Hungary - Budapest

We had the pleasure of staying at the Ritz-Carlton, which has 171 guest rooms and 29 suites, and is a short walk from St. Stephen's Basilica, Erzsébet Square, and the River Danube. The hotel offers modern luxury with a touch of tradition, and we enjoyed dinner at the Ritz’s fantastic restaurant, DSK Wine & Grill.

HOTELS

If you want incredible views across the Danube, your best choice would be the Budapest Marriott Hotel and the Hilton Budapest in the Buda Castle.

The Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest is an exceptional property within very close walking distance of the city centre.

Other hotels to consider for your events are as follows: New York Palace and Corinthia, located 700 metres apart, or the InterContinental and the neighbouring Sofitel, which are ideal for large groups that need to be split. If you require a 4-star, there are several Novotel and Mercure hotels, or the Continental 4-star superior (with over 200 rooms) could be ideal for groups of 100+ rooms.  Additionally, the Prestige or the Barcelo Budapest could be ideal for smaller groups.

Our DMC, AIM Group International, can help with your event, from arranging a nostalgic train ride to a champagne tram ride along the Danube, a Trabant rally for up to 200 pax, or Tuks Tuks, another fun way to see the city.

We travelled by tuk-tuks to Buda Castle, where Katie Perry recorded the video for "Firework". A beautiful Castle which reminds me of Disney. Here, we did a team-building programme that involved iPads and VR technology to learn history in a fun way; unfortunately, my team lost.

In the city, the Market Hall is an excellent venue for hosting an event; it accommodates 1200 pax for a reception / 800 pax for a banquet (privatised) in the summer, and AIM Group International can arrange for the shops to remain open. Groups could do this as part of a tour or even a cooking experience, then taste Hungarian specialities in the upstairs restaurant, which seats up to 50 people.

Budapest has held the title "City of Spas" since 1934, as it has more thermal and medicinal springs than any other capital city in the world. Spa parties (also known as sparties) can be organised, and Rudas can be privatised for special groups. The Széchenyi Baths are among the largest thermal baths, and they have a new private room exclusively for groups to enjoy lunch or relax in a quiet area away from the hustle and bustle of the locals.

Other venues we visited, all with fantastic event options: Vigado Concert Hall, House of Millennium, Museum of Fine Arts.

For large meetings or conferences, the Whale building would be perfect. It’s actually shaped like a whale and fits 750 reception / 400 banquet in its main room, plus there is another level and a small terrace.  Did you know that the film ‘The Martian’ used this as a film set? This all adds to its quirkiness! Also, the new congress centre of Hungexpo Budapest is another great option.

If you're looking for a private dinner venue with a party atmosphere?  Have you considered being right on the Danube? ‘Spoon’ is a floating restaurant with varying capacities across its rooms and event spaces, and its own private dock for added glamour!

Nightlife in Budapest is great, and a popular option is the Ruin Bars; we enjoyed an evening at Doboz Bar, with a private area reserved for our group. Ruin bars are in Budapest's old District VII neighbourhood (the old Jewish quarter) in the ruins of abandoned buildings.

Budapest offers great value for money and is very popular in the UK market, with a wide range of airlines flying there.

Our Hungarian DMC partner, AIM Group International, has been operating in Budapest since 1992. Their established relationships with hotels, venues and local suppliers give event planners access to current destination knowledge, creative ideas and valuable local buying power — helping clients make smarter use of their event budget.