Budapest lodging

You could do an apartment hotel like http://www.7seasonsapartments.com/ which is in a great location or you could search one of the big listing agencies like airBnB for multiple apartments on the same street (I believe you can set up a search that way) or you could look for a smaller local management company like http://budapestapartmentservice.com/ who if they don’t have the stock probably know others that do. If you come up with some apartment names or addresses, pass them along to me and I might be able to tell you about the neighborhood and proximity to the sights.

I stayed in a studio apartment at Gozsdu Apartments - very nice apt, good location, great price. They have studios and 1-2-3 bedroom apartments in several buildings linked along a courtyard that has several bars and restaurants on the main level, and they had a craft market there one day during my stay so that was nice. My apartment was on an upper floor and I never heard any of the noise from below so that was not an issue. A great place if you like nightlife. http://www.gozsducourt.com/apartments

Its called the Gozsdu Udvar (courtyard) and the market is on Sunday. This is an interesting place with bars and pubs. It draws some locals and some tourists so you get some "Budapest" feel and it puts you near Deák Ferenc tér which is pretty much the center of the major Budapest sights and central public transportation axis. The only concern I would have is the noise, but Nancy points out that this isn't an issue. There are signs in the courtyard that request consideration for the occupants of the apartments. I would worry a lot less in the winter months when the temperatures force everyone inside.

James (et al) - I am Kathyleencasey26's son in law - I have currently been looking at the following apartment company; http://www.budapesteasyflat.com/ - looking at the Jokai 1,2, 4. Do you have any knowledge about these apartments? Thanks, Jon

I cant talk to the quality of the place, but I can tell you about the size and the neighborhood.

At 50 to 60 euro for a couple, the prices are consistent with the market rates. I cant comment on the higher occupancy rates. The area descriptions like Jokai 2 of 40sm + 20sm I believe means that the apartment is 40 square meters (about 400 sf) on the main level and 20 square meters (200 sf) on the upper level. That means the bedrooms can’t be larger than 10 x 10 feet each. Fairly small. What they have done is cut a tall one story space in half (very common) resulting in two spaces with somewhat low ceiling heights. I am going to guess 6 foot 8 inches to 7 feet clear on the bottom level and maybe 6 feet and a few inches more on the second level. That’s how these generally lay out. All 6 of you, if you fill it, will be sharing one bathroom (probably on the bottom floor) and each person will have an area of about 8 feet by 8 feet in the living area/kitchen/bathroom area. Even though they advertise for 6, I wouldn’t put more than 3 or 4 in each of these. It also means that the apartments are either on the ground floor or the floor just above ground (in most instances) as that’s where the higher ceiling heights were found in these old buildings.

It appears that the apartments are on Jókai tér. A “tér” is a square and this one is sort of pretty. Like the description says, the square is right off Andrassy ut (Avenue). Andrassy is the street that the French modeled the Champs-Élysées after (or was it the other way around?). It’s a great avenue to walk in the evenings. On the opposite side of Andrassy ut is Liszt Ferenc tér which is lined with tourist restaurants and tourist bars. Some good like Menza’s most not so good. But its very close to the Oktogon which is a major transit intersection. From the Oktogon you can reach most of the tourist sites in Budapest with ease. You could in theory walk to the M1 metro stop at 9 in the evening and in under 5 minutes be a block off the Danube eating a pasty at the Café Gerbeaud.

The Opera House and the Operett Theater and the Liszt Academy of Music are all within a few minutes of this location. So if you like theater and music you couldn’t do much better.

You are also a fairly short walk from the old Jewish District which is among my favorite in town. Basically not a bad location. Most locations between Deák Ferenc tér and the Oktogon in one direction and Andrassy ut and Dobb utca in the other direction are going to serve a first time visitor well; with a preference to being closer to Deák Ferenc tér. We have spent our time in Budapest over the last dozen years in the same general location, although closer to the Opera House.