Is it worth visiting Budapest in December? I know the days will be shorter and attractions have shorter hours, but will they still be open?

Also is it better to stay in Buda or Pest?

We were there a few years ago just after New Year and found plenty to do.
I remember being on the city tour bus.
We have stayed on the Pest side both times we've visited, to be where most of the restaurants,shops etc are.

It is likely to be cold so, in combination with the shorter daylight hours, your outdoor tourism will be curtailed.

But yes, it's still well worth going. The city does not close down for the winter. After all, it has a permanent population, and tourism is not the only business of Budapest..

Our only trip to Budapest was between Christmas and New Year and yes, it was well worth a visit. All the attractions were open, there was an open air ice rink and a small Christmas market. It was cold and frosty overnight and just above freezing in the day but we wrapped up well and saw much of the city. We stayed in Buda but it really depends what your interests are - Pest would be nearer for most of the restaurants in the evening.

Thanks for that? I thought so, i don't mind the cold, i visited Prague in January and February so i expected that. I'll start researching hotels now. Any recommendations? My budget would be around 80euro per night

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Our trip to Budapest was in December too. Great trip, except a mess up with the hire car on the last day...

Are you going from US or UK (or other)? A good tip for anyone with an EU passport is that you will get into the parliament building free as an EU citizen. It's an interesting building and well worth seeing.

We stayed in the Gold Hotel Buda, booked through Venere - the hotel itself was fine but it was a bit of a trek (about 20 minutes walk) along a busy main road to get to either the castle area or the bridge over to Pest.

A visit of parliament worth not only for Eu citizen that do not pay! Even we paid, we enjoyed a lot seeing the beautiful interiors. The tour is with guide in different languages, so you will receive a lot of interesting info.

Naturally it gets dark sooner - but it's not especialy cold (no worse the NE US) and there is still a lot of activities. All sights are open, although some may have slightly shorter hours - but the music/cultural activities will be ramping up.

Although the Hilton on the Buda highlands is tempting, staying n Pest is somewhat more convenient.

I was in Budapest in December a few years ago and I enjoyed it. I loved the feel and look of Christmas all around. THe weather was cold but as someone else posted no different than the northern half of the US, just a little darker earlier...but there were amazing concerts for the evening. Enjoy!

Look at expedia caroline! They have some really good deals.
We stayed in the KK Hotel Opera on the Pest side,but it's £77 in December. The Hilton on the Buda side is cheaper than that so get looking!.