Erasmus Experience in Budapest, Hungary by Lydia

Why did you choose to go to Budapest, Hungary?

Initially, I wanted to go somewhere in Italy, but I knew a Hungarian person at my university and I just happened to ask him about it. He told me about the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE). The truth is I ended up being very convinced as the history of the area really captured my attention, and I wanted to go to a less popular place than Italy, to have more of a culture shock. As well as that, the classes were in English as it was the main language of the Erasmus students.

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

My grant lasted for 9 months, from September to June, and I received roughly 3, 000 euros but this was two years ago. I'm now aware that the grants have faced significant cuts.

What is the student lifestyle like in Budapest?

It's really good. The university campuses have a really lively student atmosphere. There are lots of events and parties, particularly for international students. The Hungarian students organise trips, parties and events through the ESN (Erasmus Student Network) which I really recommend Erasmus students sign up to. The ESN in the BME (the Engineering University) is the one with the most things going on.

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Would you recommend the city and the University of Budapest to other students?

Of course, 100%!

Do you like the food?

In general, the food is quite greasy in the winter, so it's quite heavy to eat when it's sunny, but, in general, I like it. The deserts are quite good as well. There are lots of cake shops. I recommend Kürtökalács (chimney cakes).

Did it cost you to find accommodation in Budapest?

To be honest it cost me a lot coming from Spain as normally you have to see the flat in person. So, in the end, I left without a flat secured, I contacted some Spanish people and I stayed in the first flat that I saw as I thought it was great in both price, location and quality. However, there were people that took longer to find one, but normally no longer than a week. The best thing is to go on some verified sites to look at flats from Spain. Although it's true that I didn't have anything secured when I arrived in Budapest.

How much does it cost to live in Budapest?

It all depends on what kind of lifestyle you want to lead, but compared with other Erasmus destinations like Italy, England etc. it is quite cheap. You can find flats for around 250 euros a month with bills included, but you can also find cheaper and more expensive ones too. Moreover, public transport is very cheap. A student monthly pass for the metro, tram and buses is 13 euros for unlimited travel. Food is also cheaper than it is in Spain and when you go out the beer is really affordable. So you can expect to spend about 500 euros a month without depriving yourself of anything. This includes a little trip away, as you can travel to the neighbouring countries which work out being quite cheap.

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the university?

I have to stress that Hungarian is such a difficult language. It isn't an Indo-European language so the grammar is already complicated to understand and let's not talk about the pronunciation. I went to a free course during the first semester that the university offered to exchange students. I somehow managed to pass it, but I decided not to continue studying it the second semester. The course was only an hour and a half long a week, which is a short time for such a complicated language. Although from living here, you will subconciously learn lots of vocabulary simply from visiting the supermarket and seeing everything written in Hungarian.

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What is the cheapest way to get to Budapest from your city?

When I went, I took a 'wizzair' plane from Madrid, who let you add suitcases which weigh up to 32 kilograms for roughly about 20 euros. Midway through my course I also used Ryanair, but there are always more charges for luggage with them.

Where do you recommend to go on a night out in Budapest?

There are lots of places to go out. According to the Lonely Planet, two of the best pubs in the world are in Budapest: the first being the A38 (a club in a boat situated on the Danube river) and the 2nd being Szimpla Kart (a ruined bar which takes up a whole squatters building and with decorated quite weirdly, something common here). Other well-known ones are the Instant, The Morrison's (there are like four of them, but the most popular ones are the number 1, and especially number 2, in which on Mondays with an entrance price of 500 Hungarian Forint, which is more or less 1 euro 80, you get three free beers before 11 pm. Then there are various discos which are situated on Obuda Island... There's a lot to choose from!

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Is it good to eat out in Budapest? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

Eating out doesn't work out that expensive, as long as you avoid the tourist areas where the prices are really inflated, which makes it really expensive. Good places to eat Hungarian food are the Frici Papa on Kiraly street which is very cheap, and a small restaurant opposite the Synagogue which has a yellow bicycle in front of it which has really good traditional Hungarian food. I also used to eat in my faculty's canteens where you can have pretty much a full meal for two euros. Still, soup is always included no matter what temperature it is outside, and the soups come in all colours and flavours, watch out for the cinnamon and fruit soup. If the menu doesn't whet your appetite, you can always create your own, although it always goes wrong.

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

In Budapest there are so many things to see. The list is really long, ranging from lots of museums and monuments to going to the opera for 2 euros.

What advice would you give future students heading to Budapest?

Very few people regret choosing Budapest as their Erasmus destination because it's cheap, it borders 7 countries which are not difficult to visit, and do lots of other things. My advice is to make the most of every day you spend here and live life to the max, I'm not just referring to nights out as there are lots of other things that you can enjoy yourself doing and that will enrich your time here. At the end of the day, your time here will fly by in an instant.