With its buzzing nightlife, bargain booze, and beautiful Hungarian ladies, Budapest is quickly becoming one of Europe’s most popular stag do destinations. In fact, the Hungarian capital was voted Europe’s best destination of 2019 and boasts the cheapest pints in Europe to boot, at just £1.50. If you’re already convinced about having your stag weekend in the Hungarian capital, we can hopefully help you make some decisions about planning your trip. We’ve outlined everything you need to know about the city, from the craziest party spots to the best things to do.
The best areas to stay
Whether you want accommodation in the heart of the action, or somewhere a little further off the beaten track, Budapest has you covered.
District VII (Jewish Quarter)
Get stuck right in by staying in District VII, where many of the city’s pubs and clubs are located. Meanwhile, the district’s architecture, offbeat shops and street art add bags of character, making the Jewish Quarter an exciting place to stay. There’s a diverse selection of accommodation on offer in this part of the city, with boutique hotels, bustling hostels, and trendy apartments all in the mix.
District V
Located near all the main sights, District V is ideal if you want to immerse yourself in Budapest’s cultural specialities from the off. There are plenty of places to stay here, but their convenient location does push up the prices. That said, bargains can still be found if you look hard enough, so scan the usual cheap accommodation sites for your best chances of keeping costs down.
District VI
If you want somewhere a little more secluded—and who can blame you, considering how hungover you’re going to be—District VI will be right up your street. More residential than District V, it is also cheaper, though there are still luxurious hotels to be found here. District VI is also still fairly close to Budapest’s main attractions, while the House of Terror Museum and many of the city’s theatres and arts venues are located in the area.
The best places to drink
From Budapest’s archetypal ruin bars to its booming nightclubs, the city’s nightlife is unparalleled.
Szimpla Kert
Arguably the best ruin bar in Budapest, Szimpla Kert is a former factory which has been converted into a bumper boozer, bursting with character. With walls adorned with bric-a-brac, and sawn-off cars replacing chairs in the courtyard, it hosts regular live music, a theatre events space, and even an open-air-cinema, making it the place to be.
Doboz
You can’t go to Budapest without paying a visit to Doboz, which literally translates to ”The Box”. The gargantuan pub and club has eight rooms, each playing different styles of music, and welcomes around 3,000 visitors a day. Make sure to look out for the 300-year-old tree located inside, as well as the giant metal gorilla sculpture climbing it!
Pharma
For somewhere a little more intimate, Pharma may be just the ticket. Almost certainly unlike anywhere else you’ve drunk before, the cocktail bar serves tipples in medicine bottles, with posters of periodic tables lining the walls. Be sure to try the bar’s signature Millionaire cocktail, a twist on the ‘20s classic.
Other bars and clubs you could visit include Fogas Haz Complex, a quirky haunt featuring four bars, Liebling, a rooftop bar perfect for pres, and Peaches ‘n’ Cream, a VIP club playing RnB tunes. Alternatively, if you want to make the most of your time and avoid staggering between boring boozers, stag agencies like Maximise run guided bar crawls, showing you all of Budapest’s best bars. They can also take care of aspects like your accommodation, transfers, and activities so you can focus on enjoying your weekend!
The best stag do activities
When the sun is still up and you’re not necking pints like they’re going out of fashion, there are plenty of daytime activities you and the lads can enjoy.
Thermal baths
Budapest isn’t known as the “City of Baths” for nothing, and you simply can’t go without taking a dip in one of its iconic thermal baths. Fed by 120 hot springs, it’s home to nine in total, including the Széchenyi Thermal Baths, the largest in Europe. You can even get your rave on in your trunks, with ‘sparties’ taking place every weekend.
Shooting
Fancy firing some bullets from an AK-47? Of course you do! You’ll find plenty of shooting activities in Budapest, with some clubs using actual guns, as well as paintballing in a real-life Soviet war setting, and a 750m² laser tag arena.
Boat cruise
Take a trip down the River Danube to enjoy panoramic views of Budapest’s many wondrous sights, from Buda Castle to the Vigado Concert Hall. Or, jump on a night cruise to take the opportunity to get sozzled at the same time, the perfect warm-up to the night ahead!