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Christmas markets
Winter must be the most beautiful time around town as festive lights adorn the city, and during this season Budapest’s public spaces become joyful festivity grounds, with plenty of cinnamon-scented Christmas markets popping up citywide to offer a wealth of wintery produce. For a vast selection of classic gifts, head to Vörösmarty Square, which boasts a sprawling holiday bazaar offering everything from heritage handicrafts (like wood-carved toys or musical instruments) to knitted winter wear to tasteful Christmas treats, including szaloncukor (chocolate-covered candy with various fillings) and beigli (rolled sugary pastries filled with poppy seeds or walnuts). A short stroll away from here, we can reach many other festive fairs, like the one at the St. Stephen’s Basilica, or the Christmas Market under the heated arches of the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace; the latter is the perfect pick for those who are looking for upscale products. However, be warned – at this point in December, you will be far from the only last-minute shopper perusing the merry merchandise at these places.
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Design shops and pop-up stores
When it comes to Magyar-made Christmas gifts, Budapest is not only about traditional products – anyone who submerges in the city’s booming design scene will surely come across something exceptional to put under the Christmas tree. DrumDrum Design on Dob Street spices up any look with a pair of paprika-made earrings, just as much as their products elevate any home design with Zsolt Vidák’s snazzy Budapest portrayals. FIAN Koncept offers heaps of contemporary wares, including fashionable lunch pouches from Kivibag, funky house-number signs from TIPOMÁNIA, or 2016 design diaries from DOT for You. Stepping into Projekt Showroom’s Christmas Gift Shop on Andrássy Avenue is like a journey to a vibrant fairy-tale scene, and in this merry pop-up store the finely crafted merchandise makes us feel like that Christmas has already arrived. Additionally, several design fairs opened up citywide to offer one-of-a-kind items to locals and visitors to Budapest alike.
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Hungarian souvenir shops
A number of heritage Hungarian shops offer fascinating folk-art products to visitors, and while a lot of this merchandise can be kitschy, there are treasures to be discovered among the schlock. Whether you are looking for local lacework, colorful ceramics, or elaborately embroidered textiles adorned by regional designs, several specific souvenir shops can provide real treasures – tucked away along busy Rákóczi Road, the Folk Art Shop boasts a wealth of handmade Hungarian goods, like traditional ceramic Christmas baubles, fine fabrics embellished with the Magyar Matyó design, hand-painted wooden accessories, and many other handicrafts. Meanwhile, Váci Street – the city’s acclaimed shopping lane – is lined by numerous souvenir shops... but these outlets for keepsakes are quite well known for their extortionate rates. For more moderate prices, visit the Great Market Hall, where the upper walkways are filled with stalls featuring mountains of Magyar-made mementos.
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Specialty food shops
To pick up tasteful Hungarian treats for the epicures in your life, head to the local delicacy stores tucked away around town that proffer savory sausages, slim bottles of fiery pálinka, deluxe boxes of tender goose-liver paté, and much more. For those who are after good libations, a rich collection of reds, whites, and rosés are on offer at Bortársaság, a local chain of wine stores filled with fine Hungarian and international drinks, including a sprawling assortment of wines, sparkling champagnes, and a limited selection of high-spirited treats. The recently opened Corso Gourmet on in downtown Budapest is a tasteful haven for mouthwatering Magyar delicacies, like the famous mold-coated (“winter salami”), bags of crimson paprika products, or a range of locally made tipples. Those who are about to fly out of Hungary can quickly grab any number of local delicacies before takeoff at the ’s Hungaricum store, but naturally, the prices in the terminal are often sky-high.
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Antique shops
Since the fall of communism in Hungary in 1989, basically any gems from the regime-ruled era became significant relics to possess, and plenty of collectors amass these mementos, while many thematic-shops popped up citywide to sell these antiquated products to the next generations and to Budapest visitors. Just a short stroll away from Blaha Square, Antik-Bazár is a colorful jumble featuring masses of knickknacks, from star-shaped medals of dedicated workers to discontinued currency to propaganda posters. Meanwhile on Pozsonyi Avenue in District XIII is filled with old-fashioned furniture, along with heaps of household items, like hand-embroidered wall-decoration textiles that are reminiscent of the Hungarian countryside, and miniature statuettes of dancing figures. Colorbar on Magyar Street is a charming outlet with a retro vibe, storing a wealth of refurbished secondhand heirlooms, with most of the products being leftovers from communist times, such as the nostalgic plastic chandeliers; now some selected items are offered with a 20-50% discount before the shop moves to a new locale.
