April 25th, 2004 | The lowdown by Jara Gatti

The Best Hostel on Earth

I discovered the world?s best hostel totally by accident. My friend and I met in Budapest and were planning on staying at a hostel on the Pest side (and in fact did stay there the first night), but met someone there who was talking about another hostel that was really cool, so the next day we set off on a cross-town trek to find it.

The simply named Backpack Guesthouse is run by a group of well-travelled Hungarians who speak fluent English and really want to make sure you have a good time in Budapest. Situated on a quiet back street on the Buda side, the Guesthouse isn?t huge, but has about a half a dozen rooms that are painted with bright mural scenes and stocked with comfortable beds and working heaters. In the entryway, there?s a bulletin board with recommendations and directions for everything from Turkish baths to caving to pizza places, and you can buy beer, soda, Internet access or laundry privileges. You can hang out in the homey living room and watch free English movies at night, look through dozens of traveller?s photo albums, or exchange a book. There?s also a well-equipped kitchen where people congregate to cook and hang out, a large backyard and terrace, and a fat cat who?ll beg for any scrap he thinks he has a chance of getting. But the best thing about this hostel is the truly friendly and relaxed atmosphere unlike that of any hostel I?ve ever stayed in. The owners really went out of their way to makre sure their place has everything a backpacker could ask for.

I wouldn't recommend walking there from the train station, because it's a looong way. You can take public transportation; at either Keleti pu or Nyugati pu stations, snag a free copy of the Budapest city map and get to either bus 7 or 7A (toward Bornemissza T?r) or tram 49 (toward Etele T?r) and start counting the stops as soon as you curve away from the river, and get off on the 5th. When you get off, you?ll be at a large intersection. Just go under the bridge and make the 1st left on the other side, which is Hamzsab?gi u. Then make the 3rd right, which is Tak?cs Menyh?rt u, and you can?t miss the hostel on your left. (Be warned that there is a crazy dog in the yard on that corner which never failed to give me a heart attack as I passed.)

To ride the public trans in Budapest, you have to buy your tickets underneath Metro stations, although some bus or tram stops have machines as well. Then just validate your ticket when you board.
I?m sure you?ll have fun in Budapest?and u might even like it too much. Between the excellent hostel and the magic and beauty of the city, I can understand why I met people there who had cruised in intending to stay a few days and ended up staying for their entire trip. Or even moved there. As it was, my friend and I stayed twice as long as we?d planned!