Where to Stay in Budapest: Hilton Budapest Review

Budapest was our first stop in our 3 week tour of Eastern Europe, and we fell in love instantly with the beautiful city. We stayed at the Hilton Budapest, which is located in the Royal Castle District, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Buda side of the city. The hotel was the perfect home base to explore the city and had so many perks that made it perfect for us. Our vacation was a celebration of our 10 year anniversary, so we wanted it to be romantic and special, and the Hilton Budapest delivered in every way. When we arrived there was a bottle of champagne chilling in our room with a tray of desserts, towels folded to look like swans on the bed, and a jaw-dropping view of Budapest from our room. As Hilton Diamond members, we enjoyed access to the Executive Lounge which had a complimentary breakfast buffet, snacks and drinks all day, and a happy hour every evening with appetizers, wine, beer, and cocktails. The food was delicious and we enjoyed chatting with other guests while gazing out the windows at the historic city below. The location in the Castle District next to the Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church is in our opinion the most romantic part of the city, and we loved having views of it every morning over breakfast. Now allow us to show you why we loved staying at the Hilton Budapest via all our photos of this lovely hotel in a charming historic district.

We stayed in a King Superior Room with Danube River View on Hilton Honors points (it was 30,000 points per night) and were given a complimentary upgrade to this room due to having Hilton Diamond status. We definitely recommend booking an Executive Room if you do not have elite status so that you can take advantage of the Executive Lounge, which we will show you later. Executive rooms include daily newspaper, free bottles of water, bathrobes and slippers, free wifi, and access to the Executive Lounge. Our room was very clean and comfortable, and the bed felt wonderful after long walks around Budapest. Our favorite feature was the large windows looking out at the Danube, Hungarian Parliament, Fisherman’s Bastion, and across the river at the Pest side of the city. We set up a time lapse camera in our room to capture the sunset behind Parliament, and enjoyed our bottle of champagne taking in the gorgeous view from our room.

The modern bathroom featured beautiful white granite countertops and was bright and open. There was a shower with a detachable shower head and a tropical rainforest shower as well as a bathtub for a relaxing soak after a day exploring the town. I thoroughly enjoyed my hot bath with a glass of champagne after walking all over Budapest. The toiletries were by PeterThomasRoth.

One of our favorite parts of the day was relaxing back at the hotel’s Executive Lounge for Happy Hour to enjoy complimentary appetizers and drinks. They serve enough food that it can be your dinner, which is helpful for the travel budget. They offered a different selection every night, but it included salad, cheese, charcuterie, soup, bread, and several hot dishes. I personally love free food, especially when it tastes great. So being able to save on dinner a few nights at the hotel meant more money to splurge on fancy meals out during the rest of the trip, which was fantastic. The social atmosphere at the Executive Lounge was something we really enjoyed as well. We had interesting conversations with fellow hotel guests and staff and shared suggestions for things to see and do in Budapest. We also were excited to taste Hungarian wines and alcohol in the Executive Lounge, including Unicum and Palinka. Unicum is a Hungarian national beverage and herbal liqueur enjoyed before or after meals. Palinka is Hungary’s fruit brandy, also enjoyed before or after a meal, and made to be savored and to stimulate the senses. The staff in the Executive Lounge were eager to explain these drinks and pour us a glass, obviously very proud of their Hungarian spirits. Both were a little too strong for my tastes since I rarely drink liquor anymore, but Bertaut was a fan. I did enjoy the Hungarian red wine and drank a few glasses each night during the happy hour, leaving me very happy indeed.

We also loved having access to the Executive Lounge for free nonalcoholic drinks and snacks all day long, including hot tea, coffee, soda, juice, bottled water, fresh fruit, cookies, and pastries. I hate paying hotel mini-bar prices for drinks and snacks, so being able to walk over to the Executive Lounge saved us money. It also gave the hotel a more personal and homier feel, like we were staying at a bed and breakfast and could stop by the kitchen whenever we were thirsty. We had the option to dine in the Executive Lounge for breakfast, where a buffet was available with eggs, bacon, sausage, breads, muffins, fruit, yogurt, juice, coffee, etc. We enjoyed a quick breakfast in the Executive Lounge on a morning where we were eager to get out and explore the city, but enjoyed a larger buffet, also complimentary, in the ICON restaurant on the other mornings. Both venues offer sublime views of Budapest, but the Executive Lounge didn’t have quite an extensive selection or a made-to-order menu for breakfast. It is perfect for a quick stop on your way out, but we recommend the ICON restaurant if you have more time to sit and enjoy your breakfast.

Breakfast at ICON restaurant in the hotel was very impressive. The extensive buffet had something to please everyone, including fresh fruit, yogurt, bread, pastries, salads, breakfast potatoes, pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, juices, coffee, and tea. There was also a menu with made-to-order items such as omelettes and French toast. The best part about breakfast in ICON Restaurant is the view of Fisherman’s Bastion, which reminds me of a Disney castle and had me feeling like a princess.

The main hotel areas are elegantly decorated with nice touches such as fresh floral arrangements, cozy chairs, and views of the courtyard and 13th century monastery remains around which the Hilton Budapest was constructed. I loved how they incorporated remains of the historic monastery into the architecture and decor, which gives the hotel a unique vibe.

We checked out the fitness center but didn’t need to use it since we walked several miles every day in Budapest. Nonetheless, for anyone who needs to get in a workout, there was a decent selection of equipment and a view of the city. There’s also a sauna and spa for massages, but unfortunately no whirlpool (I love a good hot tub soak on vacation).

The concierge was dressed up to the nines in a tuxedo jacket and was helpful with suggestions. He helped us decide to rent a car rather than take the train to Bratislava, Slovakia, the next stop on our journey.

That concludes our tour of the Hilton Budapest in the Royal Castle District, not to be confused with the Hilton City on the Pest side. We thoroughly enjoyed our 3 nights there and felt very well taken care of by staff in the Executive Lounge, who even brought us a bag of delicious Hungarian cookies to take with us when we left for our road trip to Slovakia. Our room was beautiful and had a superb view, we loved the free food and drinks in the Executive Lounge (especially the social time at Happy Hour every night), and the location was very romantic in the castle district and UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ve never stayed in a hotel that is integrated with the remnants of a 13th century monastery and reveled at seeing ancient relics in the hotel’s restored Dominican cloister. We enjoyed walking around the castle district, where there are charming little restaurants and coffee shops, souvenir shops, beautiful homes, and of course Buda Castle and the Hungarian National Gallery. Make sure to visit the Matthias church next door, which is gorgeous inside. Getting places from the hotel is easy and walkable. We mostly walked to the Pest side of the city, (15 minutes) but took the public bus on our last day which has a stop less than a 5 minute walk from the hotel. It is also easy to take taxis or ride the funicular up or down Castle Hill, which is fun. Hilton Budapest is a great place to stay in Budapest to explore the romantic city’s treasures, and is even better when you can stay there for free using Hilton Honors points. If you liked this post, please consider signing up for our email newsletter and RSS feed for more travel tips and inspiration to travel the world.