Where to stay in Hungary

District VI no longer allows short-term rentals

This is new and it is absolute.

• From 1 January 2026, short-term rental in private and other non-hotel accommodation is prohibited in Terézváros, Budapest's District VI.
• It was decided by a binding local referendum and the ban was upheld by the Kúria, Hungary's supreme court.
• About 2,700 listings disappeared, and the district began inspections in the first week of January.
• Only hotels, guesthouses and community accommodation may operate there now.
• District VI is central, taking in Andrássy út, the Opera and the edge of the party district, so this is exactly where visitors used to book.
• Check the district before you book an apartment. A listing still showing there is either a hotel, mislabelled, or operating illegally, and an illegal one can be shut while you are in it.
• Other central districts are debating the same thing, so check again close to your trip.

The tourist tax

• Budapest charges 4 percent of the net room price per night, excluding VAT.
• Under-18s are exempt.
• It is usually collected at the property and is often not in the online price.
• Outside Budapest, towns charge a flat nightly amount, typically HUF 300 to HUF 700 a person.

Registration

• Your host must register you. They will take your passport at check-in and enter your details in the national system.
• This applies to apartments as well as hotels. A host who does not ask is not registering you.

Practical notes

• Districts V, VI and VII are the centre. District VII is the Jewish Quarter and the party district, which is lively and noisy until very late.
• If you want to sleep, do not book the middle of District VII on a weekend.
• Buda, across the river, is quieter and greener and still 15 minutes from everything by tram.
• Book well ahead for the August formula one weekend and the New Year, when prices double.
• Many older buildings have no lift and the "first floor" is up two flights. Ask if you have heavy bags.