Image by Eszter Szilva

Because of the density of theatres, Nagymező street is called the “Broadway of Budapest” and nowadays it has also become one of the main party streets, but thanks to photographer Mai Manó who built his home and studio-house here at the end of the 18th century, it’s also a major venue for lovers of photography. With its rich and colorful decorations, this building always makes me stop for a moment when I walk around this area.

Mai Manó’s house functions from 1995 as a space dedicated to Hungarian photography. Besides the various exhibitions, Mai Manó, as it is regularly called, is unique because the impressive building itself which, with its wooden stairs and tiny corridors, is more like a palace than an ordinary museum. I am always surprised to see that the tight staircase eventually leads to the wonderfully spacious Daylight studio, the main attraction of the house. This room was used as a photography studio lit by the natural sunlight shining through the huge wooden panes of the windows. Besides enjoying sunlight and imagining how Mai Manó worked here, the studio is another perfect place for trolley gazing!

Mai Manó houses several rooms for separate exhibitions, a photography library and a joint gallery and bookstore as well where you’ll find a number of art albums, books and photo replicas. 

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Hungarian House of Photography | Art & culture, Shopping | Entrance adults HUF 1000
Nagymező utca 20. | Central Pest | +3614732666
Mon – Fri 14:00 – 19:00, Sat – Sun 11:00 – 19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Szilva Eszter

Facades of classic cinemas with their black letters and neon commercials always impress me. The entrance of Szikra Cool Tour House opposite Nyugati station is one of these spots. The name of this complex institution is a Hunglish word pun: kultúrház (yes, to be pronounced Cool Tour House) means cultural center especially since the early socialist era where different events were organized from official celebrations to concerts of local choirs. Szikra’s programs are just as diverse.

Built in the 1920s, Szikra functioned as a cinema until the end of the 1990s. Its main sensation is the roof of its theatre room which can be opened and closed thanks to a clever machinery. When I was there last time at a Pecha Kucha night, the audience gathering to listen to designers and architects was just as amazed by discovering the starry night above their heads as cinema goers of the 1920s could have been. There’s something magical about sitting in a traditional theatre and watching the sky framed by golden stuccos.

Szikra admittedly goes against Budapest’s famous ruin bar trend by evoking a cabaret milieu. The ornate and shiny decors and the posh bar go perfectly with the atmosphere of the theatre. The program ranges from mainstream to alternative, from jazz concerts to independent theatre performances or DJ sets. The building houses a bar and bistro which you can reach from the street from as early as 8 o’clock in the morning. The snacks and drinks keep you sated until the show begins.

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Szikra | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Music, Snacks, Theaters | Espresso HUF 250
Budapest, 1066, Teréz krt. 62. | Central Pest | +3619110911
Sun – Tue 10:00 – 02:00, Wed – Thu 10:00 – 04:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 06:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

It’s originally from Krakow, speaks English, offers interesting books and serves delicious coffee and tasty cookies in the heart of the Jewish district. Any guesses? Ok, I’ll help. Massolit, a café and English language bookstore from Poland, has recently opened its doors in Budapest as well, for the pleasure of expats, exchange and local university students, and basically everyone who speaks English.

For me, someone who graduated in English Literature, Media and Gender Studies, this place is a heaven of books as Massolit is specialised precisely in these areas (plus politics, history, Jewish Studies and other social studies) and offers great academic titles at reduced prices. Besides non-fiction, they have a selection of fiction as well. Reading requires coffee, of course, and here I get it from direct trade and in various seasonal blends.

The café and store is situated on a ground floor of an old building. The turquoise wooden windows, the black and white granite tiles, the palm tree and the big bookshelves embracing all these create an antique but still cozy interior. Behind you’ll find a terrace located in one of the nicest backyards of Budapest, especially friendly during the summer days when the garden is lush and green.

Similarly to the Krakow store, the Budapest branch also organizes concerts, readings and other social gatherings. In the back room you might bump into English courses as well.

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Massolit | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Shopping | Espresso HUF 300
Nagy Diófa utca 30. | Central Pest | +3617885292
Mon – Sat: 11:00 – 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

Design shop, gallery, café and silkscreen studio – you’ll find it all in place opposite the old synagogue in Jewish district’s Rumbach Sebestyén street.

Printa is a concept-store, that is, everything they offer is centered around a concept, here, eco-friendly design. Thus, the coffee they serve comes from direct trade and the items you can buy are designed by Hungarian designers who work with recycled or eco-friendly materials.

Besides the exquisite coffee beans, the trained baristas also guarantee that you get wonderful coffee here. As one of them said, we put sugar in our coffee only because the coffee is not of the best quality. However, if you have a sweet tooth, don’t be afraid, you’ll find sugar here.

Printa offers goodies from jewellery inspired by the beautiful matyó folk art embroidery to funny bags sewn from vintage leather jackets or silkscreen T-shirts with the names of iconic Budapest streets. If you want to make your own silkscreen print, register to the workshops!

The minimalistic but friendly interior contains two big tables and some seats at the counter, however, in a sunny weather you can take your seat outside in the huge windows. You might bump into exhibition openings and other social gatherings as well.

Printa is a great place to start a stroll in the Jewish district. What’s more, they have made their own, nicely designed map to downtown Pest. Delicious coffee and some cookies in your stomach, Printa’s map in your hands – you cannot get lost, only if you want to!

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Printa | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Shopping | Espresso HUF 300
Rumbach Sebestyén utca 10. | Central Pest | +36302920329
Mon – Fri 11:00- 19:00, Sat 12:00 – 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Eszter Szilva

Each city has its own iconic bookstore that means lot more than a simple retail place. This spot in Budapest is Írók Boltja (Writers’ Bookshop), located on the busy corner of Andrássy street and Liszt Ferenc square. Írók boltja is the place to go when you are interested in Hungarian literature as it offers a nice selection of books in English, German and French translation.

The store is special because it has a history of more than hundred years, always connected to writers and poets. Originally a café, it functioned from the 1890s as a legendary gathering place for writers and intellectuals until it was transformed into a bookshop in the 1950s. The members of the Hungarian Association of Writers could buy books on discount here and they organized public readings. Írók boltja offers literary and cultural events as well where writers and readers can meet in person.

I might not be a natural born businesswoman, but for me, a good shop is where I don’t feel compelled to buy anything. Here, I’m free to grab a book with a cup of tea or coffee and sit down in the corner. At the same time, I can peacefully enjoy the bustle of the outside world through the huge windows. Sometimes it feels like sitting in an aquarium full of books, magazines and literature fans instead of fishes and shells.

Finally, a secret: some parts of the café’s original decoration were discovered and preserved. If you cannot find them, just ask the super friendly staff!

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Írók boltja | Art & culture, Shopping
Andrássy út 45. | Central Pest | +3613221645
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 19:00, Sat 11:00 -19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Artpool

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.

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P60 | Art & culture | Free
Paulay Ede utca 60 | Central Pest | +3612680114
See the website for opening times

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by András Nagy

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 Gardens around the corner before coming inside to join the company.

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Csendes Létterem | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Music, Theaters, Festivals & events | Soproni beer HUF 480
Ferenczy István utca 5 | Central Pest | +36307588935
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 00:00, Sat 10:00 – 00:00, Sun 14:00 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by András Nagy

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.

Photos

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Inner courtyards | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Central Pest | Central Pest
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Hélène Bienvenu

Trafó is the first name that comes to my mind when I think of alternative cultural centres in Budapest. It is located at the heart of the 9th disctrict (Ferencváros).

The place stands in a building which was once a power-station (a ‘Trafó’) left abandoned during Communism, to be squatted by French anarchists -well done guys!- at the beginning of the 90′s. The place got funding and official support later on: Trafó officially opened its doors in 1998.

The place really deserves its second name ‘the house of contemporary arts’. If you go downstairs, you’ll find an exhibition space, as well as a nightclub – Mappa (ex- bar-tango). Upstairs, that’s where the stage is.

Trafó has the most interesting and eclectic event-calendar ever. It works as a theatre, a concert-hall, a workshop area, a gallery… Contemporary dance companies regularly come to perform here, including Josef Nadj and Pal Franak. There’s been some concerns recently about Trafó’s ownership, hopefully there won’t be significant changes…

Though it hosts a variety of concerts, I’d say Trafó mostly features world and oriental music. Big names show up quite regularly actually. Last year I got to see Mohammad Motamedi (Iranian classical music), recently I saw the Gundecha brothers (on the picture) as Trafó and Tilos radio sometimes put together classical Indian music master classes.

There’s also a café (with wifi), where to have a drink before and after the shows. In fact, Trafó is an open-place, it has a bit of everything for everyone, not only for contemporary art freaks!

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Trafó | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Theaters | Ticket from HUF 1000
Liliom utca 41 | Central Pest | +3614562040
Box office Mon – Fri 16:00 – 20:00, Sat – Sun 17:00 – 20:00 (till 22.00 on performances’ days).

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest

Image by Hélène Bienvenu

Nobody really thinks of Budapest when it comes to fashion and design. But if you start looking around with the help of some magazines such as www.budapestnavigator.hu, Time out, surf on the net: www.list-mag.com, www.designdistrict.hu, or if you go to Orange optika, Tisza shoes shop, Rododendron, you’ll realize how creative Hungarians can be. Of course, it’s not obvious neither massive, shops are scattered here and there in the city, nonetheless local designers can make really cool stuff!

So what is WAMP all about? It’s a design market taking place every month on Erzsébet tér (outside Gödör in the summer / spring / and at Milenáris - B csarnok in autumn / winter). It was started a few years ago and got increasingly popular among foreigners and locals alike.

You can spend hours strolling there, shopping what you can afford (the prices are now even tagged in Euros, so if your budget is very limited it might be a good idea to take the designers’ fliers and go directly to their workshop!). You’ll find lots of jewellery, clothes, bags, shops…

If you don’t fancy buying anything, it’s still worth having a look at what Hungarian fashion is up to nowadays!

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WAMP | Art & culture, Shopping, Festivals & events | Free
Fény utca 20 | Central Pest
Once a month on Sun 10:00 – 18:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Budapest