Hungarian is actually possible to learn - it is harder than learning English of course, but I do not think it is much harder than French or German.

I do not think that is an issue ITT though - whereever you go (where they speak different language than English), you will never understand their language. You may pick up few words and phrases after some time, but will not "learn" the language - unless you actively study it. What I am trying to say is that it is the same with any other language/country.

. . . i think you get the gist of what I'm trying to say. It's basically no different than if you were to move to somewhere like france, italy, peru, etc. . .

yeah, I was not arguing Just stating my opinion - which is probably very similar to yours anyway..

WOO HOO!!! I found a big apartment downtown and filled it with two other 2+2ers (ottocat01 and gimmethaloot). If anyone else is interested in joining us out here I found an AMAZING realtor who can set you up in a furnished apartment w/ everything (see: internet) ready to go upon your arrival. PM or skype me for any info! Once again, thank you 2+2 for facilitating this process!

pics? how much did it end up costing? how much did the agent cost?

Well played man!

OP, sent you a PM, hit me back on my cell

will do!

I was in Budapest last year, and while it wasn't my favorite city, the nightlife there is very good. The ruin bars like Szimpla and Instant are just unlike anything you find anywhere else.

For those who preferred Prague - I'd tend to disagree. Prague was soooo touristy it drove me crazy.

OP,

can you post some pics of your house when you get settled and how much is it per month?

interested in living in Eastern Europe at some point, thanks a lot in advance and enjoy your time there : P

I am here in budapest now . . . i'm kinda drunk (just went to szimpla; ****ing awesome), otherwise i would post some pics now. I will put up some photos tomorrow. Suffice to say, it's awesome.

hey guys
Just thought i'd pass by to give some infos. I lived in Budapest this whole year (from last july until now).

Some points were spot on before in the thread. Life is very cheap here, girls are freaking hot and it's an awesome city.

I would add some stuff tho:

- While it's true that it's safe, being in the center helps. There are definitly some sketchy areas (as in all cities) where you dont want to wander alone at night. But if you're in the center you shouldnt have any problem

- There's quite a lot of povrety BUT i've "the poors" to be a lot less threatning than in other countries. OP mentionned Paris, i would mention Bruxelles. In a year in budapest i've only had ONCE a homeless come and talk to me while on the street and it was to ask water when it was 40°C outside. So yea, you'll see a lot lot of people sleeping in the street and going through the trashes but it's not that bad.

- As said before in the thread, beware of the taxis. If you can, always try to have someone speaking hungarian with you when you take a cab. They often give tourists some weird prices (my brother paid litteraly double the price for the same distance at the same time just because he was in another cab not speaking the language)

- The language is enormously difficult. I tried to learn it and in a year i can understand basic conversations but that's pretty much it. That said, anyone under 30 speaks english. I would say 95% of them at least. Over 30, it gets difficult (since communism wasnt long ago, most 40+yo speak either some german or some russian)

- Most of the hungarians are very welcoming and will gladly help in the streets, but you should target young people (b/c of the language issue)

- Be VERY aware that you can't not pay the ticket to take the metro. There are controls in every station, so pro-tip : always buy a ticket.

- The food shouldnt be a problem as there is litteraly anything. Avoid very touristic places and "special hungarian food" restaurants in Vaci utca (in the center). It's overpriced and very bad. Try to make friends with some hungarians and they'll take you to the real places.

- There are a million things to see in budapest. It's a very very rich city sightseeing wise, so try to move a lot

- Nightlife is really awesome. There are a lot of well-known pubs which are crouded every night with some of the most beautiful women in the world. Szimpla was mentionned before, there are some more. Again, try to befriend some hungarians to show you the way. Most of the great pubs are in the area around Szimpla anyway, so you can't really go wrong.

That's all i can think for now. Enjoy your stay there, i sure love this city.

How do you deal with the Visa situation without studying or finding a job?

You can start a company to get around visa regulations if you aren't from the EU, however the local bureaucracy is a nightmare, so this is not something for the average grinder.

you can also just visa hop to croatia (200km) if you aren't staying long term (over a year). I've been told by some british people that you can get away with visa hopping indefinitely.

Count Sandviper in too

Very interesting... in Prague now, might have to come take a look at Budapest though! If anybody else is putting together a poker house there lmk (or here in Prague)

Cheers

haha, sounds so funny

Amersterdam aint cheap plus its called amsterdam

I will be back in Prague in a few days and I go out and drink often if you want to get drunk with other 2p2er's. Not many english speakers in czech

In Prague at the moment and have a month to kill before heading to SE Asia. Very interested in checking out Budapest so if someone has a short term room to rent for the next month or a few weeks in there, lmk!

I might be able to help you out . . . depending on how long you wanted to stay. At the very least I can hook you up with a couch.

Thanks so much for the kind offer. Just redid the math on my shengen visa (been hopping around between Ireland/Croatia/shengen so got tricky) and I gotta leave a couple weeks earlier than I thought to stay kosher... Might try and arrange something to Budapest anyway but it's looking doubtful. Thanks a ton though!

Still no pics of the appt OP ?

I've been lazy . . . i'll do that now