Budapest

One of my favorite cities I was able to visit while abroad. Mostly because of the awesome hospitality I received from friends during my visit.

LENGTH OF STAY: We had about 3 days in Hungary and we loved it. You could definitely spend more time, but 2 days minimum is recommended.

ACCOMMODATION: 
Budapest is a fantastic city for hostels! http://travelforfreeee.blogspot.com/2014/02/tips-for-hostels.html The hostel we stayed at was a bit outside of town and a bit odd for our liking but it was a warm place with a shower and a bed so who can complain? Plus it cost like 10gbp so we were set!  Budapest is filled with buildings that, upon entry open up to beautiful courtyard areas that you would have never known about.

TRANSPORTATION:
We decided to buy the Budapest Card http://budapest-card.com/en/. It was a great way to have transportation and entertainment mixed in one convenient card. The card allows you to travel on buses, trams and the metro. If purchased in advance you get a bit of a discount, if not they are available at a counter in the airport. Depending on where you are staying the people at this booth can give you directions on how to get to your hotel/hostel using public transportation. Additionally here is the info for traveling from the airport to the city center: 200E Bus departs Terminal 2 every 10 minutes, providing connectivity with the Metro Line 3 terminus at Kőbánya-Kispest. Journey time from Terminal 2 to the city centre (Deák Ferenc tér) is 50 minutes using the 200E bus and Metro 3.

CURRENCY:  The currency in Hungary is the Hungarian forint. 1 dollar is about 225 forint so you feel pretty rich. Here is a converter http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/

SITE SEEING: One of the great things about the Budapest card (or any travel card for that matter) is that you go places you wouldn't normally go to because they are already paid for. The card comes with an awesome guide with a map so check this out!
Buda Side
Museum: http://www.mng.hu/en
Castle Day vs Night: We were fortunate to get to visit the castle in the day and at night and it is BEAUTIFUL!

Pest Side
Bath: With our card we got free entry into the St Lukács Bath. It smelled a bit like sulpher but we are now assured that a) its supposed to smell like that...? b) they all smell like that so no getting out of it. It was pretty awesome though. Its a building FILLED with hot tubs, indoors and out! They all have different temperatures and you can make your way around the place as you please. Stay for ten minutes or all day, whatever you chose. For this location you may want to bring your own towel as they cost money to rent.
Parliament: Check tickets for this early online. We sadly were not able to go because it was closed for the day, but it is absolutely amazing outside!
Ice Bar: The Ice Bar was a last minute thing, and we were glad we went. It was about 3 euros including any drink (we just got apple juice) which is way cheaper than other ice bars out there. It was pretty small I must admit but there was some pretty cool stuff in there and we got some AWESOME pictures. They usually have deals posted on the door so I would not suggest pre-ordering ticket https://www.icebar.hu/index.php
Christmas Markets: The Christmas markets were pretty cute and located right in the center of town. Things get a little crowded so just be aware!
Cake Store: The best cake I have ever had, right in the hear of Budapest.  Szamos Marcipan: http://www.szamosmarcipan.hu/en/
Fish Pedicure: So the friend that I traveled with was obsessed with going to get a fish pedicure and  so I went along with it, but IT WAS AWESOME. A bit pricey but something everyone should experience. Here are two locations: http://drfish.hu/en/prices/           http://a-list.hu/en/fishpedicure
Ice Skating at Heroes' Square: http://www.budapestinfo.org/icerink.html

FOOD
Want to know a bit more about Hungarian food? http://www.buzzfeed.com/anitabadejo/hungarian-foods-the-world-should-know
Here are a couple great places to go:

Szimpla- a totally cool bar:

1075 Budapest

Kazinczy utca 14

Szamos- for the best cake you will ever eat:

http://www.szamosmarcipan.hu/en/

PENNY MACHINES: Okay so here is the bit I love. On my country/major city posts I am going to start to post where the best penny machines are. In Budapest they kept sneaking up on me, one of the reasons I loved the city! There are two machines at Buda Castle, one at the top of the tramway entrance dome and one when you go down the stairs towards the art museum. We also randomly found one 

Also, if you are interested in a little more info check out this article: 11 things to know before visiting Hungary