Budapest is a city that offers an unlimited range of supermarkets, small shops or local street markets. Whether you are looking for a place to buy local cuisine specialities or you love to roam through exhibition streets full of small and large shops with everything possible for a reasonable price, there are many possibilities to choose from.
To save your time searching for suitable shops, we will provide you with a selection of supermarkets and other shopping facilities, so your few months living in Budapest can be as smooth as possible, and you can enjoy the city to the fullest.
Affordable Supermarkets in Budapest
The most common supermarkets in Budapest are Lidl and Tesco. You already might know them either from your country of origin or from your previous travels around the EU.
They are the two largest retail chains in the country and generally in Europe. They are accurately affordable for both foreigners and locals. They will cover your needs, from any grocery and beverages to home accessories and more.
Lidl and Tesco's branches are all over Budapest, but most of them you will indeed find around the city centre. Those branches are relatively bigger, called Hypermarkets.
Luxury shopping in Budapest - Andrássy Avenue
Suppose you are looking for something more expensive or enjoy looking within the shop windows of luxury stores. In that case, there is one perfectly suitable street just for you directly in the Budapest city centre. Andrássy Avenue is the most famous street in Budapest; along with Buda Castle, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and was named after Hungarian Prime Minister Gyula Andrássy.
The first line of the Budapest subway, which is at the same time the oldest ones in Europe, has been built along the street's entire length.
In the south-western half of the Andrássy Avenue, between Deák Ferenc Square and the M1 Oktogon subway stop, you will find boutiques of the world's most famous fashion, jewellery and watchmaking brands. And only a few steps from the subway stop, you will discover Liszt Ferenc Square, where you can enjoy traditional Hungarian and international food in one of the best restaurants in the city.
West End City Center
West End is Budapest's largest, modern, and most popular shopping centre, located next to Nyugati pályaudvar train station. You can find here about 400 shops, 30 restaurants and cafes and one large cinema.
Központi Vásárcsarnok - Central Market Hall or "The Great Market"
This specific Market is one of the most visited and also most iconic tourist destinations in the city. Suppose you are a fan of great market places where you can buy the freshest seasonal vegetables (like typical Hungarian peppers), pickled vegetables, spices, meat, alcohol, or handmade souvenirs. In that case, this is the right place for you to visit during your time spent in Budapest.
The Market Hall has over three hundred stalls spread upon three different floors, all in such a pleasant environment of the 19th-century building.
On top of everything, all goods are sold for a very nice price.
Suppose you crave the typical Hungarian food and beverages. In that case, you must visit the top floor, where you will find several local cuisine restaurants and bistros with the best local specialities.
