How to choose where to stay in Budapest
2020-01-24
Tourism is blooming in Budapest, and it’s happening for a good reason – this city has a lot to offer. Not surprisingly, accommodations for visitors and expats have evolved into a very diverse market. The level of service is growing in the past few years, but nevertheless, from time to time people leave Budapest with sour emotions. In some cases it happens because they landed in a wrong area of the city and falsely assume that the entire city is as bad. To avoid such mistakes and to enjoy your time in Budapest to the fullest we offer a few experience-based tips on how to choose the place to rent in Budapest.
If you are coming to Budapest for a few days
If you are looking for something dynamic, night life, tourist attractions – best, but probably the most expensive is the V (fifth) district. VI district can be alright, just not right next to Nyugati train station, and if possible, avoid the blocks right next to Octogon. VII and VIII districts are good the closer they are to the 5th district. Do your best to stay away from the area surrounding Keleti train station, since if you can get robbed or stumble upon drug dealers anywhere in the city – here you’ve got the highest chances.
If you are looking to chill and relax in Budapest, Buda side’s district I (one) and the blocks around the castle have some fancy and calm accommodations to offer. But beware that if you’re on foot there’s going to be a lot of up and down the hill walking. District XII can also be good and a bit cheaper than the 1st district, but the trade off is the distance from the city center, especially many attractions and landmarks that are in Pest.
- Great places to stay we recommend:
- Belvaros, V
- Parliament area, V
- Castle district, I
- Not advisable:
- Nyugati train station, VI
- Keleti train station, VII-VIII
- Blaha Lujza ter, VII-VIII
- Good, but be aware of the noise levels and the amount of people on
- Vaci utca, V
- Octogon, VI
- Raday utca, IX
- Gozsdu Udvar, VII
Window view
There are two types of travelers: those who care about the view from their window, and those who disregard it completely. However, it does turn out to be important when you arrive. In Budapest you must consider that if your windows are facing major tourist locations like Gozsdu Udvar, Kazinczy, or Vaci utca, you should expect a very high noise level year-round. In some of the districts apartment owners are not allowed to properly renovate their windows to cancel the noise, so it might easily become an issue.
Like we mentioned in our What you should know about Budapest before your trip, buildings in the center of Budapest are mostly built in a square shape with the middle of that square being empty unused space. This also implies that your windows may face an empty yard, which wouldn’t be that bad if people didn’t have to pass by your windows on their way to their own door. The pathways inside the buildings are also on every floor, so it’s not just a ground-floor issue. Also note that if it’s not the top floor, the amount of light is likely to be pretty low in the rooms facing the inner yard.
Booking.com or AirBnb?
If you are looking for a hotel, obviously you’d go for booking.com, but if it comes to the apartment, don’t rush to disregard it either. Many apartment owners advertise on Booking.com exclusively, just because it is more convenient for them in terms of bookkeeping.
If you are coming to Budapest for a long-term visit (months/years)
The suggestions made for a short period visit remain true, however there are a few things to add here. If you are coming for a long term, other, a bit more remote areas become more attractive. For example, the more remote areas of the XIII district, Ujpest are quite populated with more modern buildings with many apartments to rent. Such buildings often have centralized heating systems, and you wouldn’t have to bother about the potential window allocation issues described below for older buildings in the center of the Budapest.
Students often prefer to stay close to the metro stations as it is never taking longer than 15 minutes to get from even outskirts of the city to the center. Working people pick the locations close to areas where large business centers are located. If you plan to be driving in Budapest, you may as well consider the options anywhere in Buda (a bit pricier, but often having great access to parks and lots of fresh air), or in XIV-XXIII districts of Pest which will provide a better deal of isolation from the neighbors.
Now, the prices went up by more than 200% for the rentals and generally the real estate in Hungary in the last 5 years. To get a sense of how much the rental fees are, please visit the most popular platform for the landlords to connect with the tenants in Hungary: ingatlan.com or it's English version realestatehungary.hu.