Shopping in Budapest

Overview

Budapest has taken exceedingly well to globalization and all its accompanying decadence. The monotonous tiny stores and cash-only businesses of the past have been replaced by glitzy malls and Visa/MasterCard logos. Opportunities in newer sectors of the economy, including those in medical tourism, have raised standards of living in this former Communist country, leading to a populace that is ready to try new things.  Not surprisingly, every designer and jeweler worth his haute threads has hotfooted it to the city on the Danube to set up shop here.

Traditional Markets

Strangely enough, the glitziness of the malls hasn’t undermined the relevance of the old traditional markets. These venues that have existed for decades when capitalism was still a twinkle in the eye of Hungarians, have found new favor among highbrow locals. Six of these markets are spread out across the city center, including the Grand Market Hall, the city’s pantry, so to speak. If you were looking for foods and wines to take back with you after your medical tourism vacation, this is the place to head to. Also, pick up fresh produce from the rows upon rows of succulent fruits and veggies - these are farm fresh produce unlike the far more insipid fare found in supermarkets. If you can’t find it at Grand Market Hall, it’s probably not worth ingesting.   

The flea markets throw up very imaginable kind of item you could imagine and are always fun for an evening of browsing.  Be sure to pick up traditional hand painted eggs, dolls in costumes, hand painted porcelain from some of the most famous brands in the world, wines, liquors, gift boxed paprika, and sausages.   

Malls

Besides these traditional venues, Budapest has countless malls that have developed on the same lines as their Western counterparts.  If you’re looking for Western brands, head to a mall near you.  With nearly 380,000 square feet of shopping mall space built in Budapest since1996, it shouldn’t be hard to find one.  When the malls began sprouting up, skeptics wondered if such lavish consumerism would catch on, but shoppers proved them wrong.  But for the most authentic shopping, stick with the markets.  Not only can you find better bargains, but you can people watch as well.