Budapest may not stay like this forever but at the moment it is one of the best European cities for still having quality accomodation options for affordable prices. I’ve been to Budapest a number of times and stayed in multiple different places but these 3 are the best suggestions I have for you and I believe that there is something that will cater to all budgets.
First of all, I would recommend staying in the 5th Arrondissement area, or as close to as budget allows (the 7th is another closeby good alternative with cheaper accommodation). This central area puts you in perfectly easy walking distance from many main attractions but also gives you direct access to all forms of public transport. If you want to take any sightseeing options like a hop on hop off bus, for example, this area is on the map as well so you’ll basically get door to door service. For my money, this is THE area - there are also plenty of shops and restaurants so you can easily get anything that you need or want.
The 5th Arrondissement is also often known as Bel Varos, meaning inner city. Hotels are generally more expensive here, especially the closer you get to Vaci Utca (a main street). You’ll also find many of your known name-chain hotels here. Though I won’t be detailing these options, the Accor and Marriott do have apartment or apart-hotel options in this area that are generally a lot kinder on the budget whilst still offering comfort and location.
The 7th Arrondissement is more of the party area - and certainly if you’re heading to Budapest on a gap year, bux night or stag weekend or just as a younger traveller, the downside of being near the bars may not be as problematic for you. These hotels are generally cheaper because they can also find themselves in noisy areas...not always though - I have a recommendation below for you that I found to be perfectly fine on the noise front and way cheaper than anywhere in the 5th.
Another option is to stay along the Danube. Whilst I have also done this, I personally prefer the ease and convenience of being in the middle of it all so I would choose the 5th. That said, you cannot beat the views of a Danube-side hotel and particularly if you choose one closer to Vaci, you won’t be too far away anyway (definitely walking distance).
So, let’s dive in:
** Please Note: To best showcase the hotels, as I stayed in these prior to the establishment of the blog. I have decided to use some photos from their websites to showcase the accommodation, combined with some from my stay. Photos of Budapest are my own
Luxury
By far my favourite hotel in the city, The Kempinski is lovely! I was given a gorgeous room with a great view right onto the Budapest ferris wheel. The room was incredibly spacious and had a large, luxurious bathroom to match. At the Kempinski what you’re paying for more than the room is the service and they were truly fantastic. I unfortunately had an injury during my stay there and the hotel staff went out of their way to ensure that ice was delivered to the room, that transport was readily available whenever we needed a taxi, and that when we booked into the spa, accommodations were made there too.
The restaurant on site is very good too and so pleasant to sit in on the back terrace of the hotel. There is also a Nobu in the hotel though I didn’t dine there (was on a bit of a hunt for Hungarian food) but the option is definitely there if your stay is longer than mine was. We also went for massages in the hotel's spa and I can recommend the treatments and facility highly based on my experience there.
The location is absolutely ideal and as one of the best hotels in the city, they are absolutely accustomed to helping make your stay fantastic. The concierge was SO helpful and helped us to book activities on the fly when said injury changed our plans.
This would be my choice whenever possible to stay there!
(The top right hand photo was the view from my room.
These are photos of a Deluxe Room. Suites are available)
Mid-Luxe
In the mid-budget range, La Prima Fashion Hotel is an excellent choice as far as delivering modern, clean rooms in the heart of the city. We had 4 rooms amongst our group and 2 of our rooms were extremely large and 2 extremely small. The large rooms made the hotel one of the best value hotels I had seen in Europe but the small ones were definitely not ideal (we all paid the exact same).
The hotel, as I said, was very modern and well appointed. The rooms were clean, the location was good and in September when we were there, the price was very fair!
I would absolutely recommend this hotel - it seemed like the sort of hotel that a lot of groups stayed in so I’d say that it would be worth booking ahead but always worth checking! We booked for our stay with them via hotels.com
Great value and, just to say it one more time, seriously great location.
Cheaper
More of a studio apartment style hotel, this accommodation (booked through hotels.com) was great for the purpose that we needed it for but was definitely the oldest of the 3 options provided in terms of appearance and fit out. We were very lucky - after we booked, we read that some rooms can be noisy from the nearby bar district but we didn’t find that to be the case in our room at all. We found it to be extremely good value for money for what we were paying and the location that we were in.
The entrance is definitely not much to look at and it is back a bit from the street so you do need to keep an eye out from the street on approach. That said, there is an elevator which is extremely lucky and from there, it may be more basic than my other two suggestions above but for what you’re paying, this one is great great value!!
Budapest has so many great places to stay so for me, the best tip that I can give you is the area. Budapest is a large city but a lot of it is definitely walkable so my opinion is, stay central so you give yourself all the options.
Taxis can be challenging in Budapest so if you’re going to want to use a lot of Taxis, choosing a hotel that you know will have a reception team who can call a cab for you is very valuable. There is absolutely merit to speaking in Hungarian to your driver - it’s a totally different price! So whatever your hotel can do to help you out beforehand is definitely worth it. As of my last visit there in 2019, I do not believe that Uber was in Budapest though alternatives that used taxi services with an Uber like app were.
Budapest is such a stunning city that no matter where you stay, I hope you don’t spend too much time in your room - there’s one of Europe’s great treasures just waiting for you at your doorstep.
Comentários