My boyfriend and I will be in Budapest for 4 nights in Sept. I have done some research and it seems we can get an apartment with kitchen for $50 a night. Has anyone stayed in an apartment while visiting? This seems quite inexpensive so I was wondering what they are like. I would also appreciate any other suggestions for accomodations that are under $70 per night. What side of the river should we stay on?

Stay on the Buda side.

I prefer the Buda side, but I stay at Hotel Victoria which is around $100. per night. I think the key question concerns the location of the apartment. If it is far out and/or not on a good tram line, it's not a good choice.

The buda side (as opposed to the Pest side) we found more charming, less hectic, and more old world. You have matthias church, fisherman's bastion, etc. Also the hilton has a casino. We stayed at the KUlturinov in 1999. It was reasonable, I cannot remember the exact price but I think it was around $70 including breakfast for 2. Do an evening Danube cruise it was really nice. Have a great trip!

Unlike prior responders, my preference is the Pest side. What is said about Buda is accurate, but I prefer the proximity of "downtown" (near Vaci utca) to more sights of interest. You may be able to get a good deal on a decent hotel there, or could venture a bit away so long as it was near regular public transport -- of which the metro lines are the easiest to follow.

As to an apartment vs hotel, you should find most hotels and pensiones offer breakfast with the room rate.

Hi. I think I can address your question, since my boyfriend and I stayed in an apartment in Budapest last year for four days. I don't recall the name of the place we rented from, but I found it on the internet, so you've likely seen the same one. I believe we paid around $50/night for a studio. It was across from the Hilton, just 1 block from Vaci utca, at the end with the famous cafe. Sorry, I'm having a hard time remembering specific names at the moment, but I know I'd remember them if heard/read them.

Anyway, the apartment was tiny, with a (rather hard) loft bed but overall it was clean and servicable. In case you are looking at the same place, the building had cool (to us) run-down communist feel. The girl next door was available to help us out with anything and spoke great english. The company was very professional and we used their car service to get to/from the airport and train station.

Personally, I liked staying in Pest. We had a coffee and pastries every morning at the cafe around the corner. If I were on the same budget, I would definitely stay there again. I did a lot of research before our trip and couldn't find a better deal. Enjoy Budapest - we loved it.

We had we thought was a fantastic deal in March at the Mercure Metropole the Pest side. It was £170 for a double room and breakfast for 4 nights- about £21 per person per night. This was arecently refurbished 3 star hotel and situated about 2 minutes from the underground or about 20 minutes walk from the Danube.
Although we didn't book through them, try lastminute.com because we had an excellent rate form them in Venice last month.

We also liked the Kulturinov because of the marvelous location. Rooms were nothing special, but so what. It was fun to wake up in the morning to hear the classical music groups who use the building rehearsing.

Buda side is very hilly! But it is Beautiful. If you like to go out in the evening for strolls, do yourself a favor and stay on Pest side! Much more to do and see. I didn't feel safe at all walking at night on the Buda side. Of course I was a woman alone. But I never felt unsafe on Pest side in the evening. But do visit Buda if you have a chance. I rented a flat on Buda side once. It was very nice and big, too big for one person. But I was so far away from down town, and all the night time action. I am not a party type person and do not drink, but in the evening I enjoy going out for a walk. Many times you will find some nice bands playing on Vaci utca, or down by the Danbue River. Sometimes they have river boat kind of parties too. It's fun to watch all the boats on the river. Have fun and enjoy whatever side you stay on. Please post how your trip was as I was never to Hungary in September. Alizka.