We returned yesterday morning from 4 full days stay in Budapest. Thanks to this forum, we booked Hotel Victoria. We stayed in room 83 (floor 8, corner), and had a great view to Parliament and Chain Bridge.
Ask for rooms from 6th floor and up for good view. The corner rooms have windows that open (numbers x1 and x 3, where x is floor number), while in the room in the middle (x2) the windows can not open. At 9th floor the rooms are smaller, but there is balcony. The elevator goes only to 8th floor.
Very nice hotel, very good location.

From airport to hotel and back, we booked a minibus for transfer (we were 8 persons, so we booked a minibus with 8 places) and it was great, we knew the price which was very good, the bus was in time, no problems at all.

We visited the Parliament, Opera and Synagogue (with guided tours). Other sites, we visited on our own.
To Royal castle you take the cable car from the foot of Chain Bridge, which is near hotel. In 2 minutes you are at the castle. From there, you walk 10-15 minutes till Fissherman's Bastion, St. Stefan Church and Hilton.
We bought 3 days tickets for unlimited travels on metro, bus, tramway.
We enjoyed very much at some restaurants, like Mathias Pince and Kiraly - live music, very good meals and wine, nice decorations. The hotel made reservation for us, and they called a taxi to take us to restaurants in the evening.

We had a very good weather, not too warm, but not cold and no rain. The level of Danube was increased, some trees near the Danbe were in water. In the last day, the last stairs of the bridges were under water. I hope that the Danbe will stop to increase its level.

I heard about crime there, but we had not any problem, eeven late in the night. We felt very safe.

Budapest is beautiful!

Reading your post makes me think of my trip there in Sept. 2000. Stayed at the Hilton with my sister and grandmother to visit where my grandfather had grown up. Budapest is so amazing! I am inspired to pull out my travel journal and pictures from that trip! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you so much, valtor. This is great information for us, as we are booked at the Victoria for 3 days beginning May 23, and on the basis of your tip, I've e-mailed them to request that we be booked into Room #83.

The information regarding the minibus was very helpful also. Do you recall what you paid? I note from the hotel's website that taxi fare would be 4900 HUF, or $26.

Where do you buy the 3-day metro tickets? Was that a good buy?

I can't wait to see Budapest!

The 3 days ticket (as one day ticket also) can be bought from every metro station. It is very easy to use it, because you just mark it in the first day, then you only have it with you to show it if somebody ask for this.

If this will help or this will give you some ideas, I can tell you how we spend our time, day by day:
First day: - we only walked, and we did not use at all common transport:
- from the hotel - Chain Bridge - Roosevelt Square - Vaci Utca with all its nice buildings, small shops and passages - Great Synagogue. Here we took a tour of museum, synagogue, including the Tree of the life in Walenberg suare. Then we went to a small restaurant nearby, and to hotel (we were very tired, as we arrived at 8:30 in Budapest after a night flight).
Near Vaci Utca - take a coffee at Gerbaud cafe, very famous cafe house and nice decorated.

In the evening we walk on Danube shore till the restaurant near Elisbeth Bridge.

In the next day in the morning we bought the 3-days pass. We took the metro near the hotel, went to Parlament. Guided visit of Parliament. Then, walk around, to see beautiful buildings (some museums), statues and park.
Then, by metro to Octogon, then walk on Andrassy Bd. and continue with metro till Heroes' square. After visit here, metro to St. Stefan Church - visit.
Then, metro to Opera - guided tour at 3:00 p.m.
Then, by nmetro to the hotel. In the evening - restaurant.

In the third day we visited Buda. By cable car to the castle, then walk till Mathias Church (visit inside) and Fisherman's Bastion.

Then, walk in old Buda till Moscow square. Visit a shopping center (Mammut Mall). Walk on Margit Street (and the took a tramway also) till Danube - Margaret Island. Because of the high level of the Danube, we could not enter Island.

In the evenig, another restaurant wuith live musing, some dancers, in Buda.

The last day - we walk on Deak ter, then took the metro to Listz square - a nice place with many street cafes. Then, with the metro to City Park - a lake, a catle, you can take bikes...
In afternoon we was to Citadel and Mt. Gellert.

We had not time to visit Statues Park (it is outside of Budapest) - here one can find all the statues from comunism era.

We were happy that we had the three days tickets.

Regarding transport to / from airport, please search in internet, there are sites that offer transportation for 20 Euro. We were 8 peoples, and paid for minibus 60 Euros for return trip. They did not ask for credit card in advance, and I was glad about this.

Many places receive Euro, but when they calculate the price in Euro, the rate is not good for you (from Forint to Euro).

At hotel we paid by credit card, as at the restaurants.

This was our third trip to Budapest, first was 30 years ago, and the second, 22 years ago- when we stop there for one day, comming from Vienna. My husband said : Why you want to stop in Budapest, after we saw Vienna, probably we will not like so much Budapest! But, both of us liked it again, even we compared it with Vienna.
Now, after so many years, we enjoyed a lot! There are no many cities with a so beautiful position on a big river!

I am sure that you will love it!

Thank you, Valtor. It will be fun for us to see the city and visit the sites you mentioned and compare our experiences with yours.