PEST’S “ANTIQUE ROW”: FALK MIKSA UTCA
While it’s not quite a shopper’s mecca, Budapest does offer some enjoyable opportunities to hunt for that perfect Hungarian souvenir.
For a look at local life and a chance to buy some mementos, Budapest’s single best shopping venue is the Great Market Hall (described in detail on here). In addition to all the colorful produce downstairs, the upstairs gallery is full of fiercely competitive souvenir vendors. There’s also a folk-art market on Castle Hill (near the bus stop at Dísz tér), but it’s generally more touristy and a little more expensive. And, while Váci utca has been Budapest’s main shopping thoroughfare for generations, today it features the city’s highest prices and worst values.
For something a bit less touristy—but still evolving—drop by the Bálna (“Whale”) Cultural Center, which sits along the Danube just behind the Great Market Hall (described on here). This modern space is a combined cultural center and shopping mall, but has yet to figure out its commercial identity. You’ll see some souvenir stands similar to what’s upstairs in the Great Market Hall, but you’ll also find unique, one-off designers who are still just establishing their reputation. While it may be potluck for shoppers, it’s worth exploring—and the architecture is interesting.
As a big, cosmopolitan capital, Budapest has its share of international fashion boutiques. Most of these are along or near Deák utca (called “Fashion Street,” connecting Vörösmarty tér and Deák tér), or along the first stretch of Andrássy út. A few more big-ticket shops are along and near Váci utca, with an intriguing cluster along the cross-street Irányi utca (just south of Ferenciek tere, near the river in the Town Center). A block over, at Nyáry Pál utca 7, Eventuell Gallery displays and sells the works of local designers (www.eventuell.hu).
To see how Hungarian urbanites renovate their crumbling concrete flats, don’t miss the home-improvement shops that line Király utca, which runs parallel to Andrássy út (two short blocks south). For a taste of the good old days—which somehow just feels right, here in nostalgic Budapest—wander up the city’s “antique row,” Falk Miksa utca, just north of the Parliament (described later).
Budapesters do most of their shopping in big, American-style shopping malls—three of which (WestEnd City Center, Mammut, and Arena Plaza) are downtown and described later.
Budapest has several excellent English bookstores. For details, see here.
Hours: Smaller shops tend to be open Mondays through Fridays from 10:00 to 18:00 (sometimes later—until 20:00 or 21:00—on Thu), Saturdays from 10:00 to 13:00 or 14:00, and are closed Sundays. Big malls have longer hours.
Bargaining: At touristy markets (but not established shops), haggling is common for pricier items (more than about 4,000 Ft)—but you’ll likely get the merchant to come down only about 10 percent (maybe down to 20 percent for multiple items). If you pay with a credit card, you’re less likely to snare a discount.
VAT Refunds and Customs Regulations: For tips on getting a VAT (Value-Added Tax) refund, and getting your purchases through customs, see here.
The most popular souvenir is that quintessential Hungarian spice, paprika. Sold in metal cans, linen bags, or porcelain vases—and often accompanied by a tiny wooden scoop—it’s a nice way to spice up your cooking with memories of your trip. (But remember that only sealed containers will make it through customs on your way back home.) For more, see “Paprika Primer” on here.
If you want a top-notch Hungarian cookbook, the pricey Culinaria Hungary beautifully describes and illustrates Hungary’s culinary tradition (though a cheaper paperback edition is available online or at bookstores in North America).
Special drinks are a fun souvenir, though they’re tricky to bring home (you’ll have to wrap them very carefully and put them in your checked luggage—not permitted in carry-on; for customs regulations, see here). Good choices include the unique Hungarian spirit Unicum (described on here), or a bottle of Hungarian wine (see here).
Another popular local item is a hand-embroidered linen tablecloth. The colors are often red and green—the national colors of Hungary—but white-on-white designs are also available (and classy). If the thread is thick and the stitching is very even, it was probably done by machine, and obviously is less valuable.
Other handicrafts to look for include chess sets (most from Transylvania) and nesting dolls. While these dolls have more to do with Russia than with Hungary, you’ll see just about every modern combination available: from classic girl dolls, to Russian heads of state, to infamous terrorists, to American presidents. Tacky...but fun.
Fans of communist kitsch can look for ironic T-shirts that poke fun at that bygone era. But remember that the best selection is at the Memento Park gift shop, which also sells communist memorabilia and CDs of commie anthems (see here).
Music lovers can shop for a CD of Hungarian music at the Opera House gift shop (see here).
For a wearable souvenir, Tisza shoes (Tisza Cipő) are retro and newly hip. The company dates from communist times, but went bust when Western brands became widely available. Recently, the brand was rescued by an investor with a renewed dedication to quality. They make both athletic and work shoes, as well as bags, shirts, and accessories. While you’ll find Tisza products sold around the country, their flagship store is along the Small Boulevard near the Great Synagogue (at Károly körút 1, www.tiszacipo.hu).
Budapest is becoming a hipster mecca, and that means fun and idiosyncratic design, home decor, and vintage shops are popping up all around town. The fast-evolving scene makes it tricky to recommend a specific shop, but many intriguing boutiques have emerged in the Jewish Quarter/“Ruin Pub” zone. Scout the possibilities on Király (with an emphasis on home decor), Dob, Rumbach, Dohány, Wesselényi, Kazinczy, and neighboring streets. Printa, the print shop described on here, is one reliable place to get a taste of the neighborhood’s vendors; they may sell a map directing you to what’s hot in the area right now. Kék Ló (“Blue Horse”), a recommended ruin pub, also has a fine gallery of affordable clothes designed by the owner (Kazinczy utca 10, www.keklo.hu). Just across the street, Szimpla—the original ruin pub—hosts a colorful farmers market each Sunday (9:00-14:00, Kazinczy utca 14, www.szimpla.hu).
Very nearby—just across Andrássy út from the Jewish Quarter—you’ll also find a smattering of intriguing shops along Hajós utca, behind the Opera House.
Another space worth checking for this sort of design is the Bálna Cultural Center, described earlier (and on here), which has an intriguing selection of local fashion and home designers.
Check to see if you’re in town for the Wamp Design Fair. One or two Sundays each month, dozens of local artists and designers gather to show off their products (free entry, 11:00-19:00, schedule at www.wamp.hu). In summer, this takes place in the city-center Elisabeth Square, while off-season it moves to Millenáris Park (on the Buda side, near M2: Széll Kálmán tér).
Hungary has two major porcelain manufacturers. While very pricey, their works might interest collectors.
Herend, arguably the best (and most expensive) of all, produces tableware with intricately detailed color patterns on a white base. They’ve created porcelain for Queen Victoria, Emperor Maximilian of Mexico, and other historic heads of state. Herend, produced in a town of the same name near Lake Balaton, is also exported (including to the US). In Budapest, the main shop—with the best selection—is in central Pest, just off Vörösmarty tér (go around the right side of Gerbeaud café, József Nádor tér 11, www.herend.com). There are also locations at Castle Hill (in front of the Matthias Church, Szentháromság utca 5), on Váci utca (at #19-21), on Andrássy út (at #16), and in various shopping malls (including WestEnd City Center and Mammut).
Zsolnay also produces tableware, but it’s better known for its decorative tiles, which adorn the facades and roofs of many major Budapest buildings. You can buy Zsolnay pieces at several shops in Budapest (see www.zsolnay.hu). For more about Zsolnay, see the sidebar on here in the chapter on the city of Pécs, where the porcelain originates.
For antique porcelain, check the several shops along Pest’s “antique row” (described later). However, don’t buy porcelain (or any glass) at the Great Market Hall, as it will include a significant mark-up.
Budapest has a range of modern, American-style shopping malls in the city center (most shops generally open Mon-Sat 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-18:00). The biggest and most convenient options include WestEnd City Center, next door to Nyugati/Western train station (Váci út 1-3, district VI, M3: Nyugati pu., tel. 1/374-6573, www.westend.hu); Mammut (“Mammoth”), two separate malls a few steps from Buda’s Széll Kálmán tér (Lövőház utca 2-6, district II, M2: Széll Kálmán tér, tel. 1/345-8020, www.mammut.hu); and Arena Plaza, near Keleti/Eastern train station (Kerepesi út 9, district XIV, M2: Keleti pu., tel. 1/880-7000, www.arenaplaza.hu).
Get into the nostalgic spirit of Budapest with a stroll down Falk Miksa utca, which extends from Kossuth tér (behind the Parliament) four blocks north to the Great Boulevard (near the end point of tram #2; also at Jászaí Mari tér stop for trams #4 and #6 around the Great Boulevard). Browse your way up and down this drag, with several hole-in-the-wall shops selling furniture, porcelain, and other antiques (most shops generally open Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-13:00 or 14:00, closed Sun). Look for signs that say antik or antikvitás. There’s also a fun vintage poster shop at #28. (The hulking building on the east side of the street is the Defense Ministry—sort of the “Hungarian Pentagon.”) At the far end of Falk Miksa utca are a pair of particularly interesting shops, both facing the Great Boulevard. On the left is BÁV, the state-run antique shop. On the right, look for Kieselbach Galéria, which specializes in top-notch modern and contemporary works by Hungarian artists.
The gigantic Ecseri Flea Market (sometimes called “Tangó”), on the outskirts of town, is an authentic, down-and-dirty scene where the fringes of society meet to swap goods (free entry, Mon-Fri 8:00-16:00, Sat 6:00-15:00, Sun 8:00-13:00, best on Sat-Sun, mostly under cover, entrance at Nagykörösi út 156, district XIX). The public transit connection is tricky (from Boráros tér, at the Pest end of the Petőfi Bridge, catch bus #54 or #55 and ride it for about 25 minutes, get off at Autópiac stop); it’s easier to take a taxi. This is prime pickpocket territory—keep an eye on your valuables.
For something smaller but much more central, drop by the Petőfi Csarnok (or “Pecsa,” PEH-chaw, for short) concert venue in City Park, which hosts a flea market on weekend mornings (cheap entry fee, Sat-Sun 8:00-14:00, www.bolhapiac.com).
For an easier-to-reach (and much smaller) flea-market experience in the city center, consider Bolhapalota (“Flea Palace”), a tourist-oriented consignment shop right on Ferenciek tere (at #5, www.bolhapalota.net).