Danube Impressions #2: Budapest Markets

Early on our second morning, the sun slowly climbed above the roof of Budapest’s Great Market Hall. It was one of the two markets we planned to visit that day. Since we wanted plenty of time to browse, we would have no time to go inside the other sights—the Hungarian National Museum, the Hungarian State Opera House, the Budapest Eye, St. Stephen’s Basilica, and so on. We would have to settle for seeing them from the outside. Dinner that evening was to be at a ruin bar.

Our first stop was the famous Ecseri Flea Market, one of the largest flea markets in Europe.

The market is usually open on weekends and public holidays. Located on the outskirts of the city, it is about a twenty-minute taxi ride away. Its history stretches back to the nineteenth century, and it remains popular with visitors and locals alike.

You can find almost anything here: antiques, old furniture, porcelain, books, paintings, jewellery, clothes, and all manner of knick-knacks.

The sheer variety is impressive, and since bargaining is expected, there is always a chance of unearthing a treasure at a good price.

The market is enormous, with permanent indoor shops as well as temporary stalls.

Compared with other flea markets, this one had a great many paintings for sale, and no shortage of books either. It made me feel that Hungarians must all be people of culture.

If you have time, wandering through a market like this is a cultural experience in itself, offering a glimpse of local history and tradition.

Even if you buy nothing, simply strolling around is an enjoyable way to learn about local customs and culture.

The greatest reward of this visit was the chance to handle so many pieces of Herend porcelain all at once. Herend is Hungary’s best-known porcelain maker. Founded by Vince Stingl in 1826, it has devoted itself ever since to producing exquisite porcelain, embodying the finest traditions of Hungarian craftsmanship and becoming one of the country’s national treasures.

Herend is known for its distinctive patterns and designs, among the most famous being Blue Garland and the butterfly motif of its Queen Victoria pattern. With their exceptional quality, singular beauty, and rich history, these pieces are prized by collectors.

Old camera shops are another favourite of mine. The display outside this one alone made it worth stepping inside for a look.

At another shop, I bought some old negatives. Buying discarded negatives has become a ritual whenever I visit a second-hand market.

Leaving the flea market, we returned to the city centre and made our way to Budapest’s Great Market Hall, also known as the Central Market Hall. One of the city’s largest and best-known markets, it is famous for its food hall. The ground floor offers every kind of fresh produce and ingredient, including vegetables, fruit, meat, dairy products, fish, and bread. We like to visit the local market in every city we travel to, and of all the markets we had seen, this was the brightest, neatest, and cleanest.

Built in 1897 in a blend of Neo-Gothic and Neo-Baroque styles, the market was designed by metallurgical engineer Samu Pecz. Its elegant combination of metal and glass has made it both a historic landmark and a tourist attraction.

Upstairs is an area devoted to handicrafts, souvenirs, jewellery, and clothing.

Here you can find all kinds of traditional Hungarian crafts, including embroidery, ceramics, woodwork, and engraved pieces.

The market also has numerous small restaurants and food stalls serving Hungarian classics such as goulash, sausages, bread, and pastries.

On the ground floor, we tried chimney cake. Its most distinctive feature is its shape: the dough is wound into a spiral around a hollow cylinder, hence the name. It comes with various coatings and flavours. We chose the traditional cinnamon and sugar. It was quite good, though I imagined it would have been even better eaten hot from the oven.

Upstairs was a snack stall reputed to make excellent Hungarian lángos. One look at the long queue and we joined in without hesitation. Lángos is a round or oval piece of deep-fried dough, crisp and golden outside and soft within, with any number of spreads and toppings to suit individual tastes. We went with the traditional combination of sour cream and cheese. It may have looked simple, but a classic is a classic—it was delicious.

Before leaving the Great Market Hall, we also took the opportunity to inspect the toilets. Public toilets in Hungary generally charge a fee, ranging from a few cents to one euro.

On the way to St. Stephen’s Basilica, we passed the Hungarian National Museum. Founded in 1802, it is one of Hungary’s oldest cultural institutions.

St. Stephen’s Basilica is a Neoclassical church named after Stephen I, Hungary’s patron saint. Its magnificent interior houses the relic of his Holy Right Hand. An observation deck in the dome overlooks the city, and the basilica is one of Budapest’s best-known landmarks.

From St. Stephen’s Basilica, we could see the Ferris wheel known as the Budapest Eye in the distance. Opened in 2017, it offers panoramic views over the city. At night, its dazzling light show makes it a distinctive feature of the Budapest skyline.

Farther on lay Andrássy Avenue, a tree-lined boulevard often described as the Champs-Élysées of Eastern Europe and now listed as a World Heritage Site. Fashion boutiques, restaurants, and cafés line the avenue, along with notable buildings such as the Hungarian State Opera House and the House of Terror Museum. Follow it north and you eventually reach another landmark, Heroes’ Square.

Short on time, we went no farther than the Opera House, then turned into the side streets toward the ruin bar where we had planned to have dinner. Graffiti appeared everywhere along the way. Once again, I saw the colours of the yellow-and-blue flag.

We also came across a community garden. These small green spaces are scattered throughout the city and divided into plots that residents can rent to grow flowers, vegetables, and herbs, encouraging both community interaction and urban greening.

Community gardens are generally run by volunteer groups that provide residents with land, tools, and guidance. Besides producing fresh vegetables and herbs, they create social spaces, add greenery and ecosystems to the city, ease the pressures of urban life, and improve residents’ quality of life. I had seen this kind of mutual aid and sustainable urban farming in Toronto and Vancouver as well. By comparison, Budapest’s gardens seemed better managed. This one looked more like a true garden and community than a patchwork of tiny, divided fields.

Dinner that evening proved rather more complicated than expected. We had planned to go to the famous ruin bar Szimpla Kert, but first stumbled into a street lined with bars and restaurants, one after another in bewildering succession. We nearly gave in to temptation and sat down right there.

Along the way, we also passed the open-air street-food court Karaván, which brings together stalls serving all manner of snacks: traditional Hungarian fare, international dishes, fast food, desserts, and more. Whatever your tastes, there is bound to be something for you.

When we finally reached Szimpla Kert, we discovered that it was strictly a bar and not really suited to dinner. We searched around for a restaurant. There were plenty of good ones, but all were packed and no longer accepting names for their waiting lists. Eventually, we found Fat Mama. We chose a table outside, where lights played across the building’s façade and live singing and traditional Hungarian dancing accompanied the meal. The atmosphere could hardly have been livelier.

Once we had eaten and drunk our fill, we doubled back to the ruin bar we had been thinking about all evening: Szimpla Kert. Budapest’s ruin bars are a cultural phenomenon unique to the city. The concept dates to 2001, when a group of young people opened the first ruin bar, Szimpla Kert, in an abandoned building. The idea quickly spread across the city, becoming both a trend and a cultural movement.

Ruin bars are usually housed in dilapidated old buildings or former factories, preserving the original walls, floors, ceilings, and structural framework. They are furnished with an assortment of second-hand furniture, antiques, and decorative objects, then lit with neon in every colour to create an eccentric, otherworldly atmosphere.

The bars also host cultural events, including concerts, art exhibitions, film screenings, and craft markets. They serve as social and cultural gathering places, drawing people from many different backgrounds and with many different interests. Szimpla Kert, for instance, transforms into a farmers’ market on Saturday mornings.

The rise of Budapest’s ruin bars can be traced to a complex set of historical, cultural, economic, and social forces. I am very fond of this photograph taken inside one of them. It is dense with visual symbols: the locked staircase, the colours yellow and blue, the portrait, the exit sign, and more. Where is the way forward for the young?

It was late when we left the clamour of the ruins and returned once more to the quiet world outside.

…Video…

Danube Impressions #2: Budapest Markets

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