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The Best Boutique Hotels to Book in Budapest

The Hotel Rum Budapest offers incredible views across the city
The Hotel Rum Budapest offers incredible views across the city | Courtesy of Hotel Rum Budapest / Expedia.com

Budapest’s boutique hotels are as characterful as they are stylish. Want to stay in a vibrant art retreat? How about an inn dating from the 1600s? Or why not a night at the hotel that inspired for Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel? You get all that and more at the best boutique hotels in the Hungarian capital.

Kempinski Hotel Corvinus

Hotel, Luxury

Seating and tables in the sleek lobby at Kempinski Hotel Corvinus
Courtesy of Kempinski Hotel Corvinus / Expedia.com

The shining modern façade of this luxurious hotel leads to a spectacular interior full of elegant details, from perfectly tended plants in the pristine spa to the cheerful red jug of fresh milk on the breakfast table. Chill in immaculately styled bedrooms; there are towelling robes and fancy toiletries in the marble bathrooms. With five on-site eateries, you hardly need to venture out, but – when you do – it’s a five-minute stroll to the Danube, where you can watch the sunset from one of the riverside restaurants.

Corinthia Budapest

Hotel

The blue-tiled indoor swimming pool at Corinthia Budapest, with wrought-iron railings around the second floor
Courtesy of Corinthia Budapest / Expedia.com

If you’ve ever wanted to stay at Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel, this might be as close as you get. The director came here in 2012, one of many celebrity guests over the 125 years since it opened, and took notes on the hotel’s colourful style and history. It’s certainly luxurious, but don’t let the Art Deco spa, copper-toned bedrooms or on-site bars and restaurants stop you from going out. The Corinthia is well-placed for exploring the historic heart of Budapest with characterful bars just around the corner – Mazel Tov offers an all-year garden, live music, draught beers and homemade apricot brandy.

Stories Hotel Budapest

Boutique Hotel, Independent Hotel

Chic red-walled seating in the lobby and a staircase leading to the upper levels at Stories Hotel Budapest
Courtesy of Stories Hotel Budapest / Expedia.com

Bursting with characterful design and a garden café, Stories is a boutique hotel full of surprises. From sloping aquamarine ceilings with skylights to striking mezzanine bedrooms, with retro tech for some 1970s style alongside state-of-the-art monochrome bathrooms, no two corners are identical. For groups or families, splash out on one of the colourful, three-storey Presidential suites, which come with a sauna and jacuzzi.

Hotel Collect

Boutique Hotel

Seating in the stylish lobby and bar at Hotel Collect in Budapest
Courtesy of Hotel Collect / Expedia.com

Nearly all the stylish, colourful rooms here overlook either the fountains and flowerbeds of Károlyi Garden or the tiled courtyard, with wicker chairs and miniature orange trees; upgrade to a suite if you want a balcony. Completely renovated in 2018, this upmarket boutique offers a choice of four great local cafés for breakfast. Stroll ten minutes to elegant Cyrano for French toast and warm pancakes or 15 minutes to Art Deco Marty’s for Hungarian smoked sausage, artisanal salami, organic ham and spiced, homemade cottage cheese.

Art'Otel Budapest

Chain Hotel, Budget Hotel

Tables on the garden terrace outside ArtOtel Budapest
Courtesy of Art'Otel Budapest / Expedia.com

Contemporary American artist Donald Sultan’s vibrant paintings, prints and sculptures provide decorative touches throughout this fancy hotel near the Danube, which also has a sauna, gym and bistro. Sultan’s 579 colourful works, showing flowers that border on abstraction, draw together the two very different halves of the building: the riverfront façade is a gleaming modern cliff of tinted glass and concrete, but go round the back and you’ll find a much older, wisteria-hung courtyard, with an ochre stone balustrade and ornate, shuttered windows.

Pest-Buda Hotel

Boutique Hotel

A closeup of cobblestones leading to the entrance of Pest-Buda Hotel
Courtesy of Pest-Buda Hotel / Expedia.com

Located at the centre of the Castle District, within walking distance of the Fisherman’s Bastion, Pest-Buda is a small yet splendid boutique hotel. A melange of country-house comfort and upscale urban style, each of Pest-Buda’s 10 guest rooms features original vintage furnishings as well as handcrafted local limestone bathrooms. The building itself dates back to 1696, complete with a lovingly restored Baroque roof, and has served as an inn, tavern and restaurant. The eponymous homestyle restaurant is unmissable if hearty Hungarian cuisine is what you seek – don’t leave without trying the home-made tokaj wine sausage.

Baltazár Budapest Boutique Hotel

Boutique Hotel, Hotel

The stylish bar at Baltazár Budapest Boutique Hotel, with red accents and an exposed brick wall
Courtesy of Baltazár Budapest Boutique Hotel / Expedia.com
Located in the historic Castle District, this family-owned hotel comprises 11 rooms and suites, each featuring stylishly unique furnishings and decoration. With a bohemian edge and luxurious feel, it is tailored for both style and comfort, with modern amenities seamlessly added to each room. There’s also a grill catering to hungry guests and Budapest residents, while the wine bar offers an array of wines from Central Europe.

Maison Bistro and Hotel

Boutique Hotel

A street with pretty buildings annd the entrance to Maison Bistro and Hotel, with green doors
Courtesy of Maison Bistro and Hotel / Expedia.com

The history of Maison is rich – it dates to the 1700s when the current Baroque-style building served as a well-known bakery. In 1964, bread made way for beats, with a nightclub occupying the site until the 1990s. After 20 years being closed, Maison Bistro and Hotel opened in 2016. Today, you can relax and unwind while taking in the refined atmosphere from one of the 17 rooms or within the garden courtyard. The culinary offerings, whether at the quaint café or charming Moorish-style bistro, are sublime and echo the elegant hotel aesthetic. The traditional Hungarian lecsó, a paprika-tomato ragout with onion, bacon, grilled duck liver and grated egg barley pasta, is a must.

Hotel Rum Budapest

Boutique Hotel

A couch, hanging lamps and black shelves in a modern room at Hotel Rum Budapest
Courtesy of Hotel Rum Budapest / Expedia.com

Occupying a terraced townhouse in Budapest’s elegant District V – the political, financial and touristic centre of the city – the boldly designed Hotel Rum creates a sense of dynamism with a contrasting colour palette, fusing tradition with contemporary chic in the use of wood and black metal. While still retaining original characteristics such as a spiral stone staircase, Hotel Rum is unabashedly à la mode and a seductive sanctuary for the hedonistic urban traveller. Located on the seventh floor, the TOPRUM Rooftop Bar offers eclectic cocktails and panoramic city views. During the warmer months, live jazz performances by local musicians take place every Wednesday evening.

Casati Budapest Hotel

Boutique Hotel, Budget Hotel

A bed and seating in a minimalist hotel room at Casati Budapest Hotel, with black furnishings and a black wall and carpet
Courtesy of Casati Budapest Hotel / Expedia.com
A giant black-and-white painted sloth or owl gazes from a patch of orange or purple wall by the bed towards the leather sofa. If this sounds like your kind of room, opt for a Cool room; if you prefer your paintings more traditional, opt for a Classic or a Heaven. There’s just as much choice outside this creeper-draped 18th-century mansion: a popular pizzeria next door, a fancy cake shop a few buildings down (don’t miss the seven-layered dobos torte), while the neighbouring streets are packed with classy little cafés.

Brody House

Boutique Hotel, Hotel

Artwork on the walls and a music area in the minimalist-style lobby at Brody House in Budapest
Courtesy of Brody House / Expedia.com
Occupying a building that dates to 1896 in the heart of what was once the glamorous Palace Quarter of Budapest, Brody House opened in 2009. Many of the 11 individually designed rooms here are named after the artists who once called this building their creative home – you can stay in rooms that were once the studios of artists such as Alexander Tinei and Etienne Claret de Fleurieu. Other rooms feature the works of famed photographers, including Robert Capa, André Kertész and László Moholy-Nagy. Brody House overlooks the Hungarian National Museum and is within walking distance of several contemporary art galleries, including Kisterem and TOBE, making it the ideal hotel for art enthusiasts.

KViHotel Budapest

Boutique Hotel

Plush seating and parquet flooring in the lobby and bar at KViHotel Budapest
Courtesy of KViHotel Budapest / Expedia.com

Created for the travellers of tomorrow or the tech-savvy ones of today, KViHotel is Budapest’s first paperless hotel. Located in the vibrant District VII, the hotel offers you full control over your stay via your smartphone – whether it’s booking, checking in or checking out. This hi-tech experience means rooms are opened via your phone, while room status, including cleanliness and temperature, may be monitored at any time from anywhere with just a click of your smartphone.

Want an even more intimate experience? Check out our guide to the best Airbnbs and holiday apartments in Budapest. Alternatively, there are plenty of great bed and breakfasts in the city, and a list of the best arty hotels in Budapest, bookable with Culture Trip. On a budget? Check out our pick of the best budget-friendly hotels in Budapest, bookable on Culture Trip.

Phoebe Taplin and Alex Mackintosh contributed additional reporting to this article.

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