There is intense competition in Budapest between the leading youth hostel companies and various privately run hostels. The leading company is Travellers' Youth Way Youth Hostels, also known as "Mellow Mood Ltd." (tel. 1/413-2062; www.mellowmood.hu). They run three year-round hostels: Marco Polo (tel. 1/413-2555; www.marcopolohostel.com), Mellow Mood Central Hostel (tel. 1/411-1310; www.mellowmoodhostel.com), and the Hostel Fortuna (tel. 1/215-0600; www.fortunahostel.hu), and six summer-only hostels.
Young representatives from Travellers' and from some of the privately run youth hostels sometimes meet international trains arriving in Budapest. Some representatives even board Budapest-bound international trains at the Hungarian border crossing so that they can work the backpacking crowd before the train reaches Budapest. Your best bet is to book a bed in advance at one of our recommended hostels; if you haven't, you can make phone calls upon your arrival to try to secure a hostel bed or you can try your luck with the hostel hawkers. Since they make a commission on every customer they bring in, the hostel representatives tend to be pushy and say whatever they think you want to hear about their hostel. Shop around and don't let yourself be pressured. Most hostels that solicit at the station have a van parked outside. The ride to the hostel is usually free, but you may have to wait a while until the van is full.
Mellow Mood operates a youth hostel placement office at Keleti Station (tel. 1/343-0748), off to the side of track 9 and track 6, near the international waiting room. This office, open daily 7am to 8pm, can help you book a bed in one of Travellers' hostels or in other hostels.
The main office of the Hungarian Youth Hostel Federation (Magyar Ifjúsági Szállások Szövetsége) is located at Molnár utca 3 (near Ferenciet tere, Blue line; tel. 1/411-2390; www.youthhostels.hu). They can provide you with a full list of youth hostels in Hungary, including those in Budapest, and book your hostel stay. You can also pick up an IYHF card (no photo required) for 2,300 Ft ($8.10). There is a useful youth travel agency run by Mellow Mood Ltd., located at VII. Baross tér 15 (tel. 1/413-2062; www.mellowmood.hu), that also books hostel stays from its office. To reach the agency, get off at Baross utca on tram no. 4 or 6. This agency is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 4pm. Both of these companies' websites have information and e-mail addresses for various hostels. Though you cannot reserve online through the agencies, you can contact the hostels directly through their e-mail to book a bed or room.
In July and August a number of university dormitories and other empty student lodgings are converted into hostels, many managed by Travellers'. Their locations (as well as their condition) have been known to change from year to year, so we haven't reviewed any of them in this guide. The youth hostels and budget lodgings listed below are all open year-round unless the review says otherwise.
