8 AM
BROWSE THE GREAT MARKET HALL
Start early (if you’re a real early bird, you can
get there at 6am) with a visit to the famed
Great Market Hall, the first and biggest in the
city. Its neogothic architecture is a marvel
in itself, while inside you’ll find a host of
stalls over two levels, selling fresh food and
crafts, including wooden toys and lacework.
This is the place to get your Hungaricums:
typical Hungarian products such as Tokaji
wine, goose liver and strings of dried paprika.
budapestmarkethall.com
10 AM
STOP FOR CAKE
It’s an atmospheric 1 5-minute walk from the
Great Market Hall up lively Váci Street — with
its boutiques, souvenir shops and fountains
— to Vörösmarty Square. There are often stalls
here selling food and wine during festivals,
and performances of traditional dance on
temporary stages, but one permanent feature
is Gerbeaud, Hungary’s most famous cafe.
Take a table amid the walnut and marble
interior, or on the square outside, and enjoy
a coffee and a slice of Dobos torte, its sponge
layers sandwiched between chocolate butter
cream. gerbeaud.hu
11 AM
GO ANTIQUE HUNTING
The market halls are the places to buy fresh
Hungarian produce, but if you want something
a bit more unique, then Falk Miksa Street
should be your destination. Just north of
the Parliament Building, this road is full of
stores selling antiques and other collectables.
There are more than 40 shops, galleries and
auction houses in total, offering watches,
clocks, jewellery, fine art, furniture, antique
porcelain (keep a look out for pieces by Herend
and Zsolnay, the two classic Hungarian
manufacturers) and much more.1 PM
LUNCH AT THE BLIND CROW
Make the short hop to the Jewish District
for lunch at Vak Varjú. The restaurant takes
its name from a traditional, crunchy-edged
oven-baked flatbread; mysteriously, the words
translate as ‘blind crow’. This longstanding
restaurant remains as busy as ever, serving
contemporary takes on classic Hungarian
dishes in decent portions, alongside a range
of craft beers and local wines. It’s rarely quiet,
and has a colourful, quirky decor that makes
it an atmospheric spot in which to refuel.
vakvarju.comOpposite page:
Selection of traditional
dishes at Menza;
Antikvitas antique shop
on Falk Miksa Street,
which is filled with
galleries, antique stores
and auction housesAbove: Gerbeaud,
the most famous
cafe in Hungary, has
occupied its current
location since 1870Previous spread: A
couple look out from
Liberty Bridge, which
connects Buda and Pest
across the River Danube14 HOURS IN
Budapest