Budapest Draws Crowds from Around the World This Valentine’s Day

This Valentine’s Day weekend, Hungary welcomed 55% more foreign travelers than during the same period last year, Turizmus.com reports. Most flocked to Budapest from Spain, with Italian and French voices also filling the streets. Visitors even arrived from as far as China and the Maldives, further proving that the Hungarian capital’s charm extends far beyond Europe.

Compared to the period between February 12 and 16, 2025, passenger traffic increased by 55% between February 11 and 15, 2026, Kiwi.com booking data shows.

Buda Castle. Photo: Pixabay

Among the top 25 nationalities, the increase was 51%, indicating that the growth was not driven solely by a few major markets – smaller sending countries also saw similar rises. This occurred despite airfares climbing an average of 11.5% per passenger compared to last year.

Parliament. Photo: Pixabay

Most bookings came from Spain, followed by the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States, and Israel. Romania, France, Poland, Portugal, and Germany also made it into the top 10.

In terms of absolute passenger growth, Spain (+78%), Italy (+103.9%), the United Kingdom (+90.7%), and the United States (+94.7%) stood out.

Looking at relative growth, countries with smaller bases saw the most dramatic increases, including Argentina (+600%), India (+333.3%), and Finland (+200%).

Poland emerged as a particularly strong market, ranking among the leaders in both absolute and relative growth (+228.6%).

Fisherman’s Bastion. Photo: Pixabay

Budapest’s international appeal goes well beyond Europe:

Travelers arrived on Valentine’s Day weekend even from Guangzhou, Dubai, Muscat, the Maldives, Porto Alegre, and Abidjan.

Based on the latest data, event-based tourism continues to grow, with an increasing number of people organizing their trips around specific dates and occasions.

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