Experience in Budapest, Hungary by JANOS

What is it like to live in Budapest? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Budapest has a beautiful view by the river Danube, The inner districts are very nice and renovated ones, There are many renewed area in the city center, which is very popular among tourist people, and I guess the local ones love them too. The bus, tram, trolley lines are quite good in the city. There are only 3 available metro lines, but hopefully M4 will start to run in spring 2014, which will help to live the city more comfortably.

What is the student lifestyle like in Budapest?

Students are very happy here, I think. The party attitude is more visible than the study one. :) As now Budapest is an international capital, I think this changes the lifestyle and the general mood of the city.

How much does it cost to live in Budapest?

Budapest is not an expensive city for the tourists, not for the students. Locals have big differences among the living standards and the average salary rate here in hungary is just about 25 % of the western salaries. For the locals it is not really easy to live day to day, for a tourist, and a student, I guess everything seems cheap in here.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Budapest? Is there any advice you can give?

There are many accomodation options in Budapest, the range is very wide. When semesters start, the prices are much higher, because owners know that foreign students wish to rent out places, so they usually push the prices higher. When the semester starts, the prices go back to normal, but as a foreigner, it could be expected that flat owners will rent out theirs properties for a higher price for a foreigner, than a local person.
Generally i can tell, that the accomodation prices are payable for a foreigner in Budapest, even if the prices are higher sometimes.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Local food is excellent, Stuffed cabbage with sour cream, stuffed paprika with tomato sauce are my favourites. But as everywhere in Europe, all kind of foods can be found in the city.

What places would you recommend visiting in Budapest?

What is recommended in the books, guides, internet.

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

Trofea is a very good all you can eat place. They have several spots in the city. I love them. My other favourite place is the "For Sale" pub and restaurant, which is not a cheap place, but they cook very well, the food is excellent, tasty and worth to try.

Is the nightlife good in Budapest? Where is good to go?

Nightlife is concentrated in district 5-6-7. Between the borderline of Danube, Körút (where the tram 4-6 goes), on the Pest side, there are many good options to choose to have party in the night. District 5-6-7 are full of ruin pubs, bars, discos.

What advice would you give future students heading to Budapest?

Bring your culture, lifestyle, feelings here, share them, spread them and make the local people shiny, happy ones!