True, Újpest is a bit out of centre, it looks like a small town in the countryside with dusty wattles on the side of the road. But this is just the thing which gives it its charm and the true local feeling. You can be sure, there are no tourists around, it’s a locals-only market.

I live quite close so it’s obvious for me to do the shopping here every now and then. For those coming from downtown, the blue metro line takes you as close as a block away.

There are three buildings: the big market hall, the connecting side wing and the separate dome. The hall is full of tables with piles of vegetables, fruits and eggs, while on the side various shops sell meat, pastries, dairy products and pickled vegetables. I was always wondering why there were supermarket-like shops, maybe it’s some weird tradition. The side wing has shops but no stands, the dome offers one important shop selling fish.

After a long and exhausting shopping spree there is nothing better than a fried sausage or meat along with some pickled vegetables, and a “fröccs” to help you digest. All this is available at the back of the main building.

The “new main square” project of Újpest includes the market area, you can already enjoy the positive changes of the expanded public spaces.

Now go and see for yourself. It’s worth the trip!

Wekerle Estate is a calm, green island in the rushing city, the living example of the garden city movement, with the added spice of Károly Kós‘s “Transsylvanian style”. Some of Budapest’s biggest roads frame the area, but heavy traffic luckily avoids these neat streets.

The end of the 19th century saw a boom in the number of Budapest residents. Housing developments could not keep up with population trends, thus the mayor, István Bárczy created a concept together with the architect Róbert Fleischl to build a separate estate for those in need. Enjoying the support of prime minister Sándor Wekerle, the project was carried out from 1908 to 1925 resulting in the construction of 4412 new apartments. In a few decades the city incorporated the estate, still, the rural atmosphere has been preserved until today.

Lots of trees (50,000 were planted during the constructions), small gardens, beautiful architecture – it is easy to fall in love with the place. Architecturally the area is very compact and integral, yet the buildings don’t look the same. Those were the good old days, when state intervention meant “getting things done properly”. I wish today’s developments would take Wekerle as an example.

Once it counted as the “faraway outskirts”, now it is pretty close to the city center with good transport connections. And you thought you actually had to move out of the city to live in a village?

Check out more photos here.

The existence of this beach is a business miracle because no one seems to know about it. I spotted it by accident on a lonely bike trip around the natural side of Újpest in the 4th district. There isn’t much information to be found about the spot, neither online nor in the real world, which explains why only a few guests are around whenever I go to swim. Just be self confident and don’t turn back if you find a bunch of ships waiting to be repaired. Yes, it’s the dirt road running along the river that will bring you to the entrance.

The beach itself is pretty small, reaches from the bank of the Danube toward Váci road starting with the buffet and the colorful changing rooms. The orange building makes a nice contrast with the blue pool that’s surrounded by a hedge from 3 sides. The pool was apparently designed for bathing rather than swimming but it’s still enjoyable and there’s a tiny pool the size of a bigger bathtub for children too. The rest of the area is covered with grass, extra services include a volleyball court, football field, table tennis and three little cabins for rent.

The whole atmosphere is really chilly, the furniture, the design, the music coming from the speakers bring you back to the „good old days”. Don’t expect too much English knowledge, it would just ruin the sixties-feeling anyway.

Pótkulcs is a bar, club and restaurant popular with the bohemian crowd, full of laid-back vibes, but rather crowded sometimes. Located a few minutes’walk from Nyugati train and metro station, it has a garden completely separated from the street by a wall, as well as indoor seating – and some of the fussball tables so ubiquitous in these kinds of places.

Personally, I find the garden to be my favourite part of the locale. There’s nothing objectively special about it, but it’s cozy, charming, and has just enough grass that isn’t covered by chairs and tables. In fact, it has such a nice ambience that once I’ve stayed there late at night just to watch a game of Bridge unfold – and I can’t even play Bridge!

One thing that separates Pótkulcs from many similar venues is that you can get some hot food here, making it a good stopping point on a late night crawl. You’ll need to walk a few minutes from and back to the nearest public transport, but that has the added bonus of clearing a bit of the alcohol haze from your head.

Do note that this is a smokers-friendly place, and the air can get rather thick even in the garden, so if you’re sensitive to cigarette smoke, you might want to go give the place a miss.

If you approach Margit Island from the south – via Margit Bridge -, you’ll see a public fountain, with a large, rather strange-looking statue standing close to it. If you have a taste for the bizarre, you’ll find this statue worth checking out.

Built in 1972 to commemorate the ’73 centenary of the unification of Pest, Buda and Óbuda (and thus the formation of Budapest proper), this large metal spiral is… well, hard to describe. I know for a fact some people find it awesome, and I imagine some might find it absolutely hideous. Personally, I’ve decided after much thinking that I find it “weird”, but I’m happy I checked it out after a friend’s rave about it.

It’s hard to give a good description of these two embellished spiral towers that have countless plaques and items emerging from their surface, so all I’ll say is you should go there – the scary-ugly passageway leading to the island from the tram stop will emotionally prime you for the experience – and have a look. And if you find any hidden message in the teddy bear, the stick hand grenades, the candelabra and “Revolution! Revolution! Revolution!” sign, do tell me about it.