Budapest hotels with history

Corinthia Hotel

Built in 1896 at the dawn of the millennium, the Grand Hotel Royal – as the Corinthia was then known – represented the height of human ingenuity. It served as host to the 1896 Millennium Exhibition, opening its doors to celebrate 1,000 years of Hungarian history. The Lumiere brothers presented their ‘moving picture’ to Hungarians for the first time beneath the hotel’s classical pillars and from then on, the cinema became a permanent fixture. And speaking of films, you might recognize the Hotel’s façade – the Corinthia was the inspiration behind Wes Anderson’s Budapest Hotel.

Book now to watch history unfold around you

Hotel Gellért (and Spa)

Cross the Liberty Bridge from Pest to Buda at sunset to fully appreciate Hotel Gellért standing proud at the banks of the Danube river. But it’s more than a pretty face – you might find yourself staying in a room named after Otto Habsburg, Andrew Lloyd-Webber or Richard Nixon. The rich, famous, and powerful have all stayed here – and bathed in the famous thermal baths that still treat guests to this day. Allied bombing during WWII severely damaged the building, but you can still see much of the original design, including a stunning Art Nouveau stained glass window on the stairs in the lobby.

New York Palace Hotel Budapest

Hidden away in Budapest’s wild 7^th district is the New York Palace Hotel, a sparkling jewel on an otherwise grimy street. While the hotel is lovely, it’s the café downstairs you’ll want to check out – step into its doors and suddenly you’re in the bustling 19^th century, mixing with the great artists, writers, and philosophers of Hungary’s past – Géza Gárdonyi, Frigyes Karinthy, Gyula Krúdy, and many more – who all turned the café into their personal hangout at the time.

Book now to join the Nyugati Crew.

Parisi Udvar Hotel

Inspired by the famous Passage des Panoramas in Paris, Parisi Udvar is perhaps the most elegant historical hotel on our list. Built in 1819, it used to be the most luxurious, high-end shopping centre in Budapest, sporting multiple architectural styles from Hungary’s history – Moorish, Habsburg and Art Nouveau. Unlike some of the other historical hotels in Budapest, the Parisi survived WWII untouched but suffered damage during the 1956 revolution.

Book now to tour an extravagant moment in time.

Hotel Astoria

In the golden age of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Danubius Hotel Astoria became the haunt of the free-thinking artists and poets of Budapest. Sándor Petőfi wrote his epic poems in a charming, secluded suite, and left his revolutionary spirit to the halls – in 1918, the first Hungarian government was formed in the hotel after the fall of the Empire in WWI. It wasn’t long, though, until the hotel faced dark times – during WWII, it became the Gestapo headquarters. In fact, Adolf Eichmann was even a guest. You can find countless stories of locals encountering Nazi SS officers in the hotel lobby, signalling that Hungary had fallen under occupation. Want to read more about the Nazi occupation and the Holocaust? Check out our article on the Holocaust Memorial.

Book now to explore Hungary’s dark past.