railways

Brody House - the original boutique hotel - is by the National Museum.

Brody Apartments are in a separate building on Paulay Ede utca, just north of Deak ter and parallel to Andrassy ut. Still pretty central, but further away from the Danube.

polkacat

If you like classical music, I recommend a concert at St. Matthias church. The calendar is at http://www.matyas-templom.hu/MUSIC_EVENTS.html and if you email the address at the bottom right with the number and type of tickets you'd like, they will hold them for you at a "will call" to pick up the day of the concert.

The House of Terror is a great museum for insight in to life under the Nazis and then the Soviets. And it's right on Andrassy ut, very convenient to get to either walking or via public transportation.

Cafe Gerbaud is worth a visit for a coffee and pastry break. The dobos torte is fantastic!

If you want to explore local wines, DiVino Wine Bar at Szent István tér 3 was lovely - very expert and informative bartenders. Just be sure to let them know your price range for a glass if you don't want a surprise when you get the bill.

JBord

lol...you caught my lazy Googling! Thanks for correcting. I see it's about half way between the Opera and St. Stephen's. So not the nice views you get along the river, but a pretty good location for sight-seeing, restaurants, etc.

FlyingJoy

A few of my personal favourites which you might enjoy, some slightly off the beaten path...

Food
-Ruszwurm: historic cafe in the Castle District with delicious traditional pastries.
-Nándori Cukrászda: a local-favourite pastry shop.
-Borkonyha WineKitchen: modestly priced, Michelin-starred restaurant. Great food and about 200 (mostly Hungarian) wines on offer.
-St Andrea Wine & Gourmet Bar: the city restaurant of the well-known St Andrea winery.

Architecture
-Parliament House tour
-Opera House
-The Book Cafe at Lotz Hall

Panoramic views
-Gellért Hill
-János-hegy

Baths
-All the baths are great, but the Rudas is my favourite, because it has both a 16th century section and a modern section with a rooftop bath which offers lovely views over the Danube and the Pest side of the city. (If you go, make sure to buy a ticket which is valid for the entire complex, not just part of it, so as not to miss out on the rooftop bath).

Other
-On weekdays you can use your public transport pass on the public ferries #D11 and #D12 which run along the Danube. A great, cheap way to see the riverfront architecture and bridges ^

Enjoy your stay in this wonderful city!

Geogirl1234

Polkacat, thank you for the suggestions, I will definitely check out the classical music, the House of Terror and the Cafe Gerboud.

Jbord and railways --- It sounds like the location of the Brody Apartments is good, i.e. For sightseeing and restaurants? I'm ok with not being right on the river. The apartments have excellent reviews and I knew it wasn't the original Brody House. Is the Marriott Boscolo a better location? Hopefully the metro is nearby? Are both located in areas that you would consider safe for a single woman to walk around?

Geogirl1234

FlyingJoy- Thank you for those great suggestions, especially the food! We will be provided with a metro pass, is that what I can use to access the public ferries? I am really looking forward to seeing the architecture, always one of my favorite pastimes when traveling.

FlyingJoy

Yes, if it's an official BKK Budapest travel card which is valid for unlimited rides on the whole Budapest transport network, then you can use it for the ferries ^

My $0.02 on the location of the Brody Apartments - I think it's an excellent location, safe for solo female travellers (I too am often in that position!), and only 240m to the nearest metro stop (M1 yellow line/Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út station**). Surrounded by great dining options - including Borkonyha It's right next to Andrássy Avenue, which is the "grandest" boulevard in Budapest. One metro stop from Deák Ferenc tér station, which is a hub where you can connect to most of the other metro lines.

About the Boscolo - even if you don't end up staying there, it's worth dropping in to check out the stunning historic building. Location-wise, it too is only ~200m to a metro station plus right on top of a tram line, but the Brody is much more central and closer to all the "exciting" stuff.

**The M1 line is a worthy sight in itself - one of the oldest underground lines in the world, with cute, quaint little stations.

JBord

Yes, I think the location is better than the Boscolo. Very safe there as well as anywhere you're likely to go while you're there. Have a great trip!

jaymar01

All the hotel suggestions are fine....it all comes down to personal preferences.

I will tell you this...the new Dagaly Aquatics Complex is located in the middle of nowhere. It's in an light industrial area on the Danube, contiguous to northern tip of Margaret Island. To get there, you'll have to take the Metro line 3, and walk to the Danube.

You might consider staying at the Danubius Grand Hotel Margitsziget on Margaret Island. It's a resort/spa on the north end of the island, and is an easy walk to the new Aquatics Complex. It's also close to the Alfréd Hajós National Swimming Stadium/aquatics complex located on Margaret Island.

It's a really cool hotel, and I've seriously considered staying there in the past.

Here's the Tripadvisor link for the hotel:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...l_Hungary.html

Geogirl1234

Thanks jaymar01 for the information regarding the location of the Aquatics Complex. I could tell by the maps that it wasn't near-by but fortunately we will be provided with a Metro pass (I checked and it includes the river boats FlyingJoy). How long do you think it will take by Metro to get to the Aquatic Complex from the City center? And how much of a walk from Metro Line 3 to the actual Aquatic facility entrance? Thanks for any information you can provide, it's very helpful!
We will definitely have to go by the Grand Hotel for a look but after thinking about it we've decided that the Brody House Apartments will be perfect for our stay. We have communicated with them and the staff have been incredibly nice and informative.

jaymar01

To get to Dagaly, you'll want to take Metro line #3. Easiest from your hotel will be to walk to the Corvin stop, and head in the direction of Ujpest Kozpont.
Dagaly is about half way between the Arpad and Forgach stops. At Arpad, you'll have the option to get on Tram #1, and take it one-stop to the Danube, which would meaningfully shorten your walk.

The metro runs every 3-5 minutes, so transit time including walking will not be any more than 45 minutes.

krispy84

I was in Budapest last Apr for a city break. I stayed at the Boscolo and would recommend having a drink or a bite to eat in the attached cafe / restaurant even if you're not staying there. It has beautiful period décor and a Grand Cafe feel to it. The Kempinski has a nice bistrot with outside seating (heating and blankets if cold) overlooking one of the main pedestrianised shopping streets, v good for people watching if that's your thing.

I had dinner at Borkonyha twice. Outstanding food and well priced compared to Western European or US michelin restaurants. Compared to the Budapest average, it is expensive however.

JBord

It's an excellent restaurant, where I first learned how good Hungarian wine is. Don't let the Michelin star scare you away. As I recall, there are several main courses under $20 US on the menu.

railways

Hungarian wines are underrated, and consequently very reasonably priced.

If you are going DIY for eating/drinking, supermarkets are very good sources for wine - Tesco has a huge range - but go to Aldi or Lidl for a small number of good quality mid-range wines, which won't give you a hangover after a quaffing session (unlike similar wines in France or Italy), for less than $3 a pop.

Geogirl1234

Thank You for this recommendation...I love a good restaurant and good wine!

Great suggestion, I am familiar with Aldi...and never turn down the opportunity to sample good quality wines...especially at a mid-range price! We'll probably do a little bit of DIY cooking but not much since I love eating out when I'm on vacation. We will however stock the kitchen with good Hungarian wine, bread, cheese and fruit.