Budapest nightlife, Budapest entertainment, Budapest Opera, Budapest concerts, Budapest discos, Budapest Nightclubs, Budapest Girls
A unique guide to Budapest's entertainment, Budapest Opera, classical music, jazz, pop and rock concerts, the Budapest festivals. We also suggest you the best Budapest pubs and bars, Budapest dance clubs and the reliable (!) Budapest night clubsEntertainment and night life in Budapest
One of Budapest’s main attractions is recreation and night life. Great concerts, opera, jazz, musical, dance are available to watch almost every night – and you should also check out the great venues of these performances. And after (or instead of…) culture, let’s jump into nightlife! Hungarians love to party, the girls are famous for their beauty, and there are several bars, restaurants and dance clubs awaiting those who want to have a great time.
If you are looking not for an elegant place, but something special, you can find unique atmosphere in the pubs of the old Jewish quarter. You have to be careful with night clubs, we only have the ones you can trust for sure. Read our little guide, and you will surely have a memorable night
CONCERTS, EVENTS
Concerts, opera, dances, folklore nights
The Budapest Opera is a world-famous building. Though not in size, but in beauty, it matches the Opera of Vienna or Paris. On the programme there are the masterpieces of opera history. If you want a more elegant night, go for the ringside seats, however, if you are in jeans but want to see the house from inside, you can even get tickets for the third floor. A perfect venue for classical concerts is the Music Academy (Zeneakadémia), which is one of the most beautiful Secession building in Budapest, with world-famous acoustics. Our other main concert hall is the new Palace of Arts (Művészetek palotája), south of the Downtown, on the eastern bank of the Danube, with a beautiful panorama of the river. Its concert hall, the Bartók Béla National Concert Hall is also world-famous for its acoustics. Another must is listening to a church concert in the Castle’s Matthias church, or at one of the summer festivals. If you are looking for a quality folk night, you can find it in the House of Traditions (Hagyományok Háza), at the feet of the Castle hill. For Modern, go to Trafó, an excellent spot to check out contemporary arts. English theatre can be found in Merlin, the list of cultural venues that can be of foreigners’ interests, is here.
The amazing interior of the Hungarian State Opera House
Festivals
Coming to Budapest while there is no festival going on – an almost impossible task. Music, folk art, dance events, theatre, street concerts, handicraft fairs, wine festivals…or all of those at the same time. If you want to know which festivals take place during you come to Budapest, you can find it here.
Jazz and pop music
One of the main downsides of Budapest is the city not having enough jazz clubs. On the Colombus ship, which is stationed on the Pest side of the Danube at the Chain bridge with an astonishing panorama, you can have a dinner while listening to Hungarian jazz musicians. The restaurant Jazz Garden is the same, only without the panorama. If looking for a genuine rock-blues pub with good eats and drinks, concerts and dancing crowds, go for a booked table in Old Man’s Pub. On another ship, there is not only good food, but the superstars of jazz, rock, blues and funk music, every day: this is one of the city’s best clubs, the A38 ship – however, Alcatraz also offers concerts like this. In the heart of the city, Merlin theatre offers good concerts and theatre in English, however, its acoustics are not so suitable for concerts. In the centre of Buda, the Millenáris Centre (Millennáris központ) also displays a number of stars regularly.
NIGHT LIFE
Bars
We Hungarians like going to bars very much. Budapest offers lots of quality, and sadly, lots of bad bars as well. Follow our guide into the world of frequently tested bars, and you will not be disappointed – you could even meet us at some of them. (We are in no way related to any of the bars, so our opinion is unbiased.)
One of Budapest’s best cocktail bars is Oscar, which can be found at the foot of the Castle hill – we’re there almost on every Friday, having a drink or two. After 10, the crowd gets bigger and bigger, and by midnight, there are people talking and dancing all over the place. The visitors of the club are exclusive, and there are lots of pretty girls. The waiters are correct, the cocktail card is very detailed, the prices are friendly. A pleasant and quality place, next to the Basilica, is the Negro cocktail bar. You can also find lots of top-notch restaurants and bars in one of the party epicentres of Budapest, the Liszt Ferenc square and its surrounding areas like Andrássy avenue, especially in the street behind the Opera. Eagerly looking to quench your thirst are dozens of bars in Ráday street, another party centre of the city, where there are pubs, cafés and bars literally on every corner, and even between them. The cosmopolitan ’lounges’ are becoming more and more widespread – they await the design-hungry city dwellers with contemporary interiors, low jazz and electro-eclectic background music and modern drinks. Babar lounge, Manna lounge, TG, or the Etno has been already tested by us, but you can find the full list here.
Pubs and beerhouses
In Budapest, beer is fine everywhere! There are numerous beerhouses and pubs throughout the city, in which you can find the traditional Hungarian lager type beers (Borsodi, Dreher, Soproni Ászok), or the biggest international brands. For a general rule: the more tourist-friendly a place gets, the higher the prices will be, so feel free to visit smaller Hungarian pubs as well. There are some tough places, usually called ’borozó’ (winery), in which you can mostly find alcoholics, stinky and ugly people, and the worst drinks around - you better avoid these places. Full list of recommended pubs is here, we will only recommend a few, where we ourselves have drinks sometimes.
Bavarian atmosphere can be enjoyed at the huge Paulaner of MOM shopping center, or the pub suitable for even the most elegant, Haxn’ Royal Beerhouse. Traditional English beers are sold in the John Bull Pubs, but the most original is still the Irish Beckett’s. A quality sport pub and restaurant is Boxutca (’box street’ – run professionally by a former professional boxer). If you are more into the sixties’ Pest atmosphere, we recommend the Avar beer garden, or the terrace of Platán pub at the feet of Erzsébet bridge. Holdudvar is also a cheerful and huge place on Margitsziget (however, we do not recommend the other smaller places on the island). Liszt Ferenc square and Ráday street can also be a good choice when looking for pubs.
Alternative clubs of the 7th district
A unique style of clubs, which can be found only here. Years ago, groups of young people occupied abandoned buildings in the old Jewish quarter, and turned them into unique pubs and cultural centres. Since then, they became an everyday meeting point for (not only) the alternative youth and the intellectual, but lots of shops have also been transformed into pubs and restaurants. One of the best is Ellátó, the oldest is Szimplakert (a garden), which even has an art movie theatre (you can watch the films from old car seats). Make sure to drop by Kuplung, full of artists, or Szimpla (Dupla is a nice restaurant next to it), but the old Fészek Artist Centre has also been transformed. West-Balkán is the biggest, Szóda is the most fun pub to hang out in, you can even rent scooters. However, many of these pubs are open only in the summer – full list can be found her
Dance clubs
If you go dancing in Budapest, you are sure to meet lots of beautiful girls (and boys) in one of the many dance clubs. One of the most pleasant (and most crowded) is Jam Pub, with the best dance music, in the bottom of the shopping centre Mammut. Also worth trying are Alcatraz, the downtown Up Side Down, the huge Inside, or the DOKK, depends on which one is the closest to you. Very exclusive, a meeting point for super models and their rich companions even, is the Home Club. Loads of young people and cigarette smoke can be found in the club called Süss fel nap. During the summer more and more open-air clubs are open, these are the best at this time for a party. The oldest one is Zöld Pardon, or next to it the more elegant Rio, but Custo is also something close to these. Huge and fresh is Holdudvar on the island Margitsziget – if the weather is good, it is worth a try.
Few know, however, where to look for more traditional dance events. On Saturdays, the best salsa fanatics can dance in the Aranytíz Művelődési központ (cultural centre). The only tango club is in the beautiful Uránia movie theatre, creating an atmosphere similar to Buenos Aires, every Thursday. For Hungarian folk dance events, try Fonó, Aranytíz, or the cultural centre at Marczibányi square anytime.
Erotic and night clubs
Budapest is the capital of beautiful girls. There are many night clubs for men with different services and hotter-than-hot girls, but BEWARE! Many night clubs are specialised in tricking foreigners. Unless you do not want all your money gone by the end of the night, if you do not want to pay 5000 forints (20 EUR) for a coke, never listen to the taxi drivers’ advice, or the people inviting you on the street. Have a look at our list of tourist-friendly, decent and safe clubs – the others, we do not recommend, it is not wise to take chances in Budapest. Recommendations of the American Embassy can be found here.
Gays
Budapest offers lots of services, clubs and bars for gays. Most of these are discrete and safe places you can trust. The bulk of the Budapest spas are gay-friendly, with a number of saunas and massage saloons awaiting the visitors. There are hotels and clubs especially for gays, if you have a look at our list, you can choose the service that is best for you.