzerland through the Bernina route in summer.
Climate and clothing
At 2,250 metres, the temperature is often 15 degrees lower than in the valleys, and weather changes quickly. Pack a jacket even in July. Convert °C to °F gives temperatures in Fahrenheit, and Convert m to ft converts the altitude of 2,253 metres into feet.
Cog railways and cable cars: the short climbs that add up
Gornergrat above Zermatt
A viewpoint ticket and a mountain lunch look modest, but Convert HUF to CHF for both and then for a family of four.
From Zermatt, the cog railway to the Gornergrat climbs in 33 minutes to a viewing terrace at 3,089 metres, with a view of the Matterhorn and 29 peaks over 4,000 metres. A return ticket costs about 100 to 130 francs in summer, with discounts for early-morning and late-afternoon trains. The terrace has a restaurant, a small chapel and a stargazing observatory. If the weather is clear, it is among the best-value viewpoints in the Alps. Convert HUF to CHF for the ticket and a hot chocolate at the top, then add the walk back down to Riffelalp, which costs nothing.
The Matterhorn and its neighbours
Zermatt is a car-free village: electric taxis and horse-drawn carriages carry guests from the station. The Matterhorn, 4,478 metres, was first climbed in 1865, and the first ascent ended in tragedy when four climbers fell during the descent. A museum in the village tells the story for an entrance of about 10 francs. Hiking trails around the village are marked and free, and chairlifts take hikers to higher starting points. Look for the five-lake walk, which reflects the Matterhorn in alpine lakes on a calm day.
Cars at the valley
If you drive, you must leave the car in the village of Täsch, five kilometres below Zermatt, and take a shuttle train. Parking costs about 15 to 20 francs per day, and the shuttle about 9 per person each way. It is an extra to add to the budget, and you can cut it by arriving by train.
Jungfraujoch, a pricey classic
The Jungfrau railway, which runs through a tunnel inside the Eiger and the Mönch, reaches the Jungfraujoch at 3,454 metres, the highest railway station in Europe. A return ticket from Interlaken is more than 200 francs, though early-bird tickets and passes reduce the price. At the top are an ice palace, a viewing platform and a panorama over the Aletsch glacier, the longest in the Alps. The Half Fare Card gives a discount. Some travellers choose a cheaper alternative with a smaller railway, such as the one to Schynige Platte.
Mountain villages with a character
St Moritz and the Engadin
St Moritz is the world capital of winter glamour, but in summer it is a pleasant lake town with hiking, sailing and cycling. A coffee on the main street can cost 7 francs, a dinner in a grand hotel several hundred. Nearby villages such as Pontresina and Sils Maria are quieter and cheaper. The valley's light, which painters and writers praised, is as striking as the scenery. Nietzsche wrote parts of his major works in Sils.
Poschiavo and the Italian touch
On the Italian side of the Bernina pass, the Val Poschiavo is a Swiss valley where people speak Italian and the cooking mixes mountain and Mediterranean flavours. The town of Poschiavo has coloured houses, a Baroque church and a Spanish quarter, built by emigrants returning from Spain. Pizzoccheri, a buckwheat pasta with cabbage and cheese, is the dish to try, at 18 to 26 francs. The valley is also famous for its organic farming.
Ticino and the south
Across the Alps from Zürich, the canton of Ticino is a world of palm trees, lakes and piazzas, with towns such as Lugano, Locarno and Bellinzona, known for three medieval castles on the UNESCO list. Food is Italian in spirit: risotto, polenta, grilled meats and local merlot. Prices are a little lower than in the north, but still high. A summer visit allows swimming in the lakes, and Lake Maggiore is warm. The Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world's longest railway tunnel at 57 kilometres, connects the south with the north in under two hours.
Money matters in Switzerland
Why everything costs so much
Prices that seem enormous in forints make sense in francs, so Convert HUF to CHF for every item and compare it with the local wage.
Swiss prices reflect high wages, high rents, a strong currency and strict rules on quality and safety. A salary for a waiter or a shop assistant is among the highest in the world, and that is reflected in the price of a coffee. The upside is that tips are not necessary, because service is included. Another reason is the small market and the cost of transport in mountains. Compare prices by converting both to the same unit: Convert HUF to CHF for a basket of items, then take the ratio against the price in Budapest.
Tips for saving
Buy bread, cheese and fruit in supermarkets and make picnics, use the lunch menu in restaurants rather than dinner, stay in hostels or campsites, travel outside the high season, buy regional passes only if they match your plan and fill water bottles at fountains. Free entry to many parks, lakes and viewpoints makes Switzerland less costly than it seems. Check discounts for groups, families and young people.
Swiss cash and coins
Swiss banknotes come in 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 1,000 francs, and coins in 5, 10 and 20 rappen and in half-, one-, two- and five-franc pieces. Cash payments are rounded to the nearest five rappen. Most places accept cards, but mountain huts and small farms may prefer cash. A modest amount in francs, perhaps 100 to 200, covers the exceptions.
Budget and money
Passes and half-fare cards
To see if a pass pays off, Convert HUF to CHF for every ticket you expect to buy and compare the total with the price of the pass.
The Swiss Travel Pass offers unlimited travel on trains, buses and boats for three to fifteen days, plus free entry to hundreds of museums, but it costs from about 250 francs for three days. The Half Fare Card gives 50 per cent off most tickets for a month, at 120 francs, and pays for itself after two or three long journeys. For a one-week trip with two scenic trains and local excursions, compare the pass with single tickets.
Meals and rooms
A supermarket picnic is the cheapest lunch in Switzerland; Convert HUF to CHF for it and for a restaurant meal and see the difference.
A picnic of bread, cheese and fruit from a supermarket costs 8 to 12 francs, a simple restaurant lunch 20 to 30, and dinner 30 to 60. A bed in a hostel is 40 to 70, a room in a mid-range hotel 180 to 300. Water from public fountains is free. At the invented rate of 350 forints to a franc, 100 francs are 35,000 forints.
Cards and cash
Cards convert for you, but you should Convert HUF to CHF at the till to see whether the statement shows a fair amount.
Cards are accepted nearly everywhere, but mountain huts and farm shops may prefer cash. Decline the offer to be charged in forints at a terminal, because the rate offered is worse than your bank's. In Italy, Tirano and nearby places use euros.
Other forint conversions
If your trip continues
Travellers who go on to Britain can use Convert HUF to GBP, those who cross the Atlantic Convert HUF to USD, and those who visit Sweden Convert HUF to SEK.
A habit worth keeping
Write down the rate and date at each exchange, and compare them later with the statement. It takes seconds.
Mistakes to avoid
Forgetting seat reservations
Scenic trains require a reservation even if your pass covers the fare. Reserve early in summer.
Packing for the valley only
Mountains are cold. A warm layer is cheaper than a ruined day.
Using an old rate
A rate from last month can be wrong by several per cent. The date shown beside the result protects you each time you Convert HUF to CHF.
In short
The only thing fetched from the network is the table of daily rates, while your amount stays in the browser and no account is needed. From the Oberalp Pass to the viaduct at Brusio, the routine is the same: Convert HUF to CHF, read the date and compare every offer with the number on this page.