This is a difficult text to write. Not just because of my usual procrastination, but because it is a farewell. Through this magazine – Diplomacy&Trade, which has been a regular companion, and WittyLeaks a must to read –, this is, in reality, a goodbye to a country, to friends, to almost six years that turned […]
The Hungarian capital has been selected among the Special Mentions of the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize 2026, one of the world's most prestigious urban development awards, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony’s announcement is quoted by MTI. In addition to London as the laureate, Antwerp, Budapest, Guangzhou, Taipei and Tianjin have been selected as Special […]
Ratings agency Moody's on Monday said it downgraded Budapest's baseline credit assessment (BCA) to ba1 from baa3 and long-term foreign and domestic issuer ratings to Ba1 from Baa3, putting them below investment grade. The capital's mayor considers this downgrade 'obvious' after the government failed to adher to an agreement to meet is financial obligations and […]
Spain, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom: these are the countries from which the most foreign tourists come, in that order. On average, they spend 3-6 nights in the capital, during which time more than 62% of them seek out cultural programs such as museums, festivals, and historical sites. 47% of visitors are between the […]
Free skating, charity opportunities, sparkling lights, delicious flavors and aromas, and magnificent gifts await everyone who is already in the Christmas spirit. In connection with the 152nd anniversary of the capital city, the 2025 Advent and Christmas Market and Winter Experience Park opened this Friday afternoon with Budapest's first festively decorated pine tree as well […]
Budapest's hotel market is expected to beat its pre-pandemic guest night record in 2025, property consultancy CBRE said in an analysis on Wednesday. Guest nights at Budapest hotels rose 5.2% year-on-year to 6.2 million in January-August, while guest numbers climbed 7% to 2.6 million, CBRE said. Including other tourism accommodations, such as short-term rentals, guest […]
One of Europe's largest festivals is back in Hungarian hands. Sziget will begin organizing the 2026 event with its current management and organizing team, under the strategic leadership of its founder, Károly Gerendai, according to a press release issued by the event. This will allow Sziget, once again as an independent festival, to further strengthen […]
Time Out Market is the world's first food and cultural market, carefully curated by experts to bring the best of a given city together under one roof. In 2014, a historic market building in Lisbon was turned into the first Time Out Market and today, there are twelve such markets globally in cities like New […]
During this year's Formula One race weekend, hotels in the capital welcomed nearly 100,000 guests, with occupancy rates exceeding 86%, Visit Hungary told MTI on Wednesday, based on data from the National Tourism Data Center (NTAK). Most foreign guests came from Great Britain, Poland and Germany for the 40th Hungarian Grand Prix, which took place […]
Tamás Kádár, CEO of Sziget, said that more tickets have been sold for this year's festival than last year. Due to Covid and other industry impacts, ticket sales had been declining since 2022, but the current growth is definitely welcome at the event held on the Óbuda Island on the River Danube. Kádár also said […]
The performance of the hotel market in Central and Eastern Europe, and within that, Budapest, exceeded all preliminary analyst expectations in 2024. The sector's growth is likely to continue this year, with the number of international guest nights by the end of the year exceeding the previous record set in 2019, CBRE told MTI on […]
In its WittyLeaks series, Diplomacy and Trade regularly publishes the personal accounts of ambassadors and other mission leaders accredited in the Hungarian capital on their experiences on 'excursions' into Hungarian culture, art, gastronomy, customs, scenery, etc. This time, the Irish ambassador explains how baking binds Budapest and Dublin. Arriving on post, a new diplomat can expect to […]
In Q1 2025, 2,704 new dwellings were built, 2.7% fewer than a year earlier. The number of dwellings to be built on the basis of construction permits and simple declarations was 5,651, 25% more than in the same period of 2024, the Hungarian Central Statistical Office reports. In the first quarter of 2025, 2,704 dwellings […]
Thousands of cyclists gathered on Saturday afternoon in front of the Városháza Park (City Hall Park) in the downtown area of the Hungarian capital to participate in the 10th I Bike Budapest parade. The aim of the event was to raise awareness of the state of cycling in Budapest and to demonstrate for a better […]
This year again, Budapest's passenger boats will hold their traditional season-opening sailing: this Sunday, about 28 boats will leave the capital's ports at the same time to march in spectacular formation along the Budapest section of the Danube, the Hungarian Federation of Passenger Fleet Operators (SZHSZ) told MTI. The aim of the event is to […]
