If you are travelling to Hungary and looking for an apartment in Budapest, here is a review of the flat we rented. We stayed for four days and we decided to rent a flat in Budapest instead of looking for a Budapest hotel so we could be a little more independent. Sometimes, in fact, we like to have dinner in the house, especially when we are too tired after a day of sightseeing.
If you want to rent a flat in Budapest, you will find this review useful. It’s a simple apartment but in a great location. Here we review the flat with a detailed description as well as the neighbourhood. This will give you an idea of what to look for and will help you choose your next Budapest accommodation.
Our apartment in Budapest – Full review and details
Description of our Budapest apartment
The one that we chose among the Budapest apartments that we saw was clearly recently renovated. The no-frills entrance looks pretty worn-out because the building is actually old. The elevator was also pretty ramshackle and somehow shaky but it worked. Whether the internal door was open or closed, it made no difference, the elevator went both up and down.
Both to enter and exit the building there were codes to type in the electronic devices at the entrance and close to the elevator before getting out. The manager will give you both codes at your arrival and they are also written in the keys.
Entering the flat itself you will have a narrow corridor leading to the living room and bedroom in front of you. Immediately on the left, there was a small kitchen and the bathroom. Keeping going, also on the left was the larger room of the house, which served as both living room and bedroom.
In this area of our flat in Budapest we found a dining table with the chairs, a sofa, the TV, a hanger serving as the wardrobe where we could hang and arrange our clothes, and a double bed with bedside tables.
The kitchen was very small and little equipped. There was a small fridge, a sink, a kettle, a single electric stovetop and a microwave. A few kitchen appliances like cutlery and pots, soap and sponge to wash the dishes, and a trash bin.
The bathroom was pretty new, plenty of hot water, everything was working fine and the shower had a curtain so we didn’t make everywhere wet.
Click here to check the price and book this apartment.
Where was our apartment in Budapest and how to reach
We found this flat in Budapest city centre on Booking.com, the hotel booking website we always turn to when planning a trip. We chose this apartment because of the reviews and the position. While none of us had previously been to Budapest, a search on Google Maps showed us it was pretty central and well-connected to public transport.
Our Budapest apartment was in Károlyi utca 14/A, in the 5th District on the Pest side of the city. From the airport, there are two options to get there on public transport. You can either take the bus 100E, get off at Kálvin tér metro and walk for 5 minutes, or you can take the bus n. 200E from the airport, get off at Nagyvárad tér metro station and take the metro to Ferenciek tér, which is a couple of minutes walk from the house.
The option with the bus 200E is included in Budapest Card 72h, while for the option with the bus 100E, you need to buy a separate ticket at the airport.
READ MORE: Check out our guide to planning a perfect trip to Budapest.
The neighbourhood of our Budapest apartment
As mentioned before, the neighbourhood of the flat we rented in Budapest was fantastic for many reasons.
First of all, it was close to several metro stations, buses and the tram. We could easily reach with a short walk three metro lines: the red at Astoria station, the blue at Ferenciek tér and the green (and blue) at Kálvin tér.
At Astoria and Kálvin tér metro stations you will also find several trams (47, 48, 49, N19, R47) and buses (9, 15, 115, 909, 914, 950, 979, 72, 83). This range of public transport is more than enough to reach all the major attractions, including getting to the Buda side of the river. And speaking of attractions, the Hungarian National Museum was literally 5 minutes walk away from the flat.
The district of our apartment in Budapest was excellent also for the choice of restaurants. Very close, there was a lovely cafe where we had our first breakfast, Zoska, one of the Budapest restaurants we recommend to first-time visitors.
Apart from this, in the area, you will find Iranyi utca with many eateries and Vaci utca, that also has several restaurants and bistros. Honestly, we didn’t like Vaci Street because of too touristy and low-quality food. Less than 10 minutes walk from the apartment is also the Central Market, a great place for photography and street food. Obviously, along with restaurants, here there are also several bars for breakfast or a drink.
Finally, since we were in an apartment, sometimes we had breakfast and dinner in the house. So having very close big supermarkets like Aldi and Lidl was extremely convenient. They were both some 10 minutes walking away.
What we liked
- The location. This is pretty hard to beat. If you are staying three days in Budapest and it’s your first trip, this is probably the best location you can pick. It was our first trip to Budapest and we immediately got familiar with the neighbourhood.
- Renovated. The flat is in an old building but it was clearly renovated recently. Probably the kitchen was the oldest part but the bathroom and living room looked new.
- Comfortable bed. We rested pretty well on that bed. I don’t know if it was because after walking the whole day we were not too fussy about it. But I remember we could really relax and get up well-rested in the morning.
- Air conditioning. It was the beginning of June but the air conditioning was necessary. So we were glad we had it also because when we left the windows open was very noisy.
- WiFi. The WiFi was always working, easy to connect and pretty fast.
What we didn’t like
- Cockroaches in the bathroom. Well, kind of obvious we didn’t like the cockroaches. I’m super scared of these types of insects so every time I sent my husband to check the bathroom before I could go. We found at least one every day. We called the guy managing the flat and one morning he came to spray the medicine. Not much changed as they kept coming. The flat is in a visibly old building, so I know it’s very easy to find cockroaches. When we were leaving we met the landlady, she apologised and said they had a disinfestation planned. I would have preferred they did it before we arrived, not after we left.
- Very narrow kitchen. The kitchen was really small and narrow. Not much possibility to cook, even though we didn’t really need it. So using the fridge and washing something on the sink was enough for our 4-day stay.
- The TV only in Hungarian. Again, not much of a big deal for us. We were out the whole day, but in the evening we would have probably watched some news in English.
- Not too clean. When we arrived it wasn’t too clean. The bathroom and the bedsheets were clean but maybe the floor in the rest of the house could be cleaner.
Final thoughts on the flat we rented in Budapest
Among the Budapest apartments for rent that we saw on Booking.com, we chose this one mainly for its position. Other reasons were how it was located in the building (not ground floor) and the reviews saying everything worked fine.
For four nights we paid 207 euro, which is pretty reasonable being in such as great, central location. To be honest, apart from the problem of the pests in the bathroom, we enjoyed our stay. Among the Budapest holidays apartments, we would recommend this one if it’s your first time in the city and if you are on a budget.
If you are not confident with the districts and local public transport, you will find this area easy to navigate. You can reach many places on foot and the rest by bus, metro and tram. Google Maps is your friend.
If you are travelling on a shoestring, this is also convenient. Given the area and the flat and since we were looking for affordable accommodation in Budapest, we found the price reasonable. Probably you can find it cheaper but farther from the city center and with fewer services. Among the Budapest apartments for rent and the hotels in the area, this had competitive rates.
Going grocery shopping at Aldi and Lidl, you can save on some meals to have at home instead of going to a restaurant. Keeping in mind that it’s no luxury, we have no problem in recommending this Budapest accommodation