Bars in Budapest that Your Stag Party Might Want to Visit

Thanks to low cost booze, accessibility from the UK and a tolerant attitude towards larger parties, it has also become extremely popular for stag weekends. If you want a stag party that is a little different from your local pub crawl then here are some tips on drinking in Budapest, the best places to go, price and general etiquette.

Budapest has a great variety of bars from the elegant up-market establishments to more rough and ready beer halls that provide an atmosphere and charm all their own – not to mention excellent beer. With such bars aplenty you will have no problem finding one to your liking and that will fit into your Budapest stag weekend theme.

For a traditional Hungarian experience, and with some extremely cheap drinking to boot, you will want to visit a borozo, wine pub, or a sorozo, a beer bar. The former sells cheap but drinkable Hungarian wine at ridiculously low prices, while in the latter you can buy beers for as little as 60p (although decent beers will cost you around £1.50) with spirits being a little more expensive at about £1.50 a shot. Prices to get into clubs can vary in general you can expect to pay between £1.00 and about £3.20. A lot of the clubs open at 10pm but you can always find pubs and clubs that open earlier to cater for the Brit who wants to start early. On top of this the majority of clubs stay open to six in the morning – and many stay open even later. This means that a European stag weekend is a good choice whether you want to start early and party hard or not.

One of the most popular areas to go is Hajogyari Sziget (Shipyard Island), where you’ll find various clubs to suit all tastes from huge outdoor venues to more intimate spots. Another popular place, and one that is said to attract the most beautiful women, is the Café Negro club in Pest. Café Negro not only has some of the best local DJs, and drinks, but also houses a restaurant that is well worth visiting. If you’re home sick and can’t stand being away from your local boozer then there is the always the Morrison English Pub. The great thing about this place is that many travellers go there as well so it easy to find a hen night on a similar tour.

When it comes to drinking etiquette, clinking beer glasses used to be frowned upon. It is said that the Austrian’s clinked their glasses to celebrate the putting to death of a group of Hungarian Generals in 1848 and as such was viewed censoriously by the locals. However, the tradition of not clinking was set to last 150 years – thus in 1998 the widely adopted disdain for clinking expired and Hungarians now clink away with fervour.

Another thing is that although the Hungarians are fairly tolerant they will frown upon large groups of highly inebriated stag partiers – in fact their frowns may be so hard that they could give you a black eye. However, take it easy and enjoy the Hungarians hospitality and your stag weekend will remain memorable and safe – a memorable send off into married life.

Josey Walker - The Founder & Managing Director of party organisers Stag Republic and Hen Nation. Stag Republic have been organising made-to-measure stag weekends abroad and hen weekends in Eastern Europe since 2000. More recently popular destinations include stag weekends in Budapest and Krakow.