I’m going to come straight out and say it. I have a love hate relationship with the souvenirs from Budapest. They are always so cute but if you have the misfortune to enter the wrong shop you will find that they are downright expensive.
We lived right in the heart of Budapest during our time which was rather a surprise because our initial accommodation was on the outskirts. It got canceled at the last moment and we were lucky enough to get a room in the city.
Anyways before I really go off topic here, we were surrounded by souvenir shops. Each one was more expensive than the rest. Luckily for us, we knew that we had to get our souvenirs from waaay out of the city center and that’s just what we did.
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Best Place To Shop For Souvenirs From Budapest
Now we really wandered all over the city during our five days here. While we walked through tons of souvenir shops and in most cases I came out rather disappointed. Not that the wares in the shop did not attract my attention mind you, I just found that the price was a bit high.
The best place that I found for souvenirs from Budapest was in the Central Market Hall. Here you will find everything from nuts, fruits and chocolate to sausages and meat. If you head to the upper level, you will also find trinkets and small souvenirs from Budapest. They are generally much cheaper than in the center of the city.
Souvenirs From Budapest: Food
Budapest is a foodies delight. It may just be me though but once I got used to the different names of the Hungarian food, I was in love with all the fragrant spices that get added into each dish. This was one of the reasons why I headed to the supermarket to do my shopping.
1. Paprika
Paprika is one of the spices that you will find used in most Hungarian dishes. A friend of ours told us that if we really want to knock the spice off, ask them to make it spicy just like the traditional dishes. Turns out we often get served a sweeter version of most dishes because people aren’t used to the spice levels.
To my Indian palate, the food wasn’t spicy mind you. It was flavorful and the paprika that is used is one of the key ingredients so we obviously packed ourselves a couple packets and brought them home.
The thing about the Hungarian paprika is that it has a characteristic flavor that is not the same when it comes to paprika produced elsewhere. This is why I always look for ways to restock. Luckily the paprika is also available on Amazon. Total lifesaver!
2. Hungarian Sausages
You’ve probably tasted Hungarian sausages in different restaurants while you catch a bite to eat in Budapest. The sausages have a nice light spice to them. Mind you, there are different types of sausages that are available and I was stuck trying to figure them all out.
If you want to buy Hungarian sausages as souvenirs you should go to the Central Market hall. They have a huge collection of different sausages there and the people are remarkably helpful. So just strike up a conversation with the stall owner and he/she will help you pick up one.
Note: Please note that taking the sausages may not be a good idea depending on which country you are flying back to. For us, we were still traveling in the European Union and had no issues taking the sausages back as our souvenirs from Budapest.
If you can’t carry the sausages for whatever reason or just run out of your stock, you can also buy them online!
3. Walnuts
Hungarian walnuts are very popular all over the world. This is because they are usually of very high quality.
While you can wander into a grocery store and buy a bag of walnuts, you can also buy them from a local vendor which I highly recommend.
We got to taste the walnuts before we bought them. They were nice, crunchy and very fresh. The walnuts are generally sold by the kg.
I’m not the biggest fan of walnuts but they taste amazing in cake so this was obviously one of the heavier souvenirs from Budapest that made it into our bags.
4. Almonds
One of the other nuts(other than walnut that is) that you can buy as souvenirs from Budapest are almonds. These too are bought in the local stores in the Central Market.
They are literally piled high and since I absolutely love almonds, I could not resist. We’ve been soaking and eating these for days after we reached home.
Obviously you can also store them for long. Just note that they don’t come in perfectly sealed packets so I store mine in an airtight container. Keeps them fresh for longer.
5. Marzipan
Any city that produces so much of almond is bound to have marzipan and Budapest is no different. If you love this delicacy, you will find that there are loads of different varieties and shapes of marzipan that are sold all across the city.
Marzipan makes great souvenirs from Budapest because they are cute and easy to carry especially in the colder months. During the hotter months, marzipan tends to sweat and this can make it sticky so make sure that you pack and carry it properly.
6. Chocolate
Did you know that Budapest is known for artisan chocolate and candy? I didn’t know about this until I visited the Central Market.
At the very entrance of the market, you will find that there are numerous stores that have all kinds of different locally produced chocolate.
Curious, I struck up a conversation with one of the locals and she told me that there are lots of different brands of chocolate that are locally produced in the country.
Some of the popular ones are Balaton, Szamba and Eperjó but there are many others too.
Souvenirs From Budapest: Alcohol
Hungary produces a lot of different types of alcoholic drinks. It is also renowned for its different wines that are produced there. Budapest is one of the best places to buy these drinks because most of the brands have stores in the city.
7. Wine
Wine is hands down one of the best souvenirs from Budapest. Shawn tried a couple of different wines at one of the local watering holes and noted down the ones he liked. He then proceeded to the supermarket and bought the ones he liked. Luckily for us we were driving back and traveled light.
Popular wine regions that grow wine include Eger, Lake Balaton, Sopron, Villany amongst many others. In fact, if you fancy a day trip to one of these cool places, I would suggest picking Eger. The town is beautiful, has lots to see and the wine there is amazing. I wish I could have spent a whole weekend here instead of just a day and would go back in a heartbeat!
Souvenirs From Budapest: Décor
Like all big cities, you will find that some of the popular souvenirs from Budapest are décor oriented. Now this could be just random things like magnets, keychains, etc. or more specific like Christmas ornaments. I’ll walk you through some of the popular choices.
8. Magnets And Keychains
Magnets and keychains are by far the most popular souvenirs from Budapest. Many people use magnets as collections documenting their travels along the world. If you walk into their kitchen you will find them proudly displayed on their refridgerator.
Keychains are also equally popular. This is because both magnets and keychains are small, easy to pack and make great gifts if you want someone to know that you thought about them when you traveled. They are also generally one of the cheaper souvenirs from Budapest and you can get creative because there are so many different patterns to choose from.
9. Christmas Ornaments
Did you know that Budapest is one of the best places to head to if you want to check out the Christmas markets in Europe? The markets are huge, lively and filled with a lot of activities. It is all the Christmas themed trinkets that catch the eye of shoppers.
If you aren’t in town during the Christmas season, don’t worry. There are loads of places where you can get Christmas ornaments in many of the local stores. It is one of the popular souvenirs from Budapest so they tend to make a year round appearance.
10. Lavender
When you think about lavender most people think about the gorgeous fields in the south of France. I know that those are Instagram gold and are really popular. What few people know is that Budapest also has some lavender fields that are located close to the city. The harvested lavender is sold in the city and is definitely one of the unique souvenirs from Budapest to take back home.
11. Lamps
One of the souvenirs from Budapest that really fascinated me was the lamps. These lamps come in different patterns. Some of them look like they are made of different pieces of glasses which form intricate designs. Others are more simplistic but casting cool shadows on the walls.
We found these lamps everywhere but like most souvenirs from Budapest, they were super costly in the center of town. It always felt like a tourist trap. So if this is something that you want to buy, make sure to try the stores that are on the outskirts of the city.
12. Coffee Mug
Another cool thing that people collect are coffee mugs. I have a friend who just has to have a starbucks mug from every country he visits. I know that there are many other people who love to do the same. You don’t have to just collect starbucks mugs though. Almost all souvenir shops have Budapest themed mugs in their stores so you can always go back with something different.
Souvenirs From Budapest: Clothes
Budapest also has some really talented seamstresses and you will find unique and traditional clothes that will probably pique your interest. There are a couple of items of clothing that are popular as souvenirs from Budapest.
13. Embroidered Children’s Clothes
One of the things that I was really tempted to take back home was the embroidered children’s clothes. These are traditional Hungarian dresses that you see hung in many of the local stores. The clothes look extremely pretty but you can truly appreciate the beauty if you pause for a while and look at the embroidery on each item.
The attention to detail and the neatness is something that I really admired. My mum does a lot of embroidery and buying these clothes would have been just to show her how pretty they were.
14. Winter Wear
I don’t know if this is something that you find in all seasons. We traveled in Autumn so we saw a lot of winter wear for sale. I’m talking about nice woolen hats and socks, thick scarves and more. There were even gloves and mittens in all sizes. Since we needed things for winter, this is where we did our shopping. Mind you, we were in town in early Autumn and the winter wear was on sale.
I highly recommend the socks. They kept the kids’ toes warm through the winter here in the Netherlands. Totally don’t regret buying them.
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