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 A
quick search on Google reveals just how popular a destination Budapest has become for
stag weekends over the last few years. Indeed, ever since bumping into one of StagWeb's
founding partners on a Malév flight back to Budapest in 2004, it's no surprise to
see the mighty Magyars (along with cities such as Tallinn and Riga) giving the Czechs a
good run for their money.
 Of course, to become a credible stag party destination you'll need
more than just a light sprinkling of local lovelies*, decent bars, pubs and nightlife. And
that's where Budapest ticks all the right boxes. For underneath the city's all too thin
layer of urban respectability, lies a fat underbelly of hedonistic mayhem. Indeed, with
Budapest widely known as the unofficial "porn capital of Europe", pretty much
anything goes. Particularly if you're prepared to pay for it!
We reckon, however, that you're best off employing the services of
reputable company to help organise (partially at least) your last-night-of-freedom-soirée™.
Not because we're busy making money from commissions on this page (with the exception of a
solitary link below, we don't) but rather because, by and large, the pitfalls associated
with D.I.Y. stag weekends outweigh the additional cost of employing someone with local
knowledge. That's not to say you shouldn't also be wary about the costs involved in
arranging your stag party through a specialist company. But a bit more of that in a sec...
 In general terms, the normal itinerary for a Budapest stag weekend
involves guided pub crawls, dinner at private venues/popular restaurants, a stripper and
additional time spent on activities such as tank driving, five-a-side football and paintball.
Of course, they'll likely be time for general sightseeing too, which, no doubt, will serve
as respite from encounters with local Hungarian brews such as Unicum.
Usually, all-in-one packages won't include the cost of flights (as
clients inevitably work out its cheaper to book easyJet
or Wizzair flights to Budapest
themselves, rather than pay over the odds through a third-party) while accommodation and
activities can either be booked together or separately.
As far as accommodation goes, we've noticed that many stag party
companies ask prospective customers to complete an online application form, after which
they'll work to find you the "best deal" among an approved list of hotels (some
centrally located, others further afield).
Having trawled the sites ourselves, we found most properties fall
into the lower (or cheap and cheerful) end of the 3-star market, with a good number being
a significant distance from Budapest's downtown sights. In one case, a property was
described as being just a few hundred metres (and 5 minutes walk) from the Danube
embankment and downtown Budapest, when in fact its real location is three times as far.
Either way, once you've chosen a price bracket for accommodation,
customers are pretty much at the mercy of the company concerned to come up trumps. In
reality, you'll most likely be put up (depending upon availability and the location of any
activities you've selected) at the hotel where the difference between the rack/or group
rate and your chosen price bracket is largest i.e. the biggest profit margin available. In
any case, it's somewhat of a lottery system that tends to offer more assurance only if you
plump for 4 and 5-star accommodation (although that can see the cost of a weekend instant
double against 3-star options).
In truth, it may well be worth doing your homework on TripAdvisor
and then try to specify your preferred accommodation when making a stag party booking, or
using a company such as Groople**
to obtain estimates from Budapest hotels on your behalf.
 As far as activities go, there are certainly some nifty ones out
there. The following links (caution is advised if surfing from the office) give you an
idea as to the nature and extent of the debauchery that can be enjoyed. Our current
favourites include the Goulash
and Growler Party (not safe for work), Lads
vs SS Troops and the Trabant
Rally. Needless to say, we've driven a Trabant and enjoy the odd goulash once in a
while. As for the growler, however, we'll leave that to the groom-to-be...
*According to figures released the World Health Organisation,
a random sample of 1000 women in 24 European countries found that Hungary had the highest
percentage of irresistibly good looking ladies among their ranks.
** Yep, we do get a bit of commission from Groople if
you book via this website.
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