What to bring from Budapest

Clothing and footwear
Clothing
Footwear
Textiles
Strong drinks
Food
Porcelain and ceramics
Lavender
Organic cosmetics
Souvenirs
What to bring children from Budapest
Stühmer Chocolate
Handmade toys
Mayabee Bed Linen
Autograph of Ferenc Puskás

The capital of Hungary has many fascinating things to take home as souvenirs, gifts, or treats. It's a place where they produce delicious wines and confectionery. You can buy them in any big supermarket or in the Central Market. Look for well-known clothing and porcelain on Andrássy Avenue and exclusive antiques at the Ecseri Piac flea market. You will also find a lot of exciting things on Vaci Street. They sell not only antiques and souvenirs but also products by local, as yet little-known designers.

Nota Bene:

Before you buy gifts and souvenirs in Budapest, you should familiarize yourself with the customs regulations on the export of goods from the country. For example, for coffee, tea, cocoa, and spices, there is a limit of up to 1 kg. In addition, there are restrictions on the export of perfumes, alcohol, and tobacco products.

Clothing and footwear

You can easily find quality clothes and shoes in Budapest. They include not only imported but also domestically produced ones. Prices for everything are quite affordable and certainly lower than in any EU country.

Showcase of luxury fashion store with shoes and bags

Ermenegildo Zegna - a showcase of a fashion store on the famous Andrássy street © goodbishop / Shutterstock

Clothing

Brand clothing boutiques are concentrated on Andrássy Avenue. Here you can find Armani, Zegna, Burberry, Dior, Gucci, Versace, Lanvin, and many other renowned brands. Another popular avenue for shopping enthusiasts is the Fashion Street area. Here, in addition to stores, there are a lot of small cafes, where you can relax and eat. Nearby is another shopping area, Vaci Street. Here you can find not only expensive but also very democratic brands.

Footwear

They mainly produce men's shoes in Hungary. Almost all women's models are represented by European brands in large shopping malls and boutiques. You can find a relatively budget-friendly option on Király Street, where private stores of young designers are concentrated. The best option for men is handmade Vass Shoes. Elegant models of classic style will never go out of fashion, and the high quality makes them a great gift. You have to look for women's shoes in boutiques or large shopping malls.

Textiles

You can buy not only national clothes as a souvenir, but also bedspreads, pillowcases, tablecloths, or napkins. They are made of linen and decorated with bright Hungarian embroidery, which looks very stylish and eye-catching. The products with Halas lace with clear contours and extraordinarily airy filling of the pattern are especially valued. It is best to buy textiles at the Central Market. But if you do not have time to go there it is not a problem, they are sold in some souvenir shops, major metro stations, and at the airport. Prices range from low to very high, depending on the quality.

Strong drinks

As a souvenir or a gift, the Tokaji wines and Unicum liquor, which is the most popular in Hungary, deserve attention. As for strong drinks, Palinka brandy will do, but it is better to choose apricot or prune-based brandy from its wide assortment. We can also recommend Kadarka of black grapes, the famous brand Badacsony Szürkebarát and the sweet wine Balaton Bog'lari Muskotaly.

Tokay © dailynewshungary.com

Food

Classic Hungarian dishes are delicious and nourishing, but it is hardly worth transporting goulash or baked eggplants with lard.

And here is a list of things you can bring yourself or your loved ones as an edible gift:

Paprika is a real gastronomic symbol of the country, which is added to all dishes. It is sold in pouches, beautiful tin packaging with a spoon, or simply by the weight, which is much cheaper. It comes in two varieties — sweet (édes) and hot (csípős).
Other delicacies worth mentioning are salami pick, produced in Szeged, and goose liver pâté libamaj.
It is also worth bringing home marzipan from Budapest. These delicious cakes made of sweet and bitter almonds are a true masterpiece of Hungarian confectioners. You can buy them in any supermarket. You can just watch which ones the locals like to purchase.

Spices in the central market of Budapest © Shchipkova Elena / Shutterstock

Porcelain and ceramics

Hungarian porcelain factories Zsolnay and Herend are famous for the beauty and quality of their products. The products of the latter decorate the interiors of Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle in England. Dinnerware and more expensive items are sold in company stores, while cheaper porcelain souvenirs can be found in Budapest's small antique shops.

Flowers, figurines, and inexpensive glazed pottery are sold in souvenir stores and at Budapest fairs.

Porcelain and ceramics from Budapest © purekaab / Shutterstock

Lavender

Hungarians are very fond of this flower and often hold festivals dedicated to it. You can buy fragrant bags of dried lavender and souvenirs in Budapest — soaps, and candles made with lavender oil.

Lavender in front of parliament © Nesterov Denis / Shutterstock

Organic cosmetics

Hungarian cosmetic brands are of rather high quality and low prices. The most popular are Biola SPA products, Omorovicza cleansers, Manna cosmetic soaps, and Helia-D cosmetics based on healing mud, mineral salts, and natural oils.

Products of a family manufactory Zador are also in great demand. This brand produces premium soaps. It uses healing water from Lake Heviz.

Souvenirs

You can find a lot of exciting things in any souvenir store in Budapest. They sell products of Hungarian craftsmen, handmade toys for children, key chains with symbols of the city and country. You can also buy a lot of fascinating puzzles, including the famous Rubik's Cube, invented by the Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik.

Souvenirs in the Windowshopping Street store © islarodriguez88 / Shutterstock

What to bring children from Budapest

Besides the standard souvenirs and, of course, the famous marzipan, you can find very interesting and original gifts for children in Budapest. And it does not take long as they are sold in many stores in the city.

Stühmer Chocolate

An exquisite Hungarian treat would make a great gift for your child. The delicious bars are made of dark, white, and milk chocolate, and the fruit filling gives them an unusual taste.

Handmade toys

There are many small toy factories in Hungary producing cute and unique products. Kattuska plywood toys are especially popular. These are handmade dolls dressed in traditional Hungarian outfits. You can also buy funny animals by Eperfa, an unusual board game, or a cute doll by Marbushka.

Mayabee Bed Linen

Mayabee makes very high-quality bedding for children. The set includes not only bedding but also a fun toy pillow.

Autograph of Ferenc Puskás

If your child is crazy about football, give him a ball or a T-shirt signed by Ferenc Puskás. This Hungarian footballer is recognized as one of the best players in the history of football.