The first Budapest hotel decision is whether to stay in Buda or Pest. In Buda, there are luxury hotels like the Budapest Hilton in the Castle district and the famous Gellert Hotel below the Gellert Hill.

Pest offers a much wider variety of Budapest hotels in all price brackets. The Pest bank of the Danube near the Chain Bridge sees a row of Budapest luxury hotels including the Four Seasons in the Gresham Palace; Sofitel Atrium; the Marriott and the Intercontinental. Move away from the river and prices become more reasonable.

Most of the major hotel chains such as Novotel and Ibis have a choice of locations while some of the old establishments such as the fabulous New York Palace have been restored to their former glory.

Check out the nearest Metro or tram routes before booking to make getting around so much easier. Hotels often have attractive offers out of season. It's easy to find rooms or apartments for longer stays while hostels and a number of camp sites offer budget options.

Recommended hotels closest to Vaci Utca

• Regency Suites
• Intercontinental Hotel
• Kempinski Hotel Corvinus

Budapest hotels

Standards are generally high and memories of Communist-era accommodation are now, mercifully, history.

Budget: Buda favourites include the Papillon in Buda II (Rozsahegy u. 3/b). Over in Pest, many hotel chains offer budget options.

Brody House has real character at reasonable prices (around £50) - 0036 70 931 1402

Moderate: Novotel Centrum is a TravelSavvy favourite, an extremely comfortable hotel on one of Budapest's main streets (Rakoczi ut) with a tram stop and Metro nearby. The hotel features a magnificent dining room to enjoy breakfast, or even dinner, in style.

Hotel Palazzo Zichy is great value (www.hotel-palazzo-zichy.hu), a converted private palace which features marble, murals and high ceilings in down-town Pest.

If you need a car park and want to stay in a quiet part of Pest, try the Panzio Gold Hotel (Pandorfalu u.15) in Pest XIV near the City Park.

In the city centre, and near the shopping in Vaci utca, Leo Panzio (Kossuth Lajos u. 2/A) is a second floor pension with decent sized rooms.

In Buda, the Hotel Charles (Hegyalja ut 23) near the Elizabeth Bridge, includes kitchenettes. On the opposite bank near the bridge is the City Panzio Matyas (Marcius 15 ter 8) in Pest V, with comfortable rooms and a convenient location.

Expensive: The hotels overlooking the Danube are worth checking out as decent offers are sometimes available. The location is fantastic and service standards are high. The Four Seasons is in the old Gresham Palace while the Intercontinental has been beautifully renovated.

If you are looking for old-world style, plus access to fabulous indoor and outdoor bath facilities, it's hard to beat the Gellert Hotel. It's in Buda, at the end of the Liberty Bridge, and is the city's most famous hotel.

A peaceful health spa option at the far end of Margit Island is the Danubius Health Spa (Pest XIII). There's a wide range of health and medical treatments.

Budapest Hostels

There is a wide range of budget price hostels in Budapest. Very popular with younger travellers, hostels are also ideal for longer stays in Budapest.

Budapest Camping

Several camp sites in Budapest are open all year. Try Romai Campsite in Buda III (Szentendrei ut 189) which is described as a 'small town' and it has a pool.

In the Buda Hills, the Zugligeti Niche Campsite in Buda XII (Zugligeti ut 101) is an attractive site.

 

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To go further

holidayhungary.com - Holiday Hungary: Hotel reservation and other useful services and links for Hungary.