Budapest: Exciting fun city with lots to do and cheap beer! (Budapest (Hungary))

Member Name: Jamwee

Product:	Budapest (Hungary)
Date:	09/07/09 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very sunny, lots to do, beautiful city

Disadvantages: I'm genuinely struggling to think of something I didn't like...

My friend and I visited Budapest during a trip around Europe after we finished university. We hadn't planned on going there, it was a spur of the moment decision and one I was glad of as I can honestly say it's one of the nicest, friendliest and most fun cities I've ever visited.

We arrived by train, with the main station being in the centre with easy links to public transport. The station was very busy and we were target by a lot of people trying to coax us to stay at their hostel with offers of free transport and such, this made us a little uneasy and had read (as common sense would dictate) to avoid these people.

Our hostel was called the 'Backpack Guesthouse' which was a short ride on the tram. As it was a hostel, the accommodation was very basic. It was a very safe and friendly place with each room being a different theme - we were in the 'water' room which was painted with fish! A bit quirky, but good fun. They have a garden with hammocks and a nice shaded area which coupled with the cheap beer they sold and the hot sun - luxury!

Budapest is a very historic city with a lot to do. As we're quite young, we managed to party quite hard when we were there. There are plenty of bars and nightclubs that were all very friends and very (very) cheap - both the entry and the drinks. There is a variety of music played at these venues and due to the warm weather many of them were outside which is a nice difference from the UK.

I would recommend trying to find a 'City Spy' map if you can when you get there, we received these from the hostel. It has a very large list of things to do in the city, all mapped out and it even includes some useful phrases for getting by there! These include asking there the hospital is and can I have another beer please. One of the activities you cannot miss out on is the thermal baths. These seem to be a very integral part of Hungarian life which may contribute to why everyone is so chilled out and friendly. We went to the Szecheny baths in the middle of a large park, lovely :)

I would thoroughly recommend visiting this city, it is lovely, exciting with lots to do and best of all - it's cheap!

Summary: Really fun, nice city with lots to do and all at a reasonable price.