Carpe Noctem

Carpe Noctem will change the way you thought about traveling. You expect a hostel but you arrive at a mate’s place. You expect a reception desk and you get greeted with a cup of coffee. You arrive alone but you go out with 22 friends. You book in for two nights and you stay two weeks. And that's just the beginning...

If you’re a sociable or a solo traveler and want to meet other people in a welcoming, friendly environment, please read on! Hostelworld guests rated us the most fun hostel the world in 2009! We're still the most fun!

Please note our reception is open from 8AM till 11PM so we cannot accept people checking in outside these hours. As we are a hostel mainly for solo travelers we cannot accept bookings of more than three people.

Do you want to feel like you are staying at a mate's house, chilling on bean bags and drinking free tea and coffee until beer o'clock? Do you want to stay in a place that doesn't believe in hidden charges and wants to give you as much for free as possible? We’ve travelled widely and know what you want to feel comfortable.

There’s free padlock hire, free lockers, free use of our electronic staff safe, free Internet and Wi-Fi, free use of hairdryers, straighteners, irons, free towel hire and free tea and coffee – not just when you arrive, but all the time! And it’s not this European yellow label tea, either; we get the good shit imported from the UK. You’re totally welcome to borrow our guidebooks for free and we have a book exchange as well.

Our top-floor apartment is newly renovated and we have added our personal touches. Our handmade bean bags mean you can chill wherever you want around the house. There’s also a large corner sofa to watch films on, tables to eat on or play drinking games (depending on your mood), plus murals of the sights of the city across most walls so you can decide what to see that day (if our 30-minute run-through of everything hasn't been enough info for you!).

Do you want to feel like you are staying in a social place not just a bed in a room? We’ve got free bed linen (who charges for that anyway?!), plus orthopaedic mattresses and air conditioning.

We have a fully equipped kitchen for you to use, apart from the times when we are cooking up roast dinners, gulyas (goulash), breakfast of champions or whatever else we think the hostel needs to prepare for a good night out or to deal with a hangover!

We've no curfew and very relaxed check-out times – you can check out any time you like but you can never leave! Please provide us with a correct arrival time so that we can ensure that someone is there to greet you! If you do not arrive within 3 hours of your stated arrival time, we do reserve the right to cancel your booking. If you are arriving before 1pm that is no problem, you can come and drop your stuff off and get checked in but your bed might not be ready.

Do you want to save money by taking staff recommendations for cheap places, and using the specially negotiated food and drink deals for you? Do you want to be given all the help, advice and assistance for your entire stay in Budapest and beyond if needs be? Do you want to be taken out by staff to cool underground places unseen on the common traveller's route? Do you want to have live-in native English/Australian English-speaking staff who have all moved to Budapest because they came and fell in love with it and are passionate to show you why? You’ve come to the right place!

Do you want to meet other similarly like-minded people in a lively and social atmosphere? Do you want to go out every night on pub crawls, karaoke nights, cheap drink nights, live music nights? Do you want to be given a warm welcome and a detailed introduction of the city with all the hot spots for pubs, bars, restaurants, clubs and sightseeing? Do you want to be introduced to other guests so you can instantly make friends for your travels...if not life? Carpe Noctem Original ('seize the night', for those who rightly gave up Latin just after it died) is the perfect hangout and base for single travellers and young, sociable people who want to be part of an interactive and lively hostel experience as well as maximising the city in the day time and seizing the night when the sightseeing has ended.

We have organised events every night so get involved!

We’re located within walking distance of the House of Terror, Oktogon, Szechenyi thermal baths, the city park, Andrassy Avenue, St Istvan's Basilica, Freedom Square, the Danube and parliament - all within 10-15 minutes.

For lazy travelers, public transport is in our immediate location; the blue metro (for direct metros from Nepliget coach station) and yellow metro are only a few streets away. The trolley bus and tram are one street away and the night bus route is at the bottom of the road. We even have a direct train from the airport just two streets away! Be aware that depending on what direction you are coming the road trolley/tram may have be interrupted by construction. Email us and we'll let you know the best way to get here depending on how you're getting here!

We’re just off the main road which has pubs, cafés, bars, restaurants, 24-hour shops and clubs on it so there is no need to stray far for whatever you need. Despite this, we’re located on a quiet cobbled side street so you don't have to listen to the noise from traffic.

We’re set in a 19th-century heritage-listed building. We have a very cosy and intimate set-up which means it is impossible to not meet people and make instant friends.

We're located on the top floor, and due to the status of the building we have no lift...so if you are lazy or a smoker, you may be better off going to a ground floor hostel or one with a lift! We are ideally suited to single travelers, or groups of two or three who wish to meet people so if you just want an isolated stay with just a bed in a room, groups who don't wish to mingle or couples who want alone time only, we are probably not for you.

Things worth noting: The hostel is not wheelchair accessible.

Also worth noting: As we are a youth party hostel we only accept people between the ages of 21 to 45. We reserve the right to refuse bookings to anyone outside of the criterion. Please contact us with any inquiries before booking/cancelling if you're a little unsure why so we can discuss the difference between rules and guidelines and strawpedos.