Keleti Station is Budapest’s main international train station, but it is quite small and chaotic. Because it doesn’t have many platforms you only find out which one your train is leaving from a few minutes before hand, so everyone crowds in front of the boards waiting. When I did get on the train, I was at first in a nice car with air conditioning and talking to a guy from Slovakia.
About 10min into the trip, the air-con stopped working. Then the lights. Then when the Slovakian got off we stopped for about 20min while they fixed something on the train (not the air-con or lights).
Wondering what was going on I got talking to a Chilean guy who was wondering up and down the train trying to find out, and ended up sitting with his family in a different car which had no air-con so we could open the windows. But it was still boiling. And there was nowhere to get water!
We were later told the other car was a 1st class car, and it was put in second class BECAUSE the air-con didn’t work!! Bastards! haha.
At the next station the Chilean and a Brazilian guy ran out to grab some water and I had to stop the doors closing and the conductor from letting the train go without them! haha
11hrs later with no sleep and boiling, I got to prague and then back home where I could finally sleep!
If you didn’t know, Budapest is actually divided into Buda and Pest, separated by the Danbue river. Me and a French Canadian dude walked through the city on Andrassy Street, an entire boulevard street listed as world heritage! But it’s actually a pretty dull as most of the big buildings are just offices or apartments or something. It does however have one famous building, and not for the best reasons. Continue Reading…
The Island Hostel is a fairly new, basic, relaxed hostel. Located on one of the islands on the Danube, between Pest and Buda. It has 3 large dorm rooms with around 12 beds and they all open onto a large patio/terrace which looks onto the river. While basic, the relaxed setup makes a cool atmosphere and nice place to chill out, especially in the mega-heat of summer!
It’s cheap as chips at €8 a night, they have a computer with free internet they sell cheap beers at reception. They also have a small kitchen and fridge you can use. Totally casual.
The place is run by ever-energetic Phemie, a funky British/Chinese girl who is mates with the guys from Carpe de Noctem. She works 24/7 but always greets everyone enthusiastically with a smile and offers advice on what to do and see. I don’t think the place would be the same without her!
After a long night train, with not much sleep, I arrived in Budapest about 11am to find my card wouldn’t work in the ATM! I tried unsuccessfully to use my Interrail on the Metro. Walked around the station (with my Back Pack) trying other ATMs with no luck, and was getting pretty frustrated at this point! Ignoring thoughts of getting on the next train out, I remembered I had a few Czech Kuronas, and managed to get them changed (via extortionist currency changers) into Hungarian Forints.
I then bought a metro ticket (later realizing I didn’t stamp it right and could have been fined if they checked!) and went to the station near the hostel I planned to stay at. Having no point of orientation it took me a while, and a friendly Florist to point me in the right direction and to find the hostel.. Only to hear that they were full!
I wanted to stay at Carp De Noctem as I’d heard good things. But apparently there were multiple music festivals in and around Hungary (news to me), and loads of people were basing themselves in Budapest for them. Luckily the friendly Aussie guy working at the hostel found me a bed at another hostel not too far away, where one of their mates worked. So off I went and finally about 1.30 or so I checked into the Island hostel and was feeling much better 
