I would like to spend 3 or 4 nights in Budapest before my tour of Romania begins in Cluj.
I will be coming from Atlanta in late September 2025. Is there an airline that flies between Budapest and Cluj (or Bucharest)?
Please recommend a hotel, comfortable with a nice breakfast and a lift near the historic district. Budget is about $150 a night.
Hi, Judy B. Hotels are very individual, but you might find this post as a great place to start researching for what you want. Many of the ones listed are near Andrassy, which is probably where you would aim for.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/rs-forum-favorite-hotels-and-their-cost
I personally have only stayed at the K+K, but others on the forum have stayed at the Casati, Moments, and Medos (I have reservations there for next year).
I would suggest 4 nights, if possible. You may arrive with jet lag and 4 nights will give you 3 days.
I took a glance at Google Flights and it looks like heading to Cluj will require a stop and change along the way. Flying into Bucharest gives you some choices of non-stops. Other nonstop options are Targu Mures and Brasov.
If you are over 65, public transportation in Budapest is free, including the 100E bus from the airport to Deak Ferenc ter. There is an amazing amount of information on Budapest from Mr. É on the Hungary forum. It sounds like a wonderful trip! I plan to be in Romania in September, as well, and heading back to Budapest afterwards instead of before. :)
To fly to Cluj Tarom is probably your best bet. The Bucharest airport is a fairly easy airport to negotiate and you will be doing Schengen to Schenen so that helps.
The hotels on that list are all well located for tourism and well reviewed. You should have options in your price range.
One of about a dozen excellent posts on Cluj
https://europebetweeneastandwest.wordpress.com/
