The next Barcelona or Amsterdam? No, Budapest in Hungary pivots to a luxury destination. Where to stay as upmarket hotels open, and new places to visit
- Budapest is going through a US$500-million-plus transformation to draw luxury travellers, as part of which new hotels and museums open
- Attractions in Hungary’s capital include three Christmas fairs, new rooftop bars such as High Note SkyBar, and the now private-car-free Szechenyi Chain Bridge
Grandiose architecture, soothing thermal baths, and epic views and cruises along the Danube River: Budapest has no shortage of perennial draws. But Hungary’s capital has struggled to recoup tourism following the pandemic – not least because of the war in neighbouring Ukraine.
In 2022, while other European cities from Paris to Istanbul saw tourism match or exceed pre-Covid levels, Budapest lagged behind, receiving just 75 per cent of its record 4 million visitors from 2019.
Things are looking up, though, as the city reaches the culmination of a five-year investment programme in tourism and infrastructure that began in 2017 – revitalising everything from museums to public parks and spurring the development of ambitious new hotels, bars and restaurants.
It comes just in time for the 150-year anniversary of the unification of Buda, Obuda and Pest – the three cities that came together to create a single modern metropolis.
It hasn’t been without controversy.
The scope of the public works has been so tremendous that an estimate puts the entire project’s budget north of US$500 million. And with Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s family investing heavily in luxury hotels and restaurants, there’s been public outcry about how all that government spending is potentially self-serving.