The centrally located Aria is a fun place to stay on a quiet cobbled street in District V, within walking distance of a number of Budapest’s big-hitting sights, including St Stephen’s Basilica.

This art nouveau beauty sits close to the Danube, overlooking the Szechenyi Chain Bridge, and has the stately self-assurance of a hotel that’s been a fixture in the city for decades — in fact, the Four Seasons only converted the building into a five-star hotel in 2004.

The ornate façade of the Anantara New York Palace hints at the opulence to come in the grand social spaces of the belle époque building, best summed up in the marble-and-frescoed wonder of its New York Café, stuccoed breakfast room and gilded restaurant.

One of Budapest’s first boutique hotels, and still one of its best, Brody House is among the most characterful places to stay in the city.

This pad, 15 minutes’ walk from the National Museum and the Central Market Hall, opened in 2019 and is already a firm favourite with visitors.

You’ll likely spend a few minutes staring at the exterior of the Kozmo before venturing in — the red-brick building, once housing a telecommunications centre, is a whimsical and unexpected blend of turrets, sculptures and angled roofs.

The Corvinus is an absolute beast of a hotel, with more than 350 rooms and suites, five restaurants and bars, a spa and fitness centre.

The five-star Matild opened in 2021 after a five-year renovation, and has already established itself as a destination hotel in the city.

Situated in a prime position near the funicular railway taking people up the hill to the Castle District, adult-only Hotel Clark is a great bet for a stay on the Buda side of the river.

You might struggle to move beyond the foyer of the Hyatt-owned Parisi Udvar. Reconfigured from a 19th-century, Parisian-style shopping arcade, it’s a proper spectacle, with a domed glass ceiling, majolica-tiled floor and delicate carvings.

Another recent entry to the Budapest hotel scene is the Noble, with some of the lowest prices for a boutique hotel in town.

If you like a big bed, check into the Barcelo for this reason alone — they’re whoppers. However, there are plenty of other reasons to stay at the property, one of the newest from the Spanish hotel group.

Just moments from Buda Castle, Fisherman’s Bastion and Mattias Church, the Pest-Buda is a wildly atmospheric place to stay in the castle district.

The design of the Hotel Collect brings something completely different to Budapest. In the rooms, the inspiration is French art deco, with clean lines, brass detailing, parquet flooring and smart black-and-white bathrooms.

You get the best views to accompany your breakfast at Hotel Rum. The top-floor bar and restaurant look out over the twin spires of St Anne’s Church, with the roof retracting on warmer days.

Want to stay in regal digs but don’t have a regal budget? Try the Hotel Oktogon Haggenmacher, housed in a neo-Renaissance palace.