15 Must Buy Hungarian Things in Budapest
1. Porcelain
Beautiful coffee cups, soup tureens, plates and bowls are decorated with patterns of leaves, birds and flowers. Herend also makes beautiful porcelain figurines-- delicate, hand painted figures of carnival workers, horses and traditional soldiers. Herend porcelain is not inexpensive, running anywhere from between $75-$300, but it is well worth the price. There are a lot of imitation Herend products sold in Budapest, so you’ll want to be careful about where you buy it. The best place to purchase Herend porcelain is from one of the company’s show rooms around the city, such as the Herend Porcelain store. Their employees speak quite good English.
Address: Szentharomsag utca 5, Budapest, Hungary.
Opening Hours: Every day from 10 am - 6pm
2. Ajka Crystal
The factory’s unique process insures that no two pieces of Ajka crystal are ever exactly alike. No wonder the company boasts that as you hold a piece of Ajka crystal “not only are you touching a masterpiece, but also the heart of the master.” If you can’t make it out into the country side to visit the factory, the company has a number of beautiful show rooms around Budapest. They have locations at 10 Kossuth Utca and 7 Jozsef Attila Street, both of which are easily accessible. Their store is especially lovely and has a wonderful selection of Ajka products available.
Address: Szent Istvan Korter 18, Budapest, Hungary.
Opening Hours: Monday - Friday from 9am-5pm.
3. Painted Eggs
Some of them are sold as ornaments -either for Easter or Christmas- and some are sold in egg cartons, giving the buyer the freedom to use them as he or she desires. Some Hungarians hang them on pussy willow branches, making them an ornament that is appropriate all year round. The eggs are sold in almost every store on Vaci Street, as well as in the wonderful craft market on the Castle Hill.
The market is open every day of the week, although individual stalls have their own opening and closing hours, which are not always consistent. You’ll be able to buy them anywhere there though, so make sure you browse all the stalls and look at all the different designs, before making a choice!
4. Traditional Hungarian Shirts
Women’s clothing tends to consist of flared skirts with petticoats, and blouses with puffed sleeves. Men’s costumes tend to be long sleeved and complimented with a vest or a sash. Boots and embroidered shoes are also a staple of their traditional dress. Folk shirts are usually white and hand embroidered with colorful designs. Sometimes ribbons are used to decorate the collar or cuffs.
Vaci utca is home to a host of shops that sell these wonderful souvenirs.
5. Traditional Dolls
You can buy small, six inch dolls to set on a dressing table or full sized dolls to display. The smallest dolls cost around $6.50, medium sized ones around $35 and the beautiful, large dolls can cost upwards of $150. The Handicraft & Gift Shop is a treasure trove of dolls, embroidery, and traditional Hungarian crafts. The staff speak English and the prices are quite reasonable.
Address: Vaci utca 32, Budapest, Hungary.
Opening Hours: Every day of the week from 9:00am-8:00pm.
6. Tokaji Wine
Produced only in North Eastern Hungary, Tokaji wine comes in a variety of different tastes including dry, Szamorodni, Aszu, Eszencia, Fordiatas and Maslas. Its light color and fantastic taste, coupled with the slender, elegant bottles it comes in, make Tokaji a beautiful and delicious gift. Wine in Budapest is very cheap and prices for Tokaji range from $7-$25.
7. Tablecloths
Blue thread is used to hand embroider white cloths with delicate designs that evoke a traditional elegance, similar to patterns on china tea cups. For a more colorful look, consider the bright red and green floral patterns that are embroidered onto white and black cloths. Lace making is another craft Hungarians are well known for and some cloths are hemmed with beautiful hand made lace as well.
The cost of table cloths varies widely based on the size and the quality of the embroidery. You can buy small, end table sized, clothes for around $50 but full sized clothes will probably be several hundred dollars. You’ll find these in stalls at the Nagy Csarnok (The Great Market Hall) at Fovam Ter. The selection is vast, so make sure you shop around before making a decision.
Address: Vámház krt. 1-3, 1093, Budapest, Hungary.
Phone:+36 1 366 3300
Opening Hours:
Monday from 6 am - 5 pm,
Tuesday - Friday from 6 am - 6 pm
Saturday from 6 am - 3 pm
8. The Hungarian Secret Box
There are a number of aesthetic choices to make when purchasing this gift: the boxes come in many different sizes -from tiny ring sized boxes to full sized jewelry boxes- some are painted and some retain the original look of the wood they are carved from. Many vendors will also offer to engrave a name and date on the box as well- often at no additional cost. The cost of the boxes runs from $10-$20 and they are widely available throughout the city. They are on sale at many of the stands in the Nagy Csarnok (The Great Market Hall) which is located on the Danube at Fovam Ter. This beautiful market was designed in 1896.
Address: Vámház krt. 1-3, 1093, Budapest, Hungary.
Phone:+36 1 366 3300
9. Palinka
The most common form of Palinka is distilled from plums, but other fruits such as apricot, pear, peach, apple and cherry are also used. The fruit is mashed up and then the fermentation process is begun. Finally, the Palinka is distilled using either a pot still or a column still. A nice gift set, containing different flavors of this traditional treat, will cost you around $25, although individual bottles will cost between $15-$20.
10. Leather Shoes
Only high quality leather is used and then cut, shaped and patterned by hand. Using wooden pegs, nails and hammers the upper part of the shoe is stretched apart and sewed on last. Vass’ techniques are so fascinating that he and his partners have written a book about their craft, “Handmade Shoes For Men,” which has been translated into over eight languages. Vass’ most famous shoe, The Budapest Shoe, is famous for its comfort, durability and easy elegance.
Pricing for these shoes range from several hundred dollars for the cheaper models to a thousand dollars for the more expensive, custom made shoes. In Laszlo Vass’ shop you’ll be able to either order an already crafted shoe, or request a custom made one.
Address: Haris köz 6, Budapest, Hungary.
Phone: +36-1 780-7418
Opening Hours:
Monday - Friday 10 am - 6 pm
Saturday 10 am - 4 pm
11. Rubik’s Cube
Today, it is the world’s best selling toy with over 350 million cubes sold worldwide. This six sided cube has a different color on every side and a pivoting mechanism which allows each side to turn independent of the others. With over 43 quintillion possible permutations, solving this puzzle and lining up all the colors will keep even the most seasoned puzzle solver occupied.
You can buy Rubik’s cube at any number of toy stores around the city, a number of which are located in the large West End Shopping Center. The shopping center houses many different toy stores. On the ground floor, Bambini Jatek (“Children’s Toys”) is well worth visiting if you are traveling with young children, or are a child at heart yourself.
Address: Váci út 1-3, 1069, Budapest, Hungary.
West End Shopping Center:
Address: Váci út 1-3, Budapest, Hungary.
12. Paintings of the Danube
Browsing through the many different depictions of the river, you’ll find paintings, pastel drawings and black and white sketches. For an image that captures the color, the excitement and the energy of the city, try a beautiful water color painting. Or for a taste of an older, more elegant Budapest, search for a charcoal drawing. Pricing varies greatly with the scale of the pictures- smaller pictures will be around $10, while larger images will fall in the $30-$50 price range.
Address: Vaci utca 67, Budapest, Hungary.
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday from 10:00am-6:00pm.
13. Unicum
Watch a twenty minute film in English, explore the centuries of history on display and end up in a turn of the century tasting room to try some Unicum for yourself. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll need to stop at the gift shop to buy some of your own. Prices range from $5 for a tiny flask to $115 for a giant bottle, with more moderate options falling between these extremes.
Address: Dandár utca 1, Budapest, Hungary.
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday from 10am-5pm.
14. Paprika
Most shops will sell a package of three cloth bags, containing sweet, spicy and very spicy types of paprika. Small wooden serving spoons are also usually included. Pricing will be between $6-$14, depending on the size of the bags and whether or not you want the wooden serving spoons included. Best place to buy paprika of all shapes and sizes is the Central Market Hall.
Address: Vámház krt. 1-3, Budapest, Hungary.
15. Kurtos Kalacs
When you buy these delicious treats from a street vendor, you’ll probably be able to see the vendor’s special oven turning the freshly baked cakes over the heat. Bakers take ribbons of thin dough, wind them around wooden cylinders and then bake them over an open fire. Afterwards, the baked cakes are sprinkled with caramelized sugar and other flavorings like vanilla, chocolate, coconut and cinnamon. And, as if that weren’t enough, the desert is often then topped off with almonds or walnuts.
Kurtos Kalacs are especially popular around Christmas time when you can purchase them hot in the Christmas markets. At any time of year, however, they are a delicious and inexpensive gift to bring back with you from Budapest. The cakes will cost around $2-4 a piece, depending on where you purchase them. We guarantee you won’t be able to resist entering Molnar's Kurtoskalacs store when you smell the baking Kalacs.
Address: Vaci utca 31, Budapest, Hungary.
Opening Hours:
Daily 9 am till 8 pm.
Other Interesting Souvenirs from Hungary
If traveling to Hungary is not on your immediate agenda, or you simply can't afford an extra space in your luggage, fortunately, these days, you can find a wide selection of authentic and truly interesting Hungarian souvenirs online. Presented here are some of the Hungarian products sought by foreign visitors, now available online for your convenience.
2. Hungarian Cookbooks - If you're a foodie and want to learn about salami, goulash, and other specialties of Hungarian cuisine in detail, plus to explore Hungarian viticulture, acquainting yourself with Tokaj, the king of Hungarian wines, or to dig deep into the “fiery” history of Hungarian passion for pepper, then you will definitely want to read some of the authentic Hungarian cookbooks replete with the wealth of such information. Hungary is the country where the Orient and the Occident melted centuries ago, creating a variety of recipes that have inspired international gourmets ever since, wax enthusiastic about the wonders of Hungarian cooking.
3. Hungarian music - Hungarian folk and classical music inspired by richness of the country's musical tradition, created by both Hungarian (Ferencz Liszt) and foreign composers (Johannes Brahms), featuring the world-famous “csárdás” and other catchy tunes.
4. Hand Painted Hungarian Wooden Items - Wooden spoons, jewelry boxes and other decorative pieces lovingly hand painted by Hungarian artisans, reflecting the country's rich artistic tradition. A truly lovely gift from Hungary for the dear ones or, perhaps, some very special Hungarian in your life.
Walking Tours in Budapest, Hungary
Create Your Own Walk in Budapest
Jewish Quarter Walking Tour
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.2 Km or 0.7 Miles
Pest Introduction Walking Tour
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.3 Km or 2.7 Miles
Andrassy Avenue Walking Tour
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.8 Km or 1.7 Miles