The Best Places to Study in Budapest

No matter how comfortable your apartment is, sometimes you just need a break. Especially, if you are supposed to be studying. It’s easy to go with the usual choices and try studying at the library or on campus, but this often leads to hanging out with classmates. To offer a solution, we looked around to find some places where you get the two most important things for a long study session: good cafe and someplace you can plug in your laptop.

#1 Coffice Budapest

Where? 1052 Budapest, Vitkovits Mihály utca 8.

What? Coffice is short for co-working office, a new initiative aiming to prove that working from a home-office does not necessarily mean a lone-office. You can meet a lot of freelancers and young professionals here, which is really inspiring and a great motivator. Coffice is ideal both if you want to study alone and if you want to bring your study group: the design makes it easy to arrange the perfect set-up for whatever you want to do.

#2 Konyha

Where? 1075 Budapest, Madách Imre út 8.

What? In English, Konyha means Kitchen – but much better than your own kitchen at home. If you are one of those people whose main form of procrastination is opening the fridge and staring inside for a minute without getting anything just to repeat the performance 15 minutes later, then this is the place for you. In spirit at least, you probably shouldn’t stare into their fridge. Konyha is at the entrance of the ever-so-popular Gozsdu udvar, right in the middle of the city center, so you can easily convince yourself to study all day and reward yourslef with a couple of drinks afterwards. Konyha has lovely windows downstairs for people-watching, and squishy couches upstairs to get comfortable, so you can find your perfect spot (and get great food)!

#3 Kelet

Where? 1114 Budapest, Bartók Béla út 29.

What? Kelet looks like a library, but it’s so much more. If you like the idea of studying in a library, but find it too quiet, or you just prefer being able to have great tea and coffee on your table while you do so, this is your place. Kelet is also a gallery with exciting temporary exhibitions of contemporary art, and popular place for literary events. And, although it is not a book shop, you can grab any book you fancy if you bring another book in exchange. Is there a better way to refresh your library? Just try to keep in mind that you are there to study, and not to read all day J

#4 Gólya

Where? 1083 Budapest, Bókay János utca 34.

What? Although not exactly in the city center, Gólya (Stork), is definitely worth the trek. What makes it special is that it is a co-operative bar and community house in the 8th district, so it fills multiple functions at once: being a regular in Gólya means being part of a community. On warmer days, you can take advantage of the quiet garden, which is ideal if you like studying in the open air, but you don’t like the noise that usually comes with it. Gólya opens a bit late at 11.30, but if you arrive early and work through the afternoon, you can enjoy a selection of great programs after your study session, including concerts, film clubs, lectures, of discussions.

#5 Massolit Books & Café

Where? 1072 Budapest, Nagy Diófa utca 30.

What? If you liked Kelet, you will also love Massolit, the perfect fusion of a bookstore and a café. Just like its other sibling shop in Krakow, Massolit is an independent foreign language book store, selling both used and new books, especially related to academia. They pride themselves on having books on subjects that you don’t usually find in Hungary, so you might even find some new resources while you are browsing the shelves in your well-deserved study-break. And at great discounts, too! What is more, Massolit also has its own pastry chef, so you will soon get addicted to studying…or to Massolit, anyway.

#studygoals

Exam season is drawing nearer and nearer, and you’ll soon have to start revising if you want to pass your exams without a nervous breakdown. Follow our #studygoals to prepare yourself, and start studying in time for once!

#getstarted

This is probably the most difficult to accomplish from all the goals, since it’s very easy to convince yourself to delay that first session. The most important thing is to sit down and get down to business as early as possible, even if you only do an hour of revision the first day. This will help you get used to the idea of studying, and you’ll also realize it’s not as bad as it seems if you start early enough.

#makeaplan

Try being honest with yourself, and figure out how much work you’ll actually need to be doing. Prioritize your tasks, and set realistic goals. Don’t kid yourself that you are able to prepare for an exam with 2 days of studying and an all-nighter, because it’s not likely to happen, and this is the best way to destroy your health and lose motivation. Spread out your tasks, and incorporate exercise, me time, and socializing into your daily plans. Be smart about it, and try to find a balance!

#makeitfun

Cat shaped post-its? A rubber shaped like a dead man’s foot? Bring it on! Adding fun and colorful details to an otherwise rather boring and monotonous activity can boost your powers in the long run. Of course, you probably won’t need 20 different highlighters for an exam season, but then again, who’s gonna stop you?

#eatwelldrinkwellworkwell

A lot of people severely mistreat their bodies in the exam season, and you’ve probably seen your share of zombie-like creatures haunting the libraries operating solely on caffeine. Although at first glance, it seems like a good idea to skip meals and save a precious half an hour of studying, it will come back to haunt you after a while. Exam season puts a lot of stress on your body, so make sure to it well, and drink enough fluids. Your brain needs the energy!

#findyourspace

Try finding a space that works for you, where you can focus your attention to the work in front of you. Some people thrive in coffee shops, while others find it impossible to compose an email with people chatting around them. It’s important to find what works for you, so you can do your best every day. Sometimes, you can even imitate the sound of your favorite places with noise generators! The most popular study places include libraries (duh), coffee shops, and your own place, but you might want to spice it up and try new things. For example, have you ever tried studying outside or in a museum?

#teamup

There’s nothing worse than suffering on your own, while your friends are out partying. Probably there are a lot of people who are also cramming for the upcoming exams, so team up and try revising together. This can also work if you generally like studying on your own: getting together to discuss the material or to quiz each other may help you realize what your weak spots are. And also, it’s just great when someone understands the suffering you are going through.

#nostress

This is a joke, right? Well, not really. Keep your goals in mind, and be conscious of the fact that the exam period mucks up your sense of time. What seems like a never ending loop of worrying and studying will be just a few days of cramming when you look back at it, and definitely not the end of the world as you feel now. It’s also a good idea to figure out how you can manage your stress levels – this is a skill that will come in handy later in life. Go running, buy insane amounts of bubble wrap, or try meditating. You’ll be amazed by the difference it makes!

#recharge

Talking about running: remember that you have to take a break now and then. For one thing, you probably won’t go insane this way, and you’ll also recharge your power to go on a do your best. Try some light exercising every day, even if it’s just 20 minutes on your living room floor. As silly as it feels in the beginning, you’ll soon start looking forward to it! Make sure that you get enough sleep: sleep deprivation is the worst enemy of students. Your brain needs the time to process new information and to rest, so try getting 7 or 8 hours a day, even if it means that you spend less time with your books.

#nosocialmedia

This is the worst. You could do without sleep or food, but no social media? Sadly, wasting time on the internet is the most common form of procrastination, since your phone or laptop is always nearby, and it’s soooo tempting to refresh your feed…. and boom, there goes 2 hours you could’ve spent studying. It looks like a dire step, but deactivating your social media profiles can be a big help. You’re not very likely to miss anything much if you are inactive for a few weeks, and this will definitely boost your effectiveness. If you think this is just one step too far for you, you can also try setting up reward times when you can check social media, or you might consider downloading one of the many apps that block you for a certain amount of time.