Budapest, Hungary’s vibrant capital, is one of the most exciting cities in Europe and has a lot to offer even during the Christmas season. With the Castle Hill, Parliament, Heroes‘ Square, St. Stephen’s Basilica, Fisherman’s Bastion, Matthias Church and the Chain Bridge, the picturesque city on the Danube impresses with its numerous sights. The Christmas markets in Budapest also have a long tradition. One of the most traditional is located at St. Stephen’s Basilica in the heart of the city and was voted into the top 5 of the most beautiful Christmas markets in all of Europe by the British magazine “Time Out”! For the perfect Christmas trip to the Hungarian capital, the new Park Plaza Budapest has now launched a special Christmas party offer. In addition to the double room with a view of the Danube for 149.00 euros per night, the offer also includes a breakfast buffet for two people, as well as free use of the sauna and fitness.
Just this spring, the renowned international magazine TIME and the data analysts at Stasher named Budapest one of the best locations for tourists in 2023. The fact that Hungary’s vibrant capital also has a lot to offer at Christmas time has now been recognized by the British magazine “Time out”, which has chosen the Christmas market at St. Stephen’s Basilica in the top 5 of the most beautiful Christmas markets in all of Europe.
The largest Christmas market in Budapest is located on Vörösmarty Square in the heart of the city. Visitors can expect more than 100 wooden houses from local craftsmen. In the center of the 1200m2 market, culinary and Hungarian specialties such as the delicious Hungarian pastries “Kurtos kalacs” are offered. The Christmas market at St. Stephen’s Basilica is less than ten minutes‘ walk away. Craft and gourmet stalls, an ice rink in the middle and various animated films projected daily onto the facade of St. Stephen’s Basilica create a truly magical atmosphere.
After visiting the Christmas market at Vörösmarty Square, shopping enthusiasts are recommended to Deák Ferenc Street, also known as “Fashion Street”, which is only 100 m away. The 500 m long shopping mile impresses at Christmas with its overwhelming Christmas decorations.
Another fantastic way to explore Budapest at Christmas time is to take a cruise on the Danube. During the journey, you can admire the city’s most famous landmarks, including the imposing Chain Bridge, the majestic Parliament and the impressive Buda Castle, enchanted by the winter lights of the city. Or you can hop on one of Budapest’s festively decorated trams, which are covered in thousands of LED lights, and explore the city on line 2 along the Danube, for example.
For the Christmas season, Budapest’s newest attraction, the Park Plaza Budapest in the center of the Old Town, right on the banks of the Danube below the Fisherman’s Bastion, with a breathtaking panoramic view of the Danube and the Parliament building, the perfect offer. In addition to the double room with a view of the Danube for 149.00 euros per night, the Christmas party offer includes a breakfast buffet for two people and free use of the sauna and fitness. A 4-course Christmas dinner is also offered at Christmas time for 45.00 euros per person and a Christmas buffet dinner for 50.00 euros per person. The menu starts with either a salmon tartare with mango and fennel salad or an oven-baked goat cheese, juniper and pear arugula with walnut brittle. For the second course you have the choice between a guinea fowl ragout soup with liver dumplings or a Lapland dill salmon soup. The main course is served with either a fried duck leg with apple, red cabbage, mashed potatoes and herbs or a pork fillet with asparagus and Parmesan potato gratin with wild mushroom ragout with truffle sauce. For dessert, there is an orange eclair with caramelized red orange in the first menu or a tri-color chocolate cake with dark chocolate, strawberries and mint in the menu alternative.
The Christmas buffet menu for 50.00 euros per person includes, as a starter, salmon marinated with sea salt and dill on citrus cream cheese crackers, wild boar with gelatine-dried fruit chutney, a grissini-Serrano ham roll with ricotta and black roccet Olives as well as antipasti vegetables and a vegetable couscous salad with pomegranate. The second course offers creamy goat cheese with marinated vegetables, a shrimp cocktail salad and cherry tomatoes with mozzarella and basil. A ginger pumpkin cream soup with sautéed pumpkin seeds prepares guests for the main courses. Here you can feast on orange-chilli salmon fillet, farmer’s chicken leg confit with golden raisin-lentil ragout and coriander, venison ragout in pinot noir sauce, glazed, with pan-fried root vegetables and bread dumplings, gnocchi with basil Pesto, tomato concasse and black olives as well as an oriental jasmine rice pilaf, herb butter and mashed potatoes. An assortment of pastries and fresh fruit are served for dessert.
For group bookings of Christmas dinners, for example for Christmas parties, there is a gift voucher for groups of 10 or more people, which includes a breakfast buffet for 2 people, an à la carte dinner for 2 people and an overnight stay with breakfast in a superior room with a view of the Danube for 2 people .
The Park Plaza Budapest also offers a menu at the turn of the year. The New Year’s Eve offer consists of three courses, which guests can put together themselves from three variants. An alcoholic and a non-alcoholic drink is included for 55.00 euros per person.
