I've got to meet a colleague in Budapest in July. My friend already has a reservation at the Hilton, in the castle area.C an anyone suggest areasonable alternative within close walking distance? Any details of hotel rates,room preferences would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance.

As far as I know, there aren't any hotels within "close" walking distance of the Hilton. It's one of only two hotels in the that location. Is there a reason you're not staying at the Hilton also? If the hotel's website doesn't show rooms available or if they're out of your price range, you might want to go into Trip Advisor for Budapest, find the hotel in the hotel list and use the quickcheck booking feature to see what rates and availability you get. I plugged in a couple of arbitrary days in July and got a $109 per night rate.

I'm booked at the Victoria in May, at $118 per night. It may be one of the closest hotels to the Hilton, but it's still half a mile from the Hilton.
http://www.victoria.hu/
The hotel's website is one of the ugliest looking hotel websites I've seen, but the hotel itself gets great reviews on TripAdvisor.

If you're looking for something cheaper, you might mention the rate here so you'll get information regarding less expensive alternatives.

The Hilton is a huge hotel up in the Castle area...one of the only hotels near it...is the Hotel Kulturinov? which is listed in Fodors Budapest Hotels. I stayed at the Victoria Hotel...which is a hike up the hill to the Hilton. (The Victoria is just off the Danube..small and clean). I wanted to stay up in the castle area...but once I got to Budapest...I am glad I was not so isolated. Good luck.

I thought I had posted this earlier so if it shows up twice, forgive me. the other hotel possibility in the castle area is the Hotel Burg. I looked into it when planning our trip to Budapest last fall. We ended up using Priceline and staying at the Art Hotel which is near the Victoria mentioned by MaryFran. They are both at the base of the hill on the river and would be a hike if you were going back and forth very often.

I assume you want a Hilton alternative because of cost. If that's correct check out the Burg. My recollection is that it was less expensive than I assume the Hilton is. Good luck.

The Sofitel was in a great location!! A very lovely hotel. Might be more expensive than the Hilton, because of the better location.

the sofitel would not be convenient if you want to be NEAR your friend.

We too stayed at Victoria...enjoyed a glass of wine every night taking in the wonderful views. If you decide on this hotel ask for a corner room on a higher floor!

many thanks f to all who wrote in to help me to decide where to stay in Budapest. I've decided to try the Vistoria.