Must-see shopping in Budapest

  • Smoked sausage meat hanging at food stall at Nagycsarnok Market.

    Nagycsarnok

    Budapest

    Completed in 1897, this is Budapest's biggest market, though it has become a tourist magnet since its renovation for the millecentenary celebrations in…

  • Ecseri Piac

    Budapest

    One of the biggest flea markets in Central Europe, Ecseri sells everything from antique jewellery and Soviet army watches to Fred Astaire–style top hats.

  • Cadeau

    Budapest

    ‘Death by chocolate’ has arrived in Budapest by way of Gyula, a city in Hungary’s southeast where the delectable handmade filled bonbons sold here are…

  • Bestsellers

    Budapest

    Still top of the pops for English-language bookshops in Budapest, with fiction, travel guides and lots of Hungarica, as well as a large selection of…

  • Bomo Art

    Budapest

    This tiny shop just off Váci utca sells some of the finest locally made paper and paper goods in Budapest, including leather-bound notebooks, photo albums…

  • Mézes Kuckó

    Budapest

    This hole-in-the-wall shop is the place to go if you have the urge for something sweet; its nut-and-honey cookies (280Ft per 100g) are to die for. A…

  • Madison Perfumery

    Budapest

    There are three reasons why you should visit this shop: (1) it is Budapest's finest perfumery and even does a Tokaji Aszú scent; (2) it is housed in an…

  • Holló Műhely

    Budapest

    Off the northern end of Váci utca, this atelier-shop has attractive folk art with a modern look and remains a favourite place to shop for gifts. Lovely…

  • Moró Antik

    Budapest

    A considerable collection of antique swords and pistols, as well as porcelain, paintings and other items from China, Japan and other parts of Asia…

  • Magyar Pálinka Háza

    Budapest

    This large shop stocks hundreds of varieties of pálinka (fruit brandy). Szicsek and Prekop are premium brands. Pálinka-filled chocolates make for an…

  • Rózsavölgyi és Társa

    Budapest

    Housed in Béla Latja’s Rózsavölgyi House, a wonderful example of early modernist architecture, this is a great choice for CDs and DVDs of traditional folk…

  • Chocofacture

    Budapest

    Some people say the chocolate this small shop makes and sells is the best in town. Handmade chocolate bonbons are filled with a selection of fresh…

  • Valeria Fazekas

    Budapest

    Are they hats or is it art? We’ll say both. The limited headgear at this small gem of a boutique, which comes in a wide range of colours and fabrics, is…

  • Prezent

    Budapest

    This shop specialising in 'sustainable Hungarian design' sells fashion and accessories as well as natural cosmetics. Earnest and admirable and very high…

  • LoveBug Vintage

    Castle District

    Tucked inside a private ground-floor flat, LoveBug Vintage is a treasure trove of clothing, jewellery and accessories. Sprawling over three rooms, this…

  • Rákóczi tér Market

    Budapest

    Rákóczi tér has been home to this handsome blue-and-yellow market hall since 1897. Renovated in the early 1990s after a fire, the market contains all the…

  • YLKA Design Studio

    Budapest

    Home to a half-dozen young local designers, YLKA Design Studio is a workshop and a showroom. Its eclectic collection includes fashion, leather goods as…

  • Palmetta Design

    Budapest

    Although Palmetta Design has its home in the town of Szentendre, this small boutique in Budapest’s XI District is worth a visit as it showcases a range of…

  • Rózsavölgyi Csokoládé

    Budapest

    Tiny, low-lit boutique selling delicious and artfully packaged, award-winning bean-to-bar chocolate made in nearby Budafok. The range of handmade…

  • Omorovicza

    Budapest

    This Hungarian luxury skincare company uses the minerals and benefits of Budapest's famous thermal waters. Products on sale at their flagship store…

  • Rododendron

    Budapest

    This delightful shop presents the work of numerous local designers, with everything from jewellery and cuddly toys to handbags and a range of beautiful…

  • Vass Shoes

    Budapest

    A traditional shoemaker that stocks ready-to-wear shoes and cobbles to order, Vass has a reputation that goes back to 1896; some people travel to Hungary…

  • Kamorka

    Budapest

    Kamorka is a local Hungarian clothing designer that uses natural and organic materials for its playful and comfortable handcrafted and hand-knitted…

  • Magma

    Budapest

    This showroom in the heart of the Inner Town focuses on Hungarian design and designers exclusively, with everything from glassware, porcelain and toys to…

  • Liszt Ferenc Zeneműbolt

    Budapest

    The Ferenc Liszt Music Shop, stocked with mostly classical CDs as well as sheet music and books of local interest, shares space with a branch of the Libra…

  • Kamchatka Design

    Budapest

    Stylish, casual womenswear, locally designed and made by Márta Schulteisz. Some lovely accessories, too.

  • Romani Design

    Castle District

    Romani Design offers unique, handmade designs inspired by Roma traditions. Sisters Erika and Heléna Varga are on a mission to popularise Roma culture and…

  • Balogh Kesztyű Üzlet

    Budapest

    If he can have a pair of bespoke shoes from Vass or Rozsnyai Shoes, why can’t she have a pair of custom-made gloves lined with cashmere? You’ll find them…

  • Culinaris Parliament

    Budapest

    What was once both a gourmet food shop and a cafe has scaled back to being just the former and is bigger and better than ever for that. Here you'll find…

  • Cartographia

    Budapest

    This outlet of the national map-making company stocks its full range of maps, including the useful Budapest City Map at a scale of 1:16,000 (990Ft) and…

  • BÁV

    Budapest

    This chain of pawn and second-hand shops, with a number of branches around town, is a fun place to browse for trinkets and treasures, especially if you…

  • Herend

    Castle District

    For both contemporary and traditional fine porcelain, there is no other place to go but Herend, Hungary’s answer to Wedgwood. Among the most popular…

  • Le Parfum

    Budapest

    Hungary’s only parfumier, Zsolt Zólyomi, creates scents at his atelier-shop, as well as selling cutting-edge, animal-friendly perfumes from around the…

  • Originart Galéria

    Budapest

    Hungarian handicrafts guaranteed to put a smile on your face, from brightly painted ceramic figures to jewellery boxes, mugs and acrylic paintings. All…

  • Hecserli

    Budapest

    A world of Hungarian cuisine awaits in Hecserli, where helpful staff wax lyrical about the freshly pressed, potted, homemade and home-grown products. Ham,…

  • Pintér Galéria

    Budapest

    With a positively enormous antique showroom (some 2000 sq metres) in a series of cellars near the Parliament building, Pintér has everything – from…

  • Központi Antikvárium

    Budapest

    For old maps and antique and second-hand books in Hungarian, German and English, try the ‘Central Antiquarian Bookshop’. Established in 1891, it is the…

  • Bortársaság

    Castle District

    Once known as the Budapest Wine Society, this place has a dozen or so retail outlets in the capital with an exceptional selection of Hungarian wines. No…

  • Paloma

    Budapest

    Combining fashion and art, Paloma showcases the work of a couple of dozen up-and-coming Hungarian designers, as well as staging contemporary art…

  • wonderLAB

    Budapest

    Hip and very wearable fashion by a collection of up-and-coming Hungarian designers who are sometimes on hand to discuss their work. Interesting items,…

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