“This restaurant sits on the site of what was once the home of a pumping station that fed water to the Royal Palace,” says our waiter, as he pours me a glass of premier Kreinbacher Prestige Brut from Hungary’s Somlo region.
“A lunch that begins with sparkling wine is usually a good lunch,” he says – and I am not about to disagree as the fizz pairs perfectly with my seafood linguini.
I am in Felix Kitchen and Bar, one of Budapest’s top dining spots which occupies an unbeatable location at the base of Castle Hill, looking down on the Danube and the lower-lying Pest half of the city across the river.
I am told it was named after Felix, the only son of a legendary Hungarian architect Miklós Ybl (a Hungarian Christoper Wren) who between 1875 and 1883 designed the nearby Castle Garden Bazaar that today is popular for its historic walls, terraces, promenade and gardens.
Felix Kitchen and Bar is a plush place, with a beautifully restored ceiling, Hungarian artworks adorning the walls, a chef’s table, an air-conditioned terrace – and a salivating menu (in English) that has Kaviari Beluga Imperial caviar featuring alongside signature meat and seafood dishes and grills.
“We don’t have a Michelin star on the door but we are a Michelin Guide restaurant, meaning we have been reviewed and recommended by the Michelin Guide, and we offer some of the city’s best food that showcases Hungary’s cuisine and wines in a semi-formal but relaxed environment,” Nemeth Csaba, Felix’s food and beverage director tells me.
Elsewhere in the city, numerous fine-dining restaurants are transforming Budapest’s gastronomic scene, which is one of the most vibrant of any European city.
For example, also on the same Buda side of the city as Felix Kitchen and Bar, Stand25 is run by well-known restaurateurs Szabina Szulló and Tamás Széll, who oversee a freestyle Hungarian kitchen in their cozy, bistro-restaurant. The ambience is informal but the cuisine, which embraces a range of Hungarian classics, is from the very top drawer.
You will need to make a reservation in advance to dine at SALT, a one Michelin and one Green Michelin Star restaurant on the ground floor of Hotel Rum located in the centre of the city. In the same hotel, SOLID is a rooftop wine bar and restaurant serving breakfast, brunch, a wide selection of wines and an impressive view of the Budapest skyline.
A fine-dining restaurant with a casual feel, Textura’s kitchen is managed by Michelin Star chef Akos Sarkozi. The kitchen uses seasonal local ingredients and traditional cooking techniques, such as smoking, poaching and confit, and the result is a selection of beautifully presented experimental and innovative cuisine. The wine list features an excellent range of quality Hungarian wines. Look out for the living wall of moss and a central wooden ‘tree’. Seasonally led dishes are ambitious and creative, and there are some real gems from Hungary on the wine list.
An afternoon doesn’t come more refined than high tea at the New York Café. You will notice the queue before you see the grand Italian Renaissance-style building which is now adjoined to the New York Palace Hotel.
It has lived through many eras, political systems and historical turning points but is as popular today as ever. With sweeping stairways, chandeliers, a top-level gallery and at-your-table service, the word ‘café’ doesn’t hint at the opulence of the interior or the quality of the service – not to mention the line-up of savouries and cakes on offer inside. The menu is designed to recall the multicultural cuisine of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, with classic Hungarian dishes like beef goulash, fisherman’s soup, chicken leg paprikas style, wiener schnitzel and grilled foie gras, served alongside indulgent desserts such as dobos (sponge cake layered with chocolate buttercream and topped with caramel), sacher (a chocolate cake with a chocolate glaze and an apricot jam filling),and Eszterhazy cake (torta with buttercream spiced with cognac or vanilla, sandwiched between four and five layers of almond meringue).
Putting on the ritz
Budapest has long had the label of being mainly a favourite option for of stag and hen groups seeking a cost-effective weekend away, but that image is changing with new hotels and attractions appealing to discerning travellers looking for bespoke stays that feature the finer things in life.
And in Hungary’s attractive capital, luxury comes in many forms, whether it’s those fabulous dining spots, a growing collection of five-star hotels, swanky cocktail bars, top sporting events like its annual Formula One race or private tours at world-class cultural and historic attractions that rank among the finest and most compelling found anywhere.
Then there are Budapest’s stunning architecture and historical thermal spas that add a touch of time-honoured grandeur and elegance of their own.
Budapest’s hotel stock has come a long way since Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor checked into the Intercontinental Hotel (now Budapest Marriott), the city’s first designated five-star hotel, in 1972 to celebrate the actress’s 40th birthday party.
In recent years a plethora of four-and five-star hotels have opened, many in unique buildings that have played a central role in the city’s development.
Opposite the magnificent Hungarian Opera House, on the tree-lined UNESCO World Heritage Site Andrássy Avenue, is the W Hotel, which occupies the Neo-Gothic Drechsler Palace, the former home of the Institute of Ballet.
The modern W Hotel is a snapshot of what Budapest does so well: the clever design and style features shout “luxury” but have been wedded to, and presented alongside, eye-catching elements that pay homage to the history of the building.
For example, there are busts of railway engineers James Watt and George Stephenson in the inner courtyard – a nod to the significant role of the railway in Budapest’s industrial development. The checkerboard patterns woven into elements of the hotel’s interior, including bathroom tiles and elevator floors, pays homage to Budapest’s deep-rooted connection to chess (Budapest’s famous coffeehouses were historic hubs for chess players and intellectuals, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries).
One of the newest boutique hotels to open is The Dorothea Hotel, Budapest, Autograph Collection (pictured above), which started welcoming guests in late 2024.
It is another example of unique properties that had formers use being brought back to life and taking on new identities.
Occupying three separate buildings that were once home to a shipping company, bank and insurance company, the hotel is ideally situated in the heart of downtown Budapest: it is a block from the Danube and steps away from both Vörösmarty Square, home to popular festivals and fairs like the Christmas market or the Spring fair, and Váci Utca, a long central avenue with many of Budapest’s most upmarket shops.
Those who saw the 2024 movie Maria, the biopic of legendary opera singer Maria Callas, would have seen Angelina Jolie entering the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace.
In fact, Budapest has become one of the most popular European filming destinations for international film productions attracted to its architecture and diverse cityscape and its suitability as a “stand in” for other European capitals such as Paris, Berlin and Moscow.
I had fun walking around the city trying to spot locations that appeared in movies such as The Brutalist, The Day of the Jackal, Dune and Dune Part Two and Black Widow and many others.
The collection of five-star hotels also includes the Kimpton BEM, which opened in the summer of 2024, occupying a building that was a former army barracks. The hotel promises “the most comfortable night’s sleep you can have in Budapest,” with four-layer mattresses featuring goose feathers.
Ornamental symbols throughout are a hod to Hungarian History – the stag motif is a design choice rooted in Hungarian folklore. Upon entering the hotel, guests are greeted by a striking stained-glass atrium housing a golden stag, an installation that sets the tone for the hotel’s blend of mythological storytelling and modern luxury. The hotel also features an upscale Mediterranean-themed restaurant.
Other five-star choices include Kempinski Hotel Corvinus (Budapest’s first five-star property), The Matild Palace, Párisi Udvar Hotel (Hyatt), Hilton Budapest, Hotel Clark Budapest, Anantara New York Palace Budapest, the Al Habtoor Palace Budapest (formerly Ritz-Carlton) and The Aria Hotel Budapest.
The Aria also boasts one of Budapest’s many sophisticated cocktail bars – the Aria High Note SkyBar with a lushly landscaped rooftop garden, fine-drinking cocktails an extensive wine list, a breathtaking view of Budapest and a front-row ticket to St. Stephen’s Basilica.
And coming soon, the Mandarin Oriental Gellert, Budapest is expected to open in 2027.
Culture vultures
For cultural seekers, those interested in history or the fine arts, Budapest is a veritable treasure trove of possibilities – consider signing up for a private tour of key attractions like the Hungarian State Opera House, Buda Castle History Museum, Matthias Church or the buzzing Jewish Quarter.
The Hungarian Opera House, open again and looking resplendent after a five-year programme of renovations and upgrades, also offers tours – group or private – which often ends with a short operatic performance in one of the elaborate building’s foyers.
Budapest is a city in a phase of transformation, with several key developments and initiatives taking shape that are transforming the visitor experience.
These include restoring the imposing Castle District complex on Buda Hill back to something that resembles its heyday before it was badly damaged in during the siege of Budapest in 1944-1945.
It has served as a royal residence, a defensive stronghold and a centre for Hungarian culture and history and today it is A UNESCO World Heritage Site with historical buildings, museums, and panoramic views, that make it one of the city’s most visited attractions. Many of these offer group or, for that more luxurious touch, private tours.
The Hungarian National Gallery in Buda Castle is the largest public collection of Hungarian fine art. Its thematic and historical exhibitions introduce visitors not only to the different periods of Hungarian art history, but also to the country’s past.
For something a little more modern, in one of Budapest’s oldest green spaces, City Park, the new architecturally striking House of Music Hungary is a unique institution celebrating Hungary’s musical heritage.
“This is the only concert hall in the world made of glass and its many unique design features provide near-perfect sound and musical harmony,” my guide tells me.
The facility also houses a permanent exhibition charting the history of music from ancient times to today.
In the same park is the new home of the Museum of Ethnography, one of Europe’s most modern and innovative museum buildings, with its design evoking a pair of nearly embracing hillsides. The building has a unique roof garden, with plants and shrubs and gently sloping staired ramps on both sides that visitors can climb for panoramic views of the park and city beyond. It was a clear day and I could see all the way to Heroes’ Square, one of Budapest’s main squares with its iconic Millennium Monument and statues of Hungarian national leaders.
Inside the museum is a fascinating collection of around 225,000 ethnographic objects, photographic and film materials, manuscripts, and folk music recordings and priceless relics of Hungarian folk culture.
And what could be more relaxing and self-rewarding than bathing in mineral-rich hot springs?
Budapest is Europe’s natural spa capital with several baths across the city.
Its best- known facility, Széchenyi Baths has 11 medicinal pools and steam cabins and open year-round, making its thermal baths and pools as popular in the winter as it is in summer.
I visited on a cold December day and it felt positively luxurious feeling the soothing warmth of the waters knowing the parks and streets beyond were speckled with snow. Széchenyi offers various packages including a VIP option that ends with a massage.
Get involved
Budapest is also a city where you can try your hand at some traditional Hungarian practices.
Book a private lunch at Első Pesti Rétesház (or Strudel House) and, after lunch, have a go at stretching the strudel dough – which is a lot more difficult than the expert strudel makers make it look.
Set in a building dating back to 1812, the high-ceilinged cafe has a classy historical feel. Along with a bewildering array of strudels and cakes, it serves classics such as goulash and Hungarian fish soup.
A private tour is available at the Unicum Museum, which is a working distillery along with several historical exhibits. Unicum is a Hungarian herbal liqueur made from a secret blend of over 40 herbs and spices and considered one of Hungary’s national drinks.
The tour starts with a video that provides fascinating insights into Hungary’s history from the Belle Époque through two world wars, the fascist era, and the communist period. Guests then sample various Unicum varieties, including the original Unicum, Unicum Plum, and the exclusive Unicum Riserva, straight from the barrel.
Hungarian wine is making a name for itself and making waves at international shows. For an introduction to the country’s various wine regions, sign up for a private tasting at Taste Hungary Wine Bistro. “We are about to enter the golden age of Hungarian wine,” a very knowledgeable sommelier enthuses before offering me a series of increasingly delicious wines. Taste of Hungary Wine Bistro also offers private dinners.
Another “must do” is a luxury Danube evening cruise. Guests dine on a four-course meal, drink Champagne and local wines and listen to traditional music as the city’s spectacular skyline drifts by.
Or maybe your idea of luxury is nothing more than parking yourself on a bench by the Danube and enjoying a lángos, a beloved Hungarian street food that is a deep-fried flatbread made from a yeasted dough, served with a savoury topping – I went for sour cream, grated cheese and garlic sprinkles.
Whatever luxury means to you, the options for a memorable stay are limitless in one of Europe’s most dynamic capitals, a city with so much to offer it deserves more than just the one visit.
How to get there
British Airways operates an extensive service from London Heathrow to Budapest, with up to 30 flights a week during the summer season.
All flights operate with a two-cabin service in both economy and business class.
The flight time is around two and a half hours.
