Q&A
LEAD:  Hungary  Question:I have heard conflicting accounts from friends about the amount of Hungarian currency that must be purchased by visitors to Hungary. Can you enlighten me? What is the time involved in getting a visa? Is a visa required for Austria as well? -R. R., Buffalo  Answer:Hungarian officials say there is no requirement to purchase a specified amount of Hungarian currency.
Hungary  Question:I have heard conflicting accounts from friends about the amount of Hungarian currency that must be purchased by visitors to Hungary. Can you enlighten me? What is the time involved in getting a visa? Is a visa required for Austria as well? -R. R., Buffalo  Answer:Hungarian officials say there is no requirement to purchase a specified amount of Hungarian currency. There used to be, but it was discontinued in 1978. A spokesman for the government's Hungarian Travel Bureau said visitors may take a maximum of 100 forints a person - about $2 - in coins, not bills, into Hungary, and must leave all forints behind when they leave. Dollars and traveler's checks may be converted into Hungarian money at border crossings, international airports, banks, hotels and state tourist offices. It is not recommended that travelers buy forints ahead of time, the bureau spokesman said.
The Hungarian Consulate (8 East 75th Street, New York, N.Y. 10021; 212-879-4127) says that a visa can be processed in about 24 hours after the traveler has submitted application form, two photographs, passport and the $10-a-person fee. Visas can also be applied for at the Hungarian Embassy (3910 Shoemaker Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008; 202-362-6730). Processing takes 48 hours, the embassy said.
Austria does not require American visitors to obtain a visa.  Iceland  Question:Can you tell me what kind of weather to expect in Iceland in the first week in May? I want to know which clothes to take. -W. S. M., Wellfleet, Mass.  Answer:The average daily maximum and minimum temperatures that can be expected in Reykjavik, the capital, during May are 50 and 39 degrees. It usually rains on about 16 days of the month. Woolen suits and dresses, sweaters, overcoat and rainwear are needed. Iceland's weather is changeable throughout the year because it lies both in the track most frequented by depressions and the path of the warm current called the Gulf Stream. Visitors in May have seen cloudy weather, snow flurries and sunshine on the same day. The inland mountains are covered with snow the year round. Early May is the start of Iceland's relatively warm season, which continues through September.  West Germany  Question:Do your know of any tours that focus on the northern area of West Germany - Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen? Most trips we have seen seem to concentrate on Bavaria and the south. B. H., Old Tappan, N.J.  Answer:A number of options in the north are available, including some tours that also go to West Berlin and East Germany. Hapag-Lloyd is among tour operators with long experience in Germany, and, like others, it can supply information but deals with travel agents when it comes to reservations. Hapag-Lloyd has an eight-night escorted tour that starts and ends in Frankfurt and visits, by bus, Cologne, Amsterdam, Hamburg, West Berlin and Hanover. It is available from May though October. The cost is from $1,000 a person, double occupancy, including hotels, breakfasts and a three-hour cruise on the Rhine. The company also does some rail tours in the north, one starting from Frankfurt and going to Hanover, Hameln (scene of the legend of the Pied Piper), Bremen, Hamburg and Cologne at between $1,000 and $1,200. The train trips are done independently, without guide, and include some meals as well as hotels. Round-trip air fare between New York and Frankfurt is from $550 to $800, depending on date. (Hapag-Lloyd, 159 Great Neck Road, Great Neck, L.I. 11022; 516-466-1262.) American World Travel schedules seven-day, escorted coach tours from Frankfurt, starting Sundays between May and October. On the itinerary are Cologne, Luneburg, Hamburg, West Berlin and Hanover, among other places; dinners, breakfasts, a trip on the Rhine and sightseeing as well as hotels are included in the price of $885. (American World Travel, 5799 Broadmoor, Shawnee Mission, Kan. 66202; 913-722-5929 and 800-255-6165.) Unitours (8 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ill. 60603; 312-782-1590 or, out of state, 800-621-0557) offers a six-night stay at the Hamburg Plaza Hotel, with optional day trips to Lubeck and Luneburg. The price of around $400 includes breakfasts; the day trips are $69 each.
One of the most expensive German tours, visiting West and East Germany, staying at leading hotels, and with a la carte meals, is offered by Hemphill Harris (16000 Ventura Boulevard, Encino, Calif. 91436; 818-906-8086 or 800-421-0454). This 24-day trip, from Frankfurt, is $5,980, excluding air fare. The Kempinski in West Berlin and the Grand in Garmisch-Partenkirchen are among the hotels. In the north, the tour visits Wiesbaden, Cologne, Hamburg and Lubeck. Five departures are scheduled this year.  Winter 1992  Question:Is information regarding tickets and lodging for the 1992 Winter Olympics in France available yet? Where can one write? - M. M., Scotch Plains, N.J.  Answer:There is an organization to write to for information: Le Comite d'Organisation des 16eme Jeux Olympiques d'Hiver d'Albertville et de la Savoie. The address is 73206 Albertville, Cedex, France; telephone: 79.37.92.92. That office can provide information on how far plans and arrangements extend at this point. The opening and closing ceremonies (Feb. 1 and 16), speed skating, figure skating and ice dancing will be in Albertville, which is in the Savoy Alps about 55 miles from Grenoble and 40 miles from Chamonix. Most of the events will take place in such neighboring resorts as Val d'Isere, Les Arcs and Tignes (skiing), Macot-la-Plagne (bobsled and luge), Courchevel and Meribel (skiing and hockey) and Col des Saisies (cross-country skiing).
Officials in the Savoie say the region has 60 winter resorts and 250,000 beds, and more hotels and inns are being built. The nearest international airports are at Lyons and Geneva, which are also served by France's high-speed T.G.V. trains.