Best Neighbourhoods for Ex-Pats in Budapest

So you know about all the different places in Hungary that you can enjoy, and you have settled on Budapest as the next stop on your journey. Wonderful! But where in Budapest do you stay so that you have the most access to all the other international visitors of the city? Well, we put together this shortlist of neighbourhoods that are most popular with ex-pats and digital nomads to help you decide where to get your mid-term rental for a few months of living.

Budapest's 6th and 7th districts are one of the liveliest of places in the whole city, making them very popular with ex-pats. The 6th district, Terézváros, is packed to the brim with pubs, restaurants, bars and cafés, shopping centres, and much more.

It is also home to the Budapest Opera House and the Liszt School of Music, making it very popular. Some people might mind the noise, but that’s simply the price you pay for being in a lively part of town. The 7th district, Erzsébetváros, is home to the legendary Jewish Quarter of Budapest.

Here, you can find historical sights, synagogues, and crooked streets and trendy bars and pubs, ruin bars, excellent designer shops, and much more. Popular especially with students and well-travelled visitors to Budapest, it’s one of the few places in the city where you can fit in, no matter where you come from.

Situated on the Buda side of the Danube, this district is for lovers of history. Built more like a romantic village from the Middle Ages and less like a modern city, you’ll find yourself marvelling at the many hidden nooks and crannies that are hidden away from the sight of most tourists. However, you’ll still meet many of them since this district is home to the many castles of Budapest.

Walking up the hill, you will get a full view of Budapest, unlike anywhere else in the city. And when you’re tired of walking about, you can enjoy some of the backstreet cafés dotted about the district – make sure you stay out of the main streets as many of the establishments there are nothing more than tourist traps most of the time.

The most expensive district on this list, the 5th district, Belváros, is about as central as you can get in Budapest. With many of the most well-known monuments, such as the Hungarian Parliament at the Danube’s waterfront or the St Stephen’s Basilica, you will be at the heart of Hungarian history every day of your stay. But with that comes a fairly steep price.

Most accommodation in this district is more expensive and smaller than in the rest of Budapest, and it becomes even more costly when the tourist season hits. However, once you find a place here, you will have some of the best pubs and restaurants as well as shopping centres and events right around the corner from your new mid-term rental.