>> the budaveg guestbook
> is a goldmine of information of the city's sights, veggie restaurants, walks and so on. Some of our lovely visitors left detailed notes for coming guests. Aren't veggies the sweetest of them all? I am so pleased to share this with you and I hope it gives you great ideas for your visit <<

>> 2009

> We haven’t seen that much of Budapest. There was the karate tournament! But we ate a lot and very gooood! Thanks and see you. Andre and Michael

> Well, it’s all been said before – what a lovely little flat to stay in: so comfortable and friendly – and within easy walking distance of all the interesting places! We chose the walking tour run by Free Budapest Tours (at 10.30, free of charge – you tip at the end) starting in Vörösmarty Tér (square) and taking 3 hours. Good guide – quite amusing – gives a good review of Budapest – and Hungary in general. Looking forward to coming back. Adrian and Miles

> A great place to stay and in a very good location – we’ve easily been able to get around. Best places to eat have been Napfényes Ízek, which is easy to get to using Trolley 76, and Keleti, which is in walking distance on Pozsonyi utca, and Éden, close to Batthyányi Tér (M2). All of these have had a good range of Vegan food. Éden also can provide you with food to take away which is great to reheat in the microwave if you don’t feel like cooking later. We’ve really enjoyed being here, we love the public transport system, and it’s been good having a nice flat to come home to at the end of the day. Alv. + Paul

> This was our 3rd time in Budapest and we liked it again. Now we came with our daughter Hanne (1.5) so we did also things for her. We went to the great Zoo where she (and we as well) could feed the elephant and the giraffe. But going to Széchenyi Baths was also a party. Unfortunately our favourite Falafel Bar was closed and also a lot of organic shops were closed because of holidays, but we still managed to eat vegan and vegetarian. We loved the fireworks at the 20th of August, we were with 1000+ people on the bridge. The thing that our daughter really liked was going by the metro and it’s huge stairs! We really enjoyed our stay in your apartment. It was light and shiny and everything we needed was there. We hope to come back in a few years. Thanks, Lotte, Marieke & Hanne - Holland

> We didn’t see as much of Budapest as we would have liked too but what we did get to see was lovely. The apartment was great and so was Zsofi. The weather was great + was very hot for the first couple of days. Hungarian people are really friendly. Our only bad experience was a very dodgey taxi driver from the grand prix. What they say on the Trip Advisor and the guidebooks is very true. So take care and only get in a legitimate taxi. We missed the last coach back so our own fault really. We wish Zsofi, James and Hannah all the best of luck with Budaveg and hope to see you again one day. Vicki and Ian – England

> Our family had a very lovely holiday here. Apartment was very nice, relaxing and peaceful. We also enjoyed the area. We would love to come back and spend a longer time, five days went so fast. Kalle, Mina, Aarni and Helmi - Finland/Ireland

>> 2008

> Our first visit to Budapest was amazing! Some highlights:

• Széchényi Baths - though daunting at first, this is an experience not to be missed.
• Exploring the Buda side afoot - cobblestone streets and beautiful buildings
• Buda Castle
• The church + ruins on Margaret Island
• The church of St Mary Magdalene
• Statue Park the bus ride up the hill was even interesting, giving us a different view of the city.
• City views from Gellert Hill - it’s a bit of a hike, but totally worth it for those panoramic photos. Just watch out for ice...

Although we were here for ten days, I think we have a lot more we’d like to have done while here. We had originally planned on a couple of day trips and ended up not having time for even one! Budapest has so much to offer, especially for architecture lovers. It seemed as if every corner we turned led to something unique and worth a look – statues, reliefs on buildings, another church spire... it’s overwhelming at times, but we were never bored.
         After exploring on foot for the first few days, we decided to purchase 7-day transport passes. We are very glad we did (as are our feet!). We were shocked to see how absolutely efficient all the public transportation was – nothing like in the States. It is very easy to navigate and you’ll never wait long for a bus, train or a tram.
         As far as food goes, we had – without exaggeration – some of the best food of our lives. Éden and Napfényes Ízek were by far our favourites!  Huge portions, reasonable prices (especially at Éden) and very delicious, satisfying  food. We will miss it! Who knew being vegan in Hungary could be so easy? I will be posting reviews on my blog, theveggievoice.blogspot.com in the coming weeks.
         Thanks for such a great apartment in a wonderful city, Zsofi! I’m sure we'll return one day.
                                               Best wishes. Kati and Jonathan - Ithaca NY, USA

> Highlights of our time in Budapest:

• Gellert Thermal Baths in Buda
• Buda Castle + History Museum
• Art Museum at Heroes Square
• Day trip to Vienna (3 hours by train – get the train at Keleti - beautiful!!)
• House of Terror
• Walks along Andrassy ut

Places to eat:
Europa Cafe on Szent Istvan Korut has amazing strudel - great for breakfast!
Napfényes Ízek: wonderful veg hungarian food - the goulash soup is delicious
Veggie Express: very good food + inexpensive (closed down now)
Punjabi Indian place on Pannonia utca - lots of veggie options
Bio Abc has great stuff!
Went to Biopont early afternoon one day and they didn’t seem to have food other than 2 types of pita sandwiches, which were okay.
Nice cafes to visit:
Ruswurm in Buda
Gerbeaud (by Vaci utca)
Lukács (Andrassy)
New York Palace Cafe

Thanks Zsofi! We hope to come back again soon! Allison + David, Brooklyn, USA
PS. We donated a Hungarian phrase book!

> This was our second time at Budaveg (first time was in July 2004) and we had another excellent holiday. We particularly enjoyed:

• Kiscelli Museum in Óbuda (6 stops on tram 17 from Margit-híd)
• Imre Varga Museum, also in Óbuda
• ’Art Brut’ exhiibition at the National Gallery (until 9th November)
• Museum of Applied Arts
• National Museum, room 9 onwards
• Huge dinners at Napfényes Ízek – very friendly staff, vegan versions of Hungarian dishes and tasty cakes

We also took two day trips out of Budapest birdwatching in Kiskunság and Hortobágy to see great bustards and roosting cranes respectively. We went with Károly Teleki of hungarianbirdwaching.com 36 1 276 8827
It was nice to come back to the apartment at the end of the day rather than a hotel – everything we needed was here and we had a very comfortable stay.
Thanks again to Zsofi and we hope to come back in another few years.
Steve and Claire - Faversham, Kent, UK

> Nick and I have had a great time in Budapest. Weather has been cool and a little damp! But we did/saw everything we wanted to do! Lots of things to see and we particulary liked:

• Citadella
• Operetta theatre (Csárdáskirálynő)
• Museum of Applied Arts (Iparművészeti Múzeum)
• Museum of Fine Art (Szépművészeti Múzeum)

Many thanks to Zsofi, James and Hannah
Best wishes, köszönöm
Rosemary and Nick

> We’ve spent 2 weeks in Hungary and are happy to have met so many friendly, helpful and patient people. The first 3 days we explored Budapest, the castle hill, Heroes’ square and the Basilica (thanks a lot Zsofi for the interesting excursion!) the zoo, Margaret Island and the Palatinus strand (what a great place in summer!)
After that we took the train to Eger, a beautiful town with interesting baroque architecture. Travelling by train felt like back going back in time, positively, the slow pace fitted perfect for our holiday. Eger has (besides the castle and the Basilica) a really nice swimming pool wih 4 thermal spas. A great place to relax and enjoy holiday.
Next we went to hiking in the Bükk hills. We walked from Szarvaskő to Szilvásvárad and camped at a lovely place (www.diofahaz.hu) and back to Eger.
The booklet on kéktúra L=Blue Tour, long distance track) from Cartographia was helpful and detailed enough. The paths were well marked.
Then we headed to Tiszfüred, a holiday village for Germans it seemed, a great lake to swim and bike along.
We also visited Debrecen, Hungary’s second village with only 200.000 inhibitants. It’s worth a visit, but one day is enough for the major sights (e.g. the yellow great church).
After our trip it feels like Budapest gets most attention, while there are many more interesting places to visit. But it’s less accessible, it takes some preparation. Especially if you’re vegan. Few people speak English, some do German, but they are very willing to help (e.g. explaning train timetables)
Our highlights in Budapest:

• Margaret Island
• Parliament
• Heroes Square (+ Zsofi’s story)
• Buda hills (cog train + children’s train) and view from János hegy
• Dinner at Napfényes Izek
• Teahouse on Ráday (with hundreds of different teas, only Hungarian menu, so extra suprise what you get!)

And flat, it’s a great place to stay, we feel very com fortable here! A perfect closure of our trip.
Thanks Zsofi your quick replies and information, and all the best!
Bauke and Ramona - the Netherlands

> Had a lovely time have exploring Budapest. We can recommend:

• Napfényes Ízek
• Lé-Bár
• Bombay Salaam (not veggie but an Indian with a lots of veggie choices).

We tried Biopont in the evening and they had run aout of most things so a lunchtime visit may be better.
We also visited/used:

• House of Terror
• Museum of Fine Arts
• Hungarian National Museum
• Great Market Hall
• West End Mall
• Flea Market in City Park
• Buda Castle Hill
• Hop-on hop-off bus tour
• Evening Boat Tour

All recommended.
Rose, Richard, Pete - Nottingham, UK

> It’s been a pleasant trip with lots of sightseeing. We enjoyed staying here at the flat, there aren’t any accomodations like this in Sweden so that was cool.
If you have time try to get outside Budapest and see the countryside of Hungary. It’s really nice and has a lot of beautiful landscapes.
Make sure to plan ahead and bring a parlour, because they don’t know any english!
Best Regards,
Petter and Vera - Sweden

> We’ve had a lovely time in Budapest and will definitely recommend the city (and the flat) to our friends.
The fact that this is a vegetarian flat, full of local information about the best places to visit and eat out as vegetarians/vegans was very helpful.
Thanks very much for the time you spent showing us around after we met for tea – it’s much appreciated! (give Oliver a biscuit from us!)
Many thanks again – and all the best for the future!
Geraint and Vicky - Cardiff

> Our days spent in Budapest have been amazing.
We want to thank Zsofi and James for their beatiful flat and for their great work for Budaveg.
If you wanna eat vegan food, the best places, in our opinion, are Napfényes Ízek and Veggie Exp. By the way we found the list of the Vegan/Veggie restaurants very useful.
We suggest to do the 1 week pass ticket for the metro, because is a very good deal!
Please go to see: Heroes’ Square, The Buda Castle, The Parlament because are awesome!!!
Thanks a lot for your advices and help!
Nicola and Marika - Italy

> The week’s pass for public transport was a very good tip – took all the worry out of travelling around the city. Also we enjoyed the ferry trip up the Danube to Szentendre. 1 and half hours’ relaxing on the boat in the sun for HUF 1490 – and Szentendre is fascinating to explore, especially the Kovács Museum.
The Duna Park – coffee house? bar? Very stylish Art Deco, anyway – on Victor Hugo at Szent István Park was a special treat: an amzing choice of fabulous cakes – and a walk along the Danube path to counteract the calories!
Thank you, Zsofi and James, for alll your advice and help.
Bobbi and John - Norfolk, UK

> Time to leave for us to after having a beautiful little Easter vacation. The apartment is A+, thank you Zsofi for making staying here as easy and comfortable as this! Unfortunatelly, we didn’t have as much luck with vegan food – Eden has been closed down for 2 years, Govinda + Napfényes Ízek were closed over our weekend. Food at Bio Post was not much (small portions, half of the menu not available that day), and not really warm. But the vegan cakes were delicious! Don’t miss the Vegetarium – food was good.
Also don’t miss the bath at the City Park (+massage!), the House of Terror, and the Buda side attractions.
A funny place to watch underaged girls and old boys get it going on is the ’Morrison’s’, we were looking for the Süss Fel Nap but only found that place.
We recommend the apartment,
Olli+Sarah

> Had a great time – could easily spend more time and still see something new everyday.
If you like Art noveau see the permanent exhibition at the Museum of Applied Arts and the St. Matthias church – beautiful.
We ate at Vegetaruim, Eden and Darshan (basic but apple cake lovely) – food good anywhere. Non Veggie Panjab and the Turkish buffet very good, veggie options, cheap and cheerful.
Didn’t use transport much at all – just walked- easy to find the way, and flat on Pest side so even us oldies were o.k. – Recommend tours – excellent way to get quickly oriented and spot where a longer visit is to your taste – Zsofi is an excellent guide.
Even if you are not a swimmer go to the baths – they are great fun as well as relaxing.
I arrived knowing next to nothing and leave wanting to visit again!
Sue, Kathleen, Marge - Bolton, UK

> A fantastic long weekend in this most interesting city – it started as a mystery for two of us, with destination unknown. Surprise, surprise – our wives appeared on Friday evening to spoil all the fun!! (Only joking)
Thank you Zsofi for the use of Budaveg – we’ve had a great time!
Michael and Christine, Stuart and Carol - Stockport, UK

>> 2007

We had a nice but too short time in Budapest. The apartment was lovely and cosy (and good excercise as we only used the stairs!!!)
Note! Eden restaurant has changed location – now on Iskola u.?
Very generous partions at Vegetarium and wonderful service! If we had more time we’d go againJ
The metro very easy to use; even walking around was not too bad.
Thanks to Zsofi and James, we’d love to come back sometime!
Brigitte and Chris Ireland
Ps: Try the Lukács Spa in the early morning on a weekday – it’s a small but great place and a refreshing way to start the day (40 minute walk – not bad).

Loved the Budaveg apartment!
It is really ’homey’, clean and tidy. We also really enjoyed the ’Pandzsab Tandoori Indiai’ restaurant located a few blocks away.
The internet cafe on Visegradi was really close and around HUF 350 per hour.
Thanks for a wonderful stay!
Kristen and Lynette USA
We must come back in the summer!

We had great time exploring Budapest. Highlights for us include Terror Museum, Szechenyi Bath and a day at Sziget Festival. It truly is a fascinating city. We could have easily spent a couple more days here. Thanks for the fantastic apartment, it did honestly feel like home for our short stay.
Erin + Bar
Australia/Ireland

Thanks Zsofi + James for providing so much useful info, especially the language tips – would be helpful to include some phrases regarding allergies + how to compliment the restaurants on their excellent vegan food. Loved the appartment, will recommend Budaveg to others.
Beautiful city with friendly and helpful people, with most thing within our walking distance. We hope to return to Budapest, now Melissa has been inspired to learn the language.
Köszönöm szépen
Dan + Melissa
Wolverhamton UK.

We had a wonderful time in Budapest and agree with the others that one week isn’t nearly enough to see everything.
To those wanting to go to Vegetarium we have the following advice: go early enough or make reservations, because if you arrive after seven the place will most likely packed full.
Our seven day travel card money well spent, we used it a lot.
Always make sure you have a ticket because we were asked to show our ticket a lot.
Hope to one day be back
Best Simon, Halle, Belgium

Very nice flat – and we got the internet working! Having the metro nearby was beneficial, as was the 3 day travelcard. We went to Vegetarium restaurant twice – highly recommended!
Weather has apparently been warm for the time of year, 18-20ºC during the day!
Hope to be back again some day, or will send some of our veggie friends instead J
Wendy + Simon
York, UK.

Wonderful apartment, wonderful city. Was like having a home away from home!
We ate very well here, there is much for veggies. Our tip: go to the spas, they are fantastic and the 7 day travelcard is great value for money.
Thanks for everything Zsofi!
Sarah + Andy UK

>> 2006

Beautiful city, nice people, and a very lovely stay in Budaveg!
We’ll certainly come again.
So many veggi-restaurants – great!
Greetings Steffi + Haype
* very nice music in Budaveg *

We enjoyed our stay in Budaveg very much, when we come back to Budapest we’ll stay here once again for sure.
Tips to the coming Budaveg-stayers:
Go to the Rudas-bath. It’s open for both sexes Friday and Saturday night and Saturday and Sunday in the daytime. Gellert was nice too.
Szimpla is a cool bar in a backyard in Kazinczy út near Rákóczi út. Check their website at szimpla.hu.
Medvenlig hilsen
Thomas & Gylle

I’ll recommend Budaveg to all the people I know, it’s a great flat & Zsofi is an amazing person.
Bp. is the most beautiful place in the world, I’ve visited so many countries and cities all over the world, but only Hawaii and Bp. Have a special place in my heart, but this city is cooler, greater.
L. (living in Italy)
P.S. Visit the Terror Háza, a warning for all of us, it’s very touching, even more if, like me, somebody in your family has been in a Gulag for 7 years.

Fantastic city, fantastic people! Budaveg helps make the best of a wonderful city, and Zsofi is a marvellous guide! ‘Sunny Tastes’ is great, but so are the other two veggie places (Eden + Vegetarium). Too much choice J Also worth a visit ‘Museum of Terror’ – hard going, but some history (recent!) that is essential education.
We’ll recommend Budaveg + Budapest to all our friends – for sure.
Zsofi – many, many thanks!
Dawn + Davey;
(more vegan hunt sabs!)

Thanks Zsofi & Jim for making our stay in Budapest so comfortable (esp for baby bath & child seat in car). Silly us for not allowing more time in Budapest. We really enjoyed staying at Budaveg & will certainly recommend to others.
Cheers Alison, Rob & Amber (2)
Pemberton, Western Australia

Thank you very much for providing such a pleasant environment for plant and vegetable eaters. We found very valuable information and tips all over the place that has made our stay unforgettable. We can highly recommend the Budaveg rooms to other travellers. They are clean, have a nice atmosphere and kind owners.
If you don’t like cooking, the Vegetarium and the Napfényes are the places to go – we were really satisfied with their vegetarian and vegan dishes.
And, finally, next time we’ll stay with Budaveg again.
Köszönöm & viszlát
Rainer (Poing/ Bavaria/ Germany) & Andreas (Munich/ Germany)

Budapest has been brilliant fun, and the flat is lovely to come home to!
We explored the city on foot:
5 May 2pm- landed and picked up by Zsofi
4pm- set off to parliament (beautiful) and central Pest, which we explored for quite a while.
We went to Napfényes Izek for us tea (we’re from Yorkshire!) and the tempeh was gorgeous. HUGE portions and very rich.
6 May. We walked to Városliget (city park) in the morning, and saw Heroes Square, Vajdahuyad Castle and Statue of Anonymous, which was ace! We then went to Napos Oldal for tea and cake. They didn’t speak much English, but by doing a fabulous impression of milking a cow, worked out their delicious cakes are vegan. (ps beware they use honey at Napfényes Izek)
In the afternoon, we tramped across Margit bridge into Buda, and explored the Castle (amazing) and old town. We then walked ALL THE WAY up Gellert Hill, and saw the statue of St. Gellert, the Citadel and the Cave Church. The views up here are amazing and well worth the climb! Fishermans Bastion was also brilliant. We crossed Szabadság bridge and went to Vegetarium to eat. THIS PLACE IS EXCELLENT. Amazing food, great service, huge portions and beautiful building. We went home to chill, and then went down to Parliament at night to see the city lit up, and it was gorgeous.
p.s. on returning home at night, two men raiding the bins hassled us for coins, but I don’t think they meant any harm. Be aware is all. I found the number of poor and homeless saddening, but I suppose compared to London it’s not too horrendous.
7 May We’re off to ethnographic museum and Napfényes Izek for “brunch”, and then to the airport at 12.30 am with Zsofi. We truly recommend walking as you see so much you may miss on transport. There is muesli and rice milk we left here, opened on 6 May 2006, so help yourself. Have fun!
Sarah + Ian J

After travelling down from England by train we found Budapest to be a hot & bustling city; the apartment provided the perfect respite.
It’s great to see Vegetarian (Vegan even) culture spreading throughout Europe. We were surprised (and pleased) to find both Eden & Napfényes Izek were completely vegan restaurants. Our favourites were Napos Oldal for the atmosphere & Napfényes Izek for their generous & wholesome meals (although, Darshan Biopont serves the best stuffed pita ever!!)
We chose to navigate the city on foot, a decision we don’t regret despite our feet feeling slightly worse for wear!! Budapest offers some of the greatest architecture and each street seems unique and touched by history. We also enjoyed walking in the Pilis Hills which were easy to access via the HEV train. Visegras fortress provided amazing views of the Danube.
Whilst the main street in Szentendre was tacky & touristy we found a great little café which claimed to be vegetarian (we avoided the cheese to be safe though). It’s called the Dorothea café.
Too much to say here but will put some info online at www.allk.co.uk
Thanks Zsofi for all your hard work in collecting info & providing a lovely apartment!!
All the best,
Alex + Katrina

My sister + I have realised that 3 days isn’t enough time to see even half of what we would have liked to … so by yesterday afternoon we gave up trying to rush around + just had a nap in the sunshine in Heroes Square.
Highly recommended!
Just wanted to point out that whilst it’s really good to have so many veggie places to choose from, we often found ourselves eating at ‘normal’ cafes + restaurants. To be fair, they were often in touristy parts of town, but there were almost always veggie options – from 3 or 4 to 5/6 pages of dishes! Sure, they may not have been the most imaginative foods, but we were initially so worried about the prospect of finding nothing but cabbage, so pizzas, pastas, risottos etc make for a convenient, tasty meal. Almost all were quite tasty so don’t fret if you’re not near any of the veggie restaurants in town – there will usually be something good (just not necessarily authentic Hungarian!)
Had a lovely stay, may well be back!
Rhianne & Tabitha
Brighton U.K.

We have had an excellent 5 days in Budapest! We especially enjoyed the evening tour with Zsofi on Our first evening – it was magical and her knowledge is amazing. Eden, Vegetarium and Napos Oldal were our favourite places to eat – great food, cakes and coffee!
Zsofi was an excellent host and nothing was too much trouble – we used all the info available in the flat – Thank you so much Zsofi.
All in all we have had a fab time and our feet have certainly worked, although the 3 day metro pass was cheap + great!
Thanks again Zsofi, we will tell all our friends about Budaveg!
Helen, Sarah, Bev, Trev (Bristol)

We had a wonderful time spending the New Year in Budapest at Budaveg!
A few notes on our experiences:

• Take the tour with Zsofi – you won’t be disappointed. It was a fun and interesting way to see some highlights, & get histories (and stories) you won’t find in the guide books.
• We ate splendidly here in Budapest. Portion sizes varied widely from place to place – even from dish to dish (beware the “Hungarian Bean Soup” @ Vegetarium, unless you have a hungry friend along with you!). One thing that was always constant though: dessert portions were huge! Restaurateurs have their priorities straight here! (Seriously, I’ve rarely seen such large dessert portions in my life!)
• Weekly pass for public transport is the way to go if you’re here long enough.
• Darshan Biopont + Eden were food highlights (and had very nice + helpful staff).
• We were impressed to find organic + vegan food in even the 24 hr. shops. (Also note that the grocery in Lehel has Vegan chocolate covered cherry cordials – bonus!)
• For quick meals (lunches) we had success with tofu dishes in Chinese places (Yu Yuan on Andrassy @ 1061 near the Opera was tasty) and falafel joints.
• Our visit to Szentendre was nice and we got our tickets easily by writing in Hungarian “2 roundtrip tickets for Szentendre” showing the paper to the ticket seller along w/ our weekly passes (because you only need pay for going outside Budapest on the commuter line if you’ve got a weekly pass). This was the smoothest transaction we had with the ticket sellers since we weren’t able to communicate what we wanted in Hungarian. The ride was short and the walk into town pleasant. We walked up hill to the Serbian Orthodox church and all around – this made Szentendre seem more lived in + less touristy as there were lots of people doing their shopping, children playing, etc. Otherwise, the main street is very cutesy + touristy, though quite pretty. We suggest going to the Margit Kovács museum. Very nicely presented works from an important Hungarian ceramicist.
• We were impressed with how many of the museums were free and found that when there is a small charge for the temp. exhibitions they are very worth paying (for example at the ethnography museum)
• We were often all but alone in many museums (could just be the time we were here) though we were mobbed at the Parliament. Crazy – 1½ hr. wait among pushy people for a ½ hr. tour. The building was amazing though.

All in all, a wonderful trip.
- Emilie + Josh
Somerville, MA USA

>> 2005

We would generally agree with anything that’s already been said!

• Statue Park is worth a look – impressive statues but not exactly a ‘park’.
• Széchenyi Baths were amazing especially the outdoor bath in the snow (be warned in winter: you have to walk outside whatever the weather in order to get to the indoor baths, so take big towel and flip flops).
• Kiraly baths – absolutely fabulous Turkish baths (women only Mon, Wed + Fri + men only the other days). Would definitely recommend a trip.
• Tours of the opera house + parliament were informative + the buildings are beautiful.
• If you’re here at Christmas there are some restaurants + cafes open on Andrassy Av + by the castle.
• Fisherman’s Bastion at dusk is beautiful.
• Legend’s boat tour is so cheesy, it was great!
• Get a week’s travel pass – it’s so worth it + the transport system is excellent.
• Go to the market at the top of the road – cheap, good food +really friendly people (even if we had no idea what anyone was saying!)
• House of Terror is both moving + informative. The ‘basement’ is disturbing. Hard to say whether it’s worth seeing but seems important historically.
• Generally, the food was heavy, though the bread + pastries at the markets were yummy. We found that Vegetarium had the most convivial atmosphere – though the kitchen closed during our meal (at 9pm) so we couldn’t order a dessert!!!

Anyway, Budapest is fabulous, especially the baths + the views at night. We both loved the flat.
Donna + Ingrid
Leeds, England

We have really enjoyed our week in Budapest the flat is lovely + Zsofi has been great – very helpful and informative.
~ The thermal baths at the city park were a highlight, as well as going ice-skating.
~ The Fisherman’s Bastion was very impressive + the boat trip was ‘nice’ despite the cheesy commentary + ‘classy’ complimentary tinned fruit-cocktail ‘cocktail’!
~ Statue Park is far more interesting on the flyers than it is up close, but has some interesting souvenirs.
As vegans we found the restaurants to be very good –
Eden – nice place, seitan stew was excellent + the deserts here are better than anywhere else we tried.
Vegetarium – We went here twice + our faves were :
Porcini mushroom risotto
Lentil moussaka
also tried:
tempura veg
pumpkin tacos – bit disappointing
Napos Oldal – Visited a few times, had the set lunch everytime which was very good + the staff here were very helpful + friendly J
Darshan Biopont – we only went here once and the food was good but atmosphere was a bit odd, the staff could have been more friendly. Cakes look better than they taste!
Napfényes Izek – Excellent food, large portions great selection + friendly staff. Where else would you be able to get a three-cheese vegan pizza – yes vegan!
We’ll be recommending Budaveg to our friends.
Linz + Andy
Nottingham Hunt Sabs. UK

It’s been a great week, the flat is lovely, calm, airy. It’s been lovely to meet you, thank you for being so helpful. Budapest is a wonderful city I want to come back to and show my family! Thank you for the tour too, you’re a super guide and it was nice to have you all to ourselves.
Karla

Comme nos enfants venus à Budapest chez Zsofi en Mais 2005 il est très agréable de rentrer à l’appartement confortable de Zsofi se reposer après les visites aux musées, églises, etc.. etc…
Avec toutes nos amitiés,
Nicole et Serge Poulet
Metz, France.

For an English vegetarian with minimal language skills and no sense of direction this visit could have been “Mission Impossible”. But thanks to Zsofi it’s been really easy and I have enjoyed this stay immensely. Top tips:
* Wave pool at Gellert Hotel Baths
* Baths and Saunas in general
* Napfényes Izek – inspirational cooking, seitan dishes brilliant, perhaps I will go vegan now!
Dave Fox (ex. Cambridge hunt sabs. also on tour!)

Anna, David, Daniel (11) + Oliver (8)
Norwich, England
We’ve enjoyed sampling most of the veggie establishments – except Wabisabi and Falafel which are closed during August.
- Napfényes Izek – make sure you’re very hungry when you go there: huge portions. Lots of tasty seitan dishes. Décor slightly reminiscent of a funeral parlour tho’!
- Vegetarium – nice atmosphere, games + puzzles to play with between courses! Big portions!
- Darshan Biopont – very tasty filled pitas. Arrived (twice) at the wrong time for pizzas (only served after 3pm weekdays + after 6pm weekends)
- Govinda’s – nothing much for vegans as everything is cooked in ghee. Big portions. If you go for the ‘big plate’ the choice of dishes is limited.
- Napos Oldal – lovely café, great food, friendly staff. About ¾ vegan, rest lacto.
- Nem Süti – very nice sandwiches, but staff when we went spoke no English, so choosing fillings is a bit of an adventure! (Maybe Zsofi could offer to translate the menu!?!)
- Eden – gets busy in the evenings so best to book if you’re going after 6pm. More ‘upmarket’ than some of the other places + slightly more expensive. Big portions + friendly service. Lovely fresh juices.
Non-food highlights were:- cogwheel railway then children’s railway into Buda hills + take chairlift down again; Palatinus baths + pedal cars on Margaret Island; Palace of Wonders (science museum) + Transport Museum (in city park) good for kids.
Budaveg is a great idea. The veggie info was a great help and the mini bar was handy. The baby bath was good for soaking tired feet in after a day’s walking! The blender was good for making smoothies with all the lovely fruit on sale at the market.
(Two small suggestions – an oven glove and an ice cube tray would be useful additions.)
Köszönöm! J
p.s. Don’t want to see another seitan schnitzel for a while ... tasty, but you can have too much of a good thing!

We have really enjoyed our 9 days here. Budaveg is not just a self-catering apartment but is a vegetarian resource and we have benefited from Zsofi’s helpful information on veggie restaurants, cafes etc. All of you reading this will no doubt appreciate how great it is to go out and have real choice and not have to settle for bland veggie options when you never know what’s in it or how it’s prepared. We tried most of the veggie restaurants on the list and mostly we recommend Vegetarium (as it has air-con, you can drink beer there and the food is good), Napfényes Izek (which has more atmosphere + the staff are friendly, the food is good, lots and all vegan – very nice was strawberry soup) and falafel café (if you like to eat salad + falafels – this place is really fab – about 20 salads, very informal).
We got most of our fruit and veg at the local market which is cheap, fresh + open everyday. Turn right at main door, at 1st junction turn right onto Victor Hugo, walk to end of street, go under underpass passing metro entrance and up and arrive in market (in the tacky eighties building you can’t miss)
Sights: Margaret Island- very relaxing cycling and swimming in “Palatinus” (would be good for kids if you have some)
          : House of terror – yes controversial but very effective and memorable
          : Statue Park – great raw material but they haven’t really decided what to do with it – but still worth a visit (take a hat if sunny as not much shade – no need for direct bus – rip-off!) Easy to get tram (we had travel card) and bus (500F return)
          : Museum of Applied Arts – nice building and lovely folk art exhibit now till 27 July ’05 – upstairs in card exhibit is some stuff for kids (v. small). As with all museums (except Fine Art Museum) good to get photo licence (normally about 400F) as postcard selections are inadequate.
          : Museum of Ethnography – free but hot! – interesting Hungarian folk costumes, tools and installations
          : Széchenyi Baths, near zoo - fab building + hot spas (one over 30ºC) – worth going for experience + atmosphere though Margaret Island baths are much more spacious.
We also enjoyed coffee in the ‘Gerbaud’ (Vörösmarty Tér) making 2 coffees last forever (it’s quite expensive) whilst sketching everyone else soaking up the atmosphere amongst velvet curtains + chandeliers – we read the service was slow but this was not true. It was full of tourists so no need to be posh to go there – they served us!
Another highlight was the ‘Pushkin’ cinema – opposite the Astoria – studenty picture house showing some English films with Hungarian subtitles.
Time to sign off now – hope you have great time here at Budaveg – thank you to Zsofi.
Isla and Seth from Bristol UK

1 week (not enough) David, Debbie, Eden (4) and Jarvis (nearly 2) – Vegan
A great holiday in Central / Eastern Europe.
Staying in a veg friendly apartment with Zsofi’s guides and comment book is great.
With two youngsters in tow city people very friendly.
Baby bath godsend for us and kids. Thanks Zsofi!!
Site / sight seeing highlights:

• Chain bridge festival day with free rides for kids
• Margaret Island especially family bike rental
• Children’s railway and cogwheel railway / walk through Buda hills
• River cruise

Public transport very good but a struggle at times with double buggy (lifting on and off trams) but people very friendly / helpful
Food highlights / eating out:
Kids loved pasta from Darshan Biopont. Enjoyed sitting outside eating vegan pizza (make sure you ask for no cheese)
Also enjoyed Eden and Vegetarium – nice places…Napfénzes Izek great too! Went by Gaia but closed down.

A great place to stay and way too much to do in 6 days, Zsofi was at hand if needed, but lets you get on with it. Thanks for the baby bath Cormac just fit into but really enjoyed it.
I, T + C xxx Newcastle, England

Dear Zsofi, Lovely flat, good facilities, central location. Thermal baths at City Park were so relaxing, first time we’ve ever visited a ‘spa’, not many in England. Had a tasty lunch at Falafel, and also went to the ‘Sunny Tastes’ and Wabisabi. A trip to Szentendre by boat was very pleasant.
Thanks
John and Sandra, East Midlands UK

We had a wonderful time visiting Budapest and Budaveg proved to be the perfect apartment for us. We were lucky that Erica found you and Budaveg.
Thanks for making our trip memorable.
Amy + Michael (Erica’s brother)
Potomac, MD, USA

Zsofi is the best friend a tourist could ask for. She is very knowledgeable and knows all the good sites and especially restaurants (veg. of course!) Take her tours early to get your bearings straight and find out where all the good stuff is.
The weather is nice this time of year and the tourist areas did not seem too crowded. We really enjoyed the opera house, the central market hall (Nagycsarnok), the Great Synagogue, Margaret Island, Castle Hill, and the 1 hour boat tour that Zsofi recommended.
We enjoyed the many restaurants Zsofi recommended. Esp. Eden (in Buda), Wabisabi (not far, great first restaurant) and Darshon Biopont (limited menu, little English, just point and enjoy great food.) We went by Vegetarium twice during business hours, but they were closed both times. I hope it is only temporary. We look forward to returning to BudaVeg someday soon. Budapest has become my new favourite city. We have stayed a week but have only scratched the surface of what Budapest has to offer!
Kőszőnőm szépen Zsófi! Viszlát!
Dave & Erica
Lake Placid, New York, United States.

We enjoyed our first trip to Hungary and in particular Budapest immensely. There’s so much to explore particularly on foot. The selection of vegetarian places is really impressive and very much enjoyed the food in “Napos Oldal” after our visit to the zoo and a stroll through the park. The weather has been lovely and the flat felt homely and really quiet, so we could recharge our batteries for the walk for the next day. Great idea to have a veggie place.
Gabriela + Michael.

Huge thank you to Zsofi for a warm and helpful welcome to Budapest. The city is very friendly, beautiful in parts, interesting + loads of great places to eat vegan. I’d highly recommend going to the baths of the city park, the parliament building is truly stunning (even if you don’t like the idea of a parliament!) and the vegan cakes at biopont are not to be missed.
Enjoy.
Penny – Bristol. J

Beautiful city, lovely apartment, plenty of great vegan food especially at Napfenyes + biopont.
Fab holiday
Mel from Bristol

A fascinating place, Hungary. Excellent vegan cuisine / beer!
A lovely flat and interesting city, 2.5 days not enough time to do it justice but will return. Thanks for your excellent service to vegans!
Phillip Duckworth and Alex Forest, Croydon, UK

Had a great time with snowy weather and pleasant warmth, a pleasant contrast to Bristol!
The “House of Terror” was grim but informative, and is highly recommended. Food was terrific, but portions are enormous, so it’s generally best to avoid starters.
Zsofi’s tour is a great way of orientating yourself if, like us, you’re first time visitors.
Robin and Sue, Bristol, UK

We love Budapest – made all the better this time, as we stayed in Zsofi’s apartment. A lovely peaceful haven in a bustling city.
We will come again.
Thanks
Olly, Jan, Kim + Rachel xxxx (Worthing, England)

Merci beaucoup pour votre accueil. Première expérience que nous essaierions de renouveler. 
Bien cordialement.
Nadine et Thierry Ribault, Condette – France.

… and so did we…
2.75 days is not enough to experience more than a glimpse at Budapest, but we will definitely come again. The apartment was warm and restful, even in the coldest days of our winter. Thank you Zsofi and may the empire grow…. J
Cathal and Julie, London

>> 2004

We had a great time- 5 days over Christmas 2004.
Highlights: skating, Szechenyi bath, Balloon Ride
Fantastic alternative Christmas. Loved Budaveg- an oasis of veggie-ness in central Europe.
Good luck Zsofi and thanks for everything!
Nick, Julia, Tim, Zoe
From Newcastle
I had a great time ice skating was my favourite thing
Zoe age 10

Thank you Eva for your help with our first visit to Budapest. Lots of place of interest-
StStephans Basilica- breathtaking, not to be missed!
Cruise on Danube
Vegetarian restaurant- well worth a visit, excellent food!
Danubius Spa- thermal pool hotel facilities 2000 Ft p.p. towels inc. Jacuzzi, sauna, solarium, thermal pool, fitness centre. Very relaxing!
Markets: lots of bargains and mulled wine!!!! Ummh!
A great week in Budapest (very similar to Prague)
Carol and Tom, Ulverston
Ps: If we visit in December again I’ll bring my thermals!!!!

We do not know if 3-4 days are enough to visit Budapest but we have now a little knowledge about history, habits and culture of this important city. We appreciate that Zsofi has given a vegetarian mark to the apartment to underline that not only health is important, but also respect of animals is important for an ethical life.
Linda, Silvana,
Milano, Italy

We have had a wonderful weather the whole time! Zsofi’s tour is well worth doing if you are here for a short time- it helps to orientate you and get your bearings! Good location - travel pass a must! Don’t go to the museum of contemporary art at the moment. They are relocating and quote “no paintings”. Terror Museum is very interesting – not least for the controversy it seems to have caused. You don’t need a “guide” if you go to the synagogue – Rough Guide is right. Lovely city, wished we had longer!
Good luck with renovations Zsofi – hope they go well.
 Di and Duncan

Thanks Zsofi for providing a vegan heaven in Goulash country. We loved our day out with you in Szentendre at the open air museum and your enthusiasm and knowledge of your country made the day even more special.
We can recommend “Fono” to music lovers, tourist information bureau can tell you what’s on and the tram 47 from Astoria will get you there.
Weekly bus and tram pass – well worthwhile.
Good luck with the upgrading of facilities in the apartment and good luck too with your veggie venture.
Love from us- Olivia, Peter, James
Gloucester+ Ealing UK

Great having an apartment to come back to and really nice to be in a big old building. Good idea having a veggie apartment and so easy to find on the internet. Loved the Vegetarium and the Sunny Tastes restaurant. Liked the bars in Darshan Biopont area but the cakes were too healthy and needed sugar!
READING HUNT SABS ON TOUR SEPT 2004 J
Wicked vegan food+ cheap beer= Heaven
Claire, Pete, Daf and Joe, Reading, UK

This is a really nice apartment with a lot of character and a great position. Our family enjoyed our stay (despite the rain) and it was really useful to have information about places to eat in the city. Two days isn’t long enough so we will have to come back.
Steve, Anna, Catherine, Nicholas and James
Southampton, GB

Boy, has it been hot! Budapest has to be the hottest city I’ve been to.
We recommend “Napfenyes Izek” – went there three times for lunch and dinner! Best vegan restaurant we’ve been to by far. Vegetarium was a little disappointing and Darshan Bio is more of a café (falafels, burgers, sausages) If you are only here for a weekend, go to “Napfenyes Izek” – it’s 5 mins’ walk from Vorosmarty ut on the yellow metro line.
Vegan ice cream on Csaba utca, near Moszkva ter is delicious…
Zsofi also recommended the following and was right:

• Get a one week travel card, not a Budapest card. Cost Huf 2700.
• take the boat to Szentendre and the HEV train back. There is a bio bolt (organic store) by the HEV station near Kaiser’s supermarket that sells vegan ice-cream.
• take Zsofi’s three hour Buda guided tour

Steve & Claire
London, England

We had an absolutely brilliant time in Budapest… it has been both our favourite holiday yet!
Zsofi, thank you so much for your invaluable help in getting us acquainted with the city… you have been an excellent hostess to us. I would definitely recommend the 3 hour guided tour with Zsofi at the beginning of your stay. It proved to be a really useful way to learn your way around the city and Zsofi is a very knowledgeable and experienced guide.
Visitors to Budapest should definitely try out one of the gorgeous spas. We went to Szechenyi Baths near City Park and didn’t want to leave!
The apartment is fabulous, much nicer than it appears on the webpage, and so spacious and nicely decorated. We both feel so, so “at-home” here in Budapest! It helps if you get Zsofi to mark out the locations of the veggie restaurants on a map for you (it makes then much easier to find) Also, make sure you try out the new “Sunny Tastes” restaurant on Rozsa utca (Ask Zsofi!)
They serve gorgeous pizzas and nice traditional Hungarian Style dishes, and it’s completely vegan!!!
All in all we have had a fantastically memorable and enjoyable time.
I sincerely hope that Budaveg proves as successful as it deserves to be… it is a wonderful idea!!
See you again…
Jess and Ian xxx

Had a great time- thanks to your help. Budapest is a lovely city, and Budaveg a great idea –wishing you every success.
Best regards
Anne & Bob Seymour

So nice to “come home” after a day’s sightseeing! Budapest is beautiful I’m very happy to have discovered this city. The flat is ideal and Zsofi has really taken trouble to make this a smooth stay.
Thank you!!
Sandra (Paris, France)

> We had so much fun in Budapest, and staying here at Budaveg made it especially pleasant. Zsofi is a wonderful hostess, so you shouldn’t hesitate to ask her for tips and directions. We recommend going to a “tanchaz” or a dance house, where you can experience Hungarian folk dance & live music put on by local people.
All in all, it was a great time.
Lakshmi & Latha - USA

> Just a short note, we are late for the plane, we had such a good time we didn’t want to leave. Budapest is superb, enjoy it. Special thanks to Zsofi, the hostess with the mostest!! See you again
Darren and Paula. Xx

> Both Jon and I had a great time in the apartment and the city. We enjoyed staying in a location close to all amenities & amongst local people. Zsofi has been supportive both with our initial contact via BUDAVEG web page & in person. We wish you luck and success in your venture
Best wishes
Dot & Jon Worthing - England
Ps: visit Don Pepe pizzeria, good and will select alternative vegetarian toppings

> Thanks Zsofi. A wonderful calm oasis for us in the heart of the bustling city. By far the best place we’ve stayed at in Budapest. So easy to set to the “Belvaros” (Nr 15 bus) and to Keleti Station for a trip away (Trolley Nr 76) A great apartment and a great landlady! We’ll be back- and we’ll tell our friends!
Best wishes,
Phil + Katrin

>> 2003

> Beautiful city, apartment perfect and located excellently for journeys into town. Really useful budaveg leaflets to find restaurants and health shops. We really enjoyed our stay.
Duncan and Claire
PS. Thank you for the warm welcome and all the help you gave us.