Viziváros / Buda Riverside

Novotel Budapest Danube

★★★★★

The Novotel Budapest Danube is the sensible choice for travellers, and especially families, who want a river view and a calm, practical hotel without paying palace prices. It stands on Bem rakpart, the embankment road along the Buda bank of the Danube, between Batthyány tér and Margaret Bridge, and its best rooms look straight across the water to the Parliament, which is spectacular when it is floodlit at night. The hotel has 175 rooms, all of at least 23 square metres, which is generous by city-centre standards, in the contemporary, functional style of the Novotel brand. The key categories to know are the Executive rooms with a view of the Parliament, on the historic river side; Executive rooms looking towards Margaret Bridge; junior suites on the river side; and Superior Family rooms, with a double bed and a sofa bed for up to three guests. Standard rooms face the city or the Buda side streets and are quieter but have no view. The NOVO2 Lounge Bar serves as the bar and restaurant, with a buffet breakfast that runs later at weekends. A fitness room and sauna are free for guests from early morning until late evening, and the hotel has its own car park, which is useful in Buda's narrow streets. The Novotel brand is geared to families, with family rooms and a relaxed atmosphere, and the hotel is a good base for a first visit with children: Margaret Island, with its playgrounds and musical fountain, and Buda Castle are each about half a kilometre away. Rates are mid-range, with a premium for the Parliament-view rooms, which are worth it if you can stretch the budget. The building itself is modern and plain from the outside, and the embankment road in front carries traffic, so do not expect historic charm.

Location logic: Batthyány tér, a two-minute walk, has the M2 metro, which crosses under the river to Deák Ferenc tér and on to Blaha Lujza tér and Keleti station, and the H5 HÉV suburban line to Szentendre, the easiest day trip from Budapest. Trams 19 and 41 run along the Buda embankment to the Chain Bridge, Rudas and the Gellért Hill area, and trams 4 and 6 cross Margaret Bridge to the Pest side. From the hotel, you can walk up to Castle Hill through the Víziváros neighbourhood in twenty minutes, or stroll along the river to the Chain Bridge.

Choosing the room: book an Executive room with a Parliament view if the view matters; it is the reason to choose this hotel over others in Buda. For families, the Superior Family room fits two adults and a child; larger families should book two rooms. Ask about children's pricing when booking, as it varies by rate.

How it compares: the Hilton on Castle Hill has the more historic setting, and the Four Seasons the grander Parliament views from Pest, but the Novotel delivers the same famous view across the river at a fraction of the price, with practical rooms and excellent transport.