Budapest - Want to try "budget travel" but don't want sleaze! Help with location
 

Okay, I've booked a flight into Budapest for Tuesday 4 April, arriving at 11:45 p.m.(!), flying out Sunday 9 April around 6:00 p.m. This is my first real solo getaway since hubby and I moved to Belgium last year. I have a few questions, will spread them amongst posts to facilitate answering and future searching.

ACCOMODATION QUESTION
Since tickets weren't dirt cheap (160E RT on WizzAir, taxes included), I'm trying to keep expenses down so I'm allowed to keep doing this kind of solo travel :) Prices at hotels, even Pensiones, are not cooperating so I'm thinking of trying a hostel.

There's a fairly new one called the Art Hostel, supposed to be very quiet and "boring," with no bar, etc; maybe I won't feel so old there! (I'm 30) Also no bunk beds which is a bonus.

The price of a bed in a 5 bed shared room is only 12 Euros. Hard to beat that!

It's in the vicinity of the Nyugati railway station. Is this area safe? Is it creepy? I'm always wary of anything that mentions proximity to a railway station in Europe......(Brussels, Rome, Luxembourg all spring to mind)

If it IS a sleazy area, or terribly inconvenient, any recommendations for a place a girl could get a room for less than 40 euros a night (of course less than 20 is ideal :))? I'm not suuuuper picky (we usually stay as a couple at places on the "Rick Steves" level of quaintness/quality/price) but I don't like dirty/smelly/surrounded by prostitutes and drug addicts.

Have you checked reviews on the various hosteling website?

The likelyhood of finding a Fodor poster who stayed at that exact hostel in Budapest is kind of a shot in the dark.

But maybe someone will know of the general area?

Sorry, yes, that was my question. Specifically, what is the area around the Nyugati railway station like? Safe/quiet/loud/sleazy/prostitute-filled.....? To steal from the French, is it "convenable?"

And if it is, a rundown of sleazy areas in the center of the city to avoid would be great. I only mentioned the name of the hostel on the off chance that someone *had* stayed there....

Sorry, I meant only that on a website forum that has people who always stay in hostels (like Lonely Planet), you might find input from someone who knows that particular one you asked about.

Check out (Google) "Gold Hotel Pension" +Budapest
We stayed there to economize last May. It's maybe 1/3 of a block from bus line, which took maybe 12-15 min to get to city center. Very handy, staff very helpful. Sure beats a hostel!!
AND they recommended Trofea Grill nearby, which was a Hungarian buffet. This stirred up ghastly thoughts in my mind, but the food was VERY good (and I'm discriminating). Tasty hungarian specialties, labelled in Hungarian but also in English, and the meat and fish was cooked to our specs.
Also check out Liszt Ter, a boulevard of outdoor cafes maybe a half to 3/4 mile from Parliament. Off the beaten path, but the crowds made it seem that was where the 30-ish crowd hung out.

Here's your other posting.