Hilton's in Vienna and Budapest
 

Was wondering if anyone has any personal experience with the Hilton Hotel's in Vienna and/or Budapest? We are planning on using some of our Hilton Honor's points to pay for our rooms in both of those cities. If anyone has any opinions positive or negative towards any of the properties please let me know.

Thanks!

I've stayed at the Hilton Vienna Plaza on business, great location on the Ringstrasse. My room was good-sized and I remember the public space as attractive. For a tourist, this Hilton, imo, is in the best location.

For Budapest, the Hilton in Buda is great, have stayed there twice. It has a lot of character, many rooms with views of the Danube and Pest and a good concierge lounge with complimentary breakfast. Walking distance to all the attractions in Buda.

We stayed at the Hilton Budapest with sweeping views of the Danube and across to Pest, Parliament. The cathedral is adjacent to the hotel. A nice hotel.

Thanks so much for your opinions...They appear to be nice and nicely located, but great to hear from people that have experienced them personally.

I stayed at the Hilton Budapest. My room had a fantastic view towards Pest.

I liked being in the Castle District because it was so quaint and quiet at night. Nevertheless there are some good restaurants in the area and a fabulous bakery. You can also get great photos at sunrise and sunset at the Fishermen's Bastion which is just right there.

You find 3 Hiltons in Vienna

Hilton Danube
only plus - many rooms with Danube view-
But in a poor location for tourists.
You need public transport to most everything.
This a 5-7 minute walk to UBahn line 2-

No restaurant choices nearby only the hotel

Hilton Stadtpark-

renovated some years ago-

not really impressive - just off the famous Ringstrasse ands overlooks the Stadtpark- where one finds the famous Strauss statue.

Easy walk to city center tourist sights .
Best connection to airport by CAT train or S Bahn

Numerous close by dining choices-

Plaza Hilton- needs a renovation - on the Ring close to Ubahn LINE U-2 and streetcars.

Have stayed in both. They are Hiltons -probably a little nicer in these capitals than the 3* ones you see by the side of the road in the US - but definitely not luxury hotels. Location in Vienna is decent - right near the ringstrasse so you can tram to anywhere.

In Budapest it is in an out of the way - but dramatic location - very high on a hill above the river. You will probably use cabs a lot to get to and fro.

I agree with NYtraveler.... The Budapest Hilton is nice....but it is out of the way a bit (albeit dramatic)...

For points, you might want to bite on it... But it is in a location I would not select (of course, I live in Budapest, so I don't stay in hotels here....)

If you are a bus person, the 16 route runs thru the castle area to Deak Ter... Starting at Moskova Ter ( or whatever the heck we changed the name to... )... So not too bad if you learn the transport system .

worldinbetween: Thanks. We will have a car throughout our trip. Planned to park at the hotels. Do you know if there is free access to the car to drive when/where we want? Or is it still better to use the public transportation and just leave the car parked until we leave Budapest? Another question...would you not select the location just because it is "out of the way" or is it an unsafe location? Thanks again!

Completely safe... No worries there... It is up in the castle district... I am not sure how assessible this is by car (or if they have parking). Buses are let in.... But not sure about cars.

The hotel can no doubt answer that.

In general, you will not want to drive and park in Budapest ( like any other big city).... So park your car and forget it.

It is out of the way... And the castle area is touristy.... No nice eating options etc... But the night time views are spectacular.... And there is a chance you will love it.

My daughter and I went to Budapest and although we didn't stay at the Hilton I wanted to recommend two things to do and see.
There is the "House of Hungarian Wines" located across the street from the Hilton that is quite interesting and great fun.You go into a cavelike area where you pay a tasting fee(ours was a few years ago but around $10USD). They give you a bag of wine crackers and a tasting glass and you can walk around to sample more than a 100 different wines. Sometimes there is a guide or you can do it on your own. It is set up for each wine with a map,description of the area and wine along with a water pitcher to to cleanse the palate.

The other thing to see would be the "statue park" just outside of the city-about 15 minutes on the local bus. It is an entire park with all of the old Soviet statues that were located around Budapest collectively in one area-very unusual and interesting. This along with the "house of torture" where they used to interrogate and keep people is a fascinating musuem.

I had some nice meals in the castle district, wish I had noted the names. One was just a few 100 meters down the street from the Hilton, right as you go out the door.

Cars are not necessary in either Vienna or Budapest. Check with both hotels about parking.

Just one tiny clarification to dutyfrees (very good!) advice,,, The "house of torture" is called the Terror Museum. It is on Adrassay Ut between Oktogan and Hero Square.

I would also recommend a ruin pub... The most popular (and a great choice) is Szimpla.... The "sz" in Hungarian is a simple "s" sound.

Thanks you so much....I am writing down all the suggestions you've all made! The wine tasting sounds great and the museum sounds interesting. Also curious about the ruin pub!

We assumed we'd just park and not use the car until heading to the next destination. Glad to have that idea confirmed.

Thanks again...and if any other ideas/suggestions/tips pop up please share! :)

You do not want a car in either of those cities - or any large city in europe. They are worse than useless.

We didn't have cars there (dropped one when we got to Vienna) - but I would check if the hotels have garages and what the cost is - we found hotels usually charge 25 to 30 euros per night for parking,

About parking, I did say check with the hotels on availability and cost. Street parking is very difficult in both cities--admit I don't speak from experience as I wouldn't want the cost of dealing with a car in either city.

I ate at Café Pierrot, www.pierrot.hu, and Fekete Hollo, http://www.feketehollovendeglo.hu/, both in the Castle District. As you leave the Hilton you would turn right; they are both in easy walking distance. They were both very good.

Ruszwurm Cukrászda, www.ruszwurm.hu, a tiny bakery with fabulous pastries, especially the krémes, is also near the hotel.

Delaine: Thanks for the nearby restaurant and bakery suggestions.

Yes, already checked on the parking situation. Parking is avl and around 30 euros a night at both Vienna and Budapest Hiltons. We are used to having a car on our European visits and have drove through many large cities while there. Not always ideal, but works for us. Not concerned about the parking cost.

Thanks all!