Central Pest – Local tips (art & culture)

The name is playful, it’s the first row of a children’s rhyme. Less childish is the character of the place: the restaurant, the cafe and the basement parties attract guests over 25 according to my experience.

A weekday afternoon can be pretty deserted, ideal for a chill-out lunch in the sun under the glass roof of the winter garden, I’d suggest the daily menu. When the place fills up, the evening gets buzzing and the basements opens its doors to the party seekers by the time you’ve had your seventh after-lunch beer. Don’t forget, a responsible afternoon drinker consumes non-alcoholic beverages and takes some snacks too. Everything at your disposal, this is the ideal half-day program. And it started as a simple lunch!

Free wifi is available for those “I have to show you this video on Youtube” moments, you know what I’m talking about. Neo-nomads are also welcome. Literature and music lovers will enjoy the discussions and live concerts.

I’ve no idea if it has any purpose but the 50-meter-high chimney in the backyard is very cool especially here in the heart of the VIII. district. It’ll watch every step you take.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Apacuka | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Restaurants | Soproni beer HUF 420
Horánszky utca 5 | Central Pest | +36209382677
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 02:00, Sat – Sun 17:00 – 02:00

Stuff, lots of stuff. On the walls, on the lamps, on the doors. This is the first thing you notice and the collection of Babos Zsili Bertalan grabs your attention for at least a half an hour. Funny reinventions of Barbie dolls, toys, signs, a bike or a lifebuoy stare at you all over the place. Even the menu is a bit special, blackboards are used in many bars but this one is simply enormous. Click for photos.

They have a wise choice of location: off Múzeum körút, just 50 meters away from one of the biggest university campuses in Budapest – the place is packed day and night. The chaos on the walls, the eclectic variety of furniture create a mellow atmosphere but Csendes is not really quiet as the name would suggest. Live music and live acts entertain the guests who, according to the owners’ plans can easily get to know each other and spend quality time together in the ‘living space’ as the place defines itself.

The days of the week are scheduled for various programs: Mondays for films and photos, Tuesdays for old Hungarian music, Wednesdays live music, Thursdays dj-s vs. instruments, Fridays Balkan music, Saturdays apéro i.e. warm-up with aperitifs for the night and finally Sundays literature or theatre.

Relax a bit in Károlyi Kert around the corner before coming inside to join the company.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Csendes Létterem | Art & culture, Bars, Music | Soproni beer HUF 380
Ferenczy István utca 5 | Central Pest | +36307588935
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 00:00, Sat 10:00 – 00:00, Sun 14:00 – 00:00

Antique shops and galleries of all size and content with treasures of various styles and age (and price tag) – paintings, furniture, jewellery, textiles, ceramics and glass, folk art… all that is the world of Falk Miksa street and its surroundings.

There are more than 50 shops and galleries in the street itself or in the neighbouring streets that will take you to another world, regardless whether you are a serious collector, just window shopping or looking for that little something to take home.

Twice a year there is an open air event taking place in the street, a Falk Art Forum – an antique and contemporary art festival. Galleries and the street itself open their doors to concerts and different programs.

Elite design on No. 14 and Antik Zsolnay on No. 28 offer some art nouveau Zsolnay ceramics and some designed by János Török and other Hungarian designers for Zsolnay in the 1960s and 70s. In Montparnasse on No. 17 you can check some great art deco furniture, in Wladis Gallery on No. 13 contemporary silver jewellery, in Anna Antikvitás on No. 18 the antique embroidery, in Virág Judit Galéria on No. 30 the Hungarian paintings of the 19th and 20th century… Just have a walk and see where it leads you.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Falk Miksa street | Art & culture, Shopping
Falk Miksa u. | Central Pest
Generally Mon – Fri 10:00 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 – 13:00 (14:00)

Ok this place has quite a strange name as you heard. I guess it even sounds quite strange in Hungarian.

What is important is the fact that this is the heart of the city. Here you can really meet all or almost all of the younger Hungarians. It is just next to the underground junction where the three lines are crossing each other. It is really downtown so if you want you can visit it after a long afternoon walk on the beaten path between the Parliament and the Dohany utca Main Synagogue.

Most of their programs are for free so you do not have to bother yourself with thinking about high entry prices, but the drinks (even the soft ones) are really expensive. That is the reason why many people decide to stay at the top of the place next to the lake and just drink the bottle of wine or can of beer they just bought at the nearby supermarket. On Friday and the week

end days be prepared that the place will be crowded.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Gödör | Art & culture, Bars, Music
Erzsébet tér | Central Pest
10:00 – 06:00 daily

If you take a look at the homepage of the OSA Archives, you will find the descriptions of various collections and ongoing exhibitions. From the organizing of the Verzio Human Rights Film Festival to the film club of the Budapest Gay Pride the OSA is engaged with various civil activities.

The house belonged to the Goldberger family and finally got to its present shape in 1909. The family owned a textile-factory in Óbuda. They wanted to have a representative central office downtown. After different turning points in history (German invasion, the Holocaust after that the socialist nationalization of the whole company) when the building was even empty for years the Archive chose it to be its center building.

Luckily it has a cafeteria as well, but it became a spot of the foreign professors and tourists much more than locals. In case you are still interested give them a try. The sandwiches are definitely not the main attractions of the house, rather check out the temporary exhibitions.

If you stay for a longer term in Hungary, apply for a researcher card which is absolutely free and a helpful English speaking staff can guide you through the visual and written materials of Hungarian history.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Goldberger OSA Archives | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Festivals & events | Free
Arany János utca 32. | Central Pest | +3613273250
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 17:45

Hold means Moon, so it is already worth visiting. But not a lot of people are aware of the fact that there is a market quite hidden from the tourists’ eyes here.

You can find the delicious goods of the countryside (milk, cheese not the superficial ones in the stores) and fresh vegetables and fruits. It is also possible to have a dinner here if you like traditional Hungarian cuisine with a lot of fat.

Do not forget to open your eyes to the beauty of the building it has the exactly same style as the “Nyugati palyaudvar” (Western Railway Station) just in green. Some of the tourists are even posing the question if it is a railway station as well, but the size of it can guide you to the right answer.

The milk and cheese seller at the back on the left (if you enter from Hold utca) is really nice. They always have fresh yoghurt in different flavours.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Hold utca | Art & culture, Shopping
Hold utca 13 | Central Pest
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 – 13:00

There is a very special little gallery in the Pest’s 5th district, in a quiet Vitkovics street, by the name of atelier Holló. You will find it in the beautiful neoclassical house from app. 1800 with a “Zopf” style front, typical only for central Europe. Not many of those are left in Budapest and this may as well be the last one.

Studio has a lovely shop selling hand painted and hand carved wooden furniture and other crafts. Everywhere you look you will see colourful flowers and birds covering the chairs, hope chests, jewellery boxes, candle-holders, mirrors and other decoration. The lively motives have their roots in the rich Hungarian folk art and yet they are unlike any other.

László Holló is the owner and craftsman behind the studio that builds on the rich family tradition dating back to 1929. Feel free to ask him anything, he is fun to talk to. He can also customise any of the products for you. The place is my favourite for buying presents or just stopping by to see what’s there and enjoy the atmosphere.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Holló Műhely | Art & culture, Shopping
Vitkovics Mihály u. 12. | Central Pest | +3612669410
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 13:00 & 13:30 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 – 13:00 & 13:30 – 14:00

Gang is a German loanword in Hungarian meaning the open corridor that can be found in most of the houses in downtown Budapest. The typical „gang house” was built from the second half of the 19th century to the 1920s-30s and originally served as an apartment building with big flats.

Communist times turned the few big apartments into several smaller ones sometimes resulting in flats without toilets. So people had to visit the common WC at the end of the corridor. These times are (almost) over, what’s left are the flats with their entrance door opening to the inner courtyards.

Some communities care more about these interesting yards, they have removed the clinkers to reveal the soil and plant flowers, lay it down with grass, even create a little kitchen-garden for the residents. But even if the tenants neglect the state of the premises, there is a type of tree that grows tall even in the crack of the wall and could be the symbol of urban survival: sumac.

Walk around in downtown, even further to the outskirts and carefully walk in if you see an open door. I promise, you’ll find real gems inside.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Inner courtyards | Art & culture | Free
Central Pest | Central Pest
24/7

Hungarians like food. They also like tales of food. Kőleves or StoneSoup Restobar takes its name after an old folk tale that explains the art of making a soup out of a bare stone. The place is as interesting as its name with a playful and imaginative decor that, as the story of the stone soup, creates something from nothing (lamps out of cheese graters, for example…). It is located in the middle of the 7th district, the historical Jewish quarter where every house could tell a story.

As far as the food goes some of my favourite are Matzo Flodni (Jewish Matzo cake layered with walnuts, apple and poppy seeds), Sólet (Jewish baked beans with smoked goose meat and boiled egg) on Fridays and Saturdays, Túrógombóc (cottage cheese dumplings with sour cream, honey and cinnamon) or simply cold fruit soup. You can get daily menu for 900 HUF. Locals of all ages love to either just drop by and pretend to work hard on their laptops or meet friends or watch the weary explorers of Budapest finding their way to the bar as well.

The place gets to be busy in the evenings so it might be a good idea to make a reservation. Every Tuesday at 21:00 there is a Jazz concert (entrance fee 900 HUF) and you can check their website for more info on the events. Once you are there check the walls as well, local artists regularly exhibit there.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Kőleves | Art & culture, Bars, Festivals & events, Restaurants (Jewish) | Main from HUF 1500
Kazinczy u. 35 | Central Pest | +3613221011
12:00 – 00:00 daily

This small shop which is inside the Klauzal ter market is the best chance to get some “semi-antique” staff for a moderate price in the area.

With semi-antique” I mean nothing older than 1940. Obviously if you are lucky you can find some older stuff here but you have to know that almost all of the things are submitted here by local pensioners who are struggling with financial problems or homeless people who found this stuff in the trash bins. But everything is safe, nice and clean you do not have to be afraid.

It is a good spot for people interested in porcelain tea pots and cups from the 50s or to get some old school socialist memorabilia for some hundred forints.

You have to know that the staff is not really familiar with English but they will try to help you if you point on any of the objects in the shop.

Saturday early afternoon can be a good time for a visit.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Market antique store | Art & culture, Shopping
Klauzal ter market | Central Pest
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 16:00, Sat 10:00 – 13:00

This store is half way on being a tourist attraction but just to pop in for a while can be fun.

The prices are quite high: do not expect to find the treasures of the past fifty years here for some hundred forints. Instead of that you can get an idea about what you can find on the flea markets held usually during the weekends.

Mr. Maj himself can be quite interesting also. He usually sits in his armchair the whole day long, sometimes occupied by phone calls so long that if you want to pay, he just writes down the price on a piece of paper. If you like it, just borrow his pen and put a tick next to the price or cross it and write a new one under it. But do not forget: he is not really flexible. Ten percent less does not exist at all.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Mr. Maj | Art & culture, Shopping
Klauzál utca 1 | Central Pest
Opening times changing all the time

P60 is an art gallery specializing in experimental art – including but not limited to Avantgarde, Dada, and especially the Fluxus movement and Mail Art. It’s the exhibition and performance venue of the Artpool Art Research Center, one of the world’s biggest collections of this type of material.

The gallery doesn’t have a permanent exhibition, so if you’re planning to visit, you should check the center’s website to see if there’s anything going on at the time.

There’s not much to say about this kind of art on a blog like this – you’re either interested in it, or you’re not and no amount of galleries is likely to change your mind. But if you are interested in it, then this is a place you want to see while in Budapest; and if you don’t know much about experimental art, you have nothing to lose: check online if there’s an exhibition, then come and see if you like it – entrance is always free.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
P60 | Art & culture | Free
VI. Paulay Ede utca 60 | Central Pest | +3612680114
See the website for opening times

Once upon a time there was a building of public ownership. Some people thought a public space should be filled with public and arts and alcohol – thus Sirály was born. Located in the Jewish district the place has roots in the Jewish culture mostly represented by the cultural programmes.

Every year Sirály goes on a summer holiday and reopens in September with new colours and prices. Bulk beer got cheaper this September:)

Sirály has much more than you see at first sight. When you step inside, you find yourself in a cafe that turns into a pub every night. Newspapers, sandwiches, cakes and pastries strengthen the cafe side, the rows of alcohol on the wall tell you what to expect for the nights.

The stairs to the first floor lead to another space full of chairs and tables often used for discussions and presentations. Non-smokers should grab a chair here. Downstairs, in the typical fusty basement of a down town building art and culture have found their home. Click for photos.

Theatre, performances and concerts fill the old basement with new energy.

If you visit Sirály as frequently as I do you’ll notice the same face every time – pretty stable clientele. Use the space as your own, you might find yourself among them.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Sirály | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Theaters | Soproni beer HUF 380
Király u. 50 | Central Pest
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 00:00

The beauty of this building amazes me every time I step in. There is the smell of wisdom in the air – heaps and heaps of books. A lifetime would be too short to read all of the 3.541.972 documents. Having accepted this fact I have already given up my plan to go from “A” to “Z” and I can choose randomly with an easy heart. Thank God I don’t have to read all Danielle Steel books!

The building is known as Wenckheim-palace, the capital has acquired it in 1927 to host the library. The renovation between 1998 and 2001 opened all the buildings of the palace to visitors. Szabó Ervin was one of the first directors of the library from 1911 who created a real public library open to all members of society. Apart from the Central Library there are 23 local libraries, one in each district.

Most of the visitors are students which brings back good old memories about studying and making up plans to pick up girls here as I always found that the library is somehow loaded with the prettiest ladies.

There are 15 reading rooms in the building where you can read but not borrow the books. Pay a special attention to the “bölcseleti” or arts reading room with all the old wooden furniture, the chandeliers, huge mirrors and golden carvings that add to the palace-feeling.

With a registration card or a daily ticket you can visit the library for free, you only have to pay if you want to borrow books.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Szabó Ervin Central Library | Art & culture, Coffee & tea | Free
Szabó Ervin square 1 | Central Pest | +3614115000
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 20:00, Sat 10:00 – 16:00

Pest’s 7th district is in my opinion one of the nicest, best-looking areas of the city. Formerly the Jewish district – and part of it the Jewish ghetto during World War 2 -, it has undergone many changes in the last half century, but still has lots of nice architecture, and probably the greatest density of synagogues in all of… I don’t know, probably Europe. Some of it is in excellent condition, other parts are sadly ran-down, but all of it is quite full of urban history and moofy little streets.

Now, if you like exploring quaint cities, you’ll probably wish to learn a bit more about the area than what’s in the guidebooks, and there’s a guy who can deliver just the information you want, and do it really well. Jeff Taylor of Paul Street Tours is an American expat who’s an academic expert on history, arts, architecture, and his specialty happens to be the historical period when much of Budapest reached the ‘classic’ look it still retains today. He also lived in this very district for quite a while, and can point out many interesting locations that you just won’t find in any book.

Jeff does appointment-only private walking tours of the 7th district (and other areas as well). I’ve been to his tour once, and even as a Pest resident of a decade and a half, I found it really engaging, understandable, full of interesting stuff I didn’t know, and wandering into areas (both physically and metaphorically) that another tour guide would have steered away from. You probably hate kitsch tourist trap bus tours with the same burning passion I do, but this really is something different.

Paul Street Tours don’t have a street office, you have to make reservations on phone or email (see the website).

Details about this spot (Show on map)
The historical Jewish district | Art & culture | Per hour for small groups HUF 25 Euros per hour for groups up to 3, 30 Euros per hour for larger, regardless of numbers
Deák Ference Square (starting point tour) | Central Pest | +36209335240
See the website to make a reservation

The Trafó (means: transformer) building used to be the electrical transformer station for south Pest, was built in 1909 but in 1998 it was put to cultural use as the first ex-industrial building occupying artistic centre.

This is the centre for all variety of contemporary dances in Hungary, but many foreigner groups are also invited. Trafó gives place for new-wave theatrical performances together with one or two concerts per month. Of course it’s a bit lottery to buy ticket for a show of an unknown group, but I remember to enjoy one of the best music competition and some unforgettable dance performances here.

Tickets’ availability before the show depends on the type of art (and performer) but I recommend you to buy the ticket one or two days before. Usually I buy a season ticket which is available in several varieties.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Trafó | Art & culture, Music, Theaters | Tickets from HUF 1000
Liliom utca 41. | Central Pest | +3612151600
Box office: Mon – Fri 14:00 – 20:00, Sat – Sun 17:00 – 20:00

It all started in the IX. district on 23rd June 2005 in an old, unused factory building that became a buzzing cultural centre. Much more enthusiasm than money unfortunately leads to investor interests being stronger than artists’ desires. After two seasons they had to move, but what a building they found!

Once serving as a part of the ‘Szimpla-empire’ called Szimpla Kiskert (also check the Szimpla Kert article) it is a former elementary school turned into a complex system of cultural art space. First time I came here was with a friend who actually went to this school: she showed me her former classroom, told me about her memories… must have be a weird feeling.

For artists it’s a place for creating: the building has lots of rooms for designers, painters, photographers, sculptors, actors, musicians, dancers etc. to use. And for the other, receiving part of creation, the public will have the opportunity to see, hear, touch and enjoy these cultural products.

Tűzraktér is also a civic centre, and basically open to all kinds of initiative. There’s a freeshop operating for those in need or in abundance of anything. If your bike is broken, bring it to Bike Kitchen Budapest any Tuesday or Thursday 6-9 p.m.

And the list of things to see is still so long!

For more pictures click here.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Tűzraktér | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Theaters
Hegedű utca 3. | Central Pest
18:00-05:00 daily

Két mackó (Two Teddy Bears) is a cute, small artisan toy shop, pleasantly hidden at Károlyi Gardens. It offers plenty of creative and interesting toys of all kinds of forms and colours, made of wood, textile, paper and clay. You will also find board and outdoor games, puppets, illustrations, decor and much more… and all that will either make you feel young at heart and try things out yourself or solve your gift shopping problems.

There are also many “building games” where you can mould your building material in a very simple way and create whatever you want. Those are, I believe, difficult to resist to, no matter what your age is. I also find the cardboard theatre interesting, accompanied by all kinds of puppets, big or small.

As you can see I have plenty of gift solutions for my niece that I can most happily end up playing with, whether she likes it or not Designs are by Hungarian designers and independent artists and all the toys seem environmentally friendly. No electronics and no plastics there either.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Two Teddy Bears | Art & culture, Shopping
Magyar utca 18 | Central Pest | +3612660928
Tue – Fri 10:00 – 18:00, Sat 10:00 – 14:00