Budapest info - Shopping in Budapest

Shopping in Budapest

Nowadays Budapest is becoming known to visitors as much for being a mecca for shoppers. Nowadays there are two trends discernable amongst retailers in Budapest: "big is beautiful" and "small is beautiful." Which is to say that there are now a host of huge shopping malls which have revolutionized people's approach to shopping. The biggest, and from an architectural point of view perhaps the most interesting, is the West End City Centre ( www.westend.hu) situated between Nyugati tér and Lehel tér in Pest. But perhaps surprisingly, the number of smaller outlets offering "luxury" goods and services has also mushroomed. There are now, for example, places where one can buy antique style building materials, where one can have pictures framed, or buy fine cheeses, pipes and tobacco, books from the time of Newton, bakelite records, Wagner manuscripts and antique clocks

SIX MARKET HALLS

Central Market Hall (Nagyvásárcsarnok) (V. Vámház körút 1-3.) In olden times this most famous of market halls was connected to the River Danube by a tunnel so that goods could be directly offloaded from barges and taken inside to the stalls for sale. Upstairs is a stunning - although sometimes pricey - range of folk art inspired goods. Click here to see the short video of Central Market Hall!

Hold utca Market (V. Hold utca 13.) Like a jewel in the centre of Pest, quite close to the Parliament.

Rákóczi tér Market (VIII. Rákóczi tér 7-9.) More representative of everyday Budapest, rarely frequented by tourists.

Hunyadi tér Market (VI. Hunyadi tér) Dating from 1897, this is the only one that has not been renovated since the political changes in 1990. There is a good delicatessen.

Klauzál tér Market (VII. Klauzál tér) In the centre of the old Jewish Quarter.

Batthyány tér Market (I. Batthyány tér 5.) This, the only one in Buda, was lovingly restored in 2003. Upstairs are shops, a nice café and a fantastic view over one of the city's finest squares and across the River Danube towards the Parliament.