Budapest
You're flying out of Budapest Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Budapest Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Budapest's airports.
City centre · $$$
360 Bar sits on top of a heritage Andrássy út building and delivers a 360-degree Budapest skyline view — Parliament, the Basilica, the Buda Castle Hill, and the
District VI · $$
Anker Club draws a steady local crowd in District VI. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
District V · $$
Belvarosi Piaccsarnok Bar draws a steady local crowd in District V. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
District VII · $$
Blue Bird Cafe draws a steady local crowd in District VII. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Budapest proper at the end.
Plays for Budapest Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 176 cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Budapest? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.