Budapest knows how to throw down some seriously festive Christmas vibes. In fact, it’s home to what’s been crowned the best Christmas market in Europe for 2023. So, of course, I had to swing by some Budapest Christmas markets and spill all the beans on exactly what’s on offer.
In this Budapest Christmas market review, I’m giving the lowdown on all the good stuff – from food and drinks to activities and prices. This visit was part of my Christmas Market Crawl, where I set off to visit an epic seven European Christmas Markets in just seven days, as voted for by my followers!
Everything You Need To Know About The Budapest Christmas Markets
Budapest truly comes alive during the festive season, transforming into a treasure trove of holiday delights with numerous enchanting Christmas markets waiting to be explored. Turn it into a festive adventure and hop around the Budapest Christmas markets.
What Christmas Markets Are There in Budapest?
Start at Budapest’s largest and longest-running Christmas market held at Vörösmarty Square. This iconic market has over 100 stalls and boasts a perfect mix of festive entertainment, fun activities and great gifts.
Then make your way to The Obuda Advent Fair. This Budapest Christmas market is a tad smaller and only open on weekends, but it’s just as fun as the bigger other ones. It’s also super kid-friendly – they have a packed program of concerts and puppet shows on the main stage.
Last but definitely not least, Budapest’s Advent Feast at the Basilica Christmas market has been voted the best one in Europe, which is why I decided to start my Christmas Market Crawl there! Treat your taste buds to traditional Hungarian dishes, crispy Kürtőskalács (chimney cakes) and spiced mulled wine or lace up your skates and enjoy some ice-skating fun.
When do Budapest Christmas Markets Open in 2023?
Christmas Markets in Budapest start early, with many opening from mid November and even running until the end of the year. Make sure you check the specific Christmas Market you’re after for the full details. We’ve listed everything you need to know for the Advent Feast at the Basilica and Vörösmarty Square markets in our reviews below.
Is Budapest a Good Destination for Christmas Markets?
Budapest is a great destination for Christmas Markets thanks to how well connected it is from the UK. You can fly direct from London and Edinburgh. As many of the airlines are low cost, it means you can get cheap flights there too!
If you’re interested in getting the train instead, take a look at the Nightjet Paris to Vienna sleeper. You’ll then only be a 2 hour 40 mins train from Budapest!
As for the city itself, there’s so much to see and do and thanks to several Christmas Markets, you can use your break to explore all the festivities and tourist attractions.
How Expensive are Budapest Christmas Markets?
You can find specific costs in our reviews below but the general gist is that drinks are fairly well priced – you can expect to pay less for these than you would at a UK Christmas market. However, food can get really expensive. And therefore if you’re on a budget, you’d be better eating elsewhere in the city where there are plenty of affordable options.
The Best Budapest Christmas Market Hotels
For visiting the city, here’s our list of recommended hotels but make sure you check their location and whether they’re close enough to the Budapest Christmas Market you hope to go to.
However, Budapest has a great transport network system, so if you find a bargain room at a place you love, you won’t have a hard time getting about either.
Suggested Hotels
If you want to stay close to the Advent Feast at the Basilica market, take a look at H2 Hotel Budapest and 12 Revay Hotel.
My Review of Advent Feast at the Basilica Christmas Market
Advent Feast at the Basilica Opening Dates and Time
Opening dates
Friday 17 November 2023 – Monday 1 January 2024
Times (for 24 Dec – 1 Jan times can vary)
Monday – Thursday: 11am–10pm
Friday – Saturday: 11am–11pm
Sunday: 11am–10pm
My First Impressions
If Vörösmarty Square Christmas Market is the ‘commercial’ market, then Budapest’s Advent Feast Basilica is the more ‘traditional’ one. It’s not big – you can easily walk through it within five minutes – but there is a cosy feel and with St. Stephen’s Basilica towering over the huts, it’s a very aesthetically pleasing Christmas market. So many great photo opportunities!
Food
If you like meat, you’re in luck. Whether it’s giant bratwursts, goulash inside loaves of bread or BBQ plates, you’ll be happy with the options here. However, I will say that the food is better at Vörösmarty Square – it just looks a bit fresher! But there are still some gems in this market too.
My advice would be to look for the smaller sellers whose produce may be more original and less… mass-sourced. I found Drip Pizza which originally solely served up – you’ve guessed it – pizza, but after they realised that everyone wanted a bratwurst, they decided to do their own take on it. So, they offer a delicious local sausage from the Budapest Great Market with sour cream and sauerkraut wrapped in a fresh-out-the-pizza-oven dough base. It’s genius – and 10 times tastier than the sad-looking sausages I saw at some other food stalls.
The one downside, however, is the price.
Lads, you are not ready for the food prices in Budapest!!!
My pizza-come-hotdog was 6000 HUF (£13.75) and that is standard for a Bratwurst. It was big – they cut it into two so you could easily share – but my god. £13.75!
And it doesn’t stop there. A pulled pork sandwich elsewhere was 7900 HUF (£18.10) and a BBQ plate cost 8900 HUF (£20.40).
Now, after chatting to the lads at Drip, they explained it’s because the costs of renting a spot at that market are so high, so I understand they need to cover their costs but wow. I was flabbergasted.
If you need to save money, go for a Lángos instead – these start at 2200 HUF (£5.05) and one with sour cream and cheese costs 3000 HUF (£6.90). It’s a delicious fried flatbread and it does fill you up.
That, or just eat outside of the Christmas markets.
Drinks
There are several places serving mulled wine and other boozy delights. I opted for one from DiVino which is a local wine bar, and it was delicious. It cost 1650 HUF (£3.80) though it comes in a paper cup and there’s no option to buy a special mulled wine mug – if that’s important to you!
There are other drinks on offer including beer from 1000 HUF (£2.30), warm cherry beer and of course, shots of the Hungarian herbal classic, Unicum, for 2000 HUF (£4.60). Proceed with caution!
Shopping
Whilst this Budapest Christmas market isn’t huge, I was really happy to see such a variety of different stalls. I don’t think I saw anywhere selling the same thing – unless you count bratwursts and mulled wine!
There were hats, candles, decorations, sweet treats, funnel cakes, art, wooden tools and even a festive lottery hut!
Yes, there’s still a bit of tat but in general, I’d say that the items on sale were really nice.
By UK standards, Advent Feast at the Basilica is a fairly affordable Christmas Market – as long as you don’t buy any food!
Activities
There’s a small ice rink around the Christmas tree but I didn’t see anyone on it – perhaps it’s just for show?
Anyway, the main event is the projection show on the basilica which happens every 30 minutes after dark. You’ll see a countdown on the building and when it gets down to zero, the big lights snap off around the market and everyone stops, looks up and watches.
It’s quite the spectacle and a really lovely twist on something to enjoy at a Christmas market. Extra points for the fact I didn’t see a projection repeat – and I saw several!
Where I Stayed
D8 Budapest Hotel Review
I ended up staying at D8 Hotel which was a two minute walk from Vörösmarty Square Christmas Market and a nine minute walk from Advent Feast at the Basilica. A perfect location!
It’s a really solid 3 star hotel with a modern design. The room was compact but had everything I could need. What’s more, it had a great restaurant and bar area (helpful for me when working) and the Wifi is so fast – we’re talking over 100mbps for upload and download.
I paid £74 for single occupancy in a standard double room which includes free breakfast. Considering it’s included, I was quite impressed with the breakfast. It’s not extensive, but there were some hot options (scrambled eggs and sausages) as well as salad, cold cuts, cheese, pastries, cakes, yoghurt and some warm porridge options too.
I would absolutely recommend it – it was a great base and the customer service was great.
InterCityHotel Budapest Review
If you’re arriving into Budapest by train, you could also stay at the InterCity Hotel which is just minutes from the station. I stayed there the night before my early train (to my next Christmas Market destination!) and it was super clean and modern with spacious rooms and comfy beds. I really liked it and the customer service was excellent here too.
Vörösmarty Square Christmas Market
Vörösmarty Square Christmas Market Opening Dates and Times
Opening dates
Friday 17 November 2023 – Monday 1 January 2024
Times (for 24 Dec – 1 Jan times can vary)
Monday – Thursday: 11am–9pm
Friday – Saturday: 11am–10pm
Sunday: 11am–9pm
My First Impressions
It’s centred around the statue in the middle meaning it’s all quite spread out and doesn’t have that intimate Christmas market feel.
There’s a row of food and drink stalls; the rest is crafts and goods to buy. There weren’t any activities at this Budapest Christmas market other than eating, drinking and shopping.
Food
The food on offer looks amazing. Like, maybe the best Christmas market spread I’ve seen. Loads of meat, fish, veg – and proper dishes that have been well seasoned too. The only downside is… the price. I’m actually flabbergasted at how much it all costs!
I got some chicken and peppers for 5900 HUF (£13.50) and added a potato cake. My total was 8900 HUF (£20.60)!
Yes, it was delicious but for that price in Budapest, I’d expect a sit down meal. However, as a slightly cheaper option, you can choose the French fries for 1500 HUF (£3.45) or flatbread for 2200 HUF (£5.05).
Drinks
Mulled wine is on offer here – starting at 1800 HUF (£4.10). You can get it cheaper in Advent Feast at the Basilica to be fair. It smelt delicious.
Are Budapest’s Christmas Markets Worth Visiting?
My Overall Thoughts
Budapest’s Advent Feast at the Basilica is a really cute and cosy Christmas market that’s perfect to potter around for a few hours. Sip on affordable mulled wine, watch the half hour projection show and snap up some beautiful items. The food is delicious, but I’m not quite sure you can sell me on a £13.50 sausage just yet… I’d recommend sharing with a friend but otherwise, eating elsewhere!
The Vörösmarty Square Christmas Market has great food – again if you can afford it! There are also some nice goods on offer but I’d head over to Advent Feast at the Basilica if you’re after that intimate Christmas market feel.
Budapest was a great place to kickstart my Christmas Market Crawl challenge and I can absolutely see the appeal – I’m gonna score the Advent Feast at the Basilica a 7 out of 10. However, I’m confident that we can rustle up better Christmas markets during our week of exploring.
Other European Christmas Markets to Visit
We’ll be whizzing around Europe and reviewing all kinds of Christmas markets. Keep up to date with the Christmas Market Crawl here and check out our rundown of the top Christmas markets in Europe.
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