Budapest on a Budget

Google Ruin Pubs. Stay away from Vaci utca Stay away from the Embankment restaurants Stay away from the nudy bars Explore a lot of District VII and eat there Get an apartment instead of a hotel room Google "Free Walking Tours Budapest" Look for Big Boy free tour maps of Budapest (google) Take shuttle from the airport (metro is an option but it takes way too long) Purchase a book of 10 metro tickets and when they run out walk Drink Hungarian Beer and Hungarian Beer Lunch at the second floor of the Great Market Hall
Visit Andrassy ut but don't eat there. Check out Kiraly utca and Kazinzcy utca for food

At the end of a long day of walking visit the Széchenyl Baths. Get there on the Orange Metro Line. You might also want to consider what-if any-impact the recent floods may have on the low-lying areas of the city.

Wow, thank you for all the information! I will start looking all of this stuff up now. We're getting pretty excited to visit Hungary.

You should be able to enjoy Budapest. We found it to be a real bargain last year. First, listen to James! He's very knowledgeable and helpful. Take a look at Free Budapest Walking Tours facebook page. You will be able to see what the weather is like (they post pictures daily), etc. Still looking for my notes, but here are a couple of inexpensive restaurant suggestions: Bombay Express - Indian Restaurant on Andrassy; Fruccola - two locations, salads, wraps, etc.; Gelarto Rosa - not necessarily budget, but best gelato! Szent Istvan Ter; Kadarka Wine Bar - wine bar with small plates on Kiraly.

Also my favorite place - Marxim Pizza. Good beer, decent pizza, crazy commie kitch - actually it could stand more commie kitch, but amusing none-the-less. Also go to the Monument Park and do a lot of walking. Go to the Central Market.

It's not "cheap," but Trofea Grill Etterem is a great all you can eat restaurant with Hungarian food. Actually, if you go during the week, the price is pretty good (they charge more on weekends). I got the tip from Frommers Budapest. There are several around town, each under different management, but here's the link for "the only one we recommend" (per the Frommers author): http://www.frommers.com/destinations/budapest/D70921.html The price includes all you can eat AND drink, and the desserts include unlimited whipped cream and chocolate sauce!. The food was really good, and since lots of local families go, you get to see people of all ages having fun there too. Here's how to get there: Take the metro line 1 (the yellow line) to the last stop, Mexikoi Ut. When you reach the top of the stairs of the metro station, turn right. You will see tram tracks: cross them, and turn left. At the end of the block you will see the restaurant. James has posted that he's been to another one in the chain (more centrally located in Budapest) and liked it too.

Harold has a good memory. on occasion we frequent one on Kiraly utca just about a block up the street from the entrance to the Gozsdu Courtyard. if you continue out to the far reaches of Kiraly utca there are also a number of interesting hole in the wall places (in the best of the definition) that are inexpensive.

Kathy, sometime before April this year Bombay Express changed locations on Andrassy and I don't like the new one as much. Very disappointing because we loved the old one. As for Kadarka the place and the ownership are great. Good prices too. They stock the honor wall in our new rental apartment with 50-60 bottles for our guests and they take care of our guests when they lose the apartment keys until help arrives. Excellent people. wish I were there now.