Castle District (Buda)

Hilton Budapest

★★★★★

If you want to wake up on Castle Hill and have Fisherman's Bastion to yourself before the crowds arrive, the Hilton Budapest is the place to stay. It stands on Hess András tér, in the heart of the UNESCO-listed Castle District, right beside Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion, and it is an unusual building: a modern hotel built around and into the remains of a thirteenth-century Dominican church, whose medieval walls and tower are incorporated into the structure, alongside an older facade on the square. The result is a hotel that blends history and contemporary comfort, with the medieval ruins visible in and around the building. The location is extraordinary. Rooms on the Danube side look across the river to the Parliament and the Pest skyline, a view shared with the bastion next door, while others face the cobbled lanes and squares of the Castle District. The hotel has a restaurant, LANG, offering locally sourced all-day dining, with city and Danube views and a children's menu; Codex Bar for drinks and light bites; and the White Raven Skybar, a rooftop bar and lounge with panoramic views. There is a fitness centre, an executive lounge, a concierge and 24-hour room service, and the hotel is pet-friendly and entirely non-smoking. On-site self-parking is available for a daily fee, though spaces are limited, so book ahead if you are driving; the Castle District has restricted car access, and the hotel's garage is one of the few practical options for guests with cars. It is a reliable international brand hotel with a location no other large hotel in Budapest can match.

Location: you are steps from Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church, five to ten minutes' walk from the Royal Palace and the National Gallery along the castle lanes, and close to the Hospital in the Rock, the cave hospital and nuclear bunker under the hill. Getting down to the river and Pest is easy by bus, which runs to the Széll Kálmán tér metro and across the Chain Bridge, or on foot down the stairs to Batthyány tér and the Víziváros. In the evening, after the day-trippers leave, the Castle District becomes quiet and atmospheric, with floodlit churches and empty squares.

Choosing the room: book a Danube-view room for the view of the Parliament across the river, one of the best in the city; Castle District-view rooms are quieter but less dramatic. Suites include a Danube River Suite with expansive views. Families are well served, with a children's programme for under-twelves and family-friendly dining.

The trade-offs: the Castle District is a world apart from the nightlife and restaurants of Pest, and in the evenings you will rely on buses or taxis to get across the river and back, or walk down and up the hill. The building's 1970s modern wing is not to everyone's taste, though the medieval elements are fascinating. During the day, the square outside is crowded with tour groups. For early risers, photographers, families and anyone who wants to live in the castle, it is a great base.