Whether you're a cinema buff or an architecture lover, Time Out's latest list is sure to inspire your next Budapest trip. The magazine has curated the 50 most stunning picture palaces and movie houses, 'celebrating them in all their architecturally eye-popping, Insta-friendly, just plain drop-dead-gorgeous variety' – as they write in their article.
And they did a thorough job, with their search spanning the globe – from London and Paris to Jaipur, New York, Sydney, and Copenhagen. Budapest snatched the 8th spot with the gorgeous Puskin Cinema – and here's why.
They do cinemas in style in Budapest, and they don't come much more stylish than this old-fashioned temple to the medium – once called Fórum Cinema – on the Pest side of the city. Its marble pillars, speak of a past that dates back to 1926, when its single screen could squeeze in 623 viewers. Since 2013, it's been split into five screens named after films spanning the Puskin's life: Metropolis, Amarcord, Annie Hall, Mephisto, and Hungarian drama Körhinta. Sitting in the biggest of them is a time machine, with marble pillars, wooden seats, and a gold-hued ceiling that glitters like Smaug's lair transporting you back to cinema's golden age. The movies on offer are a mix of undubbed arthouse and indie films from around the world, some mainstream releases, and regular family-friendly screenings - Time Out highlights.
With its prime downtown location, Puskin Cinema is not only super easy to get to but also absolutely worth a visit. Settle into a red velvet chair beneath a ceiling that oozes palace-like vibes and watch films in their original language. Right now, you can catch Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist, A Real Pain, or Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.
(Cover photo: Krisztián Bódis - Budapest Images)
