On a cold winter day there is nothing nicer than nestling down in a big armchair with a book and a cup of coffee or tea. Budapest now has several bookshops which offer just this service for visitors. Right in the center of the city, on the great boulevard of Andrassy ut, you will find the Irok Boltja (Writers Bookshop).

Once the site of a famous literary cafe, its present management has decided to resurrect its old atmosphere and have thoughtfully provided chairs and a steaming samovar for customers` comfort. Non-Hungarian visitors will find a good selection of books in various languages as well as a range of books and albums about Hungary`s sights.

Those visitors who have had an exhausting day sightseeing around the Parliament may want to take refuge in the Marko Bookstore, which is just off Kossuth Square on the corner of Marko and Balassi Balint streets.
Here you can not only order coffee and tea while you leaf through their titles but also sample light meals from the Marko Recipe Book.

However, if your taste is more academic and want exclusively English books, then try the Central European University, this store has a bilingual staff and a large selection of books on the country covering everything from the architecture and culture to science and economics in addition to sections on philosophy, history, literature and art. You cannot sit down and have a drink here but it is a good place for anyone interested in good quality books on the region.

The Castle District also boasts its own literary watering hole to waylay tired travelers. The Litea Bookstore in the Fortuna Passage offers guidebooks on Hungary in various languages as well as CDs and tapes of local folk music and Hungarian classical recordings. A magnificent ceramic stove dominates the center of the shop, on which visitors can perch while drinking jasmine tea and deciding what they should buy.

For those, who would like to surf the web or simply check their e-mail accounts, there is an increasing number of cyber cafes in the city: the newest is the Vista Visitors Center,which is a unique combination of a travel bureau and a cafe house, where guests can plan their trip, access the Internet, obtain answers to all their questions and make all necessary arrangements for their vacations, while leisurely enjoying a coffee or a meal in a hip, comfortable atmosphere.

Bookshops:
Irok Boltja (Writers Bookshop)
1061 Budapest, Andrassy ut 45.
Phone: 36-1-322-1645, 36-1-342-4311

Central European University Bookshop
1052 Budapest, Piarista koz 1.
Phone: 36-1-327-3096, Fax: 36-1-302-3026
E-mail: bookshop@ceu.hu
http://www.ceu.hu/misc/bookshop.htm

Litea Konyvesbolt (Litea Bookstore)
1014 Budapest, Hess Andras ter 4.
Phone: 36-1-375-6987

Cyber Cafes:

Vista Café
Budapest,VI. Paulay Ede u. 7-9.
Phone: 36-1-268-0888
E-mail:icafe@vista.hu http://www.vista.hu/english
1 minute 11 HUF (0.50 USD)

Ami
Budapest, 5th District, Vaci utca 40
Phone: 267-1644
ami@coffee.hu
700 HUF/hour

Budapest Net
Budapest, 5th District, Kecskemeti utca 5
Phone: 328-0292
HUF 700/hour
Open: 10:00am to 10:00pm

Center for Culture & Communications /Soros Foundation
Budapest, I. Orszaghaz u. 9.
Phone: 36-1-214-6856
Two hour limit/week, reservation required

Eckermann Cafe / Goethe Institut
Budapest,VI. Andrassy ut 24.
Phone: 36-1-364-4076
No charge, reservation recommended

Cafe Europark Mall
Budapest, XIX. Ulloi ut 201.
Phone: 36-80-281-781
30 minutes: 300 Forint (1 USD), 1 hour: 500 Forint (1.60 USD

Plaza Internet Club/ Duna Plaza Mall
Budapest, XIII. Vaci ut 178.
Phone: 36-1-465-1126
30 minutes: 400 Forint (1.30 USD), 1 hour: 700 Forint (2.30 USD). Discounts for longer time blocks, free e-mail.