The 20 perfect places to do the Christmas shopping (part I.)

The Budapest Sun now introduces the 10 perfect locations of Budapest, where you can do your Christmas shopping.


Picking the best Christmas present is, in itself, a huge challenge. But if you are to spend your Christmas in a city that you don't really know inside out, hurdles may occur even before you decide what to buy: you may have no idea where to go to do the shopping. The Budapest Sun now introduces the 10 perfect locations of Budapest, where you can do your Christmas shopping.

Fashion street
The recently opened Fashion Street (near the touristy Váci street, near Budapest's most important location, Deák square) is your #1 choice if you are looking for something precious. The 150m long walkway beside the luxury hotels (Kempinski and Le Meridien) features a whole array of upmarket fashion brands, like Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste, Sisley or Hugo Boss. Fashion Street is now fully dressed for Christmas, with stands offering mulled wine and sausage, and stores lighted up all for Christmas. If you don't find what you were looking for, you just have to continue walking in the direction of Andrássy street (the Hungarian Champs Elysée), where several luxury brands, like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Roberto Cavalli opened their stores in the past few months.

Westend city center
The huge shopping mall is an obligatory choice. Westend City Center is right in the heart of the city (directly connected to the M3 subway at the Nyugati tér stop), easily accessible by both the subway and by "négyeshatos", the 4-6 tramway line. It used to be the biggest shopping mall in Budapest, back when it opened ten years ago, and although its record has already been broken by others, it's still huge. In Westend you can find stores of most of the high-street fashion chains (Marks & Spencer, Mango, Springfield etc.) as well as a huge sports apparel store and a big electronics shop. Aside from the bigger stores, you can also find a zillion other, minor shops ranging from jewelry to video games to lingerie or photo accessories. If you have a specific idea, there is a high probability that you will find it in Westend, but if you are only looking for inspiration, browsing the shopping windows can also be helpful.

Mammut
Mammut I and Mammut II (located next to each other) are Westend City Center's equivalent on the Buda side. Only three minutes’ walk away from Moszkva tér (one of the biggest traffic hubs of the city), Mammut is also accessible by both subway (M2, Moszkva tér stop) and 4-6 (Széna tér). In Mammut, you will also find a huge sports apparel shop (Hervis), an electronics store (Saturn), various parfumeries and countless other stores. If you don't find a Christmas present for your loved one in Mammut, well, then you don't love him/her enough.

Aréna plaza
Despite its relatively downmarket location (approximately 15 minutes walk from M2 subway's Keleti pályaudvar stop), according to Budapesters Aréna Plaza shopping mall is way cooler than the two shopping malls mentioned before. The recently opened Aréna Plaza has a more spacious interior and has a Haagen Dazs shop as well. So while you're shopping for your friends and family members, you can have a break and indulge yourself a bit, too.

Ikea
In a fully globalised world no Christmas can pass without a visit to the local Ikea store, that is very much like the Ikea store of your hometown. Frankly, it is exactly the same. Still, the Swedish giant offers unique present ideas for an unrivaled price. Budapest has two Ikea stores (one on Örs vezér tér, accessible by M2) and the other one in the outskirts of Budapest. If you choose this latter one (located in the Budaörs commercial park), and pick a relatively unpopular time for your visit (weekdays, after 9pm), there is a slight chance that you can keep the timespan of your visit under two hours. Still, be prepared that of these two hours, you will spend more than 45 minutes queuing for the cashiers.

Culinaris
Culinaris is a relatively new Hungarian food chain (consisting of two stores, one in Óbuda and the other one in Pest's district VI.) offering exquisite delicacies from all over the world. Be it a single malt from Scotland, an exotic fruit from Thailand a very hot chili pepper from Mexico (not the loud one) or a special type of pasta from Italy, if you can find it in Hungary, the place you will find it is Culinaris. Prices are, of course not low, but Culinaris also offers a wide range of Christmas specialties as well. If the loved one you're choosing the present for loves gastronomy, Culinaris is the place you're looking for.

Forma
Forma is a single shop (near Ferenciek tere, accessible by the M3 subway or by the 173express bus line) that offers items with special designs. Most people love Forma for its funny objects, but if you are looking for a present for someone who has just moved in to a new apartment, items for interior design can also be luring. The shop is not more than 40 square meters, but you will find gifts or gifts ideas that you will be unable to find elsewhere in Budapest.

Unicef store
UN subsidiary Unicef is known mostly for its cute-looking design items whose sales also support children in need worldwide. Be it a puzzle, a postcard or a mug, if you want to show that you care (even that you care more for the Rwandan children than you care for the person you choose the present for), a Unicef item is a perfect gift. We don't suggest you buy a Unicef item for your significant other (or buy it as an additional present), but these items are perfect company presents and they are also suitable for distant relatives, where the only alternative would have been another tie or another bottle of perfume.

Apple store at andrássy str.
Apple store at Andrássy street
Okay, so he or she wants an iPhone. Everybody wants an iPhone. The place to buy things name start with a lowercase "i" is the Apple store on Andrássy street (accessible by M1 subway or on foot from Deák tér). The staff is fully dedicated; if you don't want to bother reading forums and reviews on the latest configurations, releases or gadgets, they will all be there for you to help. Apple presents are, of course, not cheap, but you can enter the "club" for approximately Ft12,000 by buying an iPod Shuffle.

Treehugger Dan’s bookstores
The Budapest Sun's favorite environmental activist, Treehugger Dan has three bookstores across the city (each of them located nearby Andrássy street). He sells second hand English-language books, and if you are buying a present for somebody who is more into culture than into sparkling, the Treehugger store is your optimal choice. Dan is very responsive, so if you don't know which store to go to when looking for a specific book, just drop him an email, and he'll help you. Also, he sells fair-trade tea and coffee, you won't find anywhere else in Budapest.
No, we haven't forgotten the Christmas Fair at Vörösmarty tér. It will be mentioned in the second part of this article, next week. That will also be the last issue of The Budapest Sun this year, so try not to miss it!



Zsolt Balla

12.12.2008