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The Hungarian Parliament on the Pest bank of the Danube, seen from Buda Castle across the river and the rooftops of the Buda side on a clear day

Where to stay in Budapest

Photographed in 2016. Photo: Erik Cleves Kristensen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Budapest

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About Budapest

Budapest charges for street parking by app only since 1 July 2026, and zones A to C allow three hours at a time on working days. The areas differ in their zone, their residents-only streets and, in District 6, whether apartments may be let at all.

Hungary. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Budapest Liszt Ferenc International (BUD), about 21 km by road from Deák Ferenc tér; the 100E Airport Express takes 40 minutes and costs HUF 2,500 by bank card on board. Source
Tourist tax
Set by each district under the Local Taxes Act: at most 4% of the accommodation price per night. Under 18s, students and a few other groups are exempt; the host collects it. Source
Tourist tax in the centre
District 5: 4% of the gross accommodation price. District 6: 4%. District 8: 4%. The rates of Districts 1, 7 and 11 were not verified. Source
Registration number on listings
Every accommodation registers with NTAK, and a listing on a booking platform must show its NTAK registration number and accommodation type. Source
ID at check-in
The host scans each guest's ID card or passport into its software at check-in and must refuse the stay without one; children under 14 need not show a document. Source
New apartment lets
No new private accommodation or other accommodation may be registered in Budapest until 31 December 2026. Source
District 6 ban
Since 1 January 2026 operating private accommodation and other accommodation is banned in District 6, Terézváros (decree 26/2024). Source
Street parking
Zone A HUF 800 an hour to 22:00, B HUF 600 to 20:00, C HUF 400 and D HUF 300 to 18:00, working days from 08:00; three hours at most in A to C, no limit in D. Source
Paying for parking
App, text or call only since 1 July 2026, when the meters were withdrawn; text and call work only on Hungarian networks, so visitors use an app. Source
Residents-only streets
Streets such as Kossuth tér, Fő utca, part of Andrássy út and Bartók Béla út are for district residents only, typically from 18:00 or 20:00 to 07:00 or 08:00. Source
Park and ride
About 3,800 P+R spaces; paid sites cost HUF 500 per occasion from 06:00 to 22:00 and HUF 300 an hour at night. Source
Buda Castle
A car with a destination inside the protected zone may enter without a permit, but must leave within 15 minutes or the keeper pays the zone fee. Source
Short stays for non-EU visitors
90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. Source
EU citizens
A stay beyond 90 days in 180 needs a registration certificate from the immigration authority, HUF 1,000. Source
Currency
Hungarian forint (HUF). Hungary has not adopted the euro. Source
Monthly stays
The tourist tax has no long-stay exemption. Non-EU remote workers can apply for the White Card, valid up to one year and extendable once. Source
Emergency number
112 for ambulance, fire and police Source

Areas of Budapest

The front of St. Stephen's Basilica with its portico and two towers, seen across the paved Szent István tér with visitors walking
Photographed in 2012. Photo: Zdvihak, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Belváros and Lipótváros

District 5 on the Pest bank: St. Stephen's Basilica on Szent István tér, with a panoramic terrace on its 96 m dome, and the Parliament on Kossuth Lajos tér. Deák Ferenc tér, where three metro lines meet and the airport bus ends, is under 1 km away. It suits a first visit on foot.

Budapest airport
about 21 km
Deák Ferenc tér
under 1 km

Car and parking

Kossuth tér, Széchenyi István tér, Erzsébet tér and other squares are for residents only in the evening and night. The centre has about 6,500 spaces in public car parks, each with its owner's prices.

The neo-Renaissance Hungarian State Opera House on Andrássy út, with cars passing on the avenue in front under a blue sky
Photographed in 2016. Photo: Andrzej Otrębski, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Terézváros and Andrássy út

District 6 around Andrássy út and the Hungarian State Opera, Miklós Ybl's neo-Renaissance house with an auditorium for up to 1,000. Since 1 January 2026 the district bans private accommodation and other accommodation, so a stay here means a hotel or another licensed category such as a guesthouse.

Budapest airport
about 22 km
Deák Ferenc tér
about 1 km

Car and parking

Zone A: HUF 800 an hour on working days to 22:00, three hours at most. Andrássy út between Oktogon and Dózsa György út, Kodály körönd and Városligeti fasor are for residents only in the evening and night.

The striped brick facade of the Dohány Street Synagogue with its rose window and two onion-domed towers against a blue sky
Photographed in 2010. Photo: Emmanuel Dyan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Erzsébetváros and the Jewish Quarter

District 7, with the Dohány Street Synagogue on the edge of the former Jewish quarter, the largest in Europe with over 3,000 seats, and the ruin bars that began in its tenements, Szimpla Kert on Kazinczy utca among them. It suits evenings out; some bars stay open until 06:00.

Budapest airport
about 21 km
Deák Ferenc tér
about 2 km

Car and parking

Zone A: HUF 800 an hour on working days to 22:00, three hours at most, paid by app.

The Károlyi Palace on Pollack Mihály tér in the Palace District, a stone palace with an arched entrance and a cobbled square in front
Photographed in 2019. Photo: 12akd, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Palace District

The part of District 8, Józsefváros, behind the Hungarian National Museum, between Kálvin tér, Astoria, Blaha Lujza tér and Corvin-negyed, with cafés and terraces on Mikszáth tér and Krúdy utca. It suits a longer stay a short walk from the centre.

Budapest airport
about 21 km
Deák Ferenc tér
about 2 km

Car and parking

Zone A in the inner streets and zone B further out. Baross utca and Üllői út are for residents only at night, and the district charges HUF 11,500 to remove a wheel clamp.

The white towers and stairways of the Fisherman's Bastion in the Buda Castle District, with visitors crossing the square in front
Photographed in 2019. Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Castle District and Víziváros

Castle Hill in District 1, 70 m above the Danube and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, with Matthias Church, the Fisherman's Bastion and the National Gallery, and neighbouring Víziváros. The funicular from Clark Ádám tér has climbed the hill since 1870.

Budapest airport
about 25 km
Deák Ferenc tér by road
about 5 km

Car and parking

A car may enter the Castle's protected zone for 15 minutes to reach an address inside. Víziváros is zone A, and Fő utca, Attila út and Bem rakpart are for residents only in the evening and night.

Bartók Béla út in Újbuda on an overcast day, with tram tracks, a tram in the distance, cars parked along the kerb and apartment buildings
Photo: Sjenghai, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Bartók Béla út and Újbuda

District 11 on the Buda side, where the tourism board calls Bartók Béla út between Szent Gellért tér and Kosztolányi Dezső tér one of the locals' favourite neighbourhoods, with the B32 gallery on Gárdonyi tér, the Hadik coffee house and Szatyor Bar. It suits a month among residents.

Budapest airport
about 22 km
Deák Ferenc tér
about 4 km

Car and parking

Zone B around Lágymányos and zone D in Kelenföld and Albertfalva further south, where parking costs HUF 300 an hour with no time limit. Bartók Béla út itself is for residents only in the evening and night.

Guides

Questions

How much is the tourist tax in Budapest?

Each district sets it. Districts 5, 6 and 8 charge 4 per cent of the accommodation price per night, the ceiling the Local Taxes Act allows. Guests under 18 pay nothing, and the host collects it with the price.

Can apartments be rented short term in District 6?

No. Since 1 January 2026 District 6, Terézváros, bans private accommodation (magánszálláshely) and other accommodation (egyéb szálláshely). The district's notice names only those two categories, not hotels.

How does a visitor pay for street parking in Budapest?

With a parking app. The meters went on 1 July 2026, and payment by text or call works only on Hungarian networks. Zone A costs HUF 800 an hour, zone D HUF 300, on working days.

Which area suits a stay with a car?

Bartók Béla út and Újbuda, where zone D further south has no time limit, or any area with a hotel that offers parking. In zones A to C a paid stay ends after three hours and cannot be extended by paying again.