The New York Palace Hotel - Budapest

Brief History of The New York Palace Hotel & Cafe

The history of the more than 120-year-old building is closely intertwined with literature. Even though it endured different eras, systems and major historical changes, the place known to locals as “The Most Beautiful Café in Budapest” has always revived and eagerly waited to provide comfort and community to Budapest’s artists and travelers.

The stately building in the Nagykörút (“Grand Boulevard”) was once the hall of an insurance company. Its history started when Max Aufrich, a Hungarian teacher, came to Budapest. Thanks to his ambitions, he soon became a successful lawyer and travelled to Paris, and formed a partnership with the director of the New York Insurance Company establishing the Hungarian branch of the company. The New York Insurance Company (Budapest) needed a home — and Aufrich oversaw the construction of the buildling which houses the hotel and cafe today.

The concept was a grandiose, eclectic style building in the center of the city. Alajos Hauszmann was commissioned to plan the design and with the assistance of Flóris Korb and Kálmán Giergl, he designed the lavish, four storied palace with the Café on the ground floor. After its 1894 rendition, the luxurious New York Café soon became the center of literary and artistic life, and holds a special place in the culture and history of Hungary in the 20th century. A gathering place for the city’s artists, writers, and poets this cafe has been the “place to be and be seen” for over a century.

New York Palace Hotel Spa Services

Please email the Hankinco Team to arrange individual spa bookings for your stay in Budapest.

**spa services are not included as part of Hankinco Adventures travel fees but we are happy to book your treatment of choice with the hotel staff