There’s no Budapest stag weekend worth having that doesn’t spend at least one night in the city’sruin barsas part of your stag bar crawl. These incredibly cool venues are housed inside derelict pre-war buildings, once scheduled for demolition but now given a new lease of life. The most iconic isSzimpla: a vast, graffiti-scrawled assault on the senses, filled with random junk, plants and fairy lights.Red Ruinis a glorious Communist-themed bar, where you roll dice and are given whatever shot the number matches on the menu. If you’re in Budapest in summer, book a ‘Sparty’: wild Saturday nights that turn the Szchenyi Thermal Baths into massive pool parties.

Read ourBudapest stag do guidefor more inspiration.

The weather starts to cool inOctoberto 15c, dropping significantly fromNovembertoFebruaryto next to freezing. Despite the cold, winter is still a magical time to visit Budapest. Flights are cheap and you'll be spending most of your time drinking your weight in beer inside ruin bars anyway.

Made up of 23 distinct districts, Budapest is a fascinating mosaic of a city, bursting at the seams with lively stag nightlife and a thriving cultural scene which puts good living at its heart.

District VII - (Jewish Quarter) Erzsébetváros

Known as the Jewish Quarter, Erzsébetváros - Budapest’s district 7 - is the epi-centre of the city’s bohemian social scene, boasting bars and nightclubs in spades, and often the focal point for any stag weekend. You’ll discover speakeasies and hipster bars specialising in regional drinks here. Steeped in history, the district is where you’ll also find the largest concentration of the city’s famous ruin bars: quirky watering holes built in the ruins of abandoned pre-war buildings, stores or lots.

Read more in ourBudapest Stag Guide.

1. Zip back in time and beat the clock

Travel back in time behind the wheel of aTrabant: an iconic automobile that was the only car available in the Eastern Bloc before the Berlin Wall came down. Cruise through Budapest and take in the sights, as tourists gawk over these remnants of history. If you have a more fervent need for speed, ourKarting Grand PrixandQuad Trekkingexperiences will hit the mark.

2. Soak in thermal baths by day, pool party by night

It wouldn’t be a trip to Budapest without soaking in the famous Szechenyi Baths: 18 thermal spas and pools over 100 years old, built over a natural hot spring. Even in the dead of winter they’re warm, making them the ultimate hangover cure. Once refreshed, you can restart the action at the Sparty Party, where flowing drinks and pumping music turns the baths into a buzzing pool party. After, opt for our a massage at ourLuxury Spa Dayto work out the damage from the night before.

3. Handle classic firearms and blast your mates with paint

Blow off some steam at ourPistol Shooting Range, where you’ll get the chance to blast targets with classic models like the Glock 17 handgun and Remington 870 shotgun. Alternatively, theUltimate Firearms experienceprovides ample thrills andPaintballwill have you putting all that practice to good use.

4. Drink by bike, boat and strip cruise

Clink pints aboard your very own bar-on-wheels, cruising around Budapest atop a14-seat beer bike. Take the action to the Danube on a privateRiver Cruise(buffet and open bar optional), or invite some gorgeous guests on ourStrip Cruiseto heat things up. Check out a classicguided bar crawla staple of any stag weekend in the Hungarian capital.

5. Party with class or get down and dirty

Place your bets inKincsem Park, Hungary’s oldest race track, where cheap drinks turn the event into a bouncing day out. Swap horses for the luxury of ourParty Limo, or get down and dirty with our scantily-cladMud Wrestlingchampions.

Buying Booze:Some city districts have prohibited the sale of alcohol after 10pm because of alcohol-related disturbances. If caught drinking or in possession of open containers of alcohol in public spaces (particularly near schools, churches or parks) or on public transport, you may have to pay a £130 (50,000 HUF) fine but the law isn’t actively enforced unless you run into issues.

Staying Safe:All drug use is illegal in Hungary with zero tolerance laws strictly enforced. Cannabis use and possession carries the same weighty punishments as heroin. If it's your first offence, possession of less than 12 grams will likely lead to a one-off reprimand (consumption carries a 2-year sentence). Possession of larger amounts leads to a five to ten-year prison sentence.