Hello Tayler, I have written a detailed reply but it disappeared…
The gist of what I wrote is that Dec 24, 25 and 26 are basically very untouristy in a sense that many places are closed (Dec 24 is the most festive of all Xmas days in Hungary). That being said, there are still many things going on in Budapest.
The question is what kind of programme do you have in mind. The Nutcracker ballet is on all 3 days at the Budapest Opera House: http://attractions.topbudapest.org/buildings/budapest-opera-house (La Bohéme opera is on Dec 25), or there is a concert at A38 party ship to mention a completely different event and style: a38.hu/en/program/kesh-esti-kornel-ivan-the-parazol-libido-tesco-disco.
The Museum of Fine Arts is closed on Dec 24 and 25 but open on Dec 26 http://attractions.topbudapest.org/museums/museum-of-fine-arts-budapest-szepmuveszeti-muzeum
I would definitely go to one of the quirky ruin pubs locals love, but I have no idea if that’s your cup of tea.
What are your preferences, interests, what kind of events would make your Christmas holiday nice?

Hi Student on a Budget,
yes, it is not a big stretch, in fact for a student it is absolutely possible to get by on about 80 euros for roughly a week in Budapest if you have already paid for your accommodation and all you need to spend money is on
1, public transport
2, basic food and drink (preferably bought from the grocery shop)
That’s the sort of budget a Hungarian student usually gets by on…
This amount – 80 euros – does not include entrance fees to museums, performances, movies etc. (unless you make a few days really really low budget and eat 3-4 sandwiches – made by you rather than ready made – a day, and drink water, but no beers and fancy soft drinks), but maybe you could afford a beer or wine at the end of the day. :)
You can get relatively cheap warm meals (lunch time only) from places that are still functioning Hungarian style retro fast food restaurants / canteens like Pajtás Étterem at Batthyany square or you can find some more affordable restaurants (attractive midday lunch break getaways) like Mákos Guba diner on Krisztina körút (both on the Buda side). Or, if you are cool, you could get easily invited to a home made dinner by one of the students… (but take a bottle of drink as an entrance gift if you want to be friendly)
YES and yes! Budapest is great for walking, lots to see and discover! :)

Hello Jim, in addition to the accommodation costs, you will most likely spend a couple of thousand Hungarian forints on the public transportation in Budapest (the sights / attractions in Budapest are pretty spread out). There are great prices and 2-3-7 day passes, so you should be still fine.
You could spend 80 USD on a lunch and dinner at a good but affordable restaurant (menu or a la carte too, but please check the prices – here are some of the best restaurants in Budapest) – say 15-35 USD on each, and still have some money left for entrance fees, or a couple of beers / wines at a night bar (see our list of recommended Budapest bars).
In short, you can decide where to eat, and how much you wish to spend on entrance tickets and fees – a visit to one of the baths would certainly be a good investment, while saving some USD for the exhibitions and other attractions shouldn’t be a problem – museums, churches, castles, etc. tend to be on the cheaper side.
80 dollars is a comfortable but not too luxurious daily spend (minus about 25 USD for the 7 day public transport pass)
Hope this helps – let us know how you managed from your budget.

Hello Tom,
yes, unfortunately Budapest metros don’t run so late, and your quickest option to Duna Palota (Danube Palace) in Zrinyi street, which is the bus (16 or 105) only runs by day time. So you had better call a taxi company via phone, here are some taxi companies in Budapest, which have a long established reputation. You can call them yourself to try and arrange a taxi after the night performance

I think this is a really short distance, something like 2.5 km (1.5 miles or so), and should not cost more than HUF 1,500 – 2,500 (approx. 7-10 euros), so you are definitely better off calling your own cab after the night performance. There are several Budapest taxi fare calculators
here is a thread about taxi prices http://topbudapest.org/faq/getting-around-in-budapest/budapesttaxi#comment-180
or you can simply try Fotaxi (currently the official taxi company at the Budapest Airport too, not the cheapest, but has some good cab drivers who speak good English)
http://fotaxi.hu/Kalkulator#main-menu
Have fun at the Hungarian folk show, they are beautiful and well staged!

Hi Malik, it depends on how much you wish to spend and what your preferences are. Budapest can be very cheap and very expensive like any big city in Europe.
There are great hostels in Budapest, here are some of the best with links to hotel price comparison sites http://topbudapest.org/hotel/hostels-in-budapest
There are party hostels and quieter hostels, many in the city centre, and many away from the city centre of Budapest. The hostels outside the downtown areas are cheaper.
Here is out Budapest on a budget guide:
http://tenthingstodo.topbudapest.org/by-interests/budget-things-to-do-in-budapest
with tips for Budapest cheap restaurants, eateries and salad bars, vegetarian places to eat, etc.
Partying is cheap, there are lots of bars with no entrance fee, a beer is about 2-3 Euros in pubs, 1 Euro in shops roughly. Besides costs of accommodation (which can be as low as 9 Euros per night in a hostel off the city centre), you can buy a 7 day Budapest travel card to cover costs for travelling, which is about 1.5 Euros per day. Then the rest is easy if you eat at cheaper places (2-3 Euros for a snack menu, or for a cheap lunch at a Budapest eatery).
The cheapest historical thermal baths in Budapest are Kiraly Bath
http://baths.topbudapest.org/turkish-baths/kiraly-baths (slightly ruinous)
and Veli Bej baths
http://baths.topbudapest.org/turkish-baths/veli-bej (recently restored)

Hi Joan, I believe you can visit Temerin from Budapest by taking the Budapest Belgrade train and getting off in Novi Sad, then there must be either train or bus connection, please search for the details.
The trains from Budapest to Belgrade are quite frequent and comfortable, also reasonably priced. There are bus trips on a regular basis between the two cities, or you can even hire a car if your son wishes to drive or you hire a personal driver, which would be quite costly (in this case you need to let the Budapest car rental company know that you wish to take the car to Serbia). But I think the best option is to take the train to Novi Sad then getting to Temerin from Novi Sad on the Budapest Belgrade train line.

If your Budapest visit was scheduled for July you could even see the Illes Day Promenade in Temerin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp15JaxAARs

As for more information about Temerin, now Serbia, please ask a Serbian travel forum, as honestly I have no idea how you could look up info about Temerin of the 1900s, unless you go to the national library on the Buda Castle Hill (Szechenyi Library) and manage to get help from their archives. Or even better, you could try to locate the local library or notary in Temerin, which still has lots of Hungarians living there (about one third), and try to get some help from them.

Budapest has some offices where they specialize in looking up ancestors, and they have special permissions to look up birth certificates. I don’t think individuals are allowed to see birth certificates as you need to have a permission. The archives are very restricted.

Yes, Budapest is quite safe to walk around at night, especially if you stay away from dark side streets and walk on the well lit areas. In April, there are quite a few locals and tourists enjoying the night spring weather in Budapest.

April is quite nice in Budapest, check out our events guide 1 week before your trip, by then the upcoming events will be in the calendar: http://budapesteventsguide.com/